Category Archives: News

Anyone for a dawn walk?

A few FOBIF members are planning an early morning walk on Mount Alexander on Tuesday 28 March. We will be following the route for Walk 20 in the FOBIF Twenty Bushwalks book. If you are interested meet at Leanganook Picnic … Continue reading

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Down…then up!

A good sized group rocked up for FOBIF’s first walk for the year yesterday. Cool, breezy weather gradually merged to a warmer day as the group negotiated a route into Columbine Creek, a tributary of the Loddon and one of … Continue reading

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First 2023 FOBIF: Columbine Creek and back

Our first walk will take place on Sunday 19 March. The 6 km route is based on the Walk 15  in the FOBIF book, Twenty Bushwalks in the Mount Alexander Region. More detail can be found on the Walks page. … Continue reading

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Working on the railway (1) : alternatives

Representatives of local enviro groups convened by Friends of Maldon Railway met on site with fire officers last Monday to discuss the Department’s proposed fuel management exercise south of the railway line. The proposed burn is scheduled for autumn next … Continue reading

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Working on the railway (2): what is ‘cultural burning’?

Environmentalists at the Maldon Railway meeting expressed interest in Indigenous approaches to fire in the landscape, and a possible briefing by Indigenous fire officers was canvassed. This is from the Joint Management Plan for Dja Dja Wurrung parks (2018): ‘For … Continue reading

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Working on the railway (3): North side good, south side bad?

One peculiarity of the proposed Maldon Historic Reserve fire is that it is partly designed to protect the railway and private property on the north side of the railway line. Yet the briefest look at the map below will show … Continue reading

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Too late, perhaps? Too little? We hope not

‘In 1980, there were an estimated 50,000 feral deer in Australia. By 2002, the estimate had grown to 200,000. In 2022, the population is likely to have reached 1–2 million in Australia.’ That’s from the recently released draft National Feral … Continue reading

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Last days of FOBIF exhibition (11-13 March)

The FOBIF exhibition at Newstead Arts Hub will be running this Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Labour Day). The opening hours for Saturday and Sunday are 10 am to 4 pm. On Monday we will begin taking down the show at … Continue reading

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What a difference a decade makes

Check out the two photos below, taken at the same point on the Porcupine Ridge road, 11 years apart: In 2012 the charmingly attractive and very unpleasant Cup Moth (Doratifera sp) was laying waste to our bushlands, and especially the … Continue reading

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New name, new…er…

In case you’re confused, DELWP has changed its name: it’s now the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.

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