We’re now well into spring and so wonderful to see the new growth and increasing activity in bushlands and gardens after so many months of challenging conditions. Trees, shrubs and other understorey plants are putting out new leaves and foliage, and canopies are becoming denser. Birds are calling and nesting. Frogs are croaking. Thankfully insects […]
Great Southern BioBlitz, 24-27 October, 2025 Read More »
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 »
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
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 »
Our second September/October late afternoon excursion to explore the wonderful wildflowers in our local Box-Ironbark woodlands will be on Wednesday 24th September at The Monk, South of Chewton. We will enjoy those wildflowers that favour a higher terrain, and maybe even see some stunning spiders! Meet: In the Car Park North of the Railway Goods Shed
Wednesday Wildflower Wander, 24th September 2025, 4pm at “The Monk” Read More »
During September and October, we will enjoy fortnightly late afternoon excursions on Wednesdays to nearby sites to enjoy the wonderful wildflower show in our local Box-Ironbark woodlands. Our first wander will be in Kalimna Park on 10th September. Meet: in the Car Park north of the Railway Goods Shed in Kennedy St ready to car-pool
Wednesday Wildflower Wander, 10th September 4pm, 2025, Kalimna Park Read More »
Linden Ashcroft is an award-winning climate scientist and communicator from the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on historical climatology, using pre-1900 documents and weather observations to improve understanding of Australia’s past climate so we can better prepare for the future. The impact of human-induced climate change is
Monthly Meeting: Friday 8th August 2025, 7.30pm by Zoom Read More »
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
Excursion: Saturday 9th August 2025, 10.00am,“Grassland treasures”, Baringhup Read More »
Our club checks a section of the Pyrenees Highway four times a year, west of Castlemaine from the top of McKenzie’s Hill to Woodman’s Road. It is always a pleasant walk along some interesting roadside bush as we do our bit for the community. Meet: 9am near Tait’s Decorative Iron, corner of Willy Milly Rd
Roadside Clean-up: Monday 11th August 2025, 9am Read More »
As advised earlier, there will be no regular monthly meeting or excursion in Castlemaine in September. Instead there will be a weekend of events at Wedderburn. Registrations (see below) are required by August 8th to confirm attendance and organise car-pooling. Speakers and excursion leaders – ecologist and Mt Korong fauna expert Professor Michael Kearney from
Reminder: CFNC weekend at Wedderburn, 12-14 September 2025 Read More »