Walkers ascend Mount Alexander

Posted on 18 April, 2022 by fobif

In perfect Autumn weather seventeen people joined in the second FOBIF walk for the year last Sunday. The loop route on Mount Alexander involved some hard sections including a solid climb from Forest Creek up to the Goldfields Track. Views were magnificent and everyone benefitted from Jeremy’s leadership and Frances Cincotta’s expert plant identification. 

Walkers at Dog Rocks. Photo by Michael Muldowney

Frances sent us the following summary:

“On the walk along the western boundary of the park we climbed between Messmate Stringybarks and Manna Gums with an understorey of Lightwood, Blackwood and Hop Bush, as well as serious environmental weeds including Briar Rose, Blackberry, St John’s Wort and Bridal Creeper. It was pleasing to see so many fallen trees and branches and standing dead trees which provide great habitat. Ecological wood is often a sadly missing component of our State Forests which are still plundered for firewood.

We only saw a few species flowering – Manna Gum Eucalyptus viminalis, Bluebells Wahlenbergia species, Showy Isotome Isotoma axillaris, and some Sticky Everlasting Xerochrysum viscosum). However the mountain with its rugged boulders and look-outs provided much of interest.”

FOBIF walkers at last lookout Mountt Alexander. Photo by Frances Cincotta

Thanks to Jeremy for another great walk.

Our next walk will be on 15 May to the south end of Tarilta. This 7 km walk will include some rough tracks and steep terrain. Check here for more information.

Posted in News, Walks | Comments Off on Walkers ascend Mount Alexander

A case study, for your consideration

Posted on 18 April, 2022 by fobif

DELWP completed its management burn at Kemp’s Track in the Fryers Nature Conservation reserve in the last week of March. It was one of four significant department fires in this region.

We had a look at the site on April 11. It’s hard to get an overall sense of a 260 hectare site, in which the impact of fire varied from very severe to very mild, with some areas untouched.

We have two distinct impressions of the fire zone, however:

First, that, as is common in these cases, large trees have been felled as a result of the fire. This is not supposed to happen.

Unusually large habitat trees felled as a result of the Kemps Track burn. One of these is a Swamp Gum, unusual in this region.

Large trees victims of the burn. The very big Yellow Box in the centre may survive.

 

Second, areas which we supposed to be low fuel zones—for example, grassy riparian zones—were burned. We don’t see the point of this.

Mossy creekline burned in the fire. We were curious about its fate–see our March 28 post. This area did not need ‘fuel reduction’.

What is the Department’s view of these two questions? According to the Code, it should be publicly available.

Posted in News | 1 Comment

The information should be easily available

Posted on 18 April, 2022 by fobif

So: what was the exact fire coverage at Kemp’s track? And what ecological positives and negatives were achieved in the exercise?

The Code of Practice requires that

‘Monitoring programs will also focus on:

  • mapping the extent and severity of bushfires and planned burns‘ [paragraph 212] [FOBIF emphasis]

It also requires that

‘The Department will make publicly accessible information about:

  • the performance of its bushfire management actions, and the status of achievements of strategies and objectives
  • information gained from monitoring and evaluation activities’ [Paragraph 222]

Therefore it should be possible to get an exact idea of how the exercise fulfilled one of the two major aims of fire management exercises:

  • ‘To maintain or improve the resilience of natural ecosystems and their ability to deliver services such as biodiversity, water, carbon storage and forest products.’

Unfortunately the Code doesn’t specify precisely what ‘publicly accessible’ means—and, in practice, it doesn’t seem to mean much at all. It should mean: the ‘information should be published on DELWP websites.’

FOBIF will make enquiries to the Department, and report on the results.

Posted in News | Comments Off on The information should be easily available

Dog Rocks Circuit – April 17 2022

Posted on 11 April, 2022 by fobif

West Side Story

This walk is completely different to last year’s walk and is both shorter and easier. However there is a reasonably solid climb from Forest Creek up to the Goldfields Track, all of it off track.

Bring plenty of water if the weather is warm.

We leave Templeton Street at 9.30 but instead if it is more convenient meet at the car park on McQuillans Road about 9.45. Contact Jeremy Holland 0409 933 046 for more information.

 

 

Posted in Walks | Comments Off on Dog Rocks Circuit – April 17 2022

The Cascades: sculpture park or work of nature?

Posted on 5 April, 2022 by fobif

The Cascades at Metcalfe – is this a sculpture park or a work of nature? The answer is obvious but you would be forgiven for thinking the former. Here at this mesmerising stretch of the Coliban River, organic curves and scalloped surfaces are found in one of the hardest of rocks; such is the power of incessant running water. But why does granite form these smooth shapes? Unlike sandstone or shale which have many lines of weakness, granite is relatively homogenous and is worn down to more rounded shapes (Photos 1).

But many granites are not completely homogeneous and contain lines of weakness called joints (Photos 2 & 3). The Harcourt Granodiorite has several sets of joints, some vertical and some horizontal. Quarrymen at Harcourt exploited these planes of weakness and called them the ‘easyway’. The Cascades joints are mainly vertical cracks spaced just a few metres apart and are easily visible on Google Earth. The joints run almost east-west, parallel to this part of the river, providing an easy path for the rushing water which over time eroded deep gutters (Photo 2 & 4).

Photo1: Granite typically forms nice rounded outcrops.

Photo 2: Smooth and scalloped surfaces are separated by vertical cracks called joints. Some of the joints have been eroded into deep gutters by the flowing water.

Photo 3: The straight lines in the background granite are joints and even the flat horizontal surface in the foreground is probably a joint.

Photo 4: A deep eroded gutter along one of the east-west joints.

This is the seventh post in our geology series written by Clive Willman. 

Posted in Geology | Comments Off on The Cascades: sculpture park or work of nature?