Author Archives: fobif

Environmentalists at the Maldon Railway meeting expressed interest in Indigenous approaches to fire in the landscape, and a possible briefing by Indigenous fire officers was canvassed. This is from the Joint Management Plan for Dja Dja Wurrung parks (2018): ‘For … Continue reading →

One peculiarity of the proposed Maldon Historic Reserve fire is that it is partly designed to protect the railway and private property on the north side of the railway line. Yet the briefest look at the map below will show … Continue reading →

‘In 1980, there were an estimated 50,000 feral deer in Australia. By 2002, the estimate had grown to 200,000. In 2022, the population is likely to have reached 1–2 million in Australia.’ That’s from the recently released draft National Feral … Continue reading →

Check out the two photos below, taken at the same point on the Porcupine Ridge road, 11 years apart: In 2012 the charmingly attractive and very unpleasant Cup Moth (Doratifera sp) was laying waste to our bushlands, and especially the … Continue reading →

In case you’re confused, DELWP has changed its name: it’s now the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.

Sales of FOBIF’s guides are going so well that all five books will be reprinted before autumn is over. All books have now gone through multiple reprints. Unfortunately costs have risen, and we’ve been obliged to raise the price of … Continue reading →

Parks Victoria has completed its network of new walks centred on the Garfield Wheel trailhead in the Castlemaine Diggings NHP. Maps and descriptions can be found here. The new walks are marked by distinctive posts, and supported by online maps … Continue reading →

There are some disappointing features in these notes, probably typical of heritage discourse generally. A few examples: –The Quartz Hill walk notes describe puddling wheels, but somehow forget to point out that these were seriously polluting. Captain Bull tried unsuccessfully … Continue reading →