Category Archives: News

The future, and how to deal with it…

Posted on 10 August, 2015 by fobif

The North Central Catchment Management Authority is holding a series of forums on climate change, the natural environment and sustainable agriculture in the region through August. The Castlemaine forum will be held at the Campbell’s Creek Community Centre at 7 … Continue reading →

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Presentation on local butterflies

Posted on 9 August, 2015 by fobif

Julie Whitfield of Bendigo is an environmental consultant with a passion for butterflies, and she will be guest speaker at Newstead Landcare’s next meeting, Thursday 20th August. As a recipient of a prestigious Winston Churchill Fellowship Julie recently had the … Continue reading →

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Mysteries, activities

Posted on 3 August, 2015 by fobif

A full house turned up at the Ray Bradfield rooms for the FOBIF AGM last Monday to hear Sarah Lloyd talk about slime moulds , mysterious life forms which are neither slime nor moulds. Sarah interspersed her entertaining talk with beautiful photos … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | 1 Comment

Bright winter sunshine, obscure corners

Posted on 20 July, 2015 by fobif

A bitterly cold morning didn’t deter FOBIF walkers from tackling some obscure corners of the Columbine and Salters Creeks valleys on Sunday. The corners turned out to be even more obscure than intended when a navigation error by walk leader … Continue reading →

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The scalping of Fryers Ridge [1]

Posted on 20 July, 2015 by fobif

Visitors to the Fryers Ridge this past week have been stunned to find that major works on the verges of the Ridge Road have scoured the earth bare, virtually eradicating a large part of one of the region’s most significant … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management, News | 1 Comment

Maybe THIS is the saddest sign in the region?

Posted on 20 July, 2015 by fobif

The sign depicted in our July 5 post may have been trumped by this one, on the Fryers Ridge: ‘DO NOT…remove soil or rock.’ This injunction doesn’t apply to road works.

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Sarah Lloyd to speak at upcoming FOBIF AGM

Posted on 6 July, 2015 by fobif

The FOBIF AGM will be held on Monday July 27 at 7.30 pm at the Ray Bradfield Rooms, beside Victory Park, Castlemaine. Nominations for the FOBIF committee will be accepted before the meeting. Nominations should be signed by the nominee … Continue reading →

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Fire risks in the Mount Alexander region: public and private responsibilities

Posted on 5 July, 2015 by fobif

In his response to FOBIF’s fire submission [see above], Andrew Koren made the following observations about fire danger in our region: ‘Communities in Castlemaine, Chewton and surrounds are considered to be at extreme property impact risk from bushfires on days … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management, News | 1 Comment

FOBIF Winter School Holiday Program warms the heart and fires the imagination of our local children

Posted on 5 July, 2015 by fobif

Over fifty children attended events at the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens this week as part of the FOBIF Winter School Holiday Program. Three events were held as part of the program, which aimed to give our local families an opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Over the range and far away

Posted on 22 June, 2015 by fobif

It’s not the Himalayas, but FOBIF walkers found the ascent of Gough’s Range satisfying enough in glorious winter weather on Sunday. Greenhood orchids were on display, and a surprising stand of regenerating Casuarinas was an encouraging feature of a forest … Continue reading →

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