Excursions

For the start of our March excursion, we will visit the Newstead Arts Hub to enjoy the exhibition of Geoff Park’s stunning wildlife photography and John Wolseley’s creative landscape artworks, a part of the Castlemaine State Festival. Meet: for car-pooling and 1.00pm departure at the northern end of the Car Park north of the Railway […]

We will have an easy walk along a track on the bank of the Loddon River, enjoying the shade of the large old Red Gums and other riparian vegetation.  We should see and hear quite a few species of water birds and bush birds as we make our way along to some mini-rapids and, time

Join us for a ramble around the grassy woodlands near the summit of the Rock of Ages, Maldon. Spectacular views, soaring raptors, some special granite-area plants and interesting geology. Easy walking. Finish with afternoon tea. Meet: for car-pooling and 1.30pm departure at the northern end of the Car Park north of the Railway Goods Shed,

Visiting Geelong Field Naturalists Richard and Margaret Alcorn will join us for a walk along Sinclair’s Lane and down the track alongside the Maldon railway line to the trestle bridge.  A morning walk to favour bird sightings. This is an excellent area for a wide diversity of bird species and a chance to enjoy some

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

At our July Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club meeting, Adrian Marshall (Grassy Plains Network) reminded us that less than 1% of Victoria’s native grasslands remain and they’re rapidly disappearing without recognition and protection. Small patches remain, often with just a few plants, but knowledge of grassland species and locations is limited.  Our first of three roadside stops

Rain at last! So for our July excursion we will go on a fungi search with Joy Clusker, co-author of the excellent guide to identification of the “Fungi of the Bendigo Region”.  Joy will give us valuable tips on identification and where to find fungi. Since the light drops early at this time of the

In July 2024, arborist Sue Luke together with Rosemary Turner led a Castlemaine street trees walk taking in Kennedy Street and Goldsmith Crescent. Sue will lead a second walk along Greenhill Avenue, from Greenhill Place to the Pyrenees Highway, looking at over thirty Australian tree and shrub species. In addition, the Forest Creek Revitalisation Project

An opportunity to join with expert field naturalists to gain experience in photographing fauna and flora species including key characteristics to maximise the likelihood of getting your observations identified from photos submitted to iNaturalist. Whether you prefer to use a smart phone, a point and shoot digital camera or a digital SLR camera with interchangeable