fiNdiNg greater gliders September 2016 No 266 AboriginAl nAvigAtorS VNPa aNNual rePort CAllS of the Wild Port CamPBell NatioNal Park tree felling in pArkS horses for Courses Be part of nature

preSident Euan Moore direCtor Matt Ruchel ContentS Level 3, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, VIC 3053 3 From the President ABN 34 217 717 593 Telephone: (03) 9347 5188 4-5 Ending the reign of hard hooves Facsimile: (03) 9347 5199 5 Goats caught on the mobile E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.vnpa.org.au 6-7 Horses for courses not beaches VNPA’S VISION 8-9 Giving wildlife a genuine guarantee We share a vision of Victoria as a place with a diverse, secure and 9 Protecting wildlife with healthy natural environment cared for and appreciated by all. sledgehammers and nut crackers EDITORIAL COMMITTEE 10-11 Our parks deserve far more than this Euan Moore, Matt Ruchel, Philip Ingamells, Chris Smyth (editor). 12 Forest Industry Taskforce GETTING INVOLVED IN VNPA Everyone can help in the conservation of Victoria’s wild and beautiful 13 Getting real about a changing climate places. You can: 14-15 In Parks: Port Campbell National Park • make a donation • become a regular giver or member 16-17 Doing the Department’s job • volunteer. You’ll be welcome in the office, on a campaign or in a park • leave a bequest to VNPA in your will. 18-19 Risks in mapping Moolap’s futures PUBLISHING POLICY 20 Supporter profile: Katherine Isbrandt All advertisements should be compatible with VNPA policies. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by the VNPA Inc. of Centre pAgeS – vnpA Annual report 2015-16 the advertised product or service. The VNPA reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time. 21 Rainbow bushland enhanced Park Watch may be quoted without permission provided that 22 Cleaning up our marine and coastal acts acknowledgement is made. The opinions of contributors are not necessarily those of the VNPA Inc. 23 ReefWatch Reboot GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS 24-25 Seeing the land from an Aboriginal canoe You’re always welcome to contact the editor to discuss ideas for articles. Phone the VNPA or email [email protected]. Articles may be 26-27 Calls of the wild submitted by email, on disk or as hard copy. Include your contact 28-29 Castlemaine’s recovering forests details and brief biographical information. Photos, maps and drawings are needed too. Digital photos should be 300dpi and 30-31 The Prom in summer ‘63 around 8cm by 12cm. 32-33 Research Roundup CopY deAdline for December 2016 Park Watch is 24 October 2016. 34 Tribute: Tony Woolford deSign Mary Ferlin printing Adams Print 35 Book Review FRONT COVER Ned’s Corner on the Murray: a history Citizen scientists working with the Goongerah Environment Centre have been finding Greater Gliders in forests 36 Book Review earmarked for logging in East Gippsland, which Wildlife conservation in farm landscapes has helped gain better protection for the species. Photo by Pavel German/www.australiannature.com. 36 Mountain Ash in music BACK COVER 37 Book Review Insect-eating Sundew at Brisbane Ranges National Park. Big, bold and blue: lessons from Photo by Philip Ingamells. Australia's marine protected areas Park Watch iSSn 1324-4361 38 Families go wild with VNPA!

2 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 From the President PHOTO COuRTESY EuAN MOORE

Winter and spring are the seasons for These revegetation projects have What these examples illustrate is that we tree planting, which VNPA members received welcome support from continue to degrade the environment have been doing for the past 18 years in programs such as the Australian while using band-aids to create the the annual Project Hindmarsh. Government’s 20 Million Trees. appearance of protecting our native At first glance this appears to be a flora and fauna. It is far better and, in Started as an ambitious project to re- large program but it must be seen in establish native vegetation corridors the long run cheaper, to avoid the need context of the size of the problem. along roadsides between the Big and to undertake habitat restoration and Twenty million trees equate to Little deserts, Project Hindmarsh has heroic recovery programs for critically between 10,000 and 15,000 ha of expanded to include habitat restoration endangered species. land revegetated; it will take decades on private land. Each year tens of before it produces adequate habitat Politicians of all persuasions seek to thousands of native trees and shrubs for many species. Meanwhile, convince us that they are the best are planted. across Australia tens of thousands economic managers yet fail to see the In the early years of Project Hindmarsh of hectares are cleared each year, whole picture – the costs as well as the we saw very high plant survival rates. approved under lax and inadequate benefits to the community. More recently these have dropped clearing regulations. as climate change and drought have At the federal level a parliamentary resulted in an earlier start to hot dry How can we repair the country in committee has recommended that summers. This year the planting the face of climate change? I attended environment NGOs spend a proportion weekend was brought forward from a very informative seminar at La of their donations on tree planting late August to the last weekend of Trobe University jointly hosted by and erosion control works. In practice June so that the plants would be the VNPA, Melbourne University’s this costs more and is less effective at better established before summer and Bio 21 Institute, the Department protecting native species, soils and hopefully survive it. of Environment, Land, Water and water than preventing ongoing land Planning (DELWP) and Parks clearing, the logging of old-growth VNPA is also a partner of, and our Victoria, to explore answers to this forests, reducing the pollution that is members play a key role in, the Grow difficult question. Should we be using causing climate change and protecting West project, which aims to reconnect local provenances of species or those the conservation reserves that we the Brisbane Ranges National Park, from further afield where the climate already have. • PW Werribee Gorge and Lerderderg state resembles what we expect it to be in a parks. The Grow West planting day was hundred years? euan moore, vnpA president held in early July. There was also a good turn-out of VNPA members to help plant 11,000 seedlings at Mali Dunes, a Trust for Nature covenanted property owned by Sue Hayman-Fox and the late Statewide assessment of public land Bernie Fox. the Victorian environmental assessment Council (VeaC) has been Habitat restoration is an important investigating how we have been, and should be, categorising aspect of conservation work but it public land in Victoria. its terms of reference include: must be seen for what it is, fixing past y assessment of the many public land categories mistakes. Restoration activities do not (some date back to the 19th century) restore the environment to a natural y assessment of how land use has changed state. At best they result in a jigsaw with y an inventory of the types of values on public land. missing pieces. We do not have the knowledge, or indeed the option as some VeaC has made a number of draft recommendations, including a simplified system of land categories, and amending Victoria’s species may be extinct, to repopulate National Parks act to accommodate that. they have also released with the original suite of plants, animals, a comprehensive discussion paper. Both are available at fungi and microbes that made up the www.veac.vic.gov.au original habitat. The presence of invasive species also contributes to what will be a submissions from the public are due by monday 7 november. novel ecosystem.

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 3 ENDING THE REIGN OF HARD HOOVES Photo: BIll KoSKY

gettiNg Cows, deer, horses, goats aNd Above: Healthy water-holding Pigs out of NatioNal Parks is ProViNg sphagnum moss in the background, with trampled a Very diffiCult exerCise, eVeN though mossbed in the foreground. the damage they do is aBuNdaNtly Right: Many horses stay

Clear, says phil ingAmellS. snowbound in winter. PHOTO: FEDERATION TRAINING STuDENTS

When the VNPA was fighting licensed in those concentrations there’d be causing to natural areas is far more simple cattle grazing in the Alpine National widespread public outrage. to assess, and should be the trigger for Park, the cattlemen always asked population control. Accurate population estimates are why we weren’t arguing for control of difficult. A 2014 survey of horses in the So where do we stand with these two horses and deer. Australian Alps National Parks showed major threats? Deer hunters want a strong population of a population of around 9,500 all told, deer protected in the bush, primarily so with about 3,800 in the much troubled feral horses in the they can shoot them. Horse supporters, eastern section of Victoria’s Alpine on the other hand, hold strong to the National Park. Brumby supporters claim Alpine national park brumby legends and, understandably, those numbers are an over-estimate. Parks Victoria set up a wild horse find any plan to take a gun to a horse Measuring deer numbers is a far more consultation process in late 2012, with a difficult to comprehend. Each supporter difficult exercise, especially for Sambar dedicated scientific advisory panel and group, it seems, wants population control Deer, which are secretive by nature and a stakeholders’ Roundtable Group. The to be focussed on another group’s animal. tend not to gather in herds. However, a VNPA was represented on the roundtable Goats and pigs are less fortunate. They survey of the annual ‘deer harvest’ comes together with the RSPCA, mountain have few supporters, so Parks Victoria’s up with about 60,000 deer being taken cattlemen, brumby runners, brumby re- management of them has been allowed to by amateur hunters each year in Victoria. homers and tourism interests. That process continue pretty much without opposition. On that reckoning the feral population resulted in a series of papers from Parks They are still a problem but their must be in the many hundreds of Victoria, outlining the clear damage that numbers, relatively speaking, are small. thousands at least, and it’s still growing. horses cause, their cultural relevance, and assessments of various control methods. Horses and deer, however, are now in But population numbers, accurate plague proportions in some of our finest or not, aren’t the best measure of the It’s probably worth stating here that shooting national parks. If goats or pigs appeared need for action. The damage they are horses has never been the first management

4 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Sambar deer caught in the act. Male sambar Deer rub their antlers on dead or living trees, often ringbarking them. In this picture, deer have also trampled much of the surrounding ground cover. Sambar impacts are widespread.

However in NSW, where a Wild Horse Even though Sambar are listed as a Management Plan is being developed for serious threat to natural ecosystems in Kosciuszko National Park, the minister has Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee defended the scientific evidence of damage Act, they are simultaneously protected to the park, and accepted control by ground as a game species under the old shooting (though he doesn’t want aerial Wildlife Act. The latter Act can be shooting). The NSW draft plan aims to overridden by park managers, but it reduce the NSW population to two groups sets a psychological barrier to serious PHOTO: FEDERATION TRAINING STuDENTS of around 300 each. control. The deer ‘belong’ to the powerful hunting community: they Because the southern NSW population is option – re-locating horses to farms where even have people in our parliament as linked to the main Victorian population, it is they can be cared for would be a great the cattlemen once did. The hunters very important that the two state ministers, outcome. Brumby running (chasing horses are claiming to have successfully and the two park agencies, agree on targets and roping them, Man from Snowy River negotiated access to a further 118,000 and strategies for horse control. style) and hopefully rehoming them was ha in national parks, potentially the control method of choice in the 1992 The National Parks Associations of NSW limiting safe access for park visitors. park management plan. But that plan also and Victoria have both called for removal Despite the large number of deer called for ‘other control means’ if brumby of all feral horses from the alpine parks, ‘harvested’ each year, the population running wasn’t containing numbers. Those while retaining a manageable population in keeps growing in size and extent. So numbers are well out of control today. adjoining state forest for heritage purposes. far, Parks Victoria has pretty much As far as we (or Parks Victoria) are aware, Parks Victoria will finalise its feral horse limited its control efforts to using no-one has a viable option for getting strategy after the release of the Greater accredited amateur hunters in a few significant numbers out of the park and Alpine National Parks Management strategic programs in places like rehoming them. Plan – due soon. the Prom and Yellingbo. But, any What are the alternatives? expansion of that volunteer program dealing with deer is limited. The RSPCA has advised Parks Victoria that There are around five species of deer in Park managers need the resources to Brumby running causes horses great stress. Victoria’s parks and forests. Sambar Deer are employ professionals in a strategic, There are other methods of rounding rife in eastern Victoria, trashing rainforests, ongoing program aimed at removing up horses, such as tempting them into wallowing in wetlands at all altitudes, invading deer from our most vulnerable areas. holding yards with salt, but in remote farms and causing car accidents – sadly, they And we need research into biological areas that still means a long journey out have even appeared at the Prom where Hog and genetic controls, and targeted on rough tracks, with most then sent on a Deer are already well-established. Red Deer baits, if we are ever going to halt the very long road trip to a slaughter yard. are trampling through the Grampians. damage deer do. • PW And importantly, horses in the park are often in poor condition, and suffer considerably and die in large numbers in times of drought, fire and heavy snowfalls. For these and other reasons, the RSPCA Goats caught on the mobile has said, ‘We accept aerial shooting when performed under strict protocols when kinglake ranger, sean hunter, website called spypoint. sean then by highly competent operators, because decided to apply his it skills to a logs onto the site to check what’s aerial culling is the best for the horses’ growing goat problem in kinglake been caught on film, after which he welfare and would be most effective in National Park, he didn’t know how arranges collection of the captured goats by a local goat farmer. the current situation in the eastern alps successful it would be. where the country is rugged and large over about two years, his use of apart from getting rid of the goats, scale control is required’. sensor cameras linked to the internet which cause major environmental has helped remove around 400 goats damage, the best thing for sean is The VNPA accepts this advice from the the time it saves him. leading animal welfare organisation, but from the park’s Everard block. there it’s not proving very socially acceptable. hasn’t been a goat sighted there ‘i used to spend at least two to three Importantly, shooting horses is only an since, and a healthy regrowth of hours a day visiting traps. Now, native trees and plants has appeared. option when humane rehoming isn’t by pressing a few keys, i can see what’s there.’ practicable or possible. the cameras are installed on portable Victoria’s Minister for the Environment trap yards baited with tasty goat But Sean’s not resting on his laurels. under the previous government ruled food. when a goat enters the yard, after a short break he now has his out shooting horses altogether, effectively the camera is set off, an alert is sent sights set on the arthurs Creek area, to Sean’s mobile, and the image to a which has an emerging goat problem. stopping any meaningful, humane control program.

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 5 Horses gallop along the soft sand at the top of the beach and base of the sand dune, eroding Horses for courses the dune but also disturbing the prime habitat for the beach- not beacHes nesting Hooded Plover.

Chris smyth viSitS belfASt CoAStAl reServe And reportS on itS horSe problem.

The odds are definitely against the ‘Reports and officer observations consultation with various community Hooded Plover if commercial horse confirm up to 20 horses are working on groups and the commercial trainers – training is allowed to continue on the the beach at any one time with training the South West Owners and Trainers beach and sand dunes of the Belfast occurring on the beach on a daily basis, Association – on what to do about the Coastal Reserve. including weekends, from sunrise until horse problem. about 10.30am. However, a resident Stretching between Port Fairy and reported racehorses on the beach at There is great concern in the local Warrnambool in the state’s south-west, about 4pm on 10 February 2016. Council community that the agencies will try to the reserve was established in the 1980s to officers have observed horse trucks, legitimise what is an unauthorised and protect the local flora and fauna, including horse floats and vehicles blocking access inappropriate use. migratory birds, help stabilise sand dunes to the boat ramp and making access to At the time of writing there were and support low-intensity recreational the car parking areas difficult with up reports that the agencies were uses such as walking, swimming, boating to 12 horse trucks and floats using all of to recommend the licensing of and picnicking. Commercial use just the available car parking. Horses then commercial horse trainers in Belfast wasn’t in the mix, nor should it be. access the beach from the boat ramp Coastal Reserve. There were also causing the sand to become loose and The area is considered ‘hoodie central’ indications of some new regulations, difficult to drive on when launching and by birdos, providing habitat for up to seasonal closures at Levys Point and retrieving a boat. Horses are also using 52 Hooded Plovers (>9% of the species’ Rutledge’s Cutting, and the transfer of pedestrian access tracks to enter and Victorian population) and having one of horse training from Killarney Beach to leave the beach, increasing the risk of a the highest densities of breeding birds in East Beach at Port Fairy. All of this is serious injury arising from a horse versus eastern Australia (at least 21 pairs). just shifting the problem, not solving pedestrian incident.’ it. This would likely result in the loss Hoodies nest in shallow scrapes on There are increasing reports of of hoodies from sections of the Belfast the high side of the beach between recreational users of the reserve being Coastal Reserve and continue to August and March, and are vulnerable bullied and intimidated by trainers – I cause other environmental and social to attacks by dogs and feral animals, was threatened with legal action if I impacts. Commercial horse training and disturbance from people – and now were to publish images I had taken of should be removed from the reserve horses. They are listed as threatened one commercial horse trainer riding and the racing industry should establish under national and Victorian laws. along the beach, although it is entirely a purpose-built facility elsewhere. For many years the use of the reserve by legal to photograph such activities in a But the problems for the Belfast Coastal horses was minimal but recently there public place. Vandalism of signage aimed Reserve don’t end with horses. Like at educating people about protecting has been an invasion by commercial many other parts of the coast, it is beset hoodies is also occurring. horse trainers. This is how Moyne Shire by fragmented management (Parks Council Environment Officer, Robert The Department of Environment, Land, Victoria, Moyne Shire Council and City Gibson described horse activity to his Water and Planning (DELWP) and of Warrnambool each manage separate council in March 2016: Parks Victoria have been conducting sections of the reserve), unleashed dogs,

6 PArkPArk wAtchwAtch •• SEPTEMBER 2016 NoNo 266266 PHOTO: CHRIS SMYTH Along with commercial horse training, unleashed dogs are another issue in the Belfast Coastal Reserve.

illegal camping and off-road vehicle use, sand dune erosion, feral animals and weeds. It is not just the hoodies that are under threat. There is other wildlife, Indigenous community cultural sites, and the use of the reserve by walkers, swimmers, surfers and anglers. In the VNPA report, The coast is unclear, it was recommended that the reserve become a coastal park under the management of Parks Victoria, with a set of regulations that provided rangers with the authority to implement the This section of the Belfast Coastal Reserve, looking east from the objectives of a new management plan Killarney Beach car park, is managed by the Moyne Shire Council. (there are no specific regulations for the reserve, which leaves rangers with little power to manage anything). At the time the report was prepared, the use of the reserve by commercial horse trainers was limited. But with one of them winning the 2015 Melbourne Cup, putting much of the win down to training on the Killarney Beach sands, many more are now using it. Of course, changing the status of the reserve and preparing a management plan will take time, of which the hoodies have very little. Necessary and urgent short-term actions include refunding the Summer Ranger position (it’s been defunded), which has been very successful in educating the community about the plight of hoodies, and Signage gazetting regulations specific to the vandalised reserve to reduce the immediate threats. in the Belfast Coastal The VNPA is working closely with Reserve. Birdlife Australia, the Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group and others in the local community. As part of that work, we have recently requested the Moyne Shire Council to rezone the land within the Belfast Coastal Reserve. For reasons known only to the council, the reserve is zoned for farming, even though other public land along the foreshore within the shire, and in the adjoining City of Warrnambool and the remainder of the state, is zoned either Public Conservation and Resource Zone or Public Park and PHOTOS: CHRIS SMYTH Recreation Zone. Our request seeks a rezoning to Public Conservation and hoodies and the local community and to express your concerns about the impacts Resource Zone. Otherwise, the future not weaken coastal protection by giving that commercial horse training is having in for the reserve could be its conversion to into the racing industry. At a time when the Belfast Coastal reserve, please contact: crops and livestock grazing. the government is reforming marine the minister for environment and coastal laws, failing to do this would the hon lily d’Ambrosio Resolving these issues is a nature level 36, 121 exhibition street conservation test for the new indicate that the reform could simply be melbourne ViC 3000 environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio. window dressing and make little if any e: lily.d'[email protected] Let’s hope she does the right thing by the difference on the ground.• PW P: (03) 8392 2100

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 7 PHOTO: CHRIS TzAROS

SArAh brugler from Giving wildlife a eNViroNmeNtal JustiCe australia makes the Case for mAjor rEform of thE StAtE’S genuine guarantee flora aNd fauNa guaraNtee aCt.

Clearing of land, damaging fire The Act is well overdue for overhaul communities and populations. For management and roadside and the Victorian government must example, removing protected habitat habitat destruction are virtually better protect threatened species in state forest and Crown land when unchallengeable in Victoria. and do more to reverse trajectories it is ‘incidental’ to logging is seen as The key law protecting nature in of decline. The current government OK. This is unacceptable. review of the FFG Act provides the Victoria – the Flora and Fauna 3. Mandate in the FFG Act positive perfect opportunity for it to become an Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) – gets actions by the government to protect effective and efficient nature protection ‘trumped’ by land-use laws and gives threatened species. For example, law for Victoria. And this is how that no real protection for threatened while there are a number of tools can be achieved: species or critical habitat. that the government could use to In 2009 the Victorian Auditor-General 1. Obligate public authorities to protect species, communities and released a ‘performance audit’ of operate consistently with the populations, such as the designation the FFG Act and found it ‘no longer FFG Act. Currently, the Act only of critical habitat or the issuing of provides an effective framework for requires public authorities to ‘interim conservation orders’, it has the conservation and protection of ‘have regard’ to its objectives. The chosen not to use them. These tools Victoria’s native flora and fauna’. The FFG Act should affect whole of should now be updated and their audit also revealed deficiencies in the government decision making to use by government mandatory. prevent habitat destruction like management processes and the use of 4. Incorporate a landscape-scale that of the Leadbeater’s Possum conservation and control measures and approach to environmental under forestry laws. various powers under the Act. management and ecological Three years later Environmental Justice 2. Remove the exemptions that restoration in the FFG Act. Australia (then EDO Victoria) further currently override the threatened Threatened species should continue examined the Act’s implementation species provisions of the FFG Act. to be a major focus for the Act, but and found that ‘the FFG Act remains These exemptions (by Ministerial to have any chance of restoring very poorly implemented, with many of Order) have made ineffective our environment, and reversing the legal measures to protect flora and the FFG Act protections over the trajectories of decline, a landscape fauna never used’. habitat of listed threatened species, scale approach is essential.

8 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 The Swift Parrot is listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and considered endangered in Victoria and nationally, but stronger laws are needed for its protection. Protecting wildlife with sledgehammers and nut crackers

the ffg Act was considered landmark Australian conservation legislation when introduced in 1988, but it has never reached its potential and should now be reviewed. 5. Include more obligations on government for preparation of the Andrews Government’s 2014 election policy on the environment the biodiversity strategy, such committed to such a review: as updating it every five years and working towards 20-year ‘the diversity of our natural flora and fauna boosts tourism and our economy. labor will review the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and biodiversity targets. The draft of a institute a state wide biodiversity strategy to protect our habitats for new one currently being finalised future generations’. by the government says very little. 6. Establish an incentives framework the 2014 ALP Platform, the policy adopted at the party’s state conference for landscape-scale restoration prior to the election, makes the same commitment but goes further by adopting world’s-best-practice threatened species protection. activities in the FFG Act, centring on the preparation ‘labor acknowledges that protecting and restoring biodiversity underpins of ‘Landscape Action Plans’ the well-being of the environment, society and the economy. Labor will: for regionally nominated landscapes. This would enable y review the flora and fauna guarantee act and put in place a state wide and incentivise communities, biodiversity strategy which includes recognition of the role of native apex predators in maintaining biodiversity local government and businesses to engage in the development of y modernise threatened species protection to adopt world’s best practice’. binding plans to deliver regional biodiversity targets. over the past 18 months there has been preliminary consultation on ffg act issues, piggy backed with consultation on the draft Biodiversity 7. Include environmental justice Strategy, the final of which is expected late in 2016 or early 2017. provisions in the FFG Act. As part of this, and to ensure that private as the new eJa report outlines (see story opposite page), there are individuals and companies comply many areas of the ffg that need improvement. for example, there are with the Act, two key reforms are inconsistencies in the one national and two state threatened species lists. required: of the 293 vertebrates on the Victorian threatened species advisory list, only 177 are listed under the ffG Act and just 81 nationally. • a new entity to monitor compliance and to enforce the there are no direct legal requirements or consequences that flow from provisions of the FFG Act inclusion of a species on the lists, although they are given some protection • a scale of penalties for under Victoria's Native Vegetation management framework. non-compliance including the ffg act mechanisms and regulatory tools, if implemented, are sufficiently dissuasive fines and powerful and include the designation of critical habitat protection and community service orders, as interim conservation orders. well as options for criminal prosecutions for serious offences. the loss of critical habitat is one of the main causes of species decline. To ensure that the government But the determination of critical habitat under the ffg act is entirely at is accountable, communities the minister’s discretion. As a result, there is currently no critical habitat need to be allowed to challenge protected for listed species. decisions through the courts and for this not to be financially interim conservation orders are intended to provide legally binding prohibitive. More publicly conservation measures to protect listed threatened species. they can be applied to areas declared critical habitat and can operate for up to two available information about what years. the failure by successive state governments to use them is often is being done under the FFG Act dismissed by government officials because as it would be like ‘…using a is also needed. sledgehammer to crack a chestnut’. But in some cases a sledge hammer is If each of the above recommendations needed to protect habitats or species, not using it at all could be put down was adopted by the Victorian to a lack of political will. Government, the FFG Act would be a range of legislative tools for threatened species protection is needed to a world leading nature protection law apply to different circumstances, with some requiring a sledge hammer setting a high standard for other states while others a nut cracker. with pressure on the environment and to follow. • PW threatened species continuing to rise, we hope the andrews government moves quickly with the proposed ffg act review. for more information on the biodiversity law reform work of matt ruchel environmental Justice australia, go to www.envirojustice.org.au

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 9 seCuriNg adequate fuNdiNg for our NatioNal Parks is a OuR PARkS deSeRVe coNSErVAtioN BAttLE wE cAN’t afford to lose. phil ingAmellS looks at a NumBer of areas fAR mORe tHAN tHiS where fuNdiNg aNd exPertise are sorely Needed.

Victoria’s national parks and trees, and there seem to be no In some parks it’s not just a matter of conservation reserves are the keystone guidelines as to who is qualified bikes gaining access to existing walking of conservation efforts. Without them, to assess hazardous trees. In the tracks, but new tracks illegally carved by natural systems will fail and we’ll lose Moondarra State Park case, as far as bikes are actually being formalised. More species at a great rate. we can ascertain, DELWP bypassed worryingly, people on noisily powered any consultation with Parks Victoria trail bikes are roaring through some But just reserving an area for and handballed the assessment to a parks with impunity, creating tracks conservation is not enough; we have to local contractor who did the felling. wherever they choose, knowing those give ecosystems enough well-trained When I visited after the event, firewood parks are staffed so poorly they will rarely staff to look after them. Anything less collectors were having a field day. if ever meet a ranger. is manifestly unfair to the currently overstressed staff, and is already failing The safety of fire crews is clearly There is an urgent need for park planners ecosystems in many ways. important, but so too is care, respect to set new planning guidelines for and responsibility when managing our tracks throughout the park system, Climate change, almost unimaginable a prime conservation reserves. Perhaps if separating walkers from bike riders. And few decades ago, is now having effects DELWP employed the same vigilance this planning process should allow the we couldn’t guess at a few years ago. it applies to people wanting to fell trees development of high-adventure tracks for trail bikes, mountain bikes and fat bikes tree felling on private land, where the purchase of offsets is mandated, they might be a little in suitable areas outside conservation Take a recent episode in Moondarra more judicious in their supervision. reserves whenever possible. State Park, a delightful mixed eucalypt the key problem woodland straddling the road between planning tracks and trails? Moe and Erica in Gippsland. Around The most fundamental issue park 300 roadside trees were felled along A few decades ago, when many of our parks were proclaimed, walkers were managers and park visitors face is a two tracks over a total length of two serious lack of resources. kilometres, leaving large sections of the main users; cyclists had machines both tracks with no trees of mature only capable of handling roads – Vandalised signs take ages to be replaced, or even medium age. One of these, preferably sealed. Motorbikes were which encourages more vandalism. Pest Senenis track, is the road visitors take generally too big and clumsy for the plant and animal programs are often to the park’s only campground. park experience. intermittently funded, wasting resources and threatening ecosystems. And the Now the unpowered fraternity gets Why is that a climate impact? Well, we many park visitor centres that once about in adventure-hungry mountain have been experiencing more frequent served our finest parks have either gone bikes or, increasingly, ‘fat bikes’ that and severe fires, especially in Victoria’s or been significantly downgraded, leaving alpine region. And sadly, two Department can pretty much handle any off-track park visitors often ignorant of the natural of Environment, Land, Water and challenge. And the powered crew has wonders they have been set up to protect, Planning (DELWP) firefighters died in trail bikes that can gouge out new tracks and the thousands of years of cultural 2013 when a fire-killed Alpine Ash stag wherever the existing road network fails history behind them. Climate change, of fell on their fire truck. to provide enough excitement. course, adds another dimension on all of those things (see page 13). That accident generated a reassessment In Warby–Ovens National Park, the of trees that might prove dangerous to volunteer Friends group spent years the key solution fire crews across Victoria. Thousands constructing a walking track taking have since been felled in state forests, visitors through many of the park’s Fundamentally, we must radically fix national parks and reserves across most interesting features. Interpretive funding levels. Percentage-wise, there has Victoria to protect crews faced with panels point out, for example, the to be a big increase, but it’s not a huge increased fire, or when managing only occurrence of Spur-wing Wattle amount in the overall scheme of things: increased fuel reduction burns. in Victoria. we won’t have to sell submarines or close hospitals. Unfortunately, while DELWP has Now a budding naturalist, or a walker ‘guidelines’ for identifying dangerous simply wanting a good heart-healthy Good funding will allow, for example, trees, there is little recognition of the stroll, has to dodge mountain bikes fencing off the Prom at the park entrance Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (FFG) roaring around any bend. And bikers so staff can control invasive species trials protection given to hollow-bearing have to handle walkers in their path. without dealing with reinvasions; so they

10 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 can reintroduce threatened native Top: The small species; and so they can reclaim the Toothed Helmet once wide and open grassy woodlands Orchid, one of many orchid species across the Yanakie isthmus. in Brisbane Ranges But the real solution, the one that will National Park. drive funding, the one that will bring Above: Good park careful control of hazardous trees, funding could the one that will bring new expertise ensure damaged to our parks, the one that will bring signs are replaced quickly. new visitors to wonder at them, is simply respect. Right: Trailbike riders have created Our parks protect around 100,000 this hill-climb native species, the product of 500 track from a picnic million years of evolution on land area in Brisbane Ranges National (and far more in our marine national Park, potentially parks). That heritage is worthy of spreading respect, and worthy of very careful Cinnamon Fungus management. • PW to new areas. PHOTOS: PHIL INGAMELLS

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 11 uPdAte

forest industry taskforce

After a strong campaign for a Great stakeholders through the Industry Task of Forest Industries), Amelia Young forest National Park by conservation Force, but will not impose solutions’. (The Wilderness Society Victoria), groups in the lead up to the 2014 State Alex Millar/Anthony Pavey/Travis In May 2015, a group of eight Wacey (CFMEU), Vince Hurley election, the Andrews Government conservation, industry and union (Australian Sustainable Hardwoods), committed to establish a taskforce representative was convened as the Julian Mathers/Peter Williams for a ‘consensus approach’ to any new Forest Industry Taskforce (FIT), and (Australian Paper), John McConachy national parks: included the VNPA Executive Director (harvest and haulage contractors), Matt Ruchel. Its first task was to develop ‘The taskforce will have members Sarah Rees (MyEnvironment), Matt its terms of reference and structure, and from the forestry and forest products Ruchel (VNPA), and Jess Abrahams these were submitted to government in industry, unions, environmental (Australian Conservation Foundation). September 2014 and formally accepted in groups and scientists, threatened November 2014. species experts, land owners, timber In addition, the FIT is supported by communities and other relevant The FIT was formally convened in the State Government through the stakeholders. A Labor Government February 2016 with the following appointment of an independent Chair, will consider any reasonable membership: Jane Calvert (Construction, Professor Don Henry (University recommendations and proposals Forestry, Mining and Energy Union), of Melbourne), a secretariat to fulfil reached by consensus of the major Tim Johnston (Victorian Association administrative, research and other support and logistical tasks, as well as an independent facilitation team.

The process has involved intensive discussions, with more than 20 meeting days over the past six months, and a mid-year or interim report presented to the Premier in late July. In line with its terms of reference, the FIT further refined the agreed opportunities for change which included: the establishment of new parks and reserves; threatened species; wood supply security; industry investment and growth; carbon; jobs and regional employment; regulatory revision and reform; the future shape of the industry; and the future shape of conservation and the parks system.

A series of enabling processes, including new investigations by the Victorian Environmental Assessment we understand that making your will Council, are proposed, as well as Leaving can be a very personal matter. But if the development of both a Future you’ve already included the Victorian Parks and Reserve Plan and a Future National Parks association in your will, Industry Plan. There is also a series a or are considering doing so, it would of discussions about the new Timber gift be great to hear from you. we would Release Plan, ongoing logging of high like to thank you personally, and also conservation value areas and new in your discuss your wishes with you. industry contracts. • PW to discuss making a gift to the VNPa in your will, please contact at the time of writing, work is ongoing emily Clough on (03) 9341 6501 and a public announcement about or via [email protected] progress is expected in september. updates are posted on the fit website:

Will PHOTO: TONY LADSON www.forestindustrytaskforce.com.au

12 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Getting real about a changing climate

there is oNe Climate deBate PeoPle seem reluCtaNt to eNgage iN: what should we Be doiNg right Now to helP our Natural eCosystems haNdle cLimAtE chANGES? it’S A dEBAtE rich with oPPortuNity, SAyS Phil ingamells.

in a recent article in The like our great Mountain Conversation, renowned and Alpine Ash forests are geneticist Ary Hoffmann already compromised by called for the deliberate frequent fire. moving of species (and their genes) around The VNPA, together the landscape ‘in a with the Royal Society careful and contained of Victoria, Melbourne manner’. The problem University’s Bio21 his solution addresses is Institute, the Department a very real one. of Environment, Land, Water and Planning As our climate warms (DELWP), La Trobe and dries (it’s predicted University, DELWP’s Arthur that Melbourne will be Rylah Institute, and Greening experiencing Wagga Wagga’s Australia have recently held a weather by the year 2050) second symposium on managing many plants and animals, and biodiversity in a changing climate. their ecosystems, will only survive if they can move south; in our alpine The presentations and discussions region, it’s a matter of moving uphill. from the first symposium have been Mountain Ash in Victoria’s water catchment, However few plants can manage to summarised as ‘Ten things we can killed by the Black Saturday bushfire. all do to help nature adapt to a new cover enough distance within that Frequent fire can prevent reseeding of timeframe – some have wind-born Mountain and Alpine Ash forests. climate’ at www.vicnature2050.org. or bird-carried seed, but most can The findings of the second symposium only move as far away as their seeds are yet to be finalised, but will almost can drop. ‘As long as these plots are set up at a certainly include recommendations sufficiently large scale, they can act aligned with Ary Hoffmann’s above. For many natural areas, towns as nursery stock for the future. As The Victorian Government is currently and farms stand in the way of fire frequency increases and exceeds engaged in the development of two migration, or adjacent soil types aren’t some plants' survival capabilities, the strategies that will set the stage for compatible, and for Victoria’s coastal surviving genes and species in these the future management of Victoria’s ecosystems Bass Strait is a formidable plots would then serve as sources for ecological systems. The period barrier. Increased fire frequency is future generations.’ another factor, especially for species for public submissions to a new that rarely set seed. He adds: biodiversity strategy have finished; Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Of course we should be doing ‘Overseas plots covering several Biodiversity 2036 should be released whatever we can to reduce carbon hectares have already been established later this year. Another, Victoria’s emissions but, whatever future that aim to achieve this at a large scale. Climate Change Adaptation Plan emission levels might be, the climate For instance, in western North America Directions Paper is open for public will be warmer and many of our there is a plot network that covers 48 comment until Friday 23 September. natural areas will struggle. sites and focuses on 15 tree species planted across a three-year period that Both of these must accommodate Ary Hoffman’s proposal is for a series covers temperature variation of 3-4°C.’ realistic management actions that will of areas within our reserve system, actually solve real problems. Careful especially areas that have already been This is new territory in biodiversity implementation of a set of trial plots damaged or disturbed, where we can management, but possibly critically to facilitate adaptation of species and introduce genetic variants of local important for Victoria where many ecosystems to a rapidly changing climate natives, or even different species, from of our natural areas are highly could prove critical to the long term warmer areas. He says: fragmented, and where ecosystems viability of our natural heritage. • PW PHOTO: PHIL INGAMELLS

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 13 Port iN CamPbell PARkS NatioNal Park PHOTO: GEOFF DuRHAM

Close to two million people visit the geoff durhAm reVisits aN iCoNiC Park oN ViCtoria's Coast Port Campbell National Park each and where a New tourist master PlaN is BeiNg imPlemeNted. the Victorian government would like them to stay longer in the region.

There have been big changes along the and explore. There is more involved The subject of the master plan is the 28 eroding Port Campbell coastline since than just getting off the bus, having a kilometres of coast between Princetown my first visit in 1949. These include selfie and then going’. This is precisely and Boat Bay, about 5 kilometres west major cliff collapses, a span of London what many thousands of international of Peterborough. It includes the Port Bridge has fallen down, and only tourists do at the Twelve Apostles (close Campbell National Park and the eastern seven ‘twelve Apostles’ remain – there to two million people visit this iconic section of the Bay of Islands Coastal Park, never were twelve. site annually). which extends a further 25 kilometres west to near Lake Gillear. In 1949 Port Campbell was a tiny In December last year, and after a fishing village. Since then I have visited lengthy consultation process, the The Master Plan has bold (some say on various occasions. Fifteen years Victorian Government released its fanciful) concepts with plenty of hype ago (Park Watch December 2001) I Shipwreck Coast Master Plan. The then and marketing spin. It prompted my visit reported that Port Campbell was in Environment Minister, Lisa Neville, in July this year to check out the situation. transition and having difficulty coming said: ‘By diversifying the range of to grips with tourism. experience on offer, and investing in We stayed three nights at Port Campbell. world-class visitor facilities, the master Its focus is the sheltered harbour with The CEO of Parks Victoria, Bradley plan proposes to encourage longer, stately Norfolk Island pines. Its wide Fauteux, has said tourism is important overnight stays that will increase main street is softened by Coast Banksia for the future of the state’s parks and spending and yields. This will leverage and, at the lower end, the overhead wires that visitors ensured the long-term private sector investment in critical have gone. There are no tall buildings. relevancy and protection of the parks: tourism projects such as high quality It now has many accommodation and ‘We need to transform Victoria’s parks accommodation, food and beverage eating options and it was an excellent from an attraction economy to an services in the townships and on base from which to visit the various experience economy where people stay private land adjacent to the parks’. attractions.

14 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 There are now just seven ‘apostles’ The main viewing platform at the but there never were twelve. twelve Apostles will be replaced by an all-weather ampitheatre. PHOTOS: GEOFF DuRHAM

The features of the Shipwreck Coast landscape are the stunning coastal limestone cliffs and islands, and the clear demarcation between the narrow strip of bush (every skerrick of which is precious habitat) and the cleared land. There are shearwaters, Hooded Plovers and penguins, Rufous Bristlebird in the scrub and whales offshore. The human history is displacement of the Kirree-Whurrong by Europeans, and shipwrecks. the master plan It is impossible in this article to cover all A providore style café and larder, children’s farm and kitchen garden are proposed the proposals in the Master Plan. One of for the currently closed Glenample Homestead. the key strategies is a shuttle bus along the Great Ocean Road, similar to the The Great Otway walking track ends Eve Carmichael and Tom Pearce. Some system now operating at Point Nepean, at the Twelve Apostles after passing essential maintenance has been carried with removal of car parking and bush through a pedestrian tunnel under the out to the building. restoration at various visitor precincts. road near Gibsons Steps. The original Three ‘Park & Ride’ hubs, where private interpretation area in the Visitor Centre The Loch Ard Gorge is the national vehicles and tour buses will be parked is now a kiosk. A busy helicopter park’s second most popular visitor and from which visitors proceed by business operates during the day precinct. Steps take you into the gorge foot, bicycle or shuttle bus, are proposed on private land adjacent to the large where Eve and Tom sheltered in its at Port Campbell, Peterborough car park with a 15-minute flight for caves. Eve’s family and Captain Gibb of and Glenample. $145.00. Parks Victoria has a contractor the Loch Ard are buried in the cemetery who keeps the precinct free of litter. I on the rim of the gorge. The precinct Glenample would become an ‘Experience visited the Twelve Apostles on three does not have the level of litter collection Centre’ with car parking, a ‘providore occasions – on an overcast wild day, of the Twelve Apostles and there is a style café and larder’ (no doubt with an evening sunset and a sunny calm need for discrete toilets. souvenirs) in the homestead with morning – each a different experience. associated children’s farm and kitchen We had time to explore the Bay of Islands garden. At the Twelve Apostles, the car The nearby heritage-listed 1860s Coastal Park by car. Its cliffs, bays and park and visitor centre would be removed Glenample Homestead on leased land coves are more colourful than those of and the main viewing platform would is closed through lack of visitation. It is the national park and without the hordes become an ‘all-weather ampitheatre’. not visible from the Great Ocean Road of visitors. Between Peterborough and Similarly, car parking would go from and all signage has been removed. Boat Bay there is ready access to various Loch Ard Gorge. A new bridge near the When first opened to the public after its lookouts and beaches. At Boat Bay the mouth of the Sherbrook River would be initial restoration, informative displays Great Ocean Road swings away from part of a ‘Twelve Apostles Trail’ (walking told the story of pastoral occupation, the coast and access is by back roads. and cycling) from Princetown to Port the Loch Ard shipwreck and the rescue Childers Cove and Murnanes Bay are Campbell, with another bridge across and rehabilitation of its only survivors, particularly attractive. Port Campbell Creek. • PW

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 15 Doing the Department’s job PHOTO: GECO

Measuring an old-growth tree in a ed hill rePorts that some threateNed sPeCies iN east giPPslaNd forest earmarked for logging. are Now Better ProteCted thaNks to CitizeN sCieNCe.

909. earmarked for logging and whether These citizen surveys have been legal logging restrictions should very effective in locating threatened That’s the number of Australian be applied. species and forcing the government to species listed on the Red List of the implement legal protection, in some international union for Conservation After years of documenting the and Nature, placing us in the top 10 of failure of this regulatory system, in cases stopping logging in its tracks. nations for threatened species. This is which VicForests, a logging company, GECO recently discovered 11 Greater all the more troubling when many of determines the need for reduced Gliders in old-growth forest on the the processes driving extinction, such logging, environment groups have Errinundra Plateau in May 2016. The as logging of high-value habitat, are taken matters into their own hands. result was a 100-hectare protected area easily avoidable. Since March 2015, Goongerah being declared by the Department of In Victoria, threatened species are Environment Centre (GECO), a small Environment, Land, Water and Planning legally protected under the Flora and grassroots community group based (DELWP) in ‘an area’ that would have Fauna Guarantee Act. VicForests, the in East Gippsland, has been training otherwise been logged. This followed government’s own logging company, community members in wildlife survey GECO’s discovery of 15 Greater Gliders must conduct surveys to determine the techniques at quarterly ecology camps in January 2016, which also resulted in presence of protected species in forest in East Gippsland’s threatened forests. improved protection. In August 2016,

16 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 PHOTOS: GECO

Checking the data on a citizen science camp in East Gippsland. Collecting data on forest biomass for a carbon accounting survey.

GECO found 12 Greater Gliders in Greater Gliders are not the only species the Cottonwood Range and logging missing out on the legal protection they • Discovered the endangered Large was halted. are due, but the GECO citizen scientists Brown Tree Frog, a frog thought to be are on their side, having: locally extinct for the past 20 years, Greater Gliders are Australia’s largest inside a logging coupe: a 28-hectare Documented illegal logging within gliding marsupials and are capable • buffer around the site was later created the Cobb Hill National Rainforest of travelling up to 100m through the Site of Significance, which resulted • Found the critically endangered East air. Their tree-hollow nesting habits in a Supreme Court injunction to Gippsland Galaxias Fish, only known and taste for gum leaves means their halt logging and an agreement with to occur in Kuark Forest, and gained survival depends on old growth forest; protection for it. logging can completely wipe out local VicForests not to log eight coupes glider populations. within the site All of these species are protected by law, • Completed dozens of surveys detecting but it was only the work of the citizen The law requires the reduction of logging the endangered Long Footed Potoroo: scientists and GECO’s pressure on in Greater Glider habitat when more than new Special Protection Zones have now DELWP that stopped the bulldozers and 10 individuals are found on a spotlighting reduced the area available for logging enforced protection. survey one kilometre in length. Also • Discovered the Masked Owl in Kuark required are prelogging surveys of areas Forest: a 500-hectare Masked Owl These discoveries show the immense likely to contain threatened species. Management Zone and the prevention value of citizen science. But they also GECO has shown that VicForests either of logging in three scheduled coupes reveal a dysfunctional regulatory system does not carry out these surveys or were the result where the logging companies responsible conducts them very poorly. for surveying protected species, and • Detected the Powerful Owl at DELWP, do not enforce the legal If GECO’s citizen surveys had not been Hensleigh Creek on the Errinundra requirement to conduct a survey before conducted, illegal logging would have Plateau: a Powerful Owl Management logging begins. destroyed hundreds of hectares of Zone and the prevention of logging Greater Glider habitat (and likely the in two scheduled coupes were With less than eight per cent of old- gliders themselves). the outcomes growth forest left, the least we can do is ensure that the laws that exist to reduce logging are stringently enforced. • PW A glider that’s great come along to GEco’s next citizen at up to 46 cms from nose to tail, the greater glider, Petaraudes volans, science camp from 28 october to is the largest of the gliding possums in australia. living on the east coast 1 november 2016. that’s the melbourne of australia, including east gippsland, it prefers forests where it nests in Cup weekend. Camping will be at the the hollows of old-growth trees and feeds on eucalypt leaves and flowers. goongerah campground, by the clear the greater glider is considered very sensitive to forest clearance and is waters of the Brodrib river. Composting listed as Vulnerable in Victoria and nationally. toilets, drinking water, communal kitchen and basic camp facilities are available. according to the conservation advice provided by the federal threatened for more info, visit www.geco.org.au Species Scientific committee in may 2016, ‘logging of areas where greater gliders occur in densities of greater than two per hectare, or greater than 15 per hour of spotlighting, require a 100 ha special protection zone. take action however, this threshold is quite high given that density estimates in Ask Environment minister Lily d’Ambrosio Victoria range from 0.6 to 2.8 individuals per hectare, and mature tree to ensure that delwP conduct densities are declining meaning a lower probability that gliders will occur pre-logging surveys for threatened at higher densities. this management requirement may therefore not species: https://geco.good.do/ adequately protect existing habitat and greater glider populations’. preloggingsurveysforthreatenedspecies/ emailenvironmentministerlisaneville-2/

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 17 The former Cheetham Saltworks with Point Henry industrial area in the background. Risks in mapping moolap’s futures

ChriS SmYth disCusses PlaNNiNg oPtioNs for the moolaP Coastal area

iN geeloNg. PHOTO: CHRIS SMYTH

There’s something for everyone in the towards the end of 2016. Each has been tideline is one of the largest areas of moolap Coastal Strategic framework developed without consideration of seagrass in Port Phillip Bay. Plan discussion paper released by the the existing planning strategies for the department of environment, Land, area or any feasibility analysis. They are The Tourism in Moolap scenario is Water and Planning (deLWP). essentially wish-list maps. dominated by residential development across Point Henry and in the current If you are a developer wishing to turn For the VNPA and other community Rural Zone (see Conserving Moolap wetlands into a canal estate – and there environment groups, the Conserving map). The Coastal Residential zone, is one circling – you’re covered. If you Moolap scenario is by far the best, a euphemism for a canal estate, are a fish farmer wanting to take over the although it fails to mention the marine would occupy the freehold Cheetham nearshore waters and wetlands, you’re component of the area. The other Saltworks wetlands and those on the in with a chance. And if you want to six scenarios would cause extensive eastern side of Point Henry (areas 15 reimagine the industrial landscape at Point damage to the area’s natural and and 16). A Public Park would replace Henry as another industrial landscape, cultural values. the Cheetham Saltworks wetlands on there’s something in it for you too. Crown land. The Alco smelter site In the Conserving Moolap scenario, would be converted into Major Tourist But there are also conservation options the entire wetlands of the former Facilities, the Alcoa Pier would become in the discussion paper on the future of Cheetham Saltworks i.e. the freehold a cruise ship terminal, and the nearshore the Moolap Planning Area, 1250 hectares land (176 ha or Area 6 on the map) and waters (areas 13 and 18) would be filled of coastal wetland, industry and farming leased Crown land (289 ha or areas 1-5) just east of Geelong’s CBD. with public jetties, berths and boat is almost all zoned Conservation. The launching facilities. This scenario does now-closed Alcoa aluminium smelter The closure of Alcoa’s Point Henry retain public access to much of the (Area 12) would become part of a operation, the uncertainty over the long- foreshore but: Regional Park, while the wetlands on term future of the former Cheetham the eastern side of Point Henry (areas Saltworks, and the ongoing debate about • destroys the areas’ wetlands 14-16) are proposed as a Wetland/ the needs of a growing Geelong, are the • removes the urban-rural buffer Retarding Basin. Industry along the impetus for the current planning of this • removes nearshore habitats Point Henry and Portarlington roads significant marine and coastal area. • entrenches linear coastal development would remain, as would the Rural • requires extensive and ongoing The DELWP discussion paper presents Zone which provides a buffer between dredging. seven future land use scenarios for the urban Geelong and the rural Bellarine area. These largely reflect the proposals Peninsula (areas 19 and 20). The canal estate has been proposed submitted to the department during by Ridley Corporation for the leased its most recent consultation process. The wetlands within the former Crown land and the freehold land of the There is the do-nothing scenario, the Cheetham Saltworks occupy a third former Cheetham Saltworks site. In the residential one, the port development one of the planning area and are visited Tourism in Moolap scenario, it would be and a fourth suggesting marine-based by thousands of birds each summer, built on areas 6, 15 and 16. industries. The remaining three cover many having migrated from as far tourism, aquaculture and conservation. away as Siberia and the Arctic. They Canal estates have many environmental, also contain a significant remnant of social and economic impacts associated The seven scenarios will be used to guide Port Phillip Bay’s severely diminished with their construction and use; the next stage of the planning process, area of coastal saltmarsh, almost half interstate, and for a time in Victoria, which will produce a draft Moolap of which has been removed since they were banned in coastal planning. Coastal Strategic Framework Plan European settlement. And below the Victoria must again ban them.

18 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Proposed uses in the other scenarios (excluding Business as Usual) include: Production in moolap – aquaculture in all nearshore waters and wetlands; renewable energy production on land Port in moolap – covers the northern part of the area with associated port infrastructure; major new road and rail connections; extensive and ongoing dredging of Corio Bay; Cheetham wetlands inundated as a response to rising sea levels marine industry in moolap – marine industry occupying the former Alcoa smelter site; a Public Park on Cheetham wetlands; new road connections; Residential Zone on most of the rural- urban buffer; cruise ship terminal; marina and jetties in nearshore waters; dredging required Living in moolap – Residential Zone on former Alcoa smelter site and all of the current Rural Zone; Conservation Zone on Cheetham wetlands except for ribbon residential development on the wetlands abutting Portarlington Road; public jetties and moorings in nearshore waters; Public

Park on eastern side and northern tip of IMAGE: COuRTESY OF DELWP Point Henry. Various planning strategies for Geelong have valued highly the natural and cultural heritage values of the Moolap Planning Area and have aimed to protect those values. Development that removed them, and also the urban-rural buffer, would turn these strategies on their head. As a minimum, the former Cheetham Saltworks and the Point Henry Foreshore Reserve should be protected in a coastal park, an internationally important conservation and ecotourism area on Geelong’s doorstep. It would protect migratory birds, improve the health of Corio Bay, reconnect people with nature and support ecologically sustainable coastal land use. This is what the VNPA, the Geelong Environment Council, Geelong Field Naturalists Club and other community groups are advocating. Every great city has a great park; the Moolap Coastal Park could be Geelong’s. • PW you can find the VNPA’s submission on the scenarios at www.vnpa.org.au and the discussion paper at www.delwp.vic.gov.au IMAGE: COuRTESY OF DELWP One of Katherine’s favourite places to walk is the Alpine National Park. Supporter profile: katherine isbrandt

‘I adore waking up to a foggy mist moving across the plains or slowly disappearing between the mountains as first rays of the sun burn their way to warm up the land and dry up the grass.’

When she arrived in Australia in the late-1980s, katherine isbrandt’s first experience of Victoria’s natural landscape was at mt Bogong in the PhotoS: KatherIne ISBrandt Alpine National Park. And it’s held a Katherine used her walk along the Larapinta Trail to raise funds for the VNPA. special place in her heart ever since. Katherine is a Certified Financial surprised. Delighted by Katherine’s The camping facilities were of a very high Planner, with 20 years of financial generosity and foresight, and surprised standard, Katherine noted, and there were planning experience, and the director because Katherine wasn’t an existing lots of international tourists walking the of ASIRE Financial Planning. supporter of the VNPA. But Katherine trail, which has positive impacts on the had heard about the VNPA and the local economy in the Northern Territory. She is also a keen hiker and landscape work we do, and was keen to support photographer – and her photos So what’s next for Katherine? Aside from an organisation doing something about are beautiful! checking out some of the alpine walks in our national parks and their lack of the VNPA’s quarterly Activities Program, Katherine grew up in Warsaw, Poland, proper resources. Katherine has her sights set on southern and like her father, Kazimierz, she loves So, with Emily’s assistance, Katherine Tasmania. And of course, another visit to to get out of the city and into nature. set-up a fundraising page on the Mt Bogong is never far off! As a child, her family spent many www.givematcher.com.au peer-to-peer summers camping at the beach or We are very grateful to Katherine for her fundraising website, and then contacted staying in huts in the mountains. terrific fundraising efforts and sharing her friends and family, asking them to our work with her family, friends and The Victorian Alps are now Katherine’s support her valiant efforts and VNPA’s clients. Thank you, Katherine! PW favourite place to hike. But her love Rescue our Parks campaign. • for the Alps is not blind. Severe Givematcher.com.au is itself a not-for- underfunding means the Alpine profit organisation, and is committed National Park is suffering from invasive to making online fundraising free for if you’re planning a long hike, run, pest plants and animals and there charities. You can see Katherine’s page – kayak or some other challenging are not enough resources or staff and some of the wonderful photos she activity, we invite you to consider to maintain facilities. So Katherine took while walking the Larapinta – at making the most of your efforts by decided to do something about it. www.givematcher.com.au/fundraisers/ turning it into a fundraiser for the When Katherine and three friends rescue-victorian-parks VNPa. for more information or to from the Melbourne Women’s Walking seek assistance with creating your The Larapinta Trail leads bushwalkers, Club decided to hike the 223-kilometre peer-to-peer fundraising page, like Katherine, through the stunning Larapinta Trail in the Northern please contact: Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Territory, she contacted the VNPA to Park. Aside from its remarkable amelia easdale see how she might maximise her efforts beauty, one of the striking things that supporter development and turn her hike into a fundraiser. Katherine noticed while walking the (03) 9341 6505 Emily Clough, our Fundraising Larapinta Trail was the impact that [email protected] Manager, was both delighted and the proper funding of parks can make.

20 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Some of the 15,000 trees planted by volunteers during the Project Hindmarsh weekend at Rainbow.

Rainbow bushland enhanced rob Youl rePorts that AftEr 19 yEArS thE VNPA- hiNdmarsh laNdCare Network PartNershiP still gets thiNgs doNe.

This year some 130 people, probably half from the VNPA, gathered at Rainbow to plant 15,000 trees on a cropping and grazing property owned by murray and Leslie Robinson. The biggest local contingent came from Nhill, a team of karen people, refugees from myanmar, all hard workers and well versed in rural skills.

Murray and Leslie want to connect PHOTOS: HELENA LINDORFF their mallee remnant and earlier Young and older planters in action at Project Hindmarsh. farm plantings with public land: the sand-dune country carrying People breakfasted at Rainbow Project Hindmarsh has also established cypress pine and mallee eucalypts showgrounds, and had Saturday dinner several million new trees and other on the east side of Outlet Creek, – including the traditional roast (Luv-a) indigenous plants, while at the same a Wimmera River extension that duck, at the local P-12 school. Many time creating a series of biolinks (a term in flood links lakes Hindmarsh enjoyed a drive around on Sunday coined by Hindmarsh Landcare Network and Albacutya. morning, and everyone praised the and now widespread) reconnecting the after-dinner speakers, Graeme and Big and Little deserts and running along Some planters had a chance to Maree Goodes, who explained the the Wimmera River. look at the Robinsons’ ancient ecology of the Little Desert. mallees, sprawling multi-stemmed As it should be, private property is Eucalyptus behriana, and it is VNPA members can be proud of their frequently involved, and city and country thought Eucalyptus wimmerensis, of association’s role throughout this come together happily and fruitfully. almost undefinable age – say 1500 exemplary and nationally recognised years plus. Are these the oldest project, which has broadened Darryl Argall, who founded the mallee specimens in Victoria? our outlook on conservation and project, is now seeking ideas on how its They surely saw fifty generations of appreciation of the scale at which we twentieth anniversary might be marked Aboriginal people! must work. in 2017. • PW

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 21 Right: Moonlighter. Left: OldWife. PaPer oNmariNeaNdCoastallawreform. as ParkwatChwasgoiNgtoPress,theViCtoriaNgoVerNmeNtreleaseditsCoNsultatioN 22 reform inVNPA’s articulated has been for advocacy Our marine and law coastal • • • main parts: The 92-page consultationpaper three has fishing,ports and marine nationalparks. torefusal allow consideration of commercial from outset the by government’s the ongoing ofscope reform the constrained has been and Planning (DELWP). Unfortunately, the Department of Environment, Land, Water Reference Group, and its preparation by the Panel, commentary from aStakeholder on issues and options from an Expert paper comes after advice the to government law reform was released on 30August. The consultation paper on marine and coastal bay report is due intwo months and a Almost two years on, state the of the under one the system’. together management all and protections Marinenew Act, and bringing Coastal bays and waterways. We establish will a report to monitor of health the coasts, afive-yearlyundertake State Baythe of ‘An Andrews Government Labor will commitment: thispolicy made 2014 theincoming Andrews Government is why we were delighted that inNovember planning, management and protection. That reform of Victoria’s marine and coastal for many years theVNPA hasadvocated suggested changes to system. the Part 3provides of an the overview reforms drivers to these aligned Part 2outlines arange of potential key drivers for change ofweaknesses current the system and Part 1explores strengths the and PArk wAtch• marine and coastal acts Cleaning up our Cleaning upour SEPTEMBER 2016

No266 Nature conservation review authorities, would which have to expand go) to will catchment(they management responsibilities of regional boards coastal Council, and turnsCoastal over the to VictorianCouncil the Marine and a name change for Victorian the Coastal In an authority’s place, paper the proposes legislated?’ Perhaps there’s hope yet). AuthorityCoastal members should be requiredthe for skills Marine the and ofpart paper the asks: ‘Do you think (interestingly, question the inthis raised Reference Group supported an authority as Stakeholder the vision, especially paperin the and government’s the and management. It’s amajor flaw marine and planning, coastal protection that would dojust in about everything straw man of an ‘all-encompassing entity’ marine and authority coastal by creating a only one uses paragraph to dismiss a Although 92pages inlength, paper the formsvarying except for authority. the but last, the supporting of each in them The consultationpaper touches all on • • • • • • • • In our proposals summary include: download from each unclear is information service. marine and research coastal and of management restructuring of committees coastal state of marine and reporting coastal marine spatial planning regional marine and plans coastal marine and strategy coastal marine and authority coastal marine and act coastal , both released in2014(you, both can ChriS SmYth www.vnpa.org.au and BriEfLyoutLiNESwhAt’SiNit. The coast coast The

). ). www.haveyoursay.delwp.vic.gov.au provide feedback to government the at advocating.been We encourage you to are consistent with what VNPA the has failure, many of proposals the within it marine and authority, coastal and it’s abig Except for paper’s the failure to support a subject), and adaptation to climate change. knowledge (although it says little on this community,the to need improve the management, how to better engage covering cost the of marine and coastal paper considersThealso the options for management plans, would which retained. be would to duplicate seem existing coastal interests. Further, plans the of RASPs the plays and dominated by influential regional by undermined be could agency power also with specific regional planning issues but RASPs way auseful of could be dealing capacitythe to bring community the along’. resources required to address issue the and agencies partner the and with skills the to solve shared problems by ...led one of (RASPs). Agencies could ‘come together Regional andcalls Strategic Partnerships proposed is formation the of what paper the The only institutionalother reform existing council. coastal step away of base the from expertise the wouldwhich amajor be and disturbing ‘community, groups user and industry’, of council the representative could be of indicatespaper also that membership The marinetheir and expertise. coastal 23 October 2016 23 October of discussion the paper’s proposals. www.vnpa.org.au . Keep an out eye on for a more analysis detailed •

P by by W

PhotoS: John GaSKell Reef Watch Reboot PHOTO: BRENT WOMERSLEY

The VNPA’s new ReefWatch Coordinator, kAde millS, our New Kade Mills, has plunged reefwatCh CoordiNator, is set to make a sPlash. into his new role. if it can’t be surfed, it can always be operation sponge Still counting after snorkelled. That’s my philosophy all these years when i explore any coastline in In what is believed to be a world my travels. first, the Victorian dive community For more than a decade, 300-400 divers is currently transplanting sponges and snorkelers have jumped into Victoria’s But I have a confession to make – as and ascidians (sea quirts) on a coastal waters to record abundances of much as I love diving, surfing is my section of the Blairgowrie Pier that is 25 key fish species during the annual first priority. As I was never going to being restored. Timber riddled with Great Victorian Fish Count. All 25 are be a pro-surfer (too uncoordinated), I shipworm is being removed, so divers endemic (found nowhere else) to southern thought I would try my hand at being are taking sponges from the old Australia – OK, some are found in New a marine scientist. section and transplanting them onto Zealand but we will claim them as ours, the replacement timber. just like we did the pavlova. Like most people, I have walked a convoluted path to where I am today. Operation Sponge has no ‘bad guys’. On 19 October you can help us celebrate I have worked for universities, private Everyone is working together to what is Victoria’s longest running marine consulting companies, the Victorian ensure its success. The driving force citizen science event, the data it’s collected Government and myself. Now I am behind it is a local dive company, and the people who have collected it. honoured to be coordinating the Dive2U, which saw that a section of That’s when ReefWatch, in partnership VNPA’s award-winning and far- wall and attached sponge gardens had with the Melbourne Museum, will present reaching ReefWatch program. already been removed and did not a 10-year overview of fish count data. want to see any more go to landfill. The museum’s Di Bray will speak about ReefWatch has been on the scene Dive2U quickly gained support from RedMap and the new species making for more than 10 years. In that time, the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Victoria home, the Operation Sponge thousands of divers have contributed the commercial divers (Ægir Divers) team will report and Wendy Roberts (the sightings of hundreds of thousands replacing the timber, and then of fish along the Victorian coastline. previous ReefWatch coordinator) will join recruited other divers to help with us for a chat. There will also be celebratory Part of the program’s success has the transplanting. been due to the continuous support food and drinks. To book a spot go to http://gvfc-howmanyfishinthesea. of Museum Victoria, Parks Victoria ReefWatch is encouraging eventbrite.com.au W and CoastCare. The rest is due to recreational divers to get on board • P the passionate people who have the project, including those with to keep up to date with the great gathered valuable marine data that underwater cameras to help monitor Victorian fish Count 2016, operation helps scientists and managers better and photograph the recovery of sponge and other reefwatch projects, understand and protect Victoria’s the transplanted sponges. For more join the reefwatch email list by emailing unique marine environment. With information on how you can be [email protected]. in 2016 the new funding the VNPA can now involved, please contact great Victorian fish Count will be running reboot ReefWatch. [email protected] from 19 november to 4 december.

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 23 Seeing the land from an Aboriginal canoe historiaN fred CAhir aNd doCumeNtary maker luCindA horroCkS reVeal how euroPeaN settlers relied oN aBorigiNal IMAGES COuRTESY OF THE ART GALLERY BALLARAT PeoPle for traNsPort. Above and right: The Ladies want to cross On the rivers of remote colonial a stream; In mid-stream, Victoria, 19th-century european settlers 1883, illustration taken depended on Aboriginal navigators from The Graphic, wood engraving on paper. and canoe builders to transport goods, mail and people. Below: Incident of the Late Flood, New South Wales, The first squatters relied on Aboriginal Samuel Calvert, engraver, labour and Aboriginal canoes. F R wood engraving, published Godfrey, of Boort on the Loddon River, in The Illustrated Australian News, 13 August, 1870. was struck by the usefulness of Aboriginal canoes, noting in his journal the debt owed to the Aboriginal water carriers In Victoria, Aboriginal people built It wasn’t just the making that was who rescued ‘two tons of trussed hay in canoes out of different types of bark important. The ability to steer and a fine canoe made by the blacks’ on one – stringy bark or mountain ash or red navigate canoes, understanding the occasion in September 1852. He added: gum bark, depending on the region. rivers and the currents, and confidence ‘The Aboriginals were often sent across by After the bark was cut from the tree it in and on the water, were all valuable canoe for urgently needed goods – flour, was fired to shape it, sealed and made skills in the 1800s. tea, sugar, tobacco and the like, which watertight, then moulded into a low- were loaded onto waiting drays.’ freeboard flat-bottomed craft. Gold-seekers Samuel Mossman and Thomas Banister attested that it was only with the assistance of an Aboriginal guide that their party survived the Murray River crossing in 1853. ‘We had some difficulty in fording the back-water course of the river, which we were compelled to do in consequence of the accident to the bridge; and unless we had had the assistance of a native, who directed us which way we should incline when we were in the river, we might have failed in safely getting over.’ A bark canoe was, in competent hands, an obvious choice to get across a river when the waterway could not be forded or crossed by bridge. But it took some convincing to get Europeans into canoes. They

IMAGE COuRTESY OF THE STATE LIBRARY VICTORIA saw them as unsteady craft, nothing

24 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 like the sturdy wooden boats they bark from the roof and placing the sick would ‘die by starvation’, and encircled were used to. And many Europeans man in it, swam through the turbulent by rising flood waters, elected to use could not swim, whereas by all waters, towing the canoe and its the Aboriginal canoe and crossed the accounts Aboriginal Victorians were helpless occupant to safety.’ floodwaters safely. accomplished swimmers. At Moe, one European over-landing The hidden history of the bark canoe There are heroic accounts of Aboriginal party ‘afraid to cross the creek on highlights one of the most under-valued people saving Europeans in times of account of the flood and having eaten contributions Aboriginal people made flood at great personal risk. In some all their provisions’ received relief to the 19th-century colonial economy. accounts, the Aboriginal rescuer from a female Aboriginal guide whose The knowledge of colonial Victoria’s would put the European on the exceptional bush and canoe skills the reliance on Aboriginal people’s skills canoe and jump into the floodwater travellers depended upon for their very and technology fell out of historical to steer the canoe by swimming with lives. She heard the desperate travellers accounts in the 20th century, untaught it. In the Orbost district, an Aboriginal ‘cooeeing’ and crossed treacherous and forgotten. But the diaries, letters, named Joe Banks rescued a sick floodwaters twice over ‘with a very manuscripts and newspapers still nonAboriginal man during the floods welcome parcel of damper, tea, sugar tell the story if we take the time to by ‘making a canoe out of a sheet of and meat’. The travellers fearing they read them. • PW

The project features interviews with (clockwise from top left) Jamie Lowe, Uncle Bryon Powell and Uncle Rick Nelson by historian Fred Cahir (bottom left). PhotoS: WInd & SKY ProduCtIonS

this article is an edited extract from the digital story ‘seeing the land from an Aboriginal canoe.’ the project, which includes a documentary film, a gallery of images and extended audio interviews with Victorian traditional owners, is freely available online to watch and share at: www.cv.vic.gov.au/ stories/aboriginal-culture/seeing-the-land-from-an-aboriginal-canoe the project was produced in 2015 by wind & sky Productions for the online portal Culture Victoria. in may 2016 it was highly Commended at the museums and galleries National awards for indigenous Project or keeping Place, level 2 Category.

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 25 PHOTO: MICHAEL WILLIAMS, IT’S A WILDLIFE

Christine Connelly shows local landholders and Friends group members, Paul Strickland and Merrin Butler, how Calls of the wild to ready the audio recorders for deployment. strzeleCki loCal aNd Phd studeNt CArA SAmbell, with VNPA’S ChriStine ConnellY, rEPort oN thE firSt ‘commuNitiES LiStENiNG for NAturE’ ProjEct At mt worth. mount Worth State Park and the European settlement in the region was The forests of the Strzelecki Ranges surrounding district are located at made at nearby Poowong. are today highly fragmented, but the heart of the western Strzelecki Mount Worth State Park and its Ranges in Gippsland. it is a couple of As the settlers arrived and worked hard surrounding district contain one of hours drive from melbourne and well to clear the forest, aided significantly the most significant intact remnants of worth a visit for families, nature lovers by large bushfires in the late 1890s, the the western Strzeleckis. The remnant and bushwalkers. landscape evolved into a productive protected by the state park includes and fertile agricultural region, now well majestic Mountain Ash, Manna Gum, The park provides visitors with an known for its dairy production. Mountain Grey Gum, Silver Wattle and example of the tall wet and damp forests Blackwood on the slopes, with pockets The early settler accounts of the bird that once dominated the Strzelecki of Rough Tree Ferns and Mother Shield community of this region were of a forest Ranges. Originally home to the Ferns in the gullies. Bunurong (Boon Wurrung) and Gunai/ full of song and life. In the 1870s, Arthur Kurnai people, the first European to Thomas Henry recorded that the forest In the 1970s, Jack Brooks and the ‘discover’ this impenetrable forested was ‘alive with birds, parrots, galahs, satin local field naturalists’ club lobbied landscape was Polish explorer, Count birds, black cockatoos, jays together with to establish the park. It was later Paul Strzelecki, in the 1840s. small birds of all descriptions and last but expanded through the acquisition not least the lyrebird’. of abandoned farmland and a major Count Strzelecki and his party spent revegetation program begun. So far, 22 days cutting a path through the The Superb Lyrebird was widespread in 150,000 seedlings have been planted by forest, mostly on foot (on the ridge the late 1800s and became well known groups such as Friends of Mt Worth, now known as Grand Ridge Road), and loved for its mimicry. Its repertoire Greenfleet, Parks Victoria and others. and were led by Aboriginal guide often included the sound of axes Charlie Tarra. Following the cutting of chopping down the trees that were once In the surrounding district, landholders McDonald’s Track by surveyor George its habitat, which sadly led to the decline in the Mt Worth and District McDonald in the 1860s, the first of the lyrebird in this region. Landcare Group have been working

26 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Christine, Paul and Merrin install the first audio recorder in Mount Worth State Park.

hard to expand habitat by replanting their own properties. This has been a major undertaking on often steep and slippery slopes prone to tunnel erosion and landslips. Due to its close proximity to relatively large patches of natural and regenerating forest, Mount Worth State Park and the surrounding private properties are currently home to a variety of forest and woodland bird species no longer abundant elsewhere in the Strzeleckis. These species include Rufous Fantail, Pilotbird, Rose Robin, the Superb Lyrebird, Brush Bronzewing, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Brown Gerygone and the threatened Powerful Owl. The overall bird community of more than 100 species is highly diverse, with many able to tolerate a great variety of altered habitats. Given the importance of the region for birds, it is an ideal location for the first Communities Listening for Nature project. In partnership with Museum Victoria, the VNPA are using bioacoustic technology to monitor birds and contribute to a Victoria-specific library of bird calls. We are also working with the Friends of Mt Worth State Park and Mt Worth and District Landcare Group to set up and carry out a locally relevant project. In April, we held a workshop with

Museum Victoria, the community groups PHOTOS: MICHAEL WILLIAMS, IT’S A WILDLIFE and Parks Victoria to determine the aims of the project in the Mount Worth Above: A fern gully in the Mount Worth State Park. region. Local community members, Paul Left: The rasping call of the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo could turn up on the audio recordings. Strickland and Merrin Butler, expressed the community’s interest in documenting the return of birds to the revegetation they have established on their properties. Parks You can help Victoria Ranger, Craig Campbell, said the park shared the same interest. an exciting part of the project is the development of Museum Victoria’s bioacoustics expert, automated call recognition, Dr Karen Rowe, designed a locally- where specialised software specific scientific study to look at what automatically detects what bird species are living in plantings of three species are in a recording. to different age classes. We will compare ‘train’ the software, we need help them with benchmarks of remnant to annotate species calls in the vegetation and cleared land. recordings. if you have a good ear for bird calls and would like The project involves installing automated to volunteer some time, we’d like sound recording devices (song meters) to hear from you. Contact: that record for 30 days. The recordings are then processed using software that creates natureWatch Coordinator ‘spectrograms’ to visualise the sound. Christine Connelly [email protected] We can’t wait to hear, and see, the 9341 6510 first recordings.• PW

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 27 Castlemaine’s recovering forests geoff lACeY remiNds us that sPriNg is a great time to Visit the forests arouNd CastlemaiNe.

South of Castlemaine an irregular ground is littered with fallen branches, were Common Wedge-pea and Showy pattern of ridges and valleys straddles bark and leaves. Parrot-pea. the Loddon and Campaspe catchments and is covered with open forest. Elsewhere there are clumps or broad Well to the north of Weewak Track is a patches of lush grasses, with patterns of hillslope covered with Silvertop Wallaby- This is easy walking country, varied and light and shadow, intricate textures and grass, conspicuous with its tall stems. We subtly beautiful. My many walks with all shades of colour: grey, brown, green were also delighted with a great array of friends have been in a patch containing and yellow. Musky Caladenias and a cluster of Small Sebastopol Creek and Browns Gully Spider-orchids. in the Castlemaine Diggings National Many plants are in flower. Rough Heritage Park. Wattle and Gold-dust Wattle are On any given day birds are abundant abundant and there are beautiful at some locations but sparse in others. Spring in the forest patches of Sticky Boronia, Tangled They move around. Those commonly Guinea-flower and Pink Bells. encountered include the Crimson The higher ground, above the creeks, and Eastern rosellas, White-throated is covered with Heathy Dry Forest. The Here and there we come across Silky Treecreeper, Rufous and Golden whistlers, most common tree is Red Stringybark; Hakea, Rough Mint-bush, Urn Heath, Crested Shrike-tit, Superb Fairy-wren there are also Red Box and Long-leaved Common Beard-heath, Mountain and several species of cuckoos, robins, Box, a diverse shrub layer and a ground Grevillea, Gorse Bitter-pea, Grey thornbills and honeyeaters. layer dominated by grasses and herbs. Parrot-pea and White Marianth. Orchids include Nodding Greenhood the gullies In September the forest looks splendid. and Pink Fingers. The land has an informal, untidy Along Sebastopol Creek and Browns Gully character—in some places rocky On November walks we have found the vegetation community is Grassy Valley or with bare soil—and an irregular even more flowers. Along Weewak Forest. In Browns Gully there are some assortment of trees; mostly young, Track we once explored great carpets beautiful stands of mature Candlebark. some straight but most crooked. The of Matted Bush-pea. Also in flower Other trees and shrubs include Yellow

28 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Left: Golden wattle at Browns Gully. Above: Dry Forest grows on the higher slopes. Top right: The ruins of Sanger’s Hut provide traces of European settlement history. Bottom right: Dry Forest ground storey in spring. PHOTO:S GEOFF LACEY and Grey Box, Red Stringybark, Silver regrowth area, and also Rosy Heath- forest was first cleared between the and Golden Wattle, Drooping Cassinia, myrtle and Common Hovea. Here and 1850s and 1880s, when there was Bushy Hakea, and a few River Red Gums. there we disturbed a Grey Kangaroo or alluvial gold mining in the creeks. The a Black Wallaby. present ruins remind us of this. It has Along parts of its course, the gully incises since been logged several times over. a beautiful narrow floodplain with an We looked down towards Middleton open grassy understorey. It is heavily Creek, with splendid mature The process of reserving the forest grazed, presumably by kangaroos. The Candlebarks on the slopes and Silver began in 1914. The present forest is forest here is very open, with mature and Wattle at its flowering peak. This creek mainly regrowth and, as we observed, young Candlebarks, wattles, broken trees flows north, collecting the scarce waters most of the trees are still young. and fallen logs. of the two smaller creeks, and soon reaches the Loddon River. The east bank It is probable that the present Heathy This is a peaceful and rich environment. opposite is cleared farmland for a few Dry Forest and Grassy Valley It is a good place to sit and have lunch kilometres—an enclave in the forest. Forest represent the pre-European and enjoy the songs of the Grey Shrike- communities. This is a landscape thrush, Olive-backed Oriole, Rufous the changing landscape recovering from past disturbance Whistler, Striated Pardalote, Grey Fantail, and the forests are gradually moving Shining Bronze-cuckoo and White- The Dja Dja Wurrung are the traditional towards maturity. throated Treecreeper. owners of this land. There is sparse information about their activities here In my explorations around the two The traces of history are conspicuous, or about the old fire history. gullies I have observed the intricate especially the ruins of gold-digging patterns in the land and the great structures. Along Browns Gully are the Ron Hateley, in The Victorian bush, biodiversity. Such knowledge is ruins of Sanger’s Hut and Brown’s Hut, both discusses the Box-Ironbark Forests, important for appropriate land built from local rock fragments. A chimney, to the north of this site, which have management but even more for a fireplace and, in the case of Sanger’s Hut, floristic similarities to the Heathy Dry our deeper understanding of and part of wall, are all that remains. Forests. His sources describe dense engagement with the land in all its timber, an understorey of heathy uniqueness, beauty and vitality. • PW Above middleton Creek vegetation, and little grass. Such an understorey suggests infrequent fire. you can find more information One September, to the south of Browns on the area’s track network in Gully, we found Rough, Ausfeld’s and The native vegetation of this landscape Glen tempest’s book, Victoria's Spreading Wattle in flower in a dense has had a history of disturbance. The Goldfield Walks.

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 29 loNgstaNdiNg VNPa memBer aNd suPPorter, Ann CrAWford, reCeNtly seNt us a letter she wrote to her mother iN eNglaNd iN feBruary 1963 wheN BeiNg “aN eNglish girl iN australia oN a workiNg holiday”. here are some extraCts.

Last weekend I had an exhausting time We came out into the open near to three more beaches which seemed endless, bushwalking with the YHA (Youth Waterloo Bay…It was a beautiful beach, but we eventually arrived at Tidal River Hostels Association). 38 of us went to about a mile of white sand, blue sea at 1.00 pm in time for a swim and shower a national park area called Wilsons and mountains and rocks around… before the van left at 2.45 pm. Promontory. It juts out towards We spent the afternoon lazing about I was very sunburnt and not a little tired, Tasmania from the south coast of and swimming and in the evening had but glad I had done the trip and seen such Victoria…We camped when we a singsong round the campfire on the wonderful scenery. Our nationalities were arrived at midnight without tents, just beach. We didn’t bother with the tents English, Polish, Hungarian, German, under the stars. We each had huge again but slept out on the beach with the Belgian, Dutch and a few Australian. rucksacks with all our gear and food sea lulling us to sleep. for three days. [On Sunday] the last ¾ mile was really Victoria’s national parks hold a special On Saturday we hiked about seven tough as it meant climbing up a huge place in many of our hearts. They’re where miles across the Prom from Tidal River sand dune…It looked just like the desert. many of us have found ourselves, found to Waterloo Bay and I have never been The wind blew the sand around and we meaning for our lives – and found love. through country like it. We went through had to keep our eyes nearly shut. [Later] a lot of spikey button grass [and] saw a we put up the tents as it was rather As it happens, Ann’s future husband few snakes … The track got less and less windy, then cooked some food. In the Lindsay was also at The Prom on that until it was completely overgrown and evening we had another singsong–one of summer weekend in 1963, but they were not to properly meet until 1971. They we had to bash our way through the the boys had taken his guitar. scrub which was sometimes at armpit have visited the Prom many times since, level and other times way above our The next morning, Monday, was sunny most recently in 2014, when they enjoyed heads. It was very hard work with the and warm. We packed up and set off. the national park’s stunning views, pack on. Unfortunately the track went across wildlife and accessible walks. • PW

30 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 PHOTO: ANN CRAWFORD Bay in1963. Prom’s Waterloo themselves atthe Beachgoers enjoy Above left:

they have visited the Prom many times since. Long-time VNPA members and supporters,

In 1971 Ann met Lindsay Crawford and married him the following year. YHA campersspentaweekend at theProm in February1963. looking towardstheProm’scoast.

Members oftheYHAgroup

Ann Crawford first visited the Prom Prom the visited first Crawford Ann in February 1963. February in

PHOTOS: ANN CRAWFORD ReSeARCH ROuNduP

Research Roundup PhotoS: ParKS VICtorIa

The Plains-wanderer and its habitat at Terrick Terrick National Park, where it is making a recovery. backyard birds take a bath important for birds. The presence of compare that with others of the same native plants, non-native plants and age, gender, generation and profession, More than 4,000 Australians have cats and dogs may also influence what and identify areas for improvement. Last become citizen scientists in a study that birds are visiting. year more than 70,000 people took part, had them observing the birds that drink providing a detailed picture of Australian and wash in their backyard bird baths. The Australia-wide project ran in eating habits. The nation's diet quality winter 2014 and summer 2015 and the was rated at 61/100 against the Australian The study found that native birds results were published in the science Dietary Guidelines, a poor score driven by were more partial to the backyards of journal PLOS ONE. Next they will the country's junk food addiction. Australia’s warmer northern states, while investigate if different birds use feeders down south the cooler climates attracted and bird baths, what people are feeding This year CSIRO’s Healthy Diet Score will a greater share of introduced birds. birds and why people feed birds and/or also look at how our food consumption provide water. contributes to our environmental Dr Grainne Cleary from Deakin footprint. Improving the national diet University’s Centre for Integrative Ecology how poor eating can impact can achieve environmental benefits by said that the introduced birds may be more the environment minimising harmful greenhouse gases used to a cooler climate; southern states via reducing processing, packaging and feel more like home to them. However, in Australians have long been encouraged transport requirements. the warmer regions, the aggressive native to eat green for a healthy lifestyle; birds such as Noisy Miners and Rainbow however an online survey hopes to CSIRO research has found that reducing Lorikeets, thrived in backyards. examine the environmental impact of overconsumption of kilojoules and eating the nation's diet. whole foods at National Dietary Guideline The research shows that in a very dry levels could cut the greenhouse gas continent like Australia, artificial water The 10-minute survey allows people contribution of the average diet by 25%. resources such as bird baths can be very to self-assess the quality of their diet, Junk food accounts for up to 27% of the

32 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 14.5 kilograms of diet-related greenhouse The mysterious part gas emissions produced by the average of the sea creature perplexing marine Australian each day. scientists. For more information or to take part, visit www.csirodietscore.com not mushroom in the deep The mystery of the ‘Deep-Sea Mushroom’ began in 1986 when Australian researchers dredged up some strange mushroom- shaped creatures from the bottom of the PHOTO: CSIRO deep-sea off the Tasmanian coast.

But it took a further 25 years before Danish The Plains-wanderer only occurs in cellphones or working on our computers researchers decided they were an entirely south-eastern Australia. The Zoological and our email keeps popping up; we new kind of deep-sea animal, which they Society of London recently listed it are constantly fatiguing our directed called Dendrogramma enigmatica. as the world’s fourth-most important attention, but we're not always aware that This ‘mushroom’ was so unique, and so endangered bird species and Australia's we're doing it. It's so important that we different to anything ever seen before, that number one bird species on this list. incorporate moments into our everyday the researchers could not even place it on Parks Victoria Environmental Scientist, lives that we can look into nature and the family tree of animal life. Dr Mark Antos said: experience soft fascination to restore our attention. When you're at an amusement In November last year, Hugh MacIntosh ‘After not seeing any Plains-wanderers park or watching a sporting event, you're from Museum Victoria spotted the for a few years, we started detecting two using your hard fascination. Your brain distinctive gelatinous mushroom-shaped or three birds in our surveys in the second does not have the opportunity to relax or bodies of this mysterious creature while on half of last year. We were delighted and restore itself. Even though you enjoy the a CSIRO-led survey. hopeful on discovering a nest with four activity, it’s still fatiguing you.’ ‘It was a “eureka” moment! Holding one eggs in the park last December. This latest In addition to nature's ability to restore up to the light, the distinctive forked veins finding, including a very young female bird, shimmered through the transparent body, is the best result we’ve had in five years. attention, which in turn helps family members get along better, the researchers and it suddenly dawned upon me that we ‘If we can conserve the Plains-wanderer’s had rediscovered the elusive Dendrogramma.’ believe that doing things together in nature native grasslands home, there will also be can foster a sense of identity and belonging. But after further analysis it turns out big benefits for other threatened species that Dendrogramma was not a whole that also live in these habitats, like the Curlew heaven creature, but a piece of another creature hooded scaly foot (a legless lizard) and the A bird that is critically endangered around – a siphonophore (a floating jellyfish like fat-tailed dunnart (a small native mammal). Australia is defying the odds with it being a bluebottle). Dendrogramma is a bract, This true “Aussie battler” may just recover found in increasing numbers in and a piece of animal but much bigger and and keep wandering the plains.’ more beautiful than those known from around Darwin Harbour. other species. get outside together PhD candidate from Charles Darwin for a better family Scientists have never seen Dendrogramma University, Amanda Lilleyman, said that complete, so still have no idea what the rest Researchers at the University of Illinois the migratory shorebird breeds in Siberia of the creature looks like. think that families who regularly get outside and northern China and migrates through together may tend to function better. the Yellow Sea region every year to arrive You can find the research published in in Australia for the nonbreeding season. the scientific journal Current Biology ‘When your attention is restored, 7 June 2016. you’re able to pick up on social cues The loss of habitat due to reclamation of more easily, you feel less irritable, and tidal mudflats in the Yellow Sea region was mr bean of birds battles back you have more self-control. All of considered the major driver of population these are variables that can help you declines in many species of migratory A recent Parks Victoria survey has get along better with others’, explains shorebirds, including the Eastern Curlew. renewed hope that one of Australia’s most Dina Izenstark, lead author of the study critically endangered birds, the Plains- This is also occurring in Australia but the published in The Journal of Family Theory wanderer, may be bouncing back after Northern Territory appeared to be bucking and Review (http://onlinelibrary.wiley. a number of difficult years. Seven birds this trend. The curlew’s numbers had com/doi/10.1111/jftr.12138/epdf). were observed in Terrick Terrick National increased where safe roosting (artificial Park, north of Bendigo. This is the largest ‘Everyone only has a finite amount of in the case of the Darwin Harbour) and number of birds detected during a single attention. Especially in today's society feeding sites (due to dog regulation and survey in the park for several years. where we are constantly looking at our beach zoning) existed. • PW

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 33 Tribute

Tony Woolford 1935-2016

tony Woolford’s amazing work in the environment included protecting and restoring precious native vegetation and wildlife habitat in the Geelong region, and wider areas when the opportunity presented. PHOTO: GEELONG ENVIRONMENT COuNCIL Tony Woolford has left a lasting environmental legacy in the Geelong region. He worked on the big issues of this region: the Otways, Belmont Common, Point Lillias, Anglesea heathlands, wetlands on the Bellarine Tony became that someone, leading the Other parks that Tony was pivotal and, most recently, the former river restoration over the past 30 years. in establishing or restoring include Cheetham Saltworks. Tony’s significant The revegetated Barwon River and the Wathaurong garden and adjacent photographic skills supported each of Buckleys Falls parklands now comprise creek banks in North Geelong, Cowies these campaigns. 80 ha, with a further 20 ha to be Creek reserve nearby, Pepperdine revegetated in the near future. This last Park in Highton, originally just a In 1972 Tony was a part of the group addition came as result of a planning drainage basin, the Moorabool River which established the Geelong panel hearing where Tony excelled banks at Fyansford, previously madly Environment Council (GEC). He was in persuasion. overgrown with woody weeds totally involved continuously since then either obscuring the river, Taits Point on Lake on the committee, as President or Vice- Tony led the Friends of Buckley Falls Connewarre, and extensive planting president, and also as the convenor through several more planning panels and clearing of weeds on the cliff faces of the Friends of Buckley Falls. He to achieve additions to the park. He and in Citizen’s Park at Queenscliff. also represented GEC on industry instigated and carried out a negotiation committees at Ford, Alcoa, Shell and with then Environment Minister, These parklands in and around Geelong Port, and on environment Marie Tehan, to exchange what is now Geelong will last for all time, contribute groups such as Barrabool Hills Red Gum Island, at the time privately immensely to the protection and Landcare Group, Wurdale Landcare, owned and badly degraded, with a enhancement of the region’s flora and VNPA Conservation Committee and piece of cleared Crown land useful to fauna, and have important educational, the Victorian Environmental Friends the owner. Red Gum lsland is now an scenic and recreation values. Network (he was awarded the Victorian extremely beautiful and iconic area with Best Friend Award in 2010). magnificent vegetation and one of the Very few people have been able gems in the Barwon River parklands. or willing to work so hard and Issues on the Barwon River were the consistently over so many years to catalyst for the creation of the GEC. In Tony worked tirelessly negotiating with leave such a legacy. We are all very 1984 Geoff Carr, a friend and renowned councils and government departments, grateful to Tony Woolford for his ecologist, told a GEC meeting that if planning what works to do each year environmental vision, commitment someone did not do something about and organising working bees, one every and hard work to protect the natural the vegetation along the Barwon River, two weeks and with some in between. world in this region for future the weeds would take over and the He planned and organised the works, generations. • PW remnants of the original ecosystems sometimes digging the holes, gathering would be lost for all time. tools and plants—and the Friends. Joan lindros

34 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 BOOk ReVieWS

Ned’s Corner on the murray: a history

By Catherine king, trust for Nature, 2015 rrP $30 (paperback, 173 pages)

if you were looking at a map of the murray River near the Victorian-South Australian border, and the bends or meanders of the river caught your attention, you might be interested to know that shepherds used these bends the Trust for Nature and the subsequent animal pests, such as rabbits, severely as sheep folds in the 1860s. Wire was conservation and restoration work. reduced the grazing pastures by 70% in the 1880s and removed much of unavailable then for fencing and the King acknowledges that the Aboriginal the native vegetation. The impact of river bends were a natural corral and history in the book is mainly from overstocking, failure to adjust farming protection against dingos. secondary sources. However this to the variability of the seasons, massive information gap will hopefully be filled The vast property south of one of these removals of riparian habitat to fuel the by the archaeological work occurring on bends, Ned’s Corner (named after one steam boats, and river control are clearly the property. of these shepherds), is the subject of discussed. It is hard to believe that six Catherine King’s book, Ned’s Corner on While it is easy to be fascinated by the tons of Murray fish were taken in a 1953 the Murray: a history. enterprise and achievements of some of fishing competition! Located 80 kilometres west of Mildura the larger-than-life figures in this history, such as Edward Bagot, a strength of the An outstanding feature of the book is and 29,000 hectares in area, Ned’s Mark Schapper’s superb photography, Corner is the largest freehold property book is that it also documents the lives which captures the spirit of the Mallee in Victoria and is now owned by the of the people who worked on Ned’s and the river environment at different Trust for Nature. In the past it was even Corner and the challenges of isolation. times and seasons. Historical photos of larger, an amalgam of leases four times We learn of three-week dray rides to camel trains transporting wool bales, and the size. have children christened, twelve-mile, one-way walks, a crossing of the Murray barges straining up the river with huge Catherine King conducted extensive just to go to a dance, and even the use of loads, develop our awareness of the scale research through archives and kerosene and sugar as a cold remedy. of the area’s wool production. historical societies, and with people connected with Ned’s Corner and their While King details the economic Catherine King’s book is a valuable legacy descendants. Based on this research, and technological progress, such for the community in the area, researchers her book is a rich social, economic and as river steam boats in the area, and visitors to Ned’s Corner. • PW environmental history of the property. she also documents the associated Its chapters are organised around the environmental degradation. Introduced review by evelyn feller changing types of human occupation and ownership of Ned’s Corner over the past 150 years. Initially the home of Aboriginal clans for more than 15,000 years, the area VNPA AGm was later occupied by pastoral magnates such as Edward Bagot, Robert Barr you are warmly invited to this year’s Smith and the Kidmans. After World VNPa annual general meeting on tuesday 11 october. the guest speaker will War I, in a push for fairer land allocation be the new Chief executive of Parks Victoria, and to reward returned soldiers, much bradley fauteux, who will be speaking on of the land was leased by a returned his vision for Victoria’s parks system. soldiers’ consortium. The final chapter covers the acquisition of the property by

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 35 BOOk ReVieWS

Wildlife conservation in farm landscapes

By david lindenmayer, damian Ecology is about relationships between michael, mason grant, sachiko life forms. Old logs provide shelter for okada, daniel florance, Philip Barton many invertebrates and the reptiles and karen ikin. Csiro, 2016. feeding on them, which in turn become rrP $49.95 (paperback, 232 pages) food for birds. Ants and dung beetles aid seed dispersal, breakdown waste This is an immensely attractive and and contribute to soil health. Other informative book. its aim is to convey invertebrates promote pollination and to farmers and land managers, the pest control. Similarly, in recommending fruits of 17 years of scientifically plantings, the authors urge mindfulness and statistically rigorous research Large plantings are more ecologically of what vegetation lies nearby. rich than small; connected strips into biodiversity retention and Appropriately, climate change is enhancement on more than 300 farms. more than disconnected ones. Besides increasing species of birds and, discussed briefly at the end. Might Encouragingly, despite removal of ultimately, mammals and reptiles, rising temperatures suggest planting billions of trees in the Murray Darling replanting has many benefits, including trees native to areas further north? Basin, woodland in surveyed areas in erosion control, salinity reduction and This is an outstanding book for farmers, NSW and Victoria has increased 3.5% livestock shelter. Isolated paddock land managers and bush lovers of over the past decade. With increased trees, often under assault from livestock all stripes. • PW funding, more plantings can be fenced tramping and manure, fertilisers and off, weeds reduced and, as the authors pests, provide invaluable habitat. review by Bill hempel sensitively put it, farmers can ‘reduce grazing pressure’. The authors’ intention is to demonstrate mountain Ash in music how both productivity and biodiversity can be simultaneously enhanced one of the most moving events i Last june’s one-off performance was through cost effective and biologically have been to in years took place in the product of enthusiastic support effective intervention. melbourne’s historic Scots church from too many people to mention in june. here, though credit must go to lawyer They employ every possible device to Brian walters who commissioned the beautiful venue was packed full for make their findings interesting and hugh’s composition. it should be the first-ever performance of melbourne informative: a map of research areas; heard more widely. • PW countless brilliant photos with large composer hugh crosthwaite’s piano captions; tables summarising farm concerto ‘mountain Ash’. it was a great review by phil ingamells conservation strategies; subheadings gathering of people, and a remarkable tribute to nature – just wonderful to containing questions relevant to listen to a composer, and performers, research and farmers; three scenarios unafraid to speak compellingly from of farms with varying ecological assets the heart. it was a reminder of the great and suggestions for intervention; and depth and richness of feeling that drives above all, discussion in very accessible us to care for the natural world. language. Appendices include a list of common and scientific names of all while our arguments for protecting flora and fauna mentioned and one natural areas are now almost listing research papers noted in the text. entirely based on science, there is often something intangible but very Several very clear messages are compelling that drives us, and it’s the emphasised. natural province of artists, poets and musicians. a program quote from Old-growth forests are associated albert einstein makes that link for us: with more biodiversity than either ‘look deeply into nature, and then you regrowth or plantings, and contain will understand everything better’. hollows favoured as nests by a variety of mammals and birds.

36 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Big, bold and blue Lessons from Australia's marine protected areas order to understand what has happened during the past couple of decades. Our nation’s various journeys towards Edited by james fitzsimons marine conservation must be well and Geoff wescott. cSiro, 2016 documented and this book nails it with rrP $89.95 (paperback, 432 pages) a solid focus on what happened, when it happened and the outcomes. From my own perspective as a marine As one of the world’s leading particular issues, including a focus on park manager, if there were to be any proponents for the establishment and sea country, understanding the views critique of this work, it would be that management of marine protected of fishers, or broader community views Big, Bold and Blue does not evaluate the areas (mPAs), Australia’s rich history on MPAs, are informative and highlight effectiveness of actual MPA management and experience provides important the ongoing challenges for marine in achieving goals. What are the critical learnings for other nations and conservation through establishing MPAs. success factors or failures in managing advocates in their own journeys. The final chapter brings together the key areas of the sea? While these can and do In Big, Bold and Blue, the editors lessons and frames them with a clear view differ widely across the country, there are have compiled viewpoints that to the future. While this provides a useful now many lessons from managing MPAs, capture the history and progress summary of what these have been, it is the from engaging with communities towards establishing MPAs in both individual stories of success and failure to managing key threats that should Commonwealth and state waters, as well throughout the book that really point to also be shared. Perhaps these could as identifying some of the remaining how things might be done differently if be the focus for a compendium opportunities and challenges for Australia and when there is a next time. volume to ensure we share all lessons to continue as a true world leader. learned from managing Australia’s This will be a great resource for students extraordinary blue backyard. • PW The scope of this volume is ambitious of marine conservation, campaigners, and and seeks to identify lessons learned for those charged with managing MPAs, in review by mark rodrigue as described by a wide range of MPA professionals, academics, and other authors, many of whom will be familiar to VNPA audiences through their work in campaigns here in Victoria and nationally. While not surprisingly, there is an overwhelming consensus from all contributors on the value of MPAs; the differing reflections on the effectiveness or success of alternate approaches in establishing MPAs provides some informative perspectives. Tim Winton’s short essay, as the introduction, is both inspiring and a clear call to action to care for our oceans by establishing MPAs. The first couple of chapters provide a solid framework for Give a meaningful gift understanding MPA concepts as they we're deeply honoured that supporters choose to remember their friends have developed here and elsewhere. The and loved ones by donating to support our work. individual stories follow, providing well- documented summaries of the events if you’d like to make a gift in memory of a loved one – perhaps in lieu of and people that have shaped Australia’s flowers at their funeral – please contact Amelia Easdale on (03) 9341 6505 current system through the eyes of or via [email protected]

the authors. Perspectives provided on PHOTO: PAuL SINCLAIR

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 37 WiLd fAmiLieS

families go wild with VNPA!

oVer the Next six moNths, the VNPa is trialliNg a New ProGrAm ‘wiLd fAmiLiES’.

Here is a chance for families to get muddy, go discovering, look after nature or simply bushwalk with support from VNPA.

Through our trial program, you can do any of the below with your grandchildren, children, nieces, nephews or children in your care. Here’s how: • Download a Wild Families flyer at http://vnpa.org.au/page/ bushwalking-and-activities/ wild-families and then: PHOTOS: CAITLIN GRIFITH Top: ‘Here is the letter G’. ƒ Explore some of the Above left: A letter ‘C’ sits on the forest floor. featured places such as the Above right: ‘I found a letter J’. Macedon Ranges or the Dandenong Ranges ƒ Do some of the featured nature Activity – get started activities such as an ‘Alphabet An alphabet walk Walk’ and ‘Living on Logs’ 1. Make a chart with all the letters of the ƒ Do some colouring ins of local Activity concept from BWAG alphabet ready to tick off wildlife or a crossword bushwalking and Walk, Talk & 2. While walking with the family, keep an eye Gawk leader, Julia Pickwick, and Register and come along to the out for letters of the alphabet in the bush or • prepared by Caitlin Griffith. trial of our first guided Wild beach around you. For example, a tree might be growing in the shape of a ‘Y’, a leaf curled Families Walk at Organ Pipes Discover the letters of the into the shape of an ‘e’ or an imprint in the rock National Park on 16 October alphabet while you walk (letters of could be the shape of a ‘k’. You could look for (see the VNPA Activities Program the alphabet could be changed to for more details and remember shapes for younger children). just capital letters or little letters or a mix of both. to register) You could even look for punctuation marks! This activity is a great way to Send us pictures and stories of 3. Tick the letters off on the checklist as you see • encourage close observation, your favourite nature adventures them. Can you find all 26 letters? You may exploration, creativity and to share with others in the even like to take a photo of all of your letters even literacy, and bring an (email: [email protected]) to make a ‘bush alphabet poster’. exciting sense of discovery to an • Tell us about how you’d like to adventure. If nature is unfamiliar, 4. Please send in photos of your letters to see us supporting families in the this is a fun way to find familiarity [email protected] so we can share your future at www.surveymonkey. in new surrounds. discoveries with other families. • PW

38 PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 Citizen Science Camp Goongerah environment Centre Office (GeCO)

come along to GEco’s next citizen science camp from 28 october to 1 november 2016. that’s the melbourne cup weekend. camping will be at the Goongerah campground, by the clear waters of the Brodrib river. Composting toilets, for more info, visit drinking water, communal kitchen and basic camp facilities are available. www.geco.org.au

Ecotours and walking NEW 4-day Bay of Fires walk with Park Trek in the High Country, East Gippsland and beyond Are you curious about the natural world? Imagine immersing yourself in nature while we share our love and knowledge of the environment with you.

Let us arrange the accommodation, Launch offer! 20% off 2016-17 the driving, the walks and talks. Even season bookings. Save $370 per person your meals appear like magic. Enjoy the companionship of a small group of Regular departures October to April, small group tours, like-minded nature lovers and return home refreshed, informed and invigorated. includes all meals and snacks, accommodation and transport. Travel with experienced and mature guides. Gippsland High Country Tours Contact us on 03 9444 8341 Phone (03) 5157 5556 www.parktrek.com.au www.gippslandhighcountrytours.com.au Booking conditions apply – offer available for a limited time only

Advanced Ecotourism Certification. Est. 1987 single tents for travellers • catering all diets active seniors

PArk wAtch • SEPTEMBER 2016 No 266 39