Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Save the date FOBIF AGM + LIFE from the beginning (according to invertebrates)

Posted on 21 September, 2026 by fobif

Michael Barkla will present a beautifully illustrated talk at the Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests AGM, 6pm Monday 19^th October at the Ray Bradfield rooms. Michael was born and bred in the bush (South Muckleford), spent his working life in engineering and returned to the bush around 2001. He has fought for it ever since. He is currently convenor of the Friends of Kooyoora. He will show us over 500 slides that he has taken of critters from the Whipstick Box-Ironbark Forest. They depict the beauty and variety of invertebrates that are of vital importance and an often overlooked part of our environment. Without them there would be no forests.

Free entry. A brief AGM at 6pm, will be followed by Michael’s talk and then supper, all welcome.

Ray Bradfield Rooms 33 Forest Street Castlemaine.

All images by Michael Barkla

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Mystery & beauty in Fryers Ridge Forest

Posted on 21 September, 2026 by fobif

It was a lovely warm day for a jaunt in the Fryers Forest, where we enjoyed an interesting route planned by Christine Henderson. We walked along vehicle tracks and offtrack and observed many species different to the forest closer to Castlemaine.

One difference was the absence of yellow gums (Eucalyptus leucoxylon subsp pruinosa), instead there were manna gums (Eucalyptus viminalis) and candlebarks (Eucalyptus rubida). We saw lots of peas, heaths, some orchids in bud and beginning to flower and the romantically named Love creeper (Comesperma volubile).

There were a couple of mystery items; a bridge made of many stringybark trunks and 75m of rock cairns on top of a ridge which we were able to speculate about. The bridge did look like it was created for illegal firewood collection or motorbike access. The cairns were less obvious. They clearly had been in place for a long time. Perhaps holding a flume for carrying water, although raising it higher than the ridge didn’t make a lot of sense. One observant walker noted that one side of the ridge had a relative absence of scattered rocks so maybe the cairns were simply the resting place of rocks that had been cleared, perhaps for agriculture? If anyone has better answers, let us know!

Thanks Christine for organising, Noel Young and Liz Martin for photos and Noel for the bird list:

Grey Shrike-thrush

Rufous Whistler

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Fuscous Honeyeater

Grey Fantail

Crimson Rosella

White-throated Tree-creeper

Fantailed Cuckoo

Spotted Pardalote

Long-billed Corella

Raven sp.

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Pruning advice from AE Tree Care

Posted on 14 September, 2026 by fobif

This post was written by FOBIF member Allan Evans on 1st September and posted on his Instagram feed. Allan has given us permission to re-post the article. Allan is a qualified climbing arborist based in Castlemaine servicing Mount Alexander Shire and surrounds, see www.aetreecare.com

Acacia baileyana – Cootamundra Wattle from NSW

Happy Wattle Day! Spring is here!

The Cootamundra Wattle pictured here is a popular choice for gardens around Central Vic. I thought it’d be useful to make a post about how to prune these trees.
It’s really simple: just make one cut, as close to the ground as possible. It’s important to select the appropriate tool for the job. A handsaw or loppers may be sufficient, or you may want a chainsaw for larger diameter trees.

Seriously, Cootamundra Wattle is invasive in Central Vic. It’s only native to a small area west of Cootamundra, in central NSW. Outside of its natural range, it can displace local plant species. Not only that, it can hybridise with Silver Wattle, an important local native for us here in Castlemaine (and across southeast Australia). This means that seeds produced by Silver Wattle growing near Cootamundra Wattle may no longer produce Silver Wattle seedlings. They may instead be a cross between the two.

It’s important to ensure accurate identification before removing a suspected weed, as they can look similar to local natives. In this case, Silver and Cootamundra Wattles can be confusingly similar to the untrained eye.

When choosing Wattles to plant, it’s best to choose local species. Around Castlemaine these include Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) our National floral emblem, Gold-dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea), Spreading Wattle (Acacia genistifolia) and Hedge Wattle (Acacia paradoxa).

Reference: “Cootamundra Wattle Harms Our Local Natives” pamphlet published by FOBIF.

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It’s orchid time…and that’s not all

Posted on 14 September, 2026 by fobif

Spring! And it’s time to go and have a look around. In particular, orchids are coming out all over.

A highlight: Castlemaine Spider Orchids are observable in the Monk area, in the area of walk 3 in FOBIF’s publication, 20 Walks in the Mount Alexander Shire. You have to pay close attention to find them—but it’s fun to go searching, and even if you’re not successful, there’s plenty more to see on this walk right now: Billy Buttons, Fairy Wax-flower, native Buttercup, fields of Early Nancy, Downy Grevillea, Creamy Candles, Bitter Pea…

The orchids aren’t easy to see:

Castlemaine Spider Orchid, the Monk track September 12…

But they’re pretty cool when you get close:

Good luck searching!

Bernard Slattery

Posted in Nature Observations, News, Walks | 2 Comments

Fryers Ranges Walk: Sunday September 20

Posted on 14 September, 2026 by fobif

It is springtime and walkers will enjoy the forest and wildflowers of this area on this walk. We will explore the eastern slopes of the Fryers Ranges in the region of the Kangaroo Tracks, Upper and Lower and reach the main ridge. The walk will deviate off-track in sections, to investigate the enigmatic stone cairns, wildflowers and other indicators of the end of winter and early spring season. Expect some walking on forest vehicle tracks, minor indistinct tracks and off-track. The off-track has some fallen timber and rocks so wear sturdy shoes and walking poles may help with balance. It is a circuit walk of about 6 kilometres at a gentle pace, lead by Christine Henderson, who lives in this area and it is her favourite backyard. Bring water, morning tea and lunch.

Meet at Community House at 9.30am or in Taradale main street opposite the Metro service station at 9.45am.

Enquiries: contact either Christine Henderson 0417 529 392 or Gen Blades 0431 371 065