Articles – Page 46 – Friends of Grampians Gariwerd

THE ACACIA DEBATE Margo Sietsma

The wattles this August have been the best we can remember, both in the Park and along the surrounding roads – particularly our national emblem Acacia pycnantha. So I thought this article could be of interest to members. It’s adapted from a report I received via the Association of Botanical Gardens. Ed,

A plant name dispute that has bubbled away for a decade has finally been resolved at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne in July.
The species concerned are the acacias, which until now has included the Australian wattles and the thorn trees of the Serengeti—both highly recognisable and iconic groups of plants.
Acacia taxonomy has generated much controversy in the scientific and wider community over the past decade. Careful research has shown that Acacia should be split into several genera, and a difficult decision was required as to whether the name Acacia should be used either for … Read the rest

FLOODS, WILDLIFE, HOME! NEAR LAKE LONSDALE, SPRING 2011 Leigh Douglas.

What an abundance of water and wildlife we all had with the floods earlier this year: spiders – especially Golden Orb-weavers galore; butterflies, including several Swallow-tails blown down on the warm northerly airstream; frogs – swimming underwater in the paddock, throughout the wetlands, seemingly everywhere…. filling the air with their somewhat frantic yet elated choruses; praying mantis, turtles and fish; the top of every grass-stalk crowded with water-escaping creatures; and that’s not mentioning (yet) the birds!
So here goes. Being on the flood plains of Mt William Ck. might not have been good for the fences, but it was wonderful for a huge number of a variety of waterbirds. Flocks of Great Egrets, Swans floating over the tops of fences, Herons, Ibis. In lesser numbers, Spoonbills both royal and yellow-billed, a family of Pelicans, Cormorants large, small, pied and black, Brolgas (our usual pair), and many ducks; interestingly, not as … Read the rest

JULY FUNGI FROLIC Wendy Bedggood

Mid July about seven of us met at the ‘Wander Inn’ at Wartook for our Fungi frolic. The weather was not wet, not windy, just cold, which we were thankful for after last year.
We wandered down to the creek from the café and collected all sorts of different fungi.
We were lucky to have Wynn and Ewen with us, as they were able to identify them quite quickly for us. We took the fungi back to the café and had lunch and finished identifying and having a closer look at our collection. There was a Rooting shank, Rough earth star, several different puff balls, split gills, a funnel cap, Polypore, bracket fungi and several more.… Read the rest

HALLS GAP LANDSLIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The Northern Grampians Shire released its landslip strategy and guidelines at meetings in Halls Gap on August 29.
A small number of the 190 landslides throughout the Grampians National Park impacted on private property in the Halls Gap area. The properties impacted by landslide were mapped by geotechnical experts engaged by Council to prepare maps to identify land that is susceptible to landslide. Council have now contacted the property owners who have land that is identified as susceptible to landslide. There are immediate consequences for planning permits for new construction in those areas, and it will clarify who may be affected regarding insurance premiums. Detailed information can be had by contacting the shire direct.… Read the rest

THE LONG DISTANCE WALK Proposed Grampians Peak Trail: Margo Sietsma 2011

Grampians Peak Trail Proposal

In the last issue I reported that the Advisory group had discussed the first stage of the long distance Grampians Peak Trail, which will be a 3 day circuit from Halls Gap, to Mt Rosea area, to Borough Huts area, and back to Halls Gap.
FOGGs were briefed on the plan at our meeting with Dave in August. Government funding for the planning and development of Phase 1 including up to 3 hiker camps and new track development has been secured – $2.3million. New walk in camp sites will be established, one near the old campsite at Mt Rosea, but hidden from the road, and one off Redman Rd similarly secluded. They will probably consist of pads for BYO tents, toilets, fire places, and a basic shelter. Camp sites will need to be booked, at a fee. There are no plans for private investment. It is … Read the rest

FLOOD RECOVERY NEWS: 2 _ VICROADS Margo with help from Andrew Roach

The PV road and track network:
Parks Victoria are currently focusing their efforts on restoring access to the base of MacKenzie Falls and the walking tracks from Sundial Carpark to Lakeview Lookout and the Pinnacle. Repair work on the walking track from Halls Gap to the Pinnacle via Mackeys Peak is also being undertaken. Parks Victoria is endeavouring to have these walks open by the September school holidays. Other popular walks, like the Venus Baths Loop and in the Wonderland area, will take longer. There are numerous bridges lost, and access is hampered by the Vicroads work in the vicinity. The work required is time consuming and complex, particular the difficulties associated with access.

Main roads in the Victoria Valley and Victoria Range were re-opened to visitor traffic in August. These remain very slippery and have soft edges, so if you venture into the park make sure you slow down, … Read the rest

FLOOD RECOVERY NEWS: 1 _ VICROADS Margo with help from Andrew Boak of VICROADS

So much done, so much still to be done. I’ll start with the roads.

Saturday 20th August saw the long awaited opening of the Grampians Tourist Road after months of hard work. After so much effort put in by people from Vicroads, Parks Vic and the contractors, the opening was a bit disappointing. The invitation was for an 11 a.m. commencement. However, when we arrived we stood around cheerfully chatting in the sun before being told that the minister was running late due to fog. Come back in an hour. So off we went to drink coffee and admire Grampians art. We duly returned to the locked gate, still no minister. Meanwhile a queue of cars was forming as the signs in Halls Gap declared the road was now open. Eventually it was decided that the two mayors – of Southern and Northern Grampians – would open the road; and … Read the rest

NEWS FROM THE ADVISORY GROUP Margo Sietsma

The next AG meeting is due on September 13. Each member received copies of the Fire Operations Plan and the new Fire Management Zones to examine and respond to before this meeting. Remember that if people have any questions they wish to raise with Parks Management they can do so via the Advisory Group. You don’t have to be a member of any particular group. The aim is for the AG to be a two way communication: people bringing ideas and suggestions to the Park, and park staff explaining what is happening, so we on the AG can bring that out to the public. In some ways the modern tools of web pages, facebook and the like are changing the way PV communicates with the public, so the role of the AG may need to change. However direct personal contact beats the mass produced content on the internet every time. … Read the rest

GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK AND SURROUNDS STAKEHOLDER ROUNDTABLE. Wendy Bedggood

The Grampians region is the first of the regions to set up this forum. It has been intiated by DSE and Parks as a forum where stakeholder groups can come together and exchange concerns and ideas in a manner not currently available to them. Many user groups have interactions with DSE and Parks to varying degrees already, but don’t always have the opportunity to hear the concerns of other user groups. This forum has tried to bring together people representing, CFA, winegrowers, Field Naturalists, apiarists, CMAs, Landcare, Grampians Health, farmers, tourism, aboriginal groups and I went representing FOGGs. Of course some people wear several hats as they are involved in many groups in their community. Prue Pyke was on the planning group to get the roundtable up and running but I have taken over from her to represent FOGGs.
The first meeting was held at the beginning of July Graham … Read the rest

Response to The Fire Operations Plan 2011-2014 Proo Pyke

Friends of the Grampians Gariwerd wish to make the following points in response to the Fire Operations Plan.

We would like to support the effort that has been made to use the information gained from the Fire Ecology Strategy plan “Biophysical Units for Fire Management” (prepared by the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Ballarat) to underpin the determination of the areas planned to be burned over the next three years. For many years now FOGGS has stressed the need for science to be the guiding factor in planning for proposed burns and are pleased to learn that Parks Staff are now in a much better position to ensure they understand the potential ecological consequences of their decisions.

For this reason we are very concerned that sufficient money is provided to ensure that the burns proposed can be properly monitored both pre and post burn so that our … Read the rest