Preview ‘The Adventures of Ernie the Queensland Fruit Fly’ – 24 January 2019

Posted on 15 January, 2019 by Frances

Mount Alexander Shire Council and the City of Greater Bendigo, in partnership with Agriculture Victoria, invite you to join a sneak peek preview of The Adventures of Ernie the Fruit Fly – a series of educational videos on managing Queensland fruit fly.

Light refreshments will be served.

When: Thursday 24 January 2019 from 2.00 to 2.45 pm
Where: Castlemaine Civic Centre, Council Chambers, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine VIC

Please RSVP by 18 January to Amanda Every a.every@mountalexander.vic.gov.au

Pizza party in the park – Intrepid Landcare

Posted on 14 January, 2019 by Asha

Are you a young person? Do you want to help care for our land and the environment?
Do you like pizza???

Come along and chat about starting an Intrepid Landcare group for people aged 18-35 years. Pizza and music provided, BYO drinks. Call or text 0418 428 721 for more information.

When: Saturday 9 February 2019 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Where: Castlemaine Botanical Gardens (near the rotunda), Castlemaine VIC

CLICK HERE to download the flier, and please feel free to share!

Work with Connecting Country – monitoring and engagement roles

Posted on 9 January, 2019 by Frances

Our fabulous Monitoring and Engagement Coordinator, Tanya Loos, will soon be moving on from her role at Connecting Country to focus on her writing career. This means we have an exciting opportunity for one or two hardworking people with experience in natural resource management to join our established community-run organisation. Connecting Country works with landholders and community groups to restore landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region of central Victoria, on both public and private land. Further information about our work is available on our website (www.connectingcountry.org.au).

Monitoring Coordinator role
Connecting Country’s biodiversity monitoring began in 2010. Rigorous, long-term monitoring is essential to determine if threatened species are declining, or if our on-ground habitat restoration is successfully increasing populations of at-risk species. The Monitoring Coordinator is responsible for managing Connecting Country’s biodiversity monitoring activities, in accordance with our strategic plan, and leading their strategic evolution over time. Woodland bird monitoring is the major focus, but monitoring also encompasses nest box surveys, reptile and frog surveys and vegetation surveys.

Engagement Coordinator role
Community engagement is central to Connecting Country’s ongoing efforts towards habitat enhancement and healthy environments in the Mount Alexander Region. The Engagement Coordinator is responsible for overseeing Connecting Country’s community engagement activities, in accordance with our strategic plan, and leading their strategic evolution over time. Engagement encompasses community workshops and events, media communications, engagement with project partners and funders, and interactions with community groups, volunteers and individuals.

Further information
These are two separate, part-time roles (two days per week each) based in Castlemaine, Victoria. They are 12 month contract positions, with contract extension subject to performance and funding availability. For further details about the roles, please refer to the full position descriptions:

• Monitoring Coordinator position description – click here
• Engagement Coordinator position description – click here

If you have any questions, please contact Frances on 03 5472 1594 (Monday to Thursday) or info@connectingcountry.org.au.

How to apply
Please provide your written application by email to info@connectingcountry.org.au by 28 January 2019, including a brief application letter summarising your suitability for the role and curricula vitae demonstrating your relevant skills and experience.

Eltham Copper Butterfly search – 12 January 2019

Posted on 8 January, 2019 by Frances

Eltham Copper Butterfly monitoring workshop and search is on! Join local ecologists Elaine Bayes and Karl Just to look for this threatened species.

When:   Saturday 12 January 2019 from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm
Where: Meet at the water tanks at the end of Hunter St, before junction with Kalimna Park Tourist Rd in Kalimna Park, Castlemaine, VIC
Bring:   Field gear (good shoes, hat, water bottle, sun screen, etc.), pen or pencil, a pair of binoculars and camera if you have them

The aim is to learn how to search for Eltham Copper Butterfly and search for some, if time allows. You will learn:

• How to identify Eltham Copper Butterfly and avoid confusion with other similar butterflies.
• Data collection method.
• How to use an app for data recording.

Eltham Copper Buttlerfly has a wingspan of only 2-3 cm.

If you already feel comfortable with how to identify Eltham Copper Butterfly and how to record data, then get out there and have a search!

Click here for a data sheet with method and photos to help with butterfly identification.

Click here for a map of the park divided into areas. You can either choose one area or use it to describe where you have searched.

We’re particularly keen to check for Eltham Copper Butterfly in the shaded green area of the map, as there is a planned burn in this area.  A burn would kill the butterflies, so your data will be very important. If possible please take photos of any Eltham Copper Butterflies you find, as extra confirmation they are present.

Not an Eltham Copper Butterfly! This Common Brown Butterfly has a wingspan of 6-7 cm.

Mid to late December through to the end of March is when Eltham Copper Butterfly are flying, with a peak in December to January. Another butterfly search will be held on Saturday 16 February 2019.

For further information please contact Elaine Bayes (rakali@outlook.com.au).

Hollows, habitat and nest boxes: design and installation tips

Posted on 2 January, 2019 by Frances

Following Connecting Country’s highly popular nest box workshops during autumn 2018, we’ve compiled some nest box design and installation tips. These tips were compiled by Connecting Country’s Tanya Loos from our workshops with local ecologist and nest box builder, Miles Geldard.

Phascogale in nest box at Welshmans Reef (photo by Jess Lawton)

All animals need to meet their basic needs of something to eat and somewhere to live. Australia’s fauna is particularly reliant on hollows for shelter and breeding – possums, gliders, bats, kookaburras, parrots, treecreepers, reptiles such as geckos and even frogs need hollows.

Hollows are a highly limited resource in today’s Box-Ironbark forests. The sheer scale of clearing and removal of large old trees for timber in our region is almost unbelievable. Trees were logged for railway sleepers, mine shaft infrastructure, baker’s ovens, boilers, heating and construction. Only 15% of the Box-Ironbark forests remain and virtually no old growth patches are left.

Hollows may begin to form in any aged tree, even relatively young trees if the conditions are right. In some countries, woodpeckers create hollows in trees.

Here in Australia, the bark needs to be damaged in some way – either by wind, lightning, fire or by animals (such as galahs) – so that termite or fungal activity may begin to create a hollow. In Box-Ironbark forests, termites do most of the hollow formation, whereas in wet forests it is fungi. Galahs and other parrots love to chew bark. Are they ecosystem engineers creating hollows for the future, or just larrikins sharpening their bills?

Miles has reviewed scientific papers on our local hollow-using fauna’s habitat needs and preferences. He uses this information when designing and installing nest boxes considering internal hollow dimensions, size of entrance, tree type, location on tree and orientation.

Miles suggests installing as many nest boxes as you can manage to install and maintain. Many hollow-dependent animals use multiple nesting sites located across their home range.

For Connecting Country’s full notes with nestbox design and installation tips: click here

The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning also recently published some useful general information about nestbox use (click here) and monitoring (click here).

Bird baths – a cool treat for birds over summer

Posted on 2 January, 2019 by Jacqui

Bird baths provide a welcome retreat from the summer heat for a range of wildlife. Depending on the size and location of your bath, you may be visited by tiny birds such as pardalotes, gregarious honeyeaters and rosellas, frogs and reptiles, or larger animals like echidnas and wallabies, as this previous story from local landholder Jane Rusden describes.  As many of you know a visitor to the bird bath can be a delightful and rewarding way to interact with wildlife from close range, perhaps from your living room or kitchen window.  Washing up has never been so much fun!

With more hot weather forecast we wanted to share a reminder to monitor water levels in your bird bath, especially during extended hot periods so birds don’t lose a water source they may be depending on. It’s also a good idea to ask a neighbour to refill your bath(s) if you’re going away over summer.

If you are considering setting up a bird bath or would like some tips on how to keep birds cool, healthy and safe from predators please read more here.

Here are some gorgeous images taken recently by our Director Frances Howe at her bird bath near Castlemaine. Frances’ bird bath is on a pedestal and close to perches to keep birds safe as they come in to bathe.  Thanks Frances!

Fuscous Honeyeaters hanging out poolside.

Joined by a friend.

Drying off after a splash!White-naped Honeyeaters move in.

Tarrangower cactus warriors honoured again with national Froggatt Award

Posted on 2 January, 2019 by Frances

They’ve lured university students, local scouts and even Work for the Dole crews into their scheme to rid invasive wheel cactus from their part of Victoria, and now a little community group in central Victoria has received a national Froggatt Award. 

‘The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group have gone to extraordinary lengths to turn the tables on wheel cactus, a weed that escaped gardens in the 1960s and began taking over local bushland,’ Invasive Species Council CEO Andrew Cox said when announcing the award.

‘Their passion for protecting the natural environment from wheel cactus, a highly invasive and extremely difficult plant to kill, has roped all sorts of people into their program. University students, local scouts and even drought relief and Work for the Dole crews have all joined the cause to rid the area of wheel cactus.’

The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group has contributed to state and national policy development, including the first-ever Victoria-wide map of wheel cactus and the Managing Opuntoid Cacti in Australia manual.

Scroll through this gallery for photos of their amazing work.

Froggatt awards were also given this year to an intrepid band of bushwalkers who led a feral horse protest walk all the way from Sydney to Mt Kosciuszko and to the creators of a green-haired Biosecurity Warrior.

About the Froggatt Awards

Invasive species have become one of the biggest threats facing Australia’s natural environment, but their continued arrival and spread is all too often neglected as a conservation issue.

The Froggatt Awards are given out by the Invasive Species Council every year and are named in honour of Australian entomologist Walter Froggatt, a lone voice in the 1930s warning of the dangers of releasing the cane toad into Australia to control beetle infestations in sugar cane.

The awards are given to those who have made a major contribution to protecting Australia’s native plants and animals, ecosystems and people from dangerous new invasive species.

More information

• Tarrangower Cactus Control Group
• Froggatt Awards

Learn about blackberry and rabbit control with Macedon Ranges Shire Council

Posted on 2 January, 2019 by Frances

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is running free workshops on blackberry and rabbit control.

Blackberry control workshop

Blackberry is now beginning to flower in central Victoria. Effective weed control involves a whole community effort. If everyone does a little bit we will be on target to minimise the spread of this invasive noxious weed. Join leading experts in weed control to learn about how to treat Blackberry on your property. The event will include a light lunch and demonstrations of management techniques to get you started.

When: Saturday 23 February 2019 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Gisborne Administration Centre, 40 Robertson St, Gisborne VIC

RSVP required. For information and bookings: click here

Rabbit control workshop

Did you know that feral rabbits can breed from the age of four months and at any time of the year? Feral rabbits compete with native wildlife, damage vegetation and degrade the land. Hear from pest animal experts on the best steps towards control.

When: Saturday 16 March 2019 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Romsey Community Hub, 98 Main St, Romsey VIC

For information and bookings: click here

Snake and reptile workshop – 19 January 2019

Posted on 20 December, 2018 by Jacqui

Join Connecting Country and Muckleford Catchment Landcare on Saturday 19 January 2019 from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm to learn about snake ecology and behaviour. Snakes play an important role in healthy ecosystems, snacking on frogs and smaller reptiles and providing a food source for larger predators. Find out what makes good snake habitat, how we can protect snakes, as well as keep our pets and families safe!

The workshop will include an opportunity to meet real live snakes. However this activity is optional.

This is a family-friendly event held at a property in Muckleford, VIC. All are welcome. Morning tea will be provided.

RSVP is essential. For bookings and more information contact Jacqui Slingo by email at jacqui@connectingcountry.org.au or phone 03 5472 1594.

A flyer on the workshop is available here.

This workshop has been made possible by funding from the North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Learn to use the Atlas of Living Australia – 4 February 2019

Posted on 20 December, 2018 by Frances

The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is a collaborative, national project that collects biodiversity data from multiple sources, and makes it freely available and usable online.

Hepburn Shire and the Victorian Gorse Taskforce have organised a forum to explore the potential of the Atlas of Living Australia for local weed and other environmental projects.

The forum will include two sessions:

Atlas of Living Australia in the field
An interactive session for how to use the ALA in the field. This session will be of interest for those individuals, groups and contractors who need to map the occurrence of native or exotic plants or animals and/or have a database for their environmental monitoring data.

Atlas of Living Australia as a planning tool
Learn how the ALA can be used by individuals and groups to plan, manage and document natural resource management projects and for project design, strategic planning and policy development at landscape scales. This session will focus on how you can use the ALA for weed control, biodiversity management, local government planning, etc.  (e.g., how the ALA can assist you in organising a weed control program in an area).

Forum: Using the Atlas of Living Australia
Date:    Monday 4 February 2019
Times:  10.00 am  to 1.00 pm – Session 1
              1.00 pm to 2.00 pm – Lunch and display
              2.00 pm to 5.00 pm – Session 2
Venue: Victoria Park, Corner Ballan Rd and Burrall St, Daylesford VIC

Bookings are essential via https://www.trybooking.com/ZZSO or call Hepburn Shire on 5348 2306.

You can choose to book for Session 1 or Session 2 or both sessions.  Lunch is provided.  Please advise dietary requirements

A flyer for the event is available here.

Presenter profile

Peter Brenton is based with the CSIRO in Canberra and has worked with the Atlas of Living Australia since 2009. For the past six years he has lead the ALA’s work to develop and implement tools which support the many and varied needs of field-based data collection by the ecological and citizen science communities. He is particularly interested in making the efforts of citizen scientists and the data which they collect more visible, relevant and accessible in areas where they can have great impact.

And a very antechinus Christmas to all!

Posted on 19 December, 2018 by Tanya Loos

Who needs reindeer, red robins, or snowmen when the holiday season is graced with baby antechinus! Landholder Jane Rusden lives on a bush block in Campbells Creek, and is able to watch the antics of very young antechinus just after they leave the nest.

The antechinus is a carnivorous marsupial, in the same family as the much larger Tasmanian Devil, quoll and phascogale. In the Castlemaine region our local species is the Yellow-footed antechinus. These attractive marsupials are regular feature on Geoff Park’s blog, Natural Newstead. To identify the presence of antechinus or rats by their droppings, click here to read a post on Tanya Loos’ blog.

Please scroll through to enjoy this gallery of photos of the young antechinus that Jane photographed from her lounge room window last week. Thank you to Jane for sharing them!

Connecting Country office hours for Christmas 2018

Posted on 18 December, 2018 by Frances

Owlet nightjar at Moonlight Flat (photo by Frances Howe)

The Connecting Country office will be closed from Friday 21 December 2018 and reopen on Wednesday 2 January 2019.

Our usual office hours are 8.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Thursday. If you’re coming to visit please feel free to call ahead, as occasionally we’re all out and about at once.

We wish you all the best for a safe and peaceful holiday season, with lots of interesting summertime critter sightings!

Wombat Forest birdwalk – 5 January 2019

Posted on 18 December, 2018 by Frances

The next monthly BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch bird walk will be on Saturday 5 January 2019. The walk will be led by Tanya Loos and will be through relatively moist leafy forest, perfect for the summer holidays. Suitable for all ages and levels of bird enthusiasts.

Join Tanya on a wander through the wet ferny gullies and peppermint ridges of the Wombat Forest. We will do the Whipstick Creek Loop walking track which takes 3 – 4 hours. Those who wish to do part of the walk can retrace their steps. On our walk we are likely to see local special species such as Rufous Fantail, Crescent Honeyeater, Gang Gang Cockatoo and Blue-winged Parrot. We might also see Rose Robin, Bassian Thrush and Square-tailed Kite.

Wear sturdy shoes and a hat, and bring along insect repellent, sunscreen, water, snacks and lunch. And, of course, binoculars. In case of extreme weather the walk will be cancelled.

Meet at the former Continuing Education building at 30 Templeton St Castlemaine VIC at 8.30 am sharp, to car pool. Alternatively, meet at Garden of St Erth car park, 189 Simmons Reef Rd Blackwood, VIC at 9.30 am.

Garden of St Erth is one of The Diggers Club’s properties and a fantastic perennial and fruit garden, with a cafe and nursery – well worth a look!

Wombat Forest birdwalk
When:   Saturday 5 January 2019 at 8.30 am to car pool or 9.30 am to join walk
Where:  to carpool meet at 30 Templeton St Castlemaine VIC
               to join walk meet at Garden of St Erth car park, 189 Simmons Reef Rd Blackwood, VIC
Bring:    sturdy shoes, hat, insect repellent, sunscreen, water, snacks, lunch, binoculars

For information about BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch click here

The restoration of Taradale Landcare

Posted on 17 December, 2018 by Asha

If you read the Midland Express newspaper, you may have been enjoying Connecting Country’s monthly ‘Nature News’. This year we featured Landcare stories written by intern Sarah Edwards and local Landcarers. This week, the last of these ten stories was published in the paper, featuring this story written by Brian Bainbridge about the wonderful Taradale Landcare.

Taradale Landcare members at Barkly Park (Photo by Brian Bainbridge)

Taradale Landcare Group came together over twenty years ago over their shared passion for walking in the bush, managing the land, and learning about native flora and fauna. After many years of committed work, eventually the group lost momentum and folded in 2012.

Following a meeting to gauge interest, several prospective new members and a sprinkling of original members reformed Taradale Landcare in 2016.

Things started slowly with meetings and discussions to learn about the member’s priorities and interests- as well as conducting the ‘house-keeping’ needed to re-establish the group’s organisation and accounts. The Back Creek alongside the Mineral Springs Reserve near the centre of town has become a natural focus and base. The group has resurrected the work of the earlier group by treating weeds, uncovering the now maturing plantings, and replanting to fill in the gaps. In 2018, a Mt Alexander Shire Roadside weeds grant has encouraged the group to learn to coordinate and conduct sensitive weed control along the best roadside remnants, a process expected to continue for several years.

The group’s walks and talks encourage exploration by the many newly arrived residents of their adopted town’s historical sites including the Channel, Barkly Park, the Cemetery and the Quartz Battery, each with important ecological values that could be enhanced. This summer will see the group conduct seed collection (under permit) and propagation of wildflowers, grasses and trees- in consultation with the Cemetery trust.

A theme of the newly emerged group is to engage and have a presence at local gatherings while ensuring the group’s own events have a social as well as ecological outcome. Shared meals encourage the sharing of ideas to continue long after the ‘real’ work has ended.

If you are interested in being a part of Taradale Landcare Group or have any questions, email Colleen Jones at colfjones@yahoo.com.au or like the group’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/taradalelandcare/.

Good riddance to deadly opera house yabby nets

Posted on 12 December, 2018 by Frances

The dams and waterways of central Victoria are perfect for catching yabbies over summer. However, poorly designed yabby nets also catch native wildlife like platypus, turtles and rakali (native water rat). Sadly, these air-breathing animals can become trapped in the nets and drown.

Opera house style yabby nets are believed to kill hundreds of platypus each year. In January 2018, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) recorded that 13 platypus died after drowning in illegally set opera house nets in Victoria. DELWP urged Victorians not to use enclosed traps such as opera house nets, and only use platypus-safe alternatives. Senior Wildlife Investigator Mike Sverns said, ‘Platypus are an iconic Australian species that are declining. To lose 13 platypus in one year is tragic’.

Opera house nets are banned in all waters throughout Victoria from 1 July 2019. Opera house nets have been phased out and replaced with new open-top lift nets, which are more wildlife friendly. Unlike opera house nets, open-top nets feature a 20 x 20 cm gap at their top, which enables air-breathing animals like platypus to escape. The Victorian Fisheries Authority has conducted trials and shown open-top lift nets are very effective yabby catchers.

When announcing the ban, Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said, ‘Opera house nets have been placing our platypus population at risk and so it’s time for us to embrace different fishing gear that will catch just as many yabbies without impacting our precious wildlife’.

Many people who have purchased opera house nets to fish for yabbies are unaware of the risks they present to wildlife, and that these nets have long been banned in Victorian public waters. From 1 July 2019 the ban will extend to include all private waters.

If you have an opera house net you should dispose of it and replace it with an open-top lift net. We recommend dismantling old opera house nets, as even on land they can still entangle terrestrial wildlife, leaving them to a slow and painful death.

Under the Victorian Wildlife Act 1975 there are penalties associated with taking or being in possession of protected wildlife or using prohibited equipment which is up to a maximum of $38,0562, and/or 24 months imprisonment. To report crimes against wildlife you can call Crime Stoppers confidentially on 1800 333 000 or online at https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/report-a-crime/

Open mic at Castlemaine Field Nats! – 14 December 2018

Posted on 12 December, 2018 by Asha

As per Castlemaine Field Naturalists tradition, their December 2018 general meeting is a chance for any member (or visitor) to make a short presentation. People are encouraged to talk for up to five minutes about a topic related in some way to natural history. It might be photos from a holiday to an exotic location, video footage of birds in your backyard, an analysis of recent weather patterns, or reciting a poem about a forest. It is only limited by your imagination. There will be a projector, PC laptop and screen available for use.

The evening commences from 7.30 pm on Friday 14 December in the Fellowship Room behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St, Castlemaine VIC (next door to the Castlemaine Art Museum). Members and visitors of all ages are welcome, and entry is free.

If you’d like, bring along a plate of food to share with everyone afterwards.

For further information on Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club see their website here.

Citizen scientists sought – testing new wildlife monitoring technology

Posted on 12 December, 2018 by Asha

Deakin University, in collaboration with Land for Wildlife, is seeking volunteers to participate in a citizen science project called Wildlife to Wellbeing. The project will trial new camera technology to monitor and identify wildlife on properties registered with the Land For Wildlife program in Victoria.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a project that tests new video technology developed at Deakin University, and being used for the first time anywhere in the world! The technology enables 24-hour, continual monitoring of wildlife and will capture video recordings of a greater proportion of animals than existing wildlife cameras.

The cameras will operate for up to three months from the time of set up in January/February 2019. Deakin Uni will collect the cameras at the end of the project to reuse in future projects.

To participate, your property needs to have heathy dry forest or grassy dry forest ecological vegetation classes (EVCs). You may qualify if your property is located in central Victoria, within the rough area of Bacchus Marsh – Ballarat – Ararat – Maryborough – Dunolly – Bendigo – Elmore – Rushworth – Seymour – Yea – St Andrews – Whittlesea – Sunbury.

Getting involved

For more information about getting involved, go to http://bit.ly/Wildlife_To_Wellbeing

Or contact Jason Major by email at j.major@deakin.edu.au or phone (during business hours) on 0455 288 309.

A threatened butterfly gets a lot of love in Kalimna Park

Posted on 29 November, 2018 by Tanya Loos

On Sunday 25 November, 2018 attendees at our Kalimna Park Butterfly Count were delighted to observe two Eltham Copper Butterflies flying and then perching on native shrubs such as Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) and Rough Wattle (Acacia aspera).

The count was led by two Eltham Copper Butterfly enthusiasts, ecologists Elaine Bayes and Karl Just. Elaine and Karl have a long association with this tiny threatened butterfly, and the afternoon involved a very informative discussion about the ecology, life history, and threats facing the butterflies. We also went out butterfly-spotting of course!

This naturally deceased butterfly was found in Rhyll Plant’s bird bath in nearby Happy Valley. We thought it could be an ECB – but it is actually a closely related Grassland or Chequered Copper Lucia limbaria!

The Kalimna Park population of Eltham Copper Butterfly (ECB) is quite possibly the largest left in the state, but it is also not as well studied as other populations. Elaine and Karl are very keen to find volunteers who are willing to scour the park for adult ECBs.

The next butterfly count will be held on Saturday 12 January, 2019 between 1pm and 3 pm at Kalimna Park. Connecting Country will send out a blog post with all the details in early 2019. A subsequent count will be held on Saturday 16 February  – so pop those dates in your new diary 🙂

We were all fascinated by the complex life history of the ECB and this butterfly’s relationship with the Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) and a species of ant. Elaine wrote a great article about this interrelationship in 2016 for one of our early Nature News – click here.

The Eltham Copper Butterfly has rightly received a lot of attention in our region over the years -Connecting Country is proud to take part in the story and work with the people who care for the butterfly in the coming months.

Please enjoy this gallery of photos from the Butterfly Count. Click on the arrow on the right to move through the pictures.

Newstead exhibition by three fine nature photographers

Posted on 28 November, 2018 by Tanya Loos

The expression ‘taking photographs’ is a curious and revealing usage. In English, we don’t ‘make’ photographs, we ‘take’ them. When photographing nature – wildlife, plants, landscapes – it can seem that the photographer ‘captures’ a beauty already there, taking something that belongs to the subject, but without diminishing the subject.

Bronwyn Silver, Geoff Park and Patrick Kavanagh roam the goldfields of Central Victoria, stealing images of the beauty they find. Birds, mammals, plants. Not even mosses and lichens are safe from their pilfering ways!

While the targets of their larceny are unaffected by the process, these thieves have been profoundly altered by the images they’ve stolen from the wild, seeing more deeply into the wonders of the natural environment. They are happy to share their bounty at Newstead Arts Hub during December.

Nature photography on the Goldfields – with Patrick Kavanagh, Geoff Park and Bronwyn Silver

Location: Newstead Railway Arts Hub, 8a Tivey St, Newstead, VIC

Time: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm on the first four weekends in December (1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23 December 2018).

The official exhibition opening is at 11.00 am on 2 December 2018. Refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome. For more details contact Bronwyn Silver on 044 8751 111.

Please enjoy a sneak preview of some of the beautiful photos that will be on display.

Harvest native seed – free workshop

Posted on 22 November, 2018 by Frances

If you want to learn more about local native plants and how to collect seed, Mount Alexander Shire Council is running a free workshop as part of their Sustainable Living Workshop Series.

Presented by Ian Higgins from Friends of Campbells Creek, you’ll learn how to identify local plants, work out which are ready to harvest and collect seeds for Landcare projects.

The two hour workshop is suitable for people of all ages. Make sure you bring along a hat, gloves, drink bottle, sturdy shoes and secateurs.  Long sleeves are recommended, as some plants will be prickly!

When:   Saturday 24 November 2018 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm
Where: Meet at Honeycomb Reserve, Honeycomb Rd, Campbells Creek VIC
RSVP:   Secure your place by contacting Council’s Gabe Macauly
              at g.macauly@mountalexander.vic.gov.au or 5471 1834.