Articles – Page 61 – Friends of Grampians Gariwerd

MEMORIES OF WORKING IN THE NATIONAL PARK IN 1984,85

Getting To Know The Grampians National Park in the 1980s

Janet Witham

Since the early 20th century, ever increasing numbers of people have been visiting the Grampians. Generally, their knowledge of the sights and sounds of this extraordinary area was through their own discoveries as they explored the area with a basic map in hand or as a member of a guided touring group.

Then in the Spring of 1986 the Grampians National Park Visitor Information Centre was opened and people flooded in to discover many fascinating and informative displays. It was a new experience for most people visiting an Australian national park and, with thousands of people now ‘discovering’ the Grampians, many would spend well over an hour absorbing new knowledge from displays on geology, climate, Aboriginal and European history, endemic plants, nocturnal animals, conservation issues and the management of a national park.

However, by far the most sought … Read the rest

MEMORIES OF THE CREATION OF THE GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK

To be National Park or not National Park?: That was the question.

Val Hastings, local resident and first convenor of Friends of Grampians

In the 1970’s and early 80’s the managing body for the Grampians Crown lands and forest was the Forest Commission. A groundswell of sentiment was emerging and gathering momentum that the Grampians natural assets were better served as a national park.
From the local perspective this spelt change, apprehension and fear. Job losses, locking up the mountains, no more milling, no more gravel pits, no more hunting were some of the concerns.
The Forest Commission had become responsible for many tourist activities, managing camping grounds and tracks for leisure activities in the Grampians. The Wonderland area had been fostered as a unique visitor area since almost the turn of the century. Halls Gap had been a destination for holiday makers, tourists and ‘honeymooners’ for nearly a century.… Read the rest

HISTORY OF THE GRAMPIANS NATIONAL PARK 1984 – 2005

For one of the displays at the Grampians Wildflower Show tin September, I researched the history of the GNP with a lot of help from the office staff, particularly Prue, Christine and Rod.
There’s far too much to include in this issue, so I’ll start with the years up to 2006, with some dates, and some memories from folk involved at the time:
It’s still only a selection.

* 1984 Grampians National Park declared. John Miller appointed as first Ranger in Charge. An Advisory Group appointed with Ian McCann as first chair. Friends of Grampians formed. . Many locals are still ambivalent about “locking up our Park”.
* 1984,85 A draft management plan for the GNP published. 306 submissions received. Many important decisions made . Discussions start on the buildings needed, including an Aboriginal Cultural Centre but finance is difficult to find.
* 1988 Grampians National Park Visitor Centre opened. … Read the rest

Critter monitoring near Yanac

FOGGS have been invited to join with Nhill ecologist Clive Crouch on a mammal and reptile survey from New Year’s Eve for 2 to 3 days. A chance to see Desert Silky Mouse, Mitchell’s Hopping Mouse and lots of skinks, dragons, etc. Mali Dunes” is a private property located on Millers Rd, Yanac North (VicRoads Country Directory Map 24G2). It’s owned by Bernie and Sue Fox of the Friends Network. It has been chained and farmed in the past (as late as 1995) but is now a Community Land Management (CLM) project site and is fully protected under a ‘Trust for Nature’ covenant. There is significant natural regeneration supplemented by extensive revegetation of direct seeding and plantings of local provenance. You’ll need to byo everything including water. The camp site has toilets and a fire place. More details available from Bernie Fox 0428 178 747 or … Read the rest

Wildlife Health Surveillance

Wildlife Health Surveillance Victoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne.
We are seeking people in Victoria interested in wildlife health to develop a network to:
Monitor the health of local free ranging populations, record these, and report your observations to us. We will send an email every 3 months to ask for your reports.
Please phone Pam Whiteley to discuss this 0400 119 301, or email with your contact details if you wish to contribute. (Information is used only for wildlife health.)
Eg. You observe a flock of 10 Crimson Rosellas several times a week. Use binoculars to check health. Signs of health problems include: fluffed up, thin, weak, feather problems, material around eyes or nose etc. In a notebook record the species, number of affected birds, record the signs of disease you observe, AND the number of healthy animals.
We are interested in the rates of … Read the rest

Botulism in Victorian wetlands summer 2009-10.

In mid to early October 2009 a few Sacred Ibis were found dead associated with a wetland and breeding colony in Victoria. Later in October a Sacred Ibis was observed to have difficulty standing, and another to be weak in its legs, wings and head. These are typical clinical signs of Botulism. This site has a history of botulism in the past, approximately 5 years ago, 2004?
Botulism toxin acts on nerves that control skeletal muscles and can cause death. Water birds can drown when they cannot lift their heads out of water.
Birds with a low dose of toxin can recover.
Botulism tends to occur in wetlands and along waterways, in drought years, and associated with drying and dropping water levels.
Botulism is caused by the toxin from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Bacterial spores persist in the environment.
Carcasses left in the environment are a source of nutrients that … Read the rest

Brolga Research Project

Inka Veltheim from University of Ballarat is undertaking a PhD research project on Brolgas in south west Victoria. The project will aim to identify seasonal movement routes between breeding and non-breeding sites and involve monitoring of breeding sites to gain a better understanding of the Brolga’s breeding success and the survival of young. The success of the project relies on the goodwill of landholders and Inka is currently looking for landholders who may have knowledge on the location of breeding sites in Victoria. She would like to establish a number of sites for monitoring breeding success. Inka is also interested to hear of any other records (historical or current) including of injured or dead Brolgas in south west Victoria. For all Brolga sightings, Inka can be contacted on <> or <> 0439 557 880… Read the rest

Brushtailed Rock-wallabies Report Dec 2009

Five more wallabies have been released at the same site. Unfortunately one of these was recently found dead, with some indication of predation after death. Cat? Fox? There has also been no sighting of the pouch young in one of the first batch released, which is disappointing. On the other hand all the others are doing well. They seem to have separated into two groups, but both groups are still close to the release site. There have been some problems with their collars but all are working now. Stateline had an excellent segment on the release and it’s still available from the SA website: “Get the latest Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby”:http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/sa/content/2006/s2716673.htm update on Stateline… Read the rest

Grampians Flora Botanic Garden, Halls Gap

I know it’s not at all a FOGG activity but I do have enquiries from FOGG members about it.
The new gates are in and are getting enthusiastic reviews. We lost a few new plants in that sudden burst of heat in November, but most are looking very healthy. We’re having talks with DSE on whether the garden can play a role in rescuing rare plants from the bulldozer by relocating them.
Offers from FOGGS to help with watering over the summer (only the new ones), or in general maintenance would be very much appreciated.… Read the rest

VOLUNTEER TRAINING UPDATE Dec 2009

As reported at the AGM we, along with other Friends Groups were offered free training in chemical handling, chainsawing, 4wheel driving and first aid . We saw this as an excellent way to make our working bees more effective. Unfortunately so did all the other friends groups. PV had totally underestimated the interest. So we did get funding for first aid and chemical handling – dates yet to be announced. But chainsaw accreditation and 4 wheel driving (which would allow us to drive a PV vehicle and trailer) will have to be applied for again next year.… Read the rest