Category: Articles

Book Review: Gariwerd – An Environmental History Of The Grampians

“Gariwerd” is a new book from CSIRO Publishing, written by Benjamin Wilkie, an area local from just outside Hamilton.

The author has certainly done reams of research in the archives for this.
The text is packed with information, from the geological formation of the mountains, significance to the indigenous people, the coming of white explorers, settlement and the introduction of feral animals. It continues through to the declaration of the Grampians National Park, controversy over indigenous place names, and ongoing management. The Acclimatisation Society has a lot to answer for with the introduction of hares, foxes, deer and even pigs. He also discusses the impacts and damage done by cattle and sheep grazing too.

Our group even gets a mention in that we added Gariwerd to our name and maintained that change, despite the Kennet Government’s reversal of the use of indigenous names after the process was gazetted and approved … Read the rest

Grasslands: Biodiversity Of South-Eastern Australia App – Free App 2012

Australia’s native grasslands are some of our most critically endangered ecosystems, home to many endangered fauna and flora species. A new, free comprehensive field guide app for iPhone and iPad, Grasslands: Biodiversity of South-Eastern Australia, is now available. It introduces users to, and aims to build an appreciation of, the unique biodiversity of south-eastern Australia’s temperate native grasslands.

It is a collaboration between the University of Melbourne team that published Land of sweeping plains: Managing and restoring the native grasslands of south-eastern Australia and Ecolinc, a Department of Education and Training Specialist Science Centre focusing on environmental science curriculum programs for P–12 students and teachers.

For more information contact Associate Professor Nicholas (Nick) Williams, Urban Ecology and Urban Horticulture, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne via email: .… Read the rest

HG Wildflower Show Cancelled

The HG Wildflower show, which has been held almost every year since 1938, has had to be cancelled, as have so many other local ecological events (Lake Bolac Eel Festival, Cavendish Red Gum Festival etc).

FOGGS have often had a display there, and elsewhere in this issue you will find some extracts from our display there in 2005.… Read the rest

Grampians Rail Trail

There is now a bike path from Stawell to the Grampians following the old route of the train line that carried stone from Heatherlie Quarry to Stawell and thence to Melbourne. It doesn’t actually go into the park but does go through the Illawarra Fauna and Flora Reserve then joins the Mt Dryden Rd. A hard working volunteer group in Stawell has put a lot of work into this and the views towards the mountains must be very rewarding.

Maps are available at www.railtrails.org.au.… Read the rest

Miscellaneous History Bits

I have been tidying up my computer and found the posters I made in 2005 celebrating FOGGS 21st birthday, and ones made in 2009 all displayed at the HG wildflower show. I’ll put some here and more next issue.

The 2009 posters were on the history of the National Park and started with:

THE PERIOD ENDING WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A MULTIPLE USE POLICY BY THE FORESTS COMMISION IN 1938. (Three pages. Here are just a few entries)

For thousands of years Indigenous Australians occupy the Gariwerd area. They gathered food, farmed eels, hunted, celebrated and dreamed here in the mountains and the  surrounding plains. Their culture, despite damage by white settlement, still is alive today.

1836: The first European,Major Mitchell, sights, climbs and names the Grampians. He collects 150 plant specimens, of which 40 were new to science, including our Thryptomene calycina.

1853: Ferdinand von Mueller … Read the rest

WIN PIETSCH: An Inspiring Naturalist

A few years ago, when I was talking with Win Pietsch about the rich frog life in part of the Mt William Ck wetlands by our place, she replied: “Oh yes, Thelma and I were there the other night, we’ve been surveying it for years” … This really impressed me! Win’s keen interest in nature, and dedication to scientific research, resonated deeply; I also realised that, although she is still an active member, many current  FOGGies probably don’t  know much about the work of Win and her fellow enthusiasts – ‘citizen scientists’ – who over the years have added so much to our knowledge and understanding of the  nature around us.

This started the germ of an idea: to write this article! What follows is an abbreviated “CV” of an amazing naturalist.

One of the most rewarding aspects about going to FOGG outings is the wealth of shared expertise in … Read the rest

From The Editor

Welcome to our Autumn issue.

Despite the Covid 19 lockdown we have been able to get you quite a bit of news and interesting reading. Those of you who get the newsletter by email will have already received two quite lengthy articles, one on art sites by Ben Gunn, Jake Goodes and Leigh Douglas, and one on gnammas by Prof Brian Timms. If you are getting only a hard copy of this newsletter and would like to read either or both of these, do let us know and we can mail them out to you. But be aware they are both quite long. But most interesting.

Just today we learnt that the Park is now open -sort of. We have no idea of course when normal activities will be able to be restarted, but we will let you know as soon as we can. In the meantime, why not do … Read the rest

2021 June President’s Report

Good Day to Friends of Grampians Gariwerd,

On Friday 24th I will be attending the Grampians National Park landscape management plan Strategy meeting via teleconference.  We have come a long way in a few weeks with telecommunications!

This session will focus on preparation of a Draft Plan for public release and comment.  So please watch out for this and to respond with public comments.

We hope that you still have work and that you have been able to spend some time outside during this very difficult time.

We hope that you will enjoy the newsletter and thank you to Margo and Leigh for putting it together.

Thank you also to Bill for providing us an update on shield and clam shrimps and a very interesting article on gnammas.

Powerful owl

This is the time of year that Powerful owls are breeding and the other night we heard them at our … Read the rest

From Rhonda, Our Chief Ranger June 2020

Surprisingly things are still very busy in the park and assisting staff including myself juggle the home schooling thing.

The whole of the Grampians National Park is closed to all people, including not being available for locals to undertake exercise within. These closures are very different to anything we have had in place before as they are under the public health act which is administered by Victoria Police not by my staff. There were a number of stages to this full closures with us first closing campgrounds, then a week later closing picnic tables & BBQ’s and then a week later full closure. All this caused some confusion to locals, understandably.

We did have discussions regarding a potential part closure of the park eg allowing locals to exercise but with a park with 55 entrances and numerous communities who believe that the Grampians is their back yard including Ararat, Stawell, … Read the rest

Friends of Grampians Gariwerd