Category Archives: News

Autumn Fungi Workshops

Alison Pouliot has been sharing her fascination with fungi in workshops and forays across Central Victoria for many years. This year she has put together another wonderful program with several workshops in our Shire and others not far away. To view her 2015 … Continue reading

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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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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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New MAS grant for holiday program

We are very proud to announce that we have successfully gained funding through the Mount Alexander Shire 2014/15 Strengthening Our Community Grant to run a school holiday program in June 2015. The FOBIF School Holiday Program for Winter 2015 is aimed … 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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Over 15 years of FOBIF walks

We are not quite sure of the exact year FOBIF walks began but it was sometime in the late 1990s. Doug Ralph, one of the founders of FOBIF, initially led all the walks but later other locals shared this task. For many years … 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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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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