Category Archives: News

Broom attack on Mount Alexander

Posted on 20 July, 2011 by fobif

FOBIF members in April alerted Parks Victoria to the existence of a substantial and dense clump of English Broom on the east side of Mount Alexander. We had not previously noticed this pestiferous weed on the Mount, although it is … Continue reading →

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Floods: keeping ‘out of harm’s way’

Posted on 13 July, 2011 by fobif

The North Central region had between four and seven times its long term rainfall average in January this year, and Castlemaine had five times its long term average. The rainfall between September and January was unprecedented, and came into an … Continue reading →

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Reports come flooding in

Posted on 13 July, 2011 by fobif

Coincidentally, the Comrie Report on the 2010-11 floods has just been released. Although the report concentrates on the performance of emergency services, it does contain some enlightening remarks which underline Damian Wells’s  argument. For example: ‘It is important to understand … Continue reading →

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FOBIF Elections 2011

Posted on 13 July, 2011 by fobif

At the AGM on Monday July 11, Public Officer Chris Morris announced that the following nominations had been received before the meeting: President: Marie Jones Vice President: Nev Cooper Secretary: Bernard Slattery Treasurer: Bronwyn Silver Committee Members: Frank Panter, Kylie … Continue reading →

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What’s happening up at Morgan’s Track?

Posted on 9 July, 2011 by fobif

The rather sad sign below is a marker on Morgan’s Track Chewton of the Ecological Thinnings Trial conducted by Parks Victoria beginning in 2003. The trial was proposed by the Environment Conservation Council when it recommended the establishment of new … Continue reading →

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Mount Alexander environment officer: an update

Posted on 9 July, 2011 by fobif

We have received a response from the Mount Alexander Shire to our budget submission on the appointment of a ‘Natural resource officer’ [see post June 3  ]. We had expressed concern that the position was a six month only appointment. … Continue reading →

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Lichens galore

Posted on 4 July, 2011 by fobif

One feature of the relatively good rains we’ve had in the last year or so has been the great shows of lichens. Lichens are partnerships between a fungus and an alga. The algal partner enables the organism to use photosynthesis … Continue reading →

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Is is a bird? No, it’s a plane

Posted on 1 July, 2011 by fobif

Views can be a wonderful experience, but a double edged one: a house may offer a magnificent view of a nearby hill, but a person sitting on that hill may not be pleased by having to look at the house … Continue reading →

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Hakeas: can a good thing be a bad thing?

Posted on 28 June, 2011 by fobif

Visitors to local bushlands will have noticed the widespread flowering of our beautiful local Hakea [H. decurrens, or ‘bushy needlewood’—see picture below], which was particularly proliferating in the south end of the Diggings Park visited by our walking group on … Continue reading →

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Kalimna Tourist Road: how wide is wide enough?

Posted on 28 June, 2011 by fobif

Members strolling in Kalimna recently will have noticed that maintenance work on the Tourist road has just been completed. The works were much needed, because wear and tear, plus water damage after heavy rains, had corrugated and rutted the road. … Continue reading →

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