Author Archives: fobif

Hot rods at Gowar?

FOBIF and several other community organisations will be attending an information meeting on February 5 on a proposal to set up a ‘dynamic vehicle testing facility and events and recreation centre’ at Gowar. The Castlemaine Hot Rod Centre received $29,000 … Continue reading

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Happy new year

It’s been a dry 2014—only 473.9 mls of rainfall in Castlemaine, against a long term average of over 560 mls: and the bush is hunkering down for a long dry summer. There are still flashes of colour around the place, … Continue reading

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Another day on the highway

The photo below is of a red bellied black snake on the Pyrenees highway at Barkers Creek in late December. Efforts to persuade the snake to move off the road in one direction or another proved futile, and the reptile … Continue reading

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Remember this: here’s what they promised

At the time of writing, it looks as if the ALP will form the next Victorian State Government. The Labor Party’s land management policy, like the enviro policies of all the parties, was pretty muted. It can be found in … Continue reading

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Hawkeye program wraps up

The Hawkeye fire research program, established as a response to recommendation 57 of the Bushfires Royal Commission, has now come to an end. It will now ‘transition’ into research programs run by DEPI. It’s not exactly clear what this transition … Continue reading

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We were wrong!

…And we’re quite relieved that we were. Our report last week about the burning of boronias in the Fryerstown Block 5 management burn has been corrected by Castlemaine Field Naturalists, who have pointed out that the burned area is a … Continue reading

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Now’s the time to put it to the pollies

Recent polls have found that 81% of Victorian voters support more funding for the protection of nature, 57% oppose private developments in National Parks, and the environment is a bigger issue of concern than law-and-order and roads. There are polls … Continue reading

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Snakes alive–and dead

The photo below shows an Eastern Brown snake [Pseudonaja textilis—‘brown’ is a pretty broad description: the snake can be any shade of brown from almost orange to nearly black] crossing the Irishtown Track in the Fryerstown forest last week. The … Continue reading

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Campbells Creek: celebrating a revival

In 1846 Joseph Parker described Campbells creek as ‘A scene of beautiful, crystal like waterholes, which sparkled in the glittering rays of the sun; every  waterhole was teeming with fish,and flocks of ducks.On the slopes and hills on either side … Continue reading

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Burning boronias

Last week DEPI conducted a management burn in the area designated Fryerstown Block 5, a 44 hectare roughly triangular block between the Campbells Creek Irishtown Road and the Chewton-Vaughan road [see map below]. The fire was designated Asset Protection: the … Continue reading

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