Field Nats

Wednesday Wildflower Wander, 8th October 4pm, 2025, Sinclairs Lane, Muckleford

Our Wednesday Wildflower Wanders will continue this week with a visit to the Muckleford Forest.  In addition to a magnificent show of different wildflowers including several orchids, we hope to see the rare Grevillea micrantha. Meet: in the Car Park north of the Railway Goods Shed in Kennedy St ready to car-pool and leave at […]

Wednesday Wildflower Wander, 8th October 4pm, 2025, Sinclairs Lane, Muckleford Read More »

Leaders: Judy and Philip Hopley

Monthly Meeting:  Friday 10th October 2025, 7.30pm, Uniting Church Hall Lyttleton St., Castlemaine

Drawing on a biography she is translating, club member Cathrine Harboe-Ree will talk about the extraordinary efforts the Norwegian field naturalist and polar explorer Johan Koren made to study fauna in north-eastern Siberia in the years 1909-1919. Koren survived shipwrecks and other maritime disasters, winters as cold as minus 65 Celsius, frostbite and isolation. He

Monthly Meeting:  Friday 10th October 2025, 7.30pm, Uniting Church Hall Lyttleton St., Castlemaine Read More »

Speaker: Cathrine Harboe-Ree “A field naturalist in Siberia”

Excursion: Saturday 11th October 2025, 1.30pm,“Creating a wetland environment”, Chewton.

The Mount Alexander region is generally quite dry, but Chewton residents Mikael and Helle Hirsch have transformed a dry, weedy paddock of about one hectare into a biodiverse wetland in a remarkably short period of time. Drawing on the expertise of local ecologist Karl Just and others, and making use of a natural spring supplemented

Excursion: Saturday 11th October 2025, 1.30pm,“Creating a wetland environment”, Chewton. Read More »

Leader: Cathrine Harboe-Ree

SEANA Spring Camp – Ballarat, 17-19 October, 2025

The South East Australian Naturalists’ Association (SEANA) “camps” are an excellent chance to meet fellow naturalists from around SE Australia and explore a new region under the guidance of local experts.  The Field Naturalists’ Club of Ballarat Inc. warmly invites you to attend the SEANA Spring camp for 2025. The camp will be based at

SEANA Spring Camp – Ballarat, 17-19 October, 2025 Read More »

Hosted by the Field Naturalists’ Club of Ballarat Inc.

CANCELLED: Excursion – Saturday March 15th, 2025, 1.30pm, “Forest Creek Restoration by Castlemaine Landcare Group”

Unfortunately, due to the high temperatures forecast for Saturday, we have decided to postpone our walk along Forest Creek with Christine to 12th April 2025. However, members and visitors are reminded of our AGM and Monthly Meeting as detailed in our previous update. Friday 14th March, 2025, 7.30 pm, Uniting Church Fellowship Room, Lyttleton St

CANCELLED: Excursion – Saturday March 15th, 2025, 1.30pm, “Forest Creek Restoration by Castlemaine Landcare Group” Read More »

Leader: Christine Kilmartin (President, Castlemaine Landcare Group)

Excursion – Saturday March 15th 2025,1.30pm, “Forest Creek Restoration by Castlemaine Landcare Group”

Following Christine’s talk the previous evening, she will take us for a walk along the Great Dividing Trail path beside Forest Creek (now named Leanganook Track) to see first-hand the remarkable transformation of a broom- and gorse-infested valley to a productive native riparian strip following over 20 years of work by CLG and supporting agencies. 

Excursion – Saturday March 15th 2025,1.30pm, “Forest Creek Restoration by Castlemaine Landcare Group” Read More »

Leader: Christine Kilmartin (President, Castlemaine Landcare Group)

Monthly Meeting:  Friday 14th February, 7.30pm, Uniting Church Fellowship Room, Lyttleton St.

The word “Pollinators” immediately conjures up images of honeybees in the mind of most people, however this presentation takes you beyond the honeybees with an up-close look at our native pollinators. Australia has 2000 species of native bee, but what about the impact of the flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. Let’s not forget the birds

Monthly Meeting:  Friday 14th February, 7.30pm, Uniting Church Fellowship Room, Lyttleton St. Read More »

Speaker: John Walter (Malmsbury Landcare), “Our native pollinators – beyond the honeybees”

“We remember Richard Piesse”, Saturday 15th February, 3pm. Tea Rooms, Castlemaine Botanical Gardens

In place of our usual club excursion, we will join with staff and volunteers from the Visitor Information Centre to jointly host an informal gathering to remember Richard Piesse, who died on 28th December, 2024.  Richard was a long-term active member of CFNC and loyal volunteer with the Castlemaine Visitor Information Centre.  He knew our

“We remember Richard Piesse”, Saturday 15th February, 3pm. Tea Rooms, Castlemaine Botanical Gardens Read More »

Champion Castlemaine Naturalist and Volunteer