Category: Articles

Presidents Report: Friends of the Grampians Gariwerd (FOGG) 2024

Presidents Report: Friends of the Grampians Gariwerd (FOGG) 2024

Activities of our small group continues to be driven by our membership who provide the leadership and technical expertise which ensures an activity most months, supplemented with guest speakers on some occasions.

Without restating all of our activities we have held six walks led by members, conducted a clean up Australia Day activity and hosted four talks by guests. Personally, I see each activity as a highlight but we were especially grateful for our guest speakers;

Nouska Reiter: Orchids and threatened species

Charlie Richardson: PV update

Damien Skurrie: Cultural Burning

Greg Kerr: Red Gums

Our thanks go out to all for their contribution. I hope we can maintain the communication with PV, perhaps through an annual update similar to the one Charlie delivered. Along with those members of his staff who also attended, our understanding of the work and constraints PV … Read the rest

2022 November Prez Sez

PREZ SEZ
As summer approaches rapidly, and the rain keeps falling and creeks are flooding …. well, this is different to the usual summer intro. I’m loving this wetness, the sound of rain on the roof, normally dry creeks running bankers and flooding; but then I’m not faced with flooded buildings, just beautiful wetlands, ponds and puddles. Frogs, insects (pity about the mozzies), bird life – fledglings appearing everywhere, swans floating with their cygnets over the paddocks … happy Reed Warblers.
Gumboots. Bruce McInnes started the gumboot fashion with his Wetland Wander in September, when some gumboots were discovered, wetly, to be NOT waterproof after spending years stacked away in cupboards.
Now it’s time for me to step down from position of president, having completed my two-year term.
Looking back on this time, I’m left with some very warm memories of activities, work and shared values with a great group … Read the rest

2022 August Prez Sez

PREZ SEZ Aug 2022
Chilly Greetings to all, in this ‘Deep Mid-Winter’ edition. But already it’s (still Deep) Late-Winter, and spring is
on the horizon: Acacias starting to flower, orchid leaves pushing up through the cold ground, cuckoos calling, birds exhibiting nesting behaviour, i.e., chasing each other energetically! … and we’ve been told it’s going to be warmer ‘soon’. Unfortunately, creeks aren’t flowing en masse yet, even though it’s nice and wet. But wait: Mt William Creek started to flow two days ago. Thank you to Darcy Truman, our Community Engagement Officer while Hannah was away. You’ve been great to work with Darcy, and very helpful & patient with all the issues that arose. All the best for your next step, and we do hope to see you around! AND, welcome back Hannah! Your 6 months in a different area sounded most enjoyable and worthwhile, glad it worked out so … Read the rest

From the Editor

Welcome to this Winter issue of the FOGG newsletter. An unusual one in unusual times. The Covid rules plus the pressure to complete the GPT means that  local park staff are under a lot of pressure, our FOGG committee needs to communicate at a distance, and as Leigh reports in Prez Sez we are having problems with Park Connect and the need for us all to have working with children certificates. But we have managed to put together an interesting newsletter I hope. My thanks to member Neil Marriott for contributing an interesting article on burning. Do remember that we welcome articles from members. So don’t be shy!

It is always a dilemma how many photos to put in. We realise that some members’ internet is limited so we don’t want to make the document too big. But what to leave out. I’m hoping to revive the FOGG facebook page … Read the rest

2021 September Prez Sez

We are very sad to learn of the death of Lyn Munro in early July. Judith will be writing about Lyn, in this or the next newsletter. She will be greatly missed, as a loved friend and fellow champion of the bush, plus for all her knowledge and input to FOGG and the Hamilton Field Nats; our deepest sympathy goes to Dave and their family.

As the short dark cold days of Winter start to give way to the (slightly) longer, (at times) sunnier, and equally cold days of late-winter, Spring is showing its presence all through the bush: Acacias and Eucalypts flowering, orchid leaves pushing up through the ground, brilliant red correa bells, fantastic fungi, and birds chasing each other and pairing up ready for nesting. It’s one of the most exciting times to be out in the bush, full of promise, especially after the plentiful rains we’ve been … Read the rest

Parks News from the Chief Ranger June 2021

From Rhonda McNeil M 0498 441 433   E

It is with great sadness that last week saw the passing of Graeme  “Shonky”  Sherger.  Shonky was a long standing member of the Halls Gap team as was his father before him. He was involved in many aspects of park management but in particular he was involved in machinery use in the park, whether building campgrounds, grading roads or incredible work on the fireline.  Our thoughts are with Danielle and family at this time.

Work on the Grampians Peaks Trail is continuing as we get closer to a Spring opening and it was great to have the Grampians Advisory Group out on site at one of the new day walks and to a campground to share what really was part of their vision for this park.

The management plan is in finally stages of reviewing all the feedback and providing a … Read the rest

Gariwerd Black Range News June 2021

From Hannah, Community Engagement Ranger

Parks Victoria has shortlisted the Black Range Conservation Survey, led by the Black Range Land Management Group and NGT, for the funding through the Volunteer Innovation Fund.  The votes of the Victorian public will decide which projects are successful, so read on for more info!

The Black Range is a granite uprising east of Gariwerd/The Grampians near Ararat that formed 400 million years ago. The Range is of cultural significance to its Traditional Owners, and includes Bunjil’s Shelter. Following recent poor land management and significantly reduced annual rainfall, the Black Range Land Management Group is working to increase habitat and biodiversity, control invasive species and erosion, and to conserve more areas of the dry and rocky Range. We have partnered with the Land Management Group to support this project which aims to engage our local community in actions that learn about and address climate … Read the rest

RED GUM WALK (8/5/2021)

As it happened it was only a small group of us who were able to join in our working bee at this FOGG created walk. This was the first walk established for the less-abled in the Grampians  but since then several new ones have been created by PV.

The area was badly burned in the fires of 2006 and recovery has been slow. Interestingly the post-fire growth is now at the stage where it is thinning itself out, resulting in quite a lot of death of 1.5 m tall shrubs and many of these dead plants falling across the path. So there was quite a bit of clearing work to be done. Plus some weeding.

We had quite a bit of discussion as to what needs to be done to improve the walk, and what FOGGS could fund and what we would ask PV to fund. Although currently the track … Read the rest

FOGGS FUNGAL FORAY (13th June 2021)

By Leigh Douglas.

At our last meeting, we were privileged to have Win Pietsch teach us about the problems and fun of fungi identification, and to learn that many do not have common names and have yet to be identified   – what a privilege, to learn from such a scientific, experienced and enthusiastic teacher.

12 of us met at the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens, and Win had us all inspired; she gave us a brief overview of Australian fungi and their properties, bringing along a whole library of fungi books that she spread over the table, plus some exceptional specimens of fungi unlikely to be found in the Gardens.

Fungi are different from other plants; most of the ‘non-plant’ is underground, we only see the fruiting bodies, very useful for our identification and their procreation! Preferred habitats, seasons, classification, ecology and habitat, edibility, the importance (and beauty) of spore prints … Read the rest

Friends of Grampians Gariwerd