Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

What FOBIF does and why

Posted on 15 June, 2026 by fobif

Last year, the new committee gathered to consider the purpose and aims of FOBIF. A few of the outgoing committee members who were instrumental in the establishment of FOBIF, were invited to attend and give input. What follows is a summary of purpose, aims and activities of FOBIF.

FRIENDS OF BOX IRONBARK FORESTS (FOBIF): Purpose and aims 2026 The Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests (Djarra Country / Mt Alexander Region) was formed in 1998 by people in the local community interested in working towards highlighting the significance of the Box-Ironbark ecosystems, a purpose that remains important to the current day.

Purpose:
To share our passion for the unique ecosystems of the Box-Ironbark region, building a community of care and advocacy that supports nature to flourish into the future.

Goals:
The primary goal is to work towards a healthy, sustainable and biodiverse landscape through conservation of local habitat, in the following ways:

Work with local ecologists, artists, musicians and others to create inspiring activities for people to join in with in the forest to create a greater connection with community and nature.
Create accessible resources and events to increase the community’s and our own ecological understanding and develop citizen science activities.
Build strong campaigns to end the threats to our bushlands including inappropriate development, feral plant and animal invasions, off track bike riding and vehicle driving, destructive road works, illegal firewood collection, rubbish dumping, illegal prospecting, logging and inappropriate burning.
Build alliances with like minded groups to work together on environmental policies and regional issues such as climate change and habitat burning and create opportunities for mutual support and sharing of successful strategies.
Maintain relationships with government departments responsible for public forests especially, the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park which is the only national heritage park in Australia!
Give advice and influence management practices of remnant vegetation on public and private land.

Current activities include:

Responding to, networking and communicating with environmental organisations and groups that include, and not limited to:
- The Victorian National Parks Association
- Environment Victoria
- Connecting Country, Castlemaine Landcare groups and Castlemaine field naturalists
- Victorian Forest Alliance
Constructive critical interaction with Park managers on several issues, including road management, the ecological effects of management burning, and weed control.
Preparation of submissions and appearance before planning panels and tribunals when appropriate.
Conduct monthly walks in local bushland, for recreation and education purposes.
Provision of accurate and useful information on the local environment through the weekly blog post on the FOBIF website as well as the production books and sharing of documents. These include a range of field guides as well as historical, social and cultural perspectives in Responding to Country and Vagabond, of which an updated edition was recently launched.
To view these resources, go to the documents/books tab on the website

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MASC biodiversity strategy in progress

Posted on 25 May, 2026 by fobif

Mount Alexander Shire is in the consultation phase of it’s Biodiversity Strategy. There are a number of ways they are consulting you can see here.

I urge everyone to complete the survey to ensure our aspirations are captured.

Liz Martin Greehood Orchids, Kalimna

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Sold, sold & sold!

Posted on 25 May, 2026 by fobif

The story of a Fryerstown man, Charles Sanger (1880-1953) was first published in 2008, and “Vagabond” sold, sold and sold! To the extent a re-print was considered necessary. Due to continued interest in the book, the publisher, Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests (FOBIF) decided on a new edition.

The book had been first written in 2008 by Bernard Slattery, Doug Ralph and Deirdre Slattery and had been published by FOBIF, so Bernard and Deirdre wrote revisions and updates, with Bronwyn Silver again doing the new layout work. With a new cover and layout, the 2026 version “fleshes out some of the stranger themes in the story and suggests that Sanger’s case was not an isolated one.”

“Charles Sanger had been a dashing but elusive character. Journalists had called him the Fryers Bushranger, but he never held up anyone with a gun, and the gun he did have never worked anyway. He served time in jail, but was well liked by ordinary people. He was one of the last of the bush hermits, and his story is also the story of the changing bush, of a time lost in history, and of a quiet country community that looked after its own.”

The authors state in the Introduction: “We believe that the curious story of Charles Sanger is still relevant in an age preoccupied with crime, scarred by homelessness, and unable to offer a ‘decent’ living to marginals – people somehow unable to conform to the requirements of our social system.”

And so it came to pass that a new edition of “Vagabond, the Story of Charles Sanger” was launched by local author Robyn Annear last Saturday (23 May) in the Castlemaine library foyer. Robyn picked up the thread of the vagabond title, explaining that whilst the term now often implies wandering without a permanent address and living a nomadic, sometimes unconventional or carefree lifestyle that wasn’t always so. In past times unsettled people were regulated, and laws like the Vagrancy Act of 1824 sought to punish, and even imprison, anyone perceived to be an “idle and disorderly person” lacking a fixed address. Wanderers were often equated with rogues, con artists, and beggars who feigned illnesses or misfortunes to extract money from the public.

As always, Robyn’s talk was entertaining and thoroughly enjoyed by the enthralled and appreciative audience. A thank you gift was presented to her by Gen Blades, acting FOBIF president amidst vigorous applause.

This new edition is dedicated to the memory of Doug Ralph (1948-2015), the driving force behind the rival of this story.

The book is now available at Stonemans Bookroom, the Castlemaine Visitors Information Centre & through our website.

Thanks John Ellis, Marie Jones & Gen Blades for text and photos.

Audio of Robyn Annear & Bernard Slattery at the launch

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New Edition: Vagabond, the Story of Charles Sanger

Posted on 18 May, 2026 by fobif

Front cover

A new edition Vagabond, the Story of Charles Sanger will be launched by local author Robyn Annear at 12pm this Saturday (23 May) in the Castlemaine library foyer. The book was first written in 2008 by Bernard Slattery, Doug Ralph and Deirdre Slattery and published by Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests.

Due to continued interest in the book, FOBIF decided on a new edition this year, when the first one sold out after 18 years. With a new cover and layout, the 2026 version fleshes out some of the stranger themes in the story and suggests that Sanger’s case was not an isolated one.

The Sanger story

The book is the story of a Fryerstown man, Charles Sanger (1880-1953).

‘He was a dashing but elusive character. Journalists called him the Fryers Bushranger, but he never held up anyone with a gun, and the gun he did have never worked anyway.

He served time in jail, but was well liked by ordinary people. He was one of the last of the bush hermits, and his story is also the story of the changing bush, of a time lost in history, and of a quiet country community that looked after its own.’

Everyone is welcome at the launch and refreshments will be provided. Vagabond will be available for sale for $20. You will also be able to buy it at Stonemans Bookroom and the Castlemaine Visitors Information Centre.

You can find out more about the book and details of how to purchase it online here.

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Sunday walk on Salters Creek, Irishtown

Posted on 18 May, 2026 by fobif

Sunday 17 May, Elaine Bayes lead a great 5.6 km walk along Salters Creek, a small but remarkably intact tributary of the Loddon River, close to Columbine Creek, and ultimately part of the vast Murray–Darling Basin — a catchment covering more than one million square kilometres.

What makes waterways like Salters Creek so important is that much of the Murray–Darling Basin produces very little runoff into waterways. In fact, around 86% of the basin has effectively zero runoff, with most river flows generated in the upper Victorian tributaries. Small creeks such as this play a disproportionately important role in sustaining the broader river system.

In addition, the overhanging trees and vegetation produces a vast amount of food in the form of leaves and twigs (carbon) which kicks off the food web within the Loddon and Murray river much further down stream.

Eight people braved the rainy conditions to take part in the walk — mostly the stalwarts, amazing leaders, and drivers of the Friends of the Box-Ironbark group. Despite the weather, the walk revealed an incredible diversity of life and habitat.

The creekline appears to support Creekline Grassy Woodland vegetation, with some large trees approaching benchmark condition, offering a glimpse of what these landscapes may once have looked like before widespread clearing and alteration. The understory remains surprisingly intact and diverse.

One of the highlights was the series of small pools still holding water despite the dry conditions. These ponds were lined with rushes, reeds, and sedges, providing important refuge habitat for insects, birds, kangaroos and many other species. We also saw many remarkable fungi, while numerous bird species called throughout the walk, adding to the atmosphere of the creek environment.

Bibrons Toadlet, Pseudophrene bibronii were calling for the full length of creek, males calling and currently guarding eggs and waiting for rain events like this to distribute their babies downstream.

The walk also passed the old wooden trestle siphon, a fascinating historic structure once used to transport water across the gully.

The full walk took around 2 1/2 hours, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in local ecology, history, and the resilience of these small but incredibly significant waterways.
Written by Elaine Bayes.
Thanks to Liz Martin and Euan Moore for the photos.
To read more about the Loddon Race, Steve Charman’s blog is excellent https://fieldrambling.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-loddon-company-channel-walking.html