Partnering against Pests: Rabbit control field day

Posted on 13 January, 2025 by Anna

Connecting Country is teaming up with Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN) to deliver a Rabbit Control Field Day as part of the Partnership Against Pests project (funded by Agriculture Victoria).

When: Saturday February 15th starting 9:30am-1:30pm.

Where: Harcourt ANA Hall, 7 High Street, Harcourt.

The day will include an indoor presentation followed by onsite demonstrations at a private property including an introduction to various control methods, demonstrations on how to use a bait layer or set up a bait station and a look at the impacts of rabbit harbour and burrowing systems and how to manage them.

This event is FREE but places are limited so please book your tickets HERE.  

The address of the private property in Harcourt will be provided closer to the date of the event.

Please wear appropriate outdoor clothing, sturdy footwear, hat, sunscreen and bring a water bottle.

Morning tea and lunch will be provided.

Please note the field day will be rescheduled if an extreme weather event is forecast.

The rabbit control field day is funded by the Victorian State Government Partnership Against Pests Program.

Seeding Our Future – Propagation Workshop with Newstead Natives

Posted on 23 December, 2024 by Hadley Cole

One of the key threats to local flora populations is seed security, particularly those species occurring in low numbers and fragmented populations that lack genetic diversity. Considering this Connecting Country is rolling out the Seeding Our Future project which focuses on building populations and connectivity of local flora species through community engagement and educational workshops on seed collection and propagation.

In early November we hosted the first event, a Seed Collection Workshop with Seeding Victoria in Castlemaine. The workshop was well received by a crowd of nearly 40 enthusiastic participants. Dan Frost from Seeding Victoria is a wealth of knowledge and shared his deep understanding of collecting various species of indigenous seed from across central Victoria. To read more about this event – click here

The second Seeding Our Future workshop is coming up on 22 February 2025: Propagation Workshop with Newstead Natives. This workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to learn from expert nursery person Frances Cincotta who will demonstrate various propagation techniques for some of our local indigenous plants.

The workshop will include:

• Seed sowing
• Propagating from Cuttings
• Propagating through the division of plants

The workshop will also include a short presentation from Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA).

When: Saturday 22 February 2025, 9.00am -1.00pm

Where: Newstead Natives Nursery, 4 Palmerston Street Newstead VIC

Cost: $20 

 Morning tea and lunch will be provided. 

For bookings – click here

The Seeding Our Future project is funded by the North Central Catchment Management Authority through the 2024 Victorian Landcare Grants.

Seeding Our Future: Seed Collection Workshop with Seeding Victoria

Posted on 19 December, 2024 by Hadley Cole

On Saturday 9 November Connecting Country teamed up with Seeding Victoria to deliver a Seed Collection Workshop focussed on techniques for local indigenous plants. This workshop is part of a series of engagement events Connecting Country is coordinating through the Seeding Our Future project. This project aims to build the populations, and therefore resilience, of local flora species by engaging community members in the collection and growing of local species to build seed banks across the region ensuring seed security for future revegetation.

Dan Frost and Robert Hall from Seeding Victoria presented the workshop covering topics from seed collection permits, common and uncommon species worth collecting in terms of the price fetched per gram of seed, future projection of seed required for revegetation projects across the state (eg. for restoration projects as part of Victorian government BushBank program) followed by more practical aspects including collection techniques for various plant types.

Dan Frost has been collecting seed for almost two decades and brought a wealth of knowledge to the workshop. He talked us through the useful seed collecting equipment and talked about the increasing importance of creating seed orchards for collecting seed as weather patterns change significantly with climate change.

The second part of the workshop involved heading outside so Dan could talk us through identification of local flora species as well as recognising the various life stages plants move through and the optimum timing for collecting seed. We looked at a diversity of lifeforms including local everlasting daisies, shrubs, wattles, eucalypts, grasses and sheoaks. Dan also talked through the OH&S issues that can arise when collecting from trees. The most important message of the day was to always leave seed behind for the bush – as well as meeting permit requirements (only collecting 10% of seed from each plant) it is also critical seed remains in the bush for future growth for habitat and food for the local fauna.

Participants reported they enjoyed excellent presentations for Seeding Victoria staff, and many expressed their interest in getting involved in future seed collection and/or conservation projects.

“Thank you for the wonderful workshop. Dan was an excellent presenter with a huge amount of knowledge communicated really well. Thank you all! “

The Connecting Country team are pleased to kick the Seeding Our Future project off so successfully. We look forward to the next workshop: Propagation with Newstead Natives in February 2025.

The Seeding Our Future project is funded by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) through the 2024 Victorian Landcare Grants.

Connecting Country’s 2024 AGM: Growing our Future Together

Posted on 12 December, 2024 by Hadley Cole

On Saturday 23 November Connecting Country held it’s 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Campbells Creek Community Centre. The focus for this year was to provide an opportunity for Connecting Country members and the wider community to come together and think about what is important to our community in supporting local biodiversity and connection with nature. 

After 16 years of influencing positive environmental change on 500+ properties in the region, the time has come to look forward and consider the future of Connecting Country!  

Three local Connecting Country members, all from differing backgrounds, were invited to join a panel discussion facilitated by Castlemaine Institute’s Sharon Fraser. Brendan Sydes, Connecting Country Committee President and Australian Conservation Foundation’s Biodiversity Policy Advisor,  Ian Higgins, local natural resource management practitioner and founding member of Friends of Campbells Creek and Ann-Marie Monda, landowner (with Carla Meurs) from Wooroomook property in Sutton Grange who integrate environmental improvements within agricultural farmland, were invited to the panel to discuss what is important to them in local biodiversity conservation and how we can shape the future of Connecting Country to achieve this. 

Panel discussion with Brendan Sydes, Ian Higgins, Anne-Marie Monda interviewed by Sharon Fraser from Castlemaine Institute.

The panel discussed the current state of the environment at the broader scale of global, national and state levels and then moved on to the importance of action at the local level and how many of the actions we take locally have a direct impact on the ground. All three panel speakers spoke of the importance of Connecting Country as a network that brings the many Landcare, friends of and environmental groups together, providing a central point for people to come to share information and connect with others who have the same goals of protecting the natural environment.

AGM attendees were given the opportunity to break into groups and discuss local conservation actions they have been involved in throughout the last year and also think about what the role of Connecting Country has been for them as a Landcare, friends group member or a local Landholder over the previous 16 years. Small groups of participants recorded their visions for Connecting Country’s future that would provide financial security as well as meeting the most significant conservation needs of our local community. These ideas were recorded on gum leaves that were then displayed on branches of a beautiful tree painted by local artist Jane Rusden.

Sharon Fraser gracefully held the workshop with an open mind and sincerity and the Connecting Country committee and staff are very grateful for her input into the day. Contributions from participants on the day will be summarised and used by the Connecting Country Committee of Management in future planning.

The most important message that came out of the day is that Connecting Country remains widely respected within the community and holds a significant role in acting as a network of many branches, bringing together many local conservation groups and the broader visions for restoring and protecting the natural environment.

Weed of the Month: Gorse

Posted on 28 November, 2024 by Lori

As we move through spring into the hotter, drier, summer months you will no doubt notice many of the local weeds flowering and seeding. This month, keep an eye out for the invasive Gorse (Ulex europaeus) which is a Weed of National Significance (WONS) and a ‘Regionally Controlled’ weed in the North Central Catchment – meaning landholders have a legal responsibility to control it. Gorse can be found right across the Mount Alexander Shire. It is a prickly woody shrub growing to around 3 meters, producing abundant, pea-shaped yellow flowers followed by pods of seeds which are spread through ‘explosive dehiscence’ in summer or as the weather heats up and dries out. Germination mainly occurs after rain in Autumn and Spring. 

Seeds remain viable in the soil for over 30 years, making an integrated and annual control program necessary to keep on top of infestations. Plants can also regrow from stumps. To control, cut and paint isolated individuals, hand pull small seedlings or grub out (disturb soil with a hoe, to essentially dig them up) large quantities of newly germinated seedlings. Spraying herbicide can be used for established infestations. For large infestations you may require a mix of techniques to achieve the best results, such as slashing and then spraying regrowth. 

There is now also specialised machinery, called an Eco Blade, that can groom out and chemically treat plants simultaneously which can be ideal for large infestations where there is no other vegetation present. Click here for a list of local weed contractors, and here for the Managing Gorse Manual.

For more information on Gorse or other land management topics, visit the Connecting Country website or contact us via email info@connectingcountry.org.au or phone 0493 362 394.  Landcare Groups are also a great resource for learning about local weeds. You can find your local group on the Landcare page of the Connecting Country website.  

The Weed of Month article is a segment from Connecting Country’s ‘Partnerships Against Pests’ project funded by Agriculture Victoria in 2024-25. Through this program, Connecting Country is working closely with local community groups, such as Landcare, to raise awareness of local pest plant and animal issues, with the aim to empower community with the skills to address these threats.  The project includes seasonal awareness campaigns around key pest issues as well as workshops, and market stalls across the region. Keep an eye out for Connecting Country staff and Landcare volunteers holding weed information market stalls at Mount Alexander Shire markets over the coming months.  

The Bee Line Project: Victoria Gully Group’s pollinator corridor planting

Posted on 28 November, 2024 by Hadley Cole

In 2023, Connecting Country received funding through the Victorian Landcare Grants for the pollinator corridor project; The Bee Line Project. This project has involved partnering with four Landcare groups in the Mount Alexander Shire to coordinate the planting of 1600 pollinator-attracting plants with the aim of building diverse pollinator corridors throughout the region.

Research demonstrates a serious global decline in pollinators due to habitat loss, a lack of connectivity between isolated pockets of habitat and climate change. Pollinators are the bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, moths, birds and even bats that are critical to the successful reproduction and survival of many of Australia’s native plants and food crops. The Bee Line Project brings these often-undervalued species to the forefront of habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation efforts, providing a focus for local Landcare and Friends groups to work together with a common goal. 

Victoria Gully Group (VGG) are a local group comprising of residents who live close to Victoria Gully, which starts in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park south of Castlemaine and meets Forest Creek at Greenhill Avenue, Castlemaine. Affectionately known by locals as the ‘gully’, Victoria Gully accommodates a range of recreation and aesthetic needs including children’s play, walking and bike riding. From the south the gully starts as a narrow, deeply-incised channel then widens to an open, grassed valley with a jumbled topography resulting from historical gold sluicing. This valley is home to a large mob of kangaroos and an intermittent unnamed creek runs along the east side.  

Pollinator plants added to existing Victoria Gully Landcare Group site. Photo by Victoria Gully Group.

This year, VGG planted 300 tube stock provided by Connecting Country through the Bee Line Project. The planting plan was developed by Bonnie Humphreys from Connecting County and VGG members following a site visit in November 2023.  

Victoria Gully Group members got together on 30 July and 2 August to plant the pollinator attracting plants across various sites in the “gully”. The planting included species such as Lemon Beauty-heads (Calocephalus citreus), Narrow-leaf Bitter-pea (Daviesia leptophylla), Dusty Miller (Spyridium parvifolium) and Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) which all provide habitat and food for insect pollinators as well as having lovely showy flowers.

At the site there is an existing frog pond installed by VGG in 2017. The group decided to add further habitat value to this by adding in some pollinator attracting plant species. Group members dug out clumps of Phalaris grass to make space for the new plantings, replacing the weedy grass with indigenous plants. 

Victoria Gully Landcare Group’s pollinator planting sites were considered carefully for their biodiversity value and for opportunities to extend existing habitat and create corridors. As “the gully” sits adjacent to Castlemaine Diggings Heritage Park, restoration work across this area links up to existing bushland, extending habitat corridors.

Well done, Victoria Gully Group for harnessing your people power to restore habitat for local pollinators!

Elphinstone Land Management Association & Taradale Landcare pollinator planting

Posted on 21 November, 2024 by Hadley Cole

In 2023 Connecting Country received funding through the Victorian Landcare Grants for a pollinator corridor project; The Bee Line project. The project has involved working with five Landcare groups in the Mount Alexander region to coordinate the planting of 1600 pollinator attracting plants with the aim of further expanding pollinator corridors.

Research demonstrates a serious global decline in pollinators due to habitat loss, a lack of connectivity between isolated pockets of habitat and climate change. By ensuring restoration efforts include pollinator attracting plant species and are connected to existing bushland or restoration sites, we can help to build resilience across ecosystems at the landscape scale. Pollinators form the backbone of the natural environment and by increasing connected habitat for a diverse range of their life forms, we are encouraging populations to thrive which will have a flow on affect to all flora and fauna across the Mount Alexander Shire.

Photos above show the planting sites on private property in Taradale and along the roadside in the Elphinstone township. Photos by Lynette Hills.

Elphinstone Land Management Association (ELMA) partnered with neighbouring group Taradale Landcare to take part in Connecting Country’s Bee Line Project and planted 300 pollinator attracting plants species across sites between each group’s work areas. The groups worked with public and private landholders and targeted areas along or adjacent to the roadsides between the Taradale and Elphinstone townships. These planting sites were carefully selected as they add value to existing plantings that will enhance connectivity between Taradale cemetery which is home to precious indigenous flora.

The plantings aim to increase connectivity through corridors from Elphinstone to the Taradale Cemetery, through to Taradale township. These strategic plantings aim to allow pollinators to move through the landscape and hopefully lead to an increase in populations of local pollinators by providing additional food and habitat resources.

Well done ELMA and Taradale Landcare for teaming up, pooling resources and working successfully together to continue conservation efforts in the region!

This project is funding by North Central Catchment Management Authority through the 2023 Victorian Landcare Grants.

The Bee Line Project: Barkers Creek Landcare & Wildlife Group Pollinator Planting

Posted on 11 November, 2024 by Hadley Cole

In 2023 Connecting Country received funding through the Victorian Landcare Grants for a pollinator corridor project; The Bee Line project. The project has involved working with five Landcare groups in the Mount Alexander region to coordinate the planting of 1600 pollinator attracting plants with the aim of further expanding pollinator corridors throughout the region.

Research demonstrates a serious global decline in pollinators due to habitat loss, a lack of connectivity between isolated pockets of habitat and climate change. By ensuring restoration efforts include pollinator attracting plant species and are connected to existing bushland or restoration sites, we can help to build resilience across ecosystems at the landscape scale.  By increasing connected habitat for a diverse range of life forms, we are encouraging pollinator populations to thrive which will have a flow on affect to all flora and fauna across the Mount Alexander region.  

Barkers Creek Landcare & Wildlife Group (BCL & WG) took part in the Bee Line Project and added 400 pollinator attracting plants to a site they have been working on for approximately 6 years, ‘The Old Tip site’. The site is adjacent to the Barkers Creek Bushland Reserve which is a 35 hectare bushland reserve that the group plan to restore as a long term project. The planting of the pollinator attracting species close to the bushland site provide extended habitat for pollinators to move across the landscape, increasing pollination services and encouraging healthy and robust flora that will be better equipped to cope with the effects of climate change.

Barkers Creek Landcare & Wildlife Group and Harcourt Valley Landcare Group team up for National Tree Day. Photo by BCL&WG.

BCL& WG group members provided the following report on their participation in The Bee Line project. 

The site is an old tip site and is supported by a ‘Partnership Agreement’ with Mt Alexander Shire Council. The main focus of the works on the site has been to create pods of grasses (200 per year) that have been planted across the clay cap of the Old Tip, plus, a few extra trees and shrubs have been added each year.

From April to August 2024 BCL & WG prepared the site and planted out the 400 pollinator attracting plants as well as a further 200 grass species provided by the Mount Alexander Shire Council.

“Our participation in the Pollinator Project will help transform the site to be more in keeping with the Bushland Reserve that it neighbours.”

On National Tree Day, Sunday July 28, BCL & WG teamed up with Harcourt Valley Landcare Group for a planting day. The day was well attended by 21 volunteers which resulted in 250 shrubs and grasses planted across the site.

The preparation work for the plantings took up a great deal of time. The group found that there were a few members who couldn’t make the work bees on the weekends but were available on weekdays so they decided to form a “B team” which involved a small group of volunteers who attended weekday work bees to help prepare the site for planting. This proved a wonderful success with the weekday preparations resulting in the holes being dug for the weekend planting work bees.

What an enormous effort by Barkers Creek Landcare & Wildlife Group. Congratulations and Thank you for your contributions to The Bee Line Project.

This project was funded by the 2023 Victorian Landcare Grants through the North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Maldon Urban Landcare Group AGM & special event: Living with our Wild Neighbours with Tanya Loos

Posted on 11 November, 2024 by Hadley Cole

Maldon Urban Landcare Group (MULGA) is celebrating their Annual General Meeting (AGM) with special guest Tanya Loos who will be speaking about her most recent book ‘Living with Wildlife’ on Saturday 30 November 2024.

MULGA have provided the following information and details about this wonderful event.

Everyone is welcome to come along to this very interesting talk ‘Living with Wildlife’ – possums in the roof, an echidna in the garden, or perhaps a bird attacking your windows? Join Tanya Loos, author of Living with Wildlife: A Guide for Our Homes and Backyards, published by CSIRO Publishing, as she provides information, advice and solutions to encounters with wildlife, based on current guidance from wildlife rescue organisations and the latest research. Tanya loves drawing from ecological science to educate and inspire people to care about wildlife and wildlife habitat.

When: Saturday 30 November at 2.15pm

Where: Maldon Neighbourhood Centre, 1 Church St, Maldon VIC

Refreshments will be provided. Booking not required.

For further information, contact Bev Phillips, ph. 0407 770 350, email: maldonurbanlandcare@gmail.com

Connecting Country AGM: Growing our Future Together

Posted on 1 November, 2024 by Lori

After 16 years of influencing positive environmental change on 500+ properties in the region, it’s time to look forward and help shape the future of Connecting Country!  

We want to hear from you – our members, supporters and the wider community – about what is important to you in supporting local biodiversity and connection with nature. 

Following brief AGM formalities, we will delve into an informative and interactive plenary discussion with a diverse panel: 

• Brendan Sydes – ACF Biodiversity Policy Advisor and Connecting Country President. 

• Ian Higgins – local ecologist and founding member of Friends of Campbells Creek. 

• Ann-Marie Monda – landowner (with Carla Meurs) from Wooroomook property in Sutton Grange integrating environmental improvements within agricultural farmland. 

Chaired by Sharon Fraser from the Castlemaine Institute, the panel will discuss the current state of the environment and why conservation is so important – from the grassroots level upwards – now more than ever. 

You will be invited to contribute your ideas and help shape the future direction of Connecting Country, its advocacy and support for grassroots conservation in our region. We will celebrate some of the local achievements to date and consider future opportunities for continuing positive environmental change, under changing financial, environmental and climate conditions.

Please join us for this special event on Saturday 23rd November 2024: 

Campbell’s Creek Community Centre
60 Elizabeth St, Campbells Creek VIC 345 VIC 3450

1:15pm – lunch and sharing of ideas 

2-2:20 pm – AGM formalities including a summary of 2023-24 achievements, review of the years financials, and election of office bearers 

2:20-4pm – plenary session, discussion and workshop 

For catering and logistical purposes, please register your attendance – click here

AGM formalities 

View Connecting Country’s 2023-24 Annual report – click here

View Connecting Country’s Financial audit 2023-24 – click here

 Connecting Country constitution 

Consumer Affairs made changes to the model rules for Constitutions and recommended organisations review their own constitutions in light of these changes.  

As such, Connecting Country’s Constitution has been updated in alignment with the model rules including:

• Updated language to support the flexible use of technology  (Rule 9, 35 and 62). 

• New processes for disciplinary appeals where members have been suspended or expelled by a disciplinary subcommittee (Rule 23). 

• Changes to grievance procedures regarding mediation (Rule 27 and 28). 

• Stronger disclosure requirements for a conflict of interest (Rule 65). 

See attached (with track changes) draft for review/endorsement. 

 These changes are required to be voted on and adopted by the organisations membership at the AGM as a special resolution.  To view a DRAFT updated Connecting Country Constitution (with track changes) – click here 

 Nominate for the Committee of Management

Want to be more involved with Connecting Country? Why not consider becoming a committee member.  We are actively looking for new committee members to broaden the skills of our Committee.  The positions require 2 hours per month to attend committee meeting plus small amounts of reading or work time as required to keep the organisation rolling.  If this sounds like you, please complete a nomination form or contact our office to discuss via info@connectingcountry.org.au.

Seeding Our Future: Seed Collection Workshop

Posted on 23 October, 2024 by Hadley Cole

Connecting Country is pleased to announce an exciting new project; Seeding Our Future which is funded by the 2024 Victorian Landcare Grants. The Seeding Our Future project focuses on building the populations and connectivity of local flora species through community engagement and educational workshops. 

One of the key threats to local flora populations is seed security, particularly those species occurring in low numbers and fragmented populations that lack genetic diversity. Local plant populations are already highly fragmented and isolated. With this we are witnessing the reduction of genetic diversity across populations which will be exacerbated by severe weather patterns and could eventually lead to the extinction of rare indigenous plant species. This will have enormous repercussions for many local vertebrates and invertebrates who rely on specific plant species for habitat and food sources. 

To protect biodiversity from extinction, the Seeding Our Future project offers local community the opportunity to take direct action to increase flora populations across the region. Through the collection of seed and growing of indigenous plant species, particularly those that are rare, we can increase genetic diversity and population of local indigenous flora, creating resilient ecosystems and seed banks for our future.

To kick the project off we are hosting a Seed Collection workshop with Seeding Victoria, in Castlemaine on Saturday 9 November 2024. This workshop has also received funding support from Cassinia Environmental, Natural Resources Conservation Trust and the Victorian Government BushBank program.

The day will involve;

• The nuts and bolts to seed collecting: You will learn species identification, what permits you need to obtain for collecting seed, OH&S, collection techniques, extraction and storage.

• Field Trip: We will have a look at the OH&S components of seed collecting, observing what’s flowering and what will be ready to collect in the coming months.

• There will be an opportunity to order seed-collecting equipment on the day.

• Learn about how the NRCT Seed Bank Revolving Fund works and how to obtain a discount for seed-collecting equipment.
• Introduction to the BushBank Program: How to get involved in collecting seed for the $30M Government program and access funding to undertake biodiversity planting on your property.

When: Saturday 9 November 2024, 9.30am – 3.30pm

Where: Castlemaine Botanical Gardens Tea Rooms, Downes Rd. Castlemaine

Cost: $30.

For more information and bookings – click here

The Seeding Our Future project is funded by the North Central Catchment Management Authority through the 2024 Victorian Landcare Grants.

The Seed Collection Workshop with Seeding Victoria has received further support from, Cassinia Environmental, Victorian State Government BushBank program and the Natural Resource Conservation Trust.  

Bird of the Month: Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Posted on 21 October, 2024 by Anna

Welcome to Bird of the Month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Damian Kelly and Jane Rusden from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, accompanied by their stunning photos.

Photo by Damian Kelly

Whilst doing quiet activities in the bush, like walking or bird surveys, it’s often possible to hear and maybe see, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. Anecdotally, I often associate them with Fuscous Honeyeaters because they visit the bird bath together, but they are frequently to be found on their own or in twos and threes as well. You may find their call is quite familiar.

The Yellow-faced Honeyeater is possibly one of the most widespread of the honeyeaters. It ranges from far north Queensland along the east coast across to South Australia. There have also been occasional records in Tasmania and even vagrants on Lord Howe Island and in New Zealand. This species is partly migratory with significant movement northward in autumn and returning southwards in spring. Migration has been observed in daytime with both small and large flocks on the move. This migration does not include all birds, with some remaining resident and sedentary in parts of their range. They can be found all year in our local bush.

Long term studies of migration have not shed a lot of light on overall patterns. Banding studies have proved inconclusive and we still know little about their movements. This is interesting given that are a relatively common bird. You’d think we’d know more about them!

An active and noisy bird, they can be seen in local gardens feeding on pollen, nectar, fruit, seeds, manna and insects along with lerp. They occupy a wide range of habitats ranging from woodlands to heath, mangroves, parks and home gardens. In short a very adaptable species. Locally they can be seen in any of the Box-Ironbark forests and in gardens.

A Yellow-faced Honeyeater as it decides if the bird bath is safe to have a drink. Photo by Jane Rusden

Nesting usually occurs in spring-summer with 2-3 eggs being laid in a nest composed of bark and grass fibre held together with spider web. Generally this nest in placed in the fork of a tree. Young are fed by both parents.

Find our more about Yellow-faced honeyeater, including their call:

https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Lichenostomus-chrysops

The bright yellow gape of a young Yellow-faced Honeyeater begging for food from a parent. Photo by Damian Kelly

Talking weeds in Taradale – Weed ID and Control Workshop

Posted on 17 October, 2024 by Lori

On Sunday 13 October, Connecting Country partnered with North Central Catchment Management Authority, to host a Weed ID and Control Workshop in Taradale.

Connecting Country’s Bonnie Humphreys teamed up with natural resource management expert, former Connecting Country staff and local farmer Jarrod Coote, to bring a suite of information on some of our local weeds. Specimens of noxious and environmental weeds were on display and participants were invited to delve into the biology of weeds in order to understand the best timeframe and course of action for management. When thinking about controlling a particular species, participants were encouraged to research:

• When is the active growth cycle?
• When does it seed?
• How are the seeds distributed?
• How does the plant reproduce (i.e. does it regrow from stems, does it have bulbs, or a tap root)?

An understanding of the biology of a weedy plant will help participants to undertake control methods more effectively and efficiently.

The workshop also covered legislation around noxious weeds, and responsibilities for landholders, weed control techniques and planning for weed control. Participants also had the opportunity to see a practical demonstration of an Eco Blade destroying gorse!

                 Photos by Carmen Bunting

“…I know I expressed my appreciation on the day, but this is just to reinforce how much the weeds day at Taradale was appreciated.  It was well organised.  The speakers were realistic, informed & practical in their presentations and contributions.  The field component was accessible and, again, very practical – thoroughly worthwhile day…” (David Cheal)

More information on local weed control is available in Connecting Country’s Healthy Landscape Guide which is available electronically on the website or in hard copy for $15 through the Connecting Country office or at Stall #625 at The Mill.

This workshop was the first in a series of events that is part of Connecting Country’s new Partnerships Against Pests project funded by Agriculture Victoria in 2024-25, and was also supported by the North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Partnering against pests in the Mount Alexander Region 

Posted on 18 September, 2024 by Hadley Cole

Connecting Country is excited to announce our new ‘Partnerships Against Pests’ project funded by Agriculture Victoria in 2024-25. Through this program, Connecting Country will work with a range of stakeholders to raise awareness of local pest plant and animal issues, and empower community with the skills to address these threats.   The project will involve a series of field days, market stalls, a weed control video and training events alongside a seasonal communication campaign around key pest issues in the region. 

The first event will be a ‘Weed Identification and Control Workshop’ on Sunday 13th October from 10 -1pm in Taradale.  We will be focusing on a range of local noxious and environmental weeds, covering identification tips and control techniques with practical demonstrations. We are hoping to provide an opportunity for you to meet with local contractors from your area. 

This event is FREE but places are limited so please book your tickets HERE.  This secures a showbag of goodies to get you started and catering on the day. 

We are also currently updating our ‘Mount Alexander Region Contractors List’.  This list is available on our website as a connection for landholders looking for a local environmental contractor. If you work within the Mount Alexander Region and would like to be included on this list or involved with the above mentioned field day, please get in touch via email: info@connectingcountry.org.au 

The Weed Identification and Control Workshop is funded by the Victorian State Government Partnership Against Pests Program and the North Central Catchment Management Authority.

Bird of the Month: Blue-faced Honeyeater

Posted on 20 August, 2024 by Anna

Welcome to Bird of the Month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, accompanied by his stunning photos.

Adult Blue-faced Honeyeater. Photo by Damian Kelly

When we first moved to Castlemaine about 14 years ago, the Blue-faced Honeyeater was almost unknown in the local area. Fast-forward to the present day and now it is not unusual to hear and see these birds around town. They range from northern Australia along the east coast to South Australia. They can be found in a wide range of habitats from open forests to orchards, banana plantations, parks, golf courses and home gardens.  To me they are a bit of a ratbag of a bird – often in groups and always noisy, diving in and out of foliage in the quest for food, even right in the centre of town.

In the breeding season they rarely build their own nest, preferring to take over the abandoned nests of a variety of species ranging from Red Wattlebirds to Noisy Miners, Magpies and Magpie-Larks. In some areas Babbler and Friarbird nests are also used. Often they don’t bother modifying these nests but may re-line them if needed. Occasionally they will build their own nests. In this case it is a neat cup-shaped construction of bark and grass. Usually 2-3 eggs are laid.

Like several other Australian species the Blue-faced Honeyeater is a co-operative breeder and immature birds may help at the nest to feed the young.

In feeding they are quite adaptable, consuming insects and invertebrates along with nectar and fruit when available. This may be sourced from native and introduced species – as an adaptable species they get food wherever it is available. Occasionally they are known to be orchard pests and are not popular in this regard.

Identification of adults is easy with their distinctive blue face. Immature birds, however, lack the blue and instead have green around the eyes.

Immature Blue-faced Honeyeater with green around the eye, as it matures it will turn vibrant blue. Photo by Damian Kelly

Feathery Festival – September 2024

Posted on 14 August, 2024 by Anna

Connecting Country, Birdlife Castlemaine District and Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group are excited to present:

Join us for a series of events in celebration of woodland birds

September 2024 on Djaara Country

The Message of the Lyrebird Film Fundraiser

Thursday 5 September 7:30pm (doors open at 6pm for dinner and music)

Theatre Royal Castlemaine

Tickets $25/$20 concession HERE

This is a special fundraising event also featuring live music by Joel Bloom and Hilary Blackshaw and a conversation with local Landcarers and ecologists.

All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards – Connecting Country’s Conservation Program and Balangara Films Education Distribution Program. 

Guided Birdwalk

Saturday 7 September 9am 

Rise and Shine Nature Conservation Reserve, Newstead 

Join expert bird watchers from Birdlife Castlemaine District on a free guided walk in one of the region’s bird watching hotspots, including a ‘how to identify birds’ session, followed by a delicious brunch in the outdoors with entertainment from the Chat Warblers. Kids welcome.

Reserve your spot HERE

Birds and Beers

Wednesday 11 September

Talk starts at 7pm (come down earlier for dinner)

Shedshaker, Castlemaine 

Enjoy a beer and some delicious grub, and Join Tanya Loos, author of forthcoming book Living with Wildlife: a guide for our homes and backyards, while she delves into the delights of our local bird fauna. As well as describing commonly seen birds of the Castlemaine region, Tanya will provide tips on how to make sure our homes and backyards are havens for birds.  

Practical advice will include preventing window collision, owl friendly rodent control, how to stop birds attacking windows and why bird baths are a better option than feeding birds. 

2024 National Tree Day Community Planting

Posted on 13 August, 2024 by Hadley Cole

This year Connecting Country teamed up with McKenzie Hill Action & Landcare Group and  Mount Alexander Shire Council to host a community planting to celebrate 2024 National Tree Day. The event was funded by community donors, businesses and Mount Alexander Shire Council, which is a wonderful credit to our local community! We clearly value biodiversity restoration and providing community members with opportunities to contribute to healing Country.

The day was a huge success with approximately 60 people in attendance. McKenzie Hill Action and Landcare Group (MHALG) worked tirelessly in their planning of the event and made sure there was a hot free lunch at the end of the planting for all participants care of Rotary Castlemaine.

Happy community members.

Maisie, Connecting Country work experience champion!

Fury friends were welcome.

Mount Alexander Shire Council worked with MHALG volunteers to coordinate a kids activity area which included badge making, seed ball making and colouring, all of which had a pollinator theme providing opportunities to learn about the regions local insect pollinators.

Participants enjoying the kids activity area. Photo by Connecting Country.

Amelia and Olive from McKenzie Hill Action & Landcare Group and Sally from Mount Alexander Shire Council coordinating kids activities.

Participants of all ages came along, from young toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between, including fury canine friends! Everyone was keen to get their hands dirty. The species chosen for the planting included a variety of lifeforms (grasses, shrubs, trees, ground covers etc,) including species such as, Matted Bush-pea (Pultenaea pedunculata), Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra), Tree Violet (Melicytus dentatus) and Bushy Needlewood (Hakea decurrens).

The planting was held at the Langslow Street Old School Site, a long standing site MHALG have been working on for over ten years. The focus of the planting is to increase the number of pollinator attracting plants to the area and is part of Connecting Country’s Bee Line project, a pollinator corridor project carried out in partnership with local Landcare Groups funded through the 2023 Victorian Landcare Grants.

MHALG have big plans for the Langslow Street Old School Site, including promoting the plantings across the site as educational resources to encourage biodiverse plantings of indigenous species in our region. The community planting day resulted in 400 pollinator attracting plants going in the ground, which will add enormous value to the groups’ long term plans and bring a diversity of pollinators to the local area.

If you would like to learn move about McKenzie Hill Action & Landcare Group you can contact them via Facebook – click here

If you wish to learn more about attracting native insect pollinators to your garden, check out Connecting Country’s guide to pollinator attracting plants of the Mount Alexander region – click here

Lori, Bonnie and Hadley from Connecting Country. Photo by Connecting Country.

The Connecting Country team send a big Thank You to all the collaborators involved in this event and to all the wonderful participants who helped to get plants in the ground!

Thank you also to the local event sponsors including, The Good Op Shop, Shed Shaker Brewing and Mount Alexander Shire Council.

We look forward to watching these plants grow!

Budding young volunteer Fynn.

Planting brings big smiles!

Superstar Ben stayed till the end.

Community champions: Top honours to Marie and Tavish at Landcare Awards

Posted on 24 July, 2024 by Ivan

Local community champions Marie Jones and Tavish Bloom were awarded top honours at the recent Victorian Landcare Awards, highlighting the amazing passion and dedication in the central Victorian Landcare movement. We are very proud of both Marie and Tavish, who have shown countless hours of commitment and hard work in restoring our ‘upside down’ landscapes of the Mount Alexander region. Please raise a glass to toast our well-deserved awardees!

Marie Jones: Joan Kirner Landcare Award

Marie was a founding member of Golden Point Landcare Group and has clocked up 30 years with the local group, as well as stints on the North Central Catchment Management Board and Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forest (FOBIF). She is currently the president of FOBIF, which runs monthly walks, organises photographic exhibitions, and develops educational materials to promote and advocate for the Box-Ironbark Forests of the region.  Marie was a founding member of Connecting Country over 25 years ago and continues strong involvement as Secretary on the Committee of Management.

Marie Jones collecting seed. Photo by John Ellis.

Marie has worked tirelessly to ensure that Connecting Country is successful, serving for many years as secretary or president and being involved in multiple sub-committees. Under Marie’s guidance, the network has successfully protected, restored, and enhanced over 15,000 hectares of the region’s landscape.

Director of Connecting Country, Lori Arthur, said ‘We love the gentle way Marie brings our community together and raises awareness of the issues facing our biodiversity and wildlife. I enjoy working with Marie, learning from her wisdom, compassion and kindness through the Landcare movement’.

Marie features on Connecting Country’s Landcare promotion video below, where she is quoted as saying ‘Landcare is everybody’s, and it is our responsibility to look after our local landscapes.  It is an honour to volunteer in our community and contribute towards these things’. Well done Marie, very much deserved!

Tavish Bloom: Woolworths Junior Landcare Award

Tavish is an inspiration to the next generation of Landcarers in our region, and at the ripe age of 13 years old, has an enviable track record and passion for our landscape and wildlife. He lives next to the Post Office Hill Reserve at Chewton and has been part of a project installing and monitoring 28 nesting boxes in the Central Victorian reserve as a member of the Post Office Hill Action Group. This project has given Tavish a terrific platform to learn more about our marsupials and birds that call the nest boxes home and has inspired him to tell his story to other young Landcarers and school friends.

Tavish interviewed by Dr Ann Jones at Resource Smart Awards 2023. Photo by Castlemaine Steiner School.

The nest boxes have housed several occupants, including a female Brush-tailed Phascogale using one of the boxes to successfully raise eight joeys last summer. Nest boxes are vital for providing refuge for threatened species in the absence of their usual habitat, such as hollows in large old trees. Tavish has enjoyed the interactions and sharing of the reserve with the Brush-tailed Phascogale, which has enabled him to learn more about the threatened species and ensure they have the habitat to thrive in the future.

As a young child, he spent countless hours observing and recording flora and fauna in the reserve and two years ago joined the Post Office Hill Action Group (POHAG), which cares for the reserve. This reserve was turned upside down during the gold rush in the mid-1800s and then was later used as a rubbish dump and tip for the region. Tavish is inspired to continue restoring the degraded landscape with mid-storey shrubs and nest boxes, which will enable woodland birds and marsupials to thrive in their once-denuded landscape.

Tavish with Costa Georgiadis at the Victorian Landcare Awards. Photo by Joel Bloom.

Well done Tavish, we hope you continue the journey with your inquisitive nature and passion for the wildlife and biodiversity, that is often forgotten about in our busy lives. Landcare Facilitator at Connecting Country, Hadley Cole, said ‘Tavish is such an awesome inspiration for the future of Landcare in our region and has shown that younger members of our community are keen to be involved in land management for a better future. ‘I have seen Tavish educate and inspire others around him, which is such an important role to play in ensuring Landcare continues into the future.’

Tavish now goes on to represent Victoria in the National Landcare Awards later this year. Best of luck Tavish, we’re all cheering for you!

Connecting Country would like to congratulate and thank everyone who contributes to Landcare in our region, and in particular, give a big high five to Marie and Tavish for their extraordinary contributions.

To learn more about Marie and Tavish’s accomplishments head over to the Landcare Magazine’s website to read full articles dedicated to Marie and Tavish – click here

To find out more about Landcare in our region, or to get involved – click here.

Confirm your support for Connecting Country’s work: EOFY

Posted on 4 June, 2024 by Ivan

A huge thank you to our many amazing supporters who have been generously donating via our online service over the past year. Now is a great time to make a financial contribution to Connecting Country’s work, if you can afford to, as the end of the financial year approaches. Donating is easy – use our secure online service (click here), with all donations to Connecting Country being tax-deductible.

We appreciate all your financial support, whether large or small, one-off or regular.

Thanks also to all our supporters for being part of the Connecting Country community in 2024, joining our shared vision for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander region. The valuable work we do couldn’t happen without people like you – volunteering time to help with wildlife monitoring, joining our education events, participating in our on-ground projects, giving financial help or just being a member.

We have a demonstrated track record of fifteen years of successful landscape restoration and strategic landscape planing for the future. However, in the current situation, it’s extremely difficult to secure funding for on-ground environmental projects. The post-COVID-19 pandemic has caused our government and many philanthropic organisations to freeze or delay grant opportunities.

We are determined to survive, and maintain our core capacity and current projects until new project funding arrives. However, we need help to maintain the strong foundations essential to our success as a community-driven organisation and keep us focused on long-term plans. With enough support, the coming year will see us continue to help landholders with on-ground actions, prepare for climate change, maintain our long-term monitoring, and deliver events that inform, educate and inspire.

You can be assured that any financial support from you will be well spent, with 100% invested into our core work of supporting and implementing landscape restoration in our local area. We run a very lean operation and our small team of part-time staff attracts voluntary support that ensures every dollar goes a long way.

As a Connecting Country supporter, you’ve already contributed to some amazing successes. Since beginning in 2007 we have:

• • Helped protect and restore 15,000 ha of habitat across the Mount Alexander region, which equates to around 8.1% of the shire.
  • Delivered more than 245 successful community education events.
  • Installed more than 450 nestboxes for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale
  • Maintained a network of 50 long-term bird monitoring sites
  • Secured funding to deliver more than 65 landscape restoration projects.
  • Supported an incredible network of over 30 Landcare and Friends groups.

Thanks again for your support for Connecting Country. Making our vision a reality is only possible with strong community support. Please enjoy this gallery snapshot of some of our 2023-24 activities.

Celebrating our wonderful volunteers: National Volunteer Week

Posted on 20 May, 2024 by Ivan

This week, 20-26th May, is National Volunteer Week, Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering, highlighting the important role of volunteers and inviting people not currently volunteering to give it a go.

This years theme is ‘Something for Everyone’ and Connecting Country would like to take this moment to say a massive thank you to our amazing volunteers from our many projects and programs.

Connecting Country could not do what we do without our volunteers. Our management committee is run by volunteers, our monitoring programs rely on skilled citizen scientists, our landholders ensure landscape restoration is maintained, and others help with events, Landcare, engagement and in countless other ways. We love our volunteers and appreciate their dedication to our vision of increasing, enhancing, and restoring biodiversity across central Victoria.

National Volunteer Week 2024 will recognise the diverse passions and talents everyone brings to the act of volunteering. It’s also an invitation to explore the myriad of opportunities available, emphasising that there’s a place for everyone in the world of volunteering. We have plenty of opportunities to apply your skills as a volunteer and have had so many talented volunteers assist us over the recent years.

Our projects run off very tight budgets, with funding opportunities few and far between, so we rely on volunteers more and more to help us achieve our mission of landscape restoration within the Mount Alexander region. The community has always been at the core of what we do at Connecting Country. In this new phase, we’ve had to rely on our community even more.

Because we’re surrounded by an engaged and enthusiastic community, we’re still able to check in on our local biodiversity and deliver monitoring, engagement, Landcare support and landscape restoration across our region. If it wasn’t for your hard work, we simply would not be able to continue our valuable long-term biodiversity monitoring, engage our community in caring for our local landscapes, or empower landowners to manage their land as wildlife habitat.

To everyone who has helped Connecting Country over the past two decades: a big thank you! We are so grateful for your support.

To find out more about volunteer opportunities at Connecting Country, please visit our website – click here

National Volunteer Week Events will take place from 20-26 May 2024, to say thank you to the millions of  Australians who volunteer their time. We invite you to join in the events across the country.