Connecting to this Country – a course for connection
Posted on 19 May, 2022 by Frances
Last week Connecting Country delivered a workshop for the debut course titled ‘Connecting to this Country’, an eight-week course put together by Castlemaine Commons in partnership with Maldon Neigbourhood Centre. Despite the course name, this course was not developed by Connecting Country – confusing! However, we did present a workshop for keen participants on 10 May 2022.
The course is designed as a practical journey that enables participants to develop more meaningful connection to the Victorian Central Goldfields on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. It is particularly relevant to new residents or anyone curious to explore their local environment and culture. Participants learn about indigenous world views and nature connection, along with applied skills in land management, ecological restoration, plant weed and animal identification, regenerative living, carbon reduction, resilience and food systems.
Connecting Country staff worked with volunteers from Castlemaine Landcare, Birdlife Castlemaine, Friends of Box Ironbark Forests and Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club to deliver the one day workshop. Participants came from various backgrounds, with some more experienced in natural resource management and some with little to no experience. We started the day with a bird walk and introduction to the amazing work of Landcare along Leanganook track on Forest Creek, Castlemaine, using our new ‘Bird walk for beginners‘ as a guide. Over lunch we heard from Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club. During the afternoon our phascogale expert, Jess, took the group to check some nearby nest boxes, introducing them to some local wildlife and our biodiversity monitoring program. Participants left with a copy of Connecting Country’s Healthy Landscapes guide as a resource to help them continue their journey.
It was a great day out for participants and presenters. We hope it left participants with a greater understanding of the diverse and passionate environmental and community groups working in our region, and what can be achieved on the ground by passionate and hardworking volunteers.
Damian Kelly shares his passion for local birds with the group (photo by Frances Howe)
Well done Connecting country, I look forward to my newsletter to see what is coming up to better care for the land.
thanks Gayle. Great to hear you are caring for the land.
Well done! Connecting Country does an amazing job connecting people with local landscape. (And anyone that’s seen the inside of a phascogale nest box won’t easily forget it!).
Thanks John, very kind words