Category Archives: News

First walk for 2020

Posted on 16 March, 2020 by fobif

In perfect weather last Sunday a medium sized group started out at Mike Reeves’ property southwest of Elphinstone and completed a 6 km circuit through local bush. Much of the walk was on kangaroo tracks. Highlights were seeing many wattles … Continue reading →

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Show continues

Posted on 16 March, 2020 by fobif

The Photographers of the Goldfields exhibition at the Newstead Arts Hub is continuing for the next two weekends, finishing on Sunday March 29. Opening hours are 10 am to 4 pm. (Arts Open 2020 and the Newstead Open Studios finished … Continue reading →

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Weeds: have your say

Posted on 15 March, 2020 by fobif

The Tarrengower Cactus Control group has created a very short online survey to try to gauge how other community members and groups within the Mount Alexander Shire feel about noxious weed management within our Shire. Are you concerned about the … Continue reading →

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It’s open and clear

Posted on 15 March, 2020 by fobif

As the picture shows, the Kalimna Park loop track has a shiny new sign at the entry, making it much easier to find the start of the walk on the Tourist road. The metal box at its side contains copies … Continue reading →

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Kalimna: What you don’t know can hurt you

Posted on 9 March, 2020 by fobif

FOBIF has lent its name to the letter below, urging DELWP to take account of recent research on the Eltham Copper butterfly when it conducts its fuel reduction operation in Kalimna Park this autumn. This operation is a test case … Continue reading →

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Fire and the box ironbark: here’s some other stuff we should know

Posted on 9 March, 2020 by fobif

While we’re on the subject of fire in Box Ironbark systems, it might be worth while recalling important research conducted by scientists at the Arthur Rylah Institute in 2007, and published as Ecological burning in Box Ironbark Forests. Thirteen years … Continue reading →

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Indigenous burning: an insight

Posted on 9 March, 2020 by fobif

Here’s something to think about, from Victor Steffensen’s book Fire Country–how Indigenous fire management could help save Australia [Hardie Grant Travel 2020]: ‘When it comes to Aboriginal fire management, the old people didn’t burn every ecosystem. Many people think that Aboriginal … Continue reading →

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Water 1: jump in…again

Posted on 9 March, 2020 by fobif

The government is conducting another in its series of Engage Victoria consultations, this one being on the North Central Regional Catchment Strategy 2021-27. Readers may have picked up a touch of cynicism in FOBIF’s approach to these surveys, which we find … Continue reading →

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Water 2: guess what–it’s getting drier

Posted on 9 March, 2020 by fobif

We know the land is getting drier—well, most people know. Some politicians and commentators think this is just a passing phase. The rest of us have to deal with it. On this matter it’s worth quoting some draft findings from … Continue reading →

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Photo show celebrating our bushlands

Posted on 2 March, 2020 by fobif

As mentioned in a previous post, five local photographers are holding an exhibition at the Newstead Arts Hub in March. They are Janet Barker, Frances Cincotta, Patrick Kavanagh, Geoff Park and Bronwyn Silver. The exhibition, Photographers of the Goldfields 2020, … Continue reading →

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