Category Archives: News

Something to make you thirsty. And optimistic. Or perhaps cynical.

Here’s a quote from the Australian National Outlook study released by the CSIRO last week: ‘While water use is projected to double by 2050, this growth can be met while enhancing urban water security and avoiding increased environmental pressures through increased … Continue reading

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Call for photos

This year’s FOBIF exhibition will be a general one about our local Box-Ironbark Forests. TOGS Cafe in Castlemaine will host the exhibition in September and October 2019.   It will be our 6th photo exhibition at TOGS and our 10th overall. … Continue reading

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First National Frog Count

Local frog expert, Elaine Bayes, has forwarded the latest information on Australia’s first National Frog Count: In just one year, FrogID has generated the equivalent of 13% of all frog records collected in Australia over the last 240 years. The … Continue reading

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Mist, Whisky Gully and lots of fungi

A good sized group tackled FOBIF’s June walk yesterday on the east side of Mount Alexander. A dense mist shrouded the Mount early, but it soon cleared, and a pleasant cool day was just what was required for the occasionally … Continue reading

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A creepy bride

It has a pretty name, and a pretty flower—after all, it was introduced into this country as a garden plant. Now it’s one of the worst invasive weeds in the country, a menace to the environment and agriculture. You guessed … Continue reading

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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if fairy stories were true?

How long should we plan for? An interesting hint can be found in the May issue of the newsletter of the Australian Forest History Society, in a story by Roger Underwood, about New College Oxford, founded in 1379: ‘The chapel … Continue reading

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Taking a new look at the Botanical Gardens

The Castlemaine Botanical Gardens are an important part of our community, but it’s fair to say that the flora and fauna reserve section of the gardens is a bit of a poor relation, even though it has tremendous interest in … Continue reading

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Celebrating gold…and other things?

Parks Victoria has flagged the possibility of ambitious celebrations to mark the 170th anniversary of the discovery of gold in this region. They would take place in spring 2021. Another celebration possibility could be the 20th anniversary of the opening … Continue reading

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Tackling the intractable

Users of Expedition Pass reservoir over the last year or so have noticed signs of serious stress in the Red Gums at the south western end of the dam wall, near the Golden Point Road. Reasons for the stress are … Continue reading

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Eucalypt photo competition

The Threatened Species Recovery Hub  is undertaking a nation-wide assessment of the conservation status of Australian eucalypt, which includes the genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora. The assessment will help conservation managers to understand which species are at risk and will … Continue reading

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