Sunday 20th July walk – Coliban Main Channel, Malmsbury

Walk leader for this month’s walk on Sunday 20th July is Steve Charman, author of “The Coliban Main Channel, A Walking Guide”.

The focus of this return walk will be the Coliban Main Channel in Malmsbury, starting at Malmsbury Reservoir and describing a 6 to 7 kms loop that will, in part, return along the Coliban River. While the walk may prove disappointing for the botanists, there’ll be plenty for the history buffs. Mostly easy flat walking, but with one or two gates to climb. 

Meet outside the Community House 30 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine at 9.20am to register and organise car-pooling for prompt departure at 9.30am, or be at the Malmsbury Reservoir Picnic Ground at 10am.

Walks are free and non-members are welcome. Bring water, morning tea and lunch.
You can read our advice to walkers document here

There is no need to book in for this walk but if you have any questions you can all the walk leader Steve Charman on 0411 357 601, or from Friday 18th July you can call the walks coordinators Lisa Hall 0488 102 191 or Gen Blades 0431 371 065.

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Nothing to see here…Hang on!

If you’re crossing the Forest Street footbridge over Campbells Creek this month, you might want to cast your eye down to the downstream edge of the bridge. Those nondescript streaks of shades of green are colonies of three different moss species. The remarkable thing about this apparently ordinary scene is that council staff regularly come along here and scrape the moss off…and regularly it comes back, colonising an apparently inhospitable concrete surface. In its way, it’s a kind of heroism.

Council versus moss, now in its umpteenth season: Silver Moss and Cushion Moss regrowing after repeated removals…

The grey green moss is Bryum argenteum (Silver Moss). It’s common in Castlemaine streets, and is found on every continent on earth, including Antarctica. In a few weeks it will produce some picturesque spore capsules—but you’ll have to get down on your knees to see them properly. The deeper green is Grimmia pulvinata (Cushion Moss). It’s found from Siberia to the southern regions of Chile. Its spore heads are visible already.

Grimmia pulvinata with new spore capsules, Campbells Creek footbridge: it doesn’t matter how often it’s scraped off, it comes back as good as ever.

FOBIF’s field guide, Mosses of dry forests in south eastern Australia, has just been reprinted in a revised edition, including for the first time common names to go with those ferocious scientific tags. This guide, produced as an experiment in 2014, has proved tenaciously popular, and has now gone through 6 reprints.

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Honey is in the air

Walkers on the newly opened section of the Campbells Creek track can’t fail to have noticed the substantial patches of flowering Hakea by the trackside. Hakea is a highlight of the track, and of the hillside on the side track leading up to Campbells Creek suburbia. When it’s in full flower, the aroma of honey in the air is unmistakeable.

Hakea decurrens (Bushy Needlewood) beside the newly opened section of the track, July 7: the aroma of honey is in the air.

The new section of track is a welcome improvement to this outstanding example of creek regeneration. And another welcome change: it’s proposed to change the name of the track to ‘Watjarang Baring’, meaning ‘Platypus Track’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language.

FOBIF is about to do a new edition of its Twenty Bushwalks in the Mount Alexander Region, incorporating several changes in on ground conditions, including the new Campbells Creek route and new Parks Victoria ventures in the Diggings Park.

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June short walk: a leisurely mooch in a ruined waterway

A bleak forecast didn’t stop a smallish group of resolute walkers from taking on the June short walk yesterday. The route followed a quiet gully south of Chewton, much revitalised by recent damp weather. It’s quite amazing how even the little moisture we’ve had over the last ten days has brightened a grey landscape.

What better way to spend a Sunday? There is a universe down there, and you have to get down to see it. (Photo: Cassia Read)

Significant patches of ground stood out in bright colours of different moss and lichen species, and hand lenses were deployed enthusiastically and with great effect under the engaging guidance of Cassia Read. It should be said that a lot of bending, creeping and crouching was necessary to get the right observations, but the result was definitely worth the effort.

And another amazing, though apparently prosaic fact: the gully we traversed is the product of gold rush destructiveness, and is still struggling over a century later…definitely a candidate for World Heritage nomination?

Our thanks to Cassia for making her expertise so accessible in the field. Here’s a partial list of moss species observed:

Dawsonia longiseta (Small Dawsonia)
Polytrichum juniperinum (Juniper Moss)
Grimmia laevigata (Salt and Pepper)
Grimmia pulvinata (Cushion Moss)
Braunia imberbe (Green Hoar-moss)
Rosalubryum billarderii (Rosette Moss)
Sematophyllum homomallum (Bronze Signal Moss)
Hypnum cupressiforme (Plait Moss)
Triquetrella papillata (Common Twine Moss)
Triquetrella paradoxa (Messy Twine Moss)

Photos by Joy Clusker.

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EVENT: The Deep History of the Loddon River, Volcanoes and the Guildford Plateau

The Loddon River is central to much of Central Victoria and the Northern Plains. As it has wended its way from the highlands to the Murray for countless millennia, it has shaped the land, its fauna and flora, the people (both First Nations and those that came after colonisation) and the history of all of the above.

Newstead Landcare is excited to announce that renowned local geologist, Clive Willman will take us on a journey through the deep history of this important river and its catchment. This is a story of cataclysmic upheavals and volcanoes. Clive will take us through the formation of the Guildford Plateau and the story of the deep deposits of gold that eventually upended the landscape. Don’t miss this remarkable story.

The presentation, organised by Newstead Landcare is on Tuesday June 17th at Newstead Community Centre at 7.30 pm. 

All are welcome to attend. Gold coin donations would be appreciated.

Clive Willman

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Long Walk – Leanganook / Mount Alexander

The annual FOBIF Long Walk began bright and early as promised on Sunday June 15th, with a group of seven intrepid hikers setting off into the eastern reaches of Leanganook (Mount Alexander). Confidently leading the way off-track, Jeremy guided the group to some of the mountain’s hidden gems.

Much of the walk unfolded beneath a thick winter mist, which, while obscuring the anticipated lookouts, lent the landscape a cosy, almost mystical atmosphere, giving more than it took.

A visit to the mysterious stone circle.

Offering a glimpse into what the pre-European vegetation may have once looked like, several sections of the route passed through relatively intact woodland where mature eucalyptus trees (mostly manna gums or messmates with a scattering of river red gums) stood tall above a sparse tussock grass understorey.

A glimpse of the pre-European landscape with large eucalypts scattered around a sparse tussock understorey.

Less uplifting, however, was the number of dead or dying younger trees—likely a result of prolonged drought stress, particularly in areas where shallow soils cap granite outcrops.

Some highlights of the day included a side quest to a sculptural rock cave, a visit to the rock maze, admiring giant river red gums and manna gums and the joys (and pains) of tackling large hill climbs.

A view from inside one the hidden caves the group explored.

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Yoorrook Justice Commission Walk for Truth

Yoorrook Deputy Chair Commissioner Travis Lovett, Kerrupmara  and Gunditjmara man, had the vision and conviction to walk from Portland, where colonisation began, to Parliament in Melbourne. There the Yoorrook final report will then be handed to the Victorian government.

He is walking now, alongside local First Nations people and others, who have joined the walk at various stages. As the Commission stated:

“The walk will be a powerful way to build shared understanding of these truths, talking together about our history, while walking together to transform our future. For First Peoples and for all Victorians.

https://yoorrookjusticecommission.org.au/events/walkfortruth/

Two FOBIF committee members joined the walk on day 1 and day 2 at Portland. We arrived at the ‘convincing grounds’ at the end of day 1, the site of Victoria’s first recorded massacre of First Nations people. The second day, we visited Tae Rak Aquaculture centre and the UNESCO world heritage listed Budj Bim cultural landscapes. Stories were share by local First Nations people, stories of past, present and future aspirations.  

As Victoria’s first formal truth-telling process, over the past four years, Yoorrook has heard powerful truths from people right across the state, giving evidence on the impacts of colonisation, including systemic injustice, as well as the strength, resistance and achievements of First Peoples. These truths form the basis of Yoorrook’s final reports, documenting the past and providing a roadmap to transform the future. The final report will be handed to the State Government at Parliament House on the final day of the walk, June 18. We urge anyone who is able, to join these walks & events. It is a meaningful way we can support our First Nations people and the movement towards Treaty.

The Convincing Grounds, Portland Victoria

 

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My introduction to Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening

My name is Chrissi, and I am a committee member with the Friends of Box-Iron Bark Forests. As someone who works as a conservation ecologist, but is new to living on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, I am aware of how little I know and how much I must learn about the cultural and ecological history of this place. On a chilly morning in mid-May, I was lucky enough to nab a spot at a collaborative event hosted by Connecting Country and Dja Dja Wurrung. It consisted of talks, conversations and a site tour, exploring some of the forest gardening practices outlined in DJAARA’s Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy. The following is a small highlight of what I took away from the amazingly informative morning plus some extra curricula reading of the strategy.  

The morning began with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Dja Dja Wurrung elder Uncle Rick Nelson who emphasized that “everyone is needed to heal country”. As a non-Indigenous person with English, Irish and North American heritage I find it a welcome reminder of the importance of the magnitude of restorative work there is to do, particularly in a landscape that has been so heavily impacted by colonial practices that had little respect for the rich ecological and cultural heritage.

After being welcomed onto Djaara Country we all funneled back inside for a presentation by DJAARA employee and Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening project manager, Oli Moraes.

The Galk-galk Dhelkunya (translated too to care, to heal trees and forests) is “Djaara’s contemporary philosophy and practice of managing Djandak’s (Dja Dja Wurrung Country) cultural landscapes” [1]. The strategy is “guided by Dja Dja Wurrung cultural Lore and obligations. Djaara’s connection to Country, cultural rights and obligation have never ceased, nor was sovereignty ever ceded”[2]. The strategy doesn’t shy away from the challenges of incorporating cultural land management practices across a wide variety of tenure types, but it also provides clear guidance and a generous opportunity for non-Djaara land managers to support Djaara priorities.

Oli’s presentation highlighted the ways in which Dja Dja Wurrung Country still bears the scars of relatively recent destructive practices such as gold mining and intensive forestry.

One key historical legacy that Djaara is tackling with the forest gardening practices is the overabundance of galka (trees) across a range of forest types on Djaara country. Too many trees may seem like a strange problem for those not embedded in the world of conservation land management, but an overabundance of trees in some forest types can have negative ecological and cultural consequences. Forests with too many trees (compared to what’s normal for healthy mature forests of that type) can block sunlight from reaching the ground. This can stop smaller plants from growing and reduce the variety of habitats available in the forest. An overabundance of trees also increases the competition for sunlight and nutrients, which can cause trees to grow skinnier and straighter than they would if they were in a less competitive environment. While tall straight trees can be useful for timber harvesting (and are natural in some forests), in other forest types, tall skinny straight trees reduce the understory biodiversity and reduce the likelihood that trees will form large limbs which over decades can naturally break off leaving behind tree hollows. Ecologically, large hollow bearing trees are critically habitat for species such as sugar gliders and brush-tailed phascogales who rely on hollows for their homes. On a small scale, a patch of dense trees provides its own unique habitat, however wide spread clearing and logging across the region has resulted in an abundance of forests with overabundant dense straight trees and a relative dearth of sparse large hollow bearing trees.

Cultural thinning is a culturally responsive method based on the scientific principle of ecological thinning. This involves selectively removing some trees to reduce the overall competition for resources and improve the growth rate of the surviving trees. In some forest types, thinning occurs naturally over time; ecological thinning accelerates this process to help create a healthier, more resilient ecosystem that can support a greater diversity of plant and animal life. Like ecological thinning, cultural thinning involves “selectively removing galka in overly dense spaces” for ecological and community benefits however, cultural thinning has the additional elements of “reaping cultural outcomes such as increased space for older galka to thrive and utilisation of thinned product for tools and artifacts.”[3]

We were able to view some of the recent outcomes of cultural thinning during the tour of a patch of the Wombat Forest in Leonards Hill that is comanaged by DJAARA. The patch was a messmate stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua) and candlebark (Eucalyptus rubida) dominated forests with a scattering of narrow-leaf and broad-leaf peppermints (Eucalyptus radiata and E. dives ), blackwoods (Acacia melanoxylon) and silver wattles (Acacia dealbata). The forest had been regularly harvested by Forestry Victoria up until the 1990’s utilizing a mix of forest harvesting techniques. One third of the site had been clear-felled (all trees removed) with the other two thirds having been selectively logged with some larger trees left as seed trees. To heal Country Djaara have been combining cultural methods with ecological sciences to understand the landscape from multiple perspectives. In studies of the site, the clear-felled area had an average of 2000 tree stems per hectare and in the selectively logged patch there was on average 1000 tree per hectare. A mature patch of this forest type should have around 20 large trees per hectare. If the forest was left to naturally mature (and in the absence of any large-scale fire or other disturbance event) the forest would likely naturally self-thin but this could take hundreds of years.

A key distinction between the ecological practice of thinning and the cultural practice of thinning is not only the expanded cultural outcomes, but the on-ground approach to thinning. Rather than the scientific outcome, of a strict number of stems per hectare, Djaara’s approach to thinning takes a distinct approach, part of which is based on what feels culturally right and what is culturally desired for the landscape.

As we walked around the culturally thinned forest, Oli highlighted that the thinned trees presented as much of a problem as an opportunity and there was no easy fix as to what to do with all the wood. The current approach is a blend of scientific, cultural and trial and error. In some patches trees have been ringbarked to kill the tree but the dead stems are left to naturally fall over. In other patches trees have been felled, but timber is left on the forest floor. Elsewhere, trees have been cut down and the timber has been removed off site. Oli highlighted that where timber was removed, it is not Djaara’s intention to make any money out of the harvesting and that the wood was not quality firewood, however some pieces of timber are utilised by the on-ground crew for cultural and creative practices. Across the different techniques the Djaara are returning to the site to observe the different ecological responses.

Cultural thinning is only one of the practices that are outlined in Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening but it was the practice we explored in the most detail during the tour. Other techniques include Djandak Wi (cultural fire practices), revegetation and rehabilitation of Djandak where vegetation has been removed, regenerative practices and partnerships across Djandak and practices to protect gatjin (water) across the landscape[4].

Restoring balance to the landscape, both ecologically and culturally, is a core element of all the practices in the Galk-galk Dhelkunya forest gardening project. “If you don’t have all the elements of the ecosystem including Djaara, things are out of balance” shared Oli.

The morning left me feeling lucky to have access to such a generous sharing of knowledge so early into my time living and working on Djaara Country and hopeful for future scientific and cultural collaboration.

[1] Page 16 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

[2] Page 7 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

[3] Page 31 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

[4] Pages 31 – 35 of Galk-galk Dhelkunya Forest Gardening Strategy 2022-2034.

Oli standing amongst a patch of culturally thinned forest where the timber. Photo: Chrissi Charles

Oli introducing us to the site, photo: Chrissi Charles

An example of a recently ring barked tree where the stem has been left in the landscape, photo: Chrissi Charles

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FOBIF June 15th walks: the long and the short

FOBIF is offering a choice this month. Here are the details:

Long Walk: Mount Alexander

We will start walking from Old Koala Park and do an anti-clockwise circuit of about 12.3 km. A bit over half of this is off track in typical Mt Alexander type terrain. Note that this walk will leave the Community House at 9am.

Apart from undulations there are two significant climbs. The first is 160m up a spur from Whisky Gully to a lovely flat plateau which we then follow gently downhill all the way to meet Aqueduct Creek. There is also a side trip to an interesting rock cave and some large old trees along here.

The second is 270m of sustained climbing up another spur to the towers. It is quite steep and taxing, especially near the top where we will be rewarded with another interesting rock cave to visit.

To complete the circuit we follow the Goldfields Track via Dog Rocks back to the cars.

At a comfortable pace, the circuit should take about 5 hours plus breaks.

Because of the climbs it is a good solid day out requiring a little bit of fitness. In the unlikely event of weather conditions being very bad, there are some possibilities to shorten the circuit.

Enquiries: Jeremy Holland 0409 933 046

Short walk: Heroic Moss!

This more leisurely option starts at the Community House at the usual time of 9.30 am.

Here’s a chance to get a look at some of the micro miracles of the bush, mosses, which seem capable of surviving impossibly hard conditions. Welcome rain has added interest to this 2 km walk. It will focus on getting a look at a good sample of the mosses of the region, with maybe a few lichens thrown in. We’ll explore a ruined waterway near White Gum track, checking out the impressive number of mosses which have hung in through the long dry, colonising the most unlikely of places, bullet riddled cars! Great rock walls! World Heritage Erosion!

We’ll supply hand lenses and copies of FOBIF’s moss guide, but if you have your own, bring them along.

Enquiries: Cassia Read 0432357191 or Bernard Slattery 0499 624 160

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Membership reminder

Thanks to everyone who has paid their membership fees.

In case it has slipped your mind or are a new member, you can find the relevant form here.

Members who haven’t changed their details can skip filling out the form and deposit their subscription directly in the FOBIF bank account:

BSB 633000 Account number 108508086.

Please include your surname/s as the reference. 

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