Author Archives: fobif

The Department of Environment has released its draft fuel management plan for 2022-4 for comment. The plan includes ‘DELWP led fuel reduction and ecological burns, and does not include Traditional Owner burns, CFA led burns and mechanical works.’ The plan … Continue reading →

What do you think of the walled section of Forest Creek from the old footbridge at the bottom of Andrews street (Ten Foot bridge) downstream to the Pyrenees highway at Barker street? Castlemaine Landcare have embarked on a collaborative project … Continue reading →

Representatives of local enviro groups met with the DELWP Strategic Fuel Breaks team in the Muckleford forest last week to look at the break proposed along Bells Lane track. This will run from from Muckleford School Rd (east) to Roberts … Continue reading →

A small group of heroes tackled FOBIF’s May walk, in spite of unfriendly weather forecasts and a slightly forbidding walk description, which piled threat on threat: climbs, creek crossings, fallen logs and loads of gorse. All participants survived this grim … Continue reading →

FOBIF’s May walk will tackle the Tarilta creek valley from the Sawpit Track end, the starting point being  about a 30 minute drive from Castlemaine. This is the less travelled end of the valley: there’ll be steep ascents and descents, … Continue reading →

Mount Alexander Shire Council’s budget provides an opportunity to influence Council on what citizens would like it to spend money on (and/or avoid spending money on). The draft 2022-23 budget went before Council at its meeting on 19 April, and … Continue reading →

A project is under way to install new visitor information points along the Goldfields Track. The project involves 4 visitor hubs, 8 trail headboards, and up to 100 interpretive signs along the 200+ kilometre length of the track between Ballarat … Continue reading →

DELWP completed its management burn at Kemp’s Track in the Fryers Nature Conservation reserve in the last week of March. It was one of four significant department fires in this region. We had a look at the site on April … Continue reading →

So: what was the exact fire coverage at Kemp’s track? And what ecological positives and negatives were achieved in the exercise? The Code of Practice requires that ‘Monitoring programs will also focus on: mapping the extent and severity of bushfires … Continue reading →