Jan and Rod Mitchell went to the Autumn campout at Port Campbell hosted by the Timboon Field Naturalists Club. Meals and talks by guest speakers were held at the Port Campbell Surf lifesaving Club. Many different half day excursions were on offer. Guest speakers: Friday night: a Port Campbell local (don’t know her name but Read more…

Just over one hundred people converged on Port Campbell for the Autumn state-wide gathering of field naturalists, held over the extended weekend of Friday 28th April to Monday 1st May. The event was hosted by the Timboon FNC, with convenor Helen Langley and Sally Loveridge leading the organization of the camp in fine style. It Read more…

The Timboon Field Naturalists Club organised this year’s SEANA autumn camp, choosing sites along the coastal strip in the Bay of Islands Coastal Park to the west of Port Campbell and the Port Campbell National Park and Twelve Apostles Marine National Park to the east. We had plenty of opportunities to view the magnificent coastal Read more…

104 field naturalists from all around Victoria converged on Port Campbell for the autumn get together hosted by the local Timboon Field Naturalists club. Locals and visitors participated in a series of organised excursions along the coast from Loch Ard Gorge to the Bay of Islands. Nightly presentations at the Port Campbell SLSC, which were Read more…

Leaders: Christine Kilmartin, President of the Castlemaine Landcare Group Christine, assisted by Euan Moore and Jenny Rolland, lead five participants on an excursion along the Forest Creek restoration area from Ten Foot Bridge to Moonlight Flat, Castlemaine. Like most of the waterways in the region, Forest Creek had been devastated by alluvial mining in the Read more…

Leaders: Euan Moore and Jenny Rolland The morning was spent at the Bald Hill Reserve, about 6km east of Kyneton. The reserve is owned by the Macedon Ranges Shire and comprises 96-hectares of forest, woodland and grassland with a rich diversity of indigenous flora and fauna including state and nationally significant species. The President of Read more…

The Spring 2019 SEANA Campout was organised by the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club. SEANA Spring 2019 in Castlemaine Bald Hill and Malmsbury Castlemaine Landcare Group

Castlemaine FNC organized a very successful get-together over the weekend 4-7th October at
Castlemaine.

The SEANA Committee organized a very successful get-together over the weekend 21-23rd March at Port Fairy. SEANA AUTUMN 2019 WEEKEND MEETING AT PORT FAIRY  

The Autumn 2018 SEANA Campout was organised by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and a was based at Badger Creek near Healesville. SEANA Autumn 2018 Report Dom Dom Fungi Foray Murrindindi Scenic Reserve  

After very low rainfall in February, March and April, this was the driest foray we have ever experienced in this area, which is usually bristling with fungi at this time of year. However, the dozen or so enthusiasts from the FNCV Fungi Group and SEANA were pleasantly surprised to discover that a few fungi were Read more…

On a beautiful sunny Autumn morning I met with members of various Field Naturalist’s clubs by the suspension bridge at Murrindindi Scenic reserve, not far from Kinglake. This walk was part of the recent SEANA get-together held in late April. As no really good rain had fallen for months there was not a lot of Read more…

Leaders:  Alison & Peter Rogers   On both Saturday and Sunday an all-day excursion to Mt Arapiles was held.   Travelling from the Little Desert Lodge the convoy had their first stop at Mitre Rock.  A brief overview of the history, geology, vegetation types, flora and fauna of the Mt Arapiles-Tooan SP was provided here.  Read more…

On the last morning of the campout there was the usual choice of field trips, including Lake Pertobe, Hopkins River Mouth and Thunder Point area. This was followed by lunch beside Lake Pertobe. 1. Board walk near Hopkins River Mouth. 2. Looking for birds on the Hopkins River. Photos: Denis Hurley. 3. Pickering Point. Photo: Read more…

Joan Shanahan is a life meber of th Warrnambool Field Naturalists Club. She has been Secretary or Treasurer for 14 terms over 30 years. This has been a wonderful contribution to the Club, made even more worthy by her being highly capable in carrying out her administrative duties. She organized end-of-year dinners, was a Committee Read more…

Ian Robert McCann was born on July 4, 1914. At times he worked as Assistant Town Clerk (Stawell), cost accountant (G.J. Coles), as a poultry farmer, and Tourist Promotion Officer (Stawell). Ian’s interest in natural history began in the Middle East, where he served during the 1939-45 war. Ian became interested in the studies of Read more…

Early days. Ellen was born on Prospect Station near Seaspray where her father was manager. While she was still a baby the family moved to a bush block on the Sale/Seaspray Road, then when Ellen was six her father bought a farm at The Heart by the Latrobe River, and there she grew up with Read more…

Tom Hyland is a life member of the Warrnambool Field Naturalists Club. He served as President five times and has been Vice President and a member of the Committee on many occasions. He has always contributed enthusiastically to proceedings of the Club. He has a great love of the countryside and could always come up Read more…

Mary Griffith has served five times as President of the Warrnambool Field Naturalists Club and has held a position on the Committee for many years. Mary’s passion for the natural world has helped grow membership from residents in Port Fairy. Mary’s life membership of Warrnambool FNC inscription : In appreciation of her valued contribution to Read more…

Society for Growing Australian Plants. Ted Errey was a foundation member of The Society For Growing Australian Plants (SGAP), and one of its stalwarts and also a most knowledgable member. He served as president and was an expert on all things to do with propagation, growing and promoting native plants. His contribution was recognised by Read more…

Ray Bradfield called a public meeting in February 1976, for the possible formation of a field naturalists club in Castlemaine. The meeting was very well supported, and Ray was elected as the Club’s first president. Ray’s service to the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club was but one aspect of a life of many years of community Read more…

The Western Victoria Field Naturalists Clubs Association started on August 20, 1960 at the inaugural meeting, convened by Wimmera FNC. and held at Halls Gap. In 1996 the WVFNCA merged with the Victorian Field Naturalists Clubs Association. In 2003 the VFNCA was renamed the South-east Australian Naturalists Association (SEANA). A provisional list of officers and Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: map: 29B8, page 593 S2 Location: The walk begins at Jacka Park, High St (in Calder Hwy). Follow the path beside Nardoo Creek. Cross Reef St and continue to to Tantalla St. Turn right along Tantalla St, and right along Hospital St. Walk through the caravan park. The reservoir is on ther Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: map 30 E4 (E3, F3). Location: The park is 5km north of Mitiamo, and approx 65 km north of Bendigo. The road to Sylvaterre passes through the park. The Park has two main sections The cypress-pine forest and granite outcrops. The grassland plains to the north east of the park. These notes Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: map: 44H3. Location. The Cascades are on the Coliban River, and are signposted on the Metcalfe-Malmsbury Road, on the outskirts of Metcalfe. What to do Look for potholes in the granite rocks bird watch have a picnic beside the river. The Coliban River. The Coliban River rises near Trentham on the Dividing Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: Map 554 A9-J5 Location.There are at least four sections. Downstream of the weir. Walk from the car park close to the west end of Barnes Blvd. The Wimmera River eastwards from the weir to the Western Hwy Bridge. Access from Barnes Blvd. The wetlands on the west side of the Botanic Gardens. Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: map: 44F9 Location: Harcourt North Reservoir is on Barkers Creek. It has frontages on McIvor Road and on the Harcourt North Road. What to do look for water birds. Look in the deeper water near the dam wall, and in the shallow water at the edges walk around the reservoir, if the Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: Map 59E2, 628 H4 Location. Turner St, Castlemaine. From the Castlemaine Post Office, drive north (towards Bendigo) and turn right along Turner Street to the park entrance. What to do walk along some of the tracks through the park follow the nature trail bird watch have a picnic at the picnic tables. Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6: Map 58H5. Location. The most accessible deposits are beside the Newstead -Creswick Road, where the road passes through the Strathlea Forest. The rounded stones and gravels contrast with the Ordovician strata that are exposed elsewhere. What to do Look for the Permian tillites in the road cutting and in the farmland to Read more…

Vicroads Edition 6 maps: 76F2, 565 T5, 566A5. Location: Driving west from the city centre, turn right into Pleasant Street and continue to the lake foreshore. Wendouree Parade circles the lake. Drive to the west end of the lake and the botanic gardens, where there is ample parking. What to do: look for water birds Read more…

Field Naturalists’ Club of Ballarat hosted the South East Australian Naturalists Association autumn camp in Ballarat on the weekend of 13-16 March. Seventy naturalists from 13 Field Naturalists Clubs around Victoria attended. Visitors came from Portland, Warnambool, Timboon, Geelong, Castlemaine, Bendigo, Alexandra, Melbourne, Ringwood, Latrobe Valley and Sale. Naturalists went on excursions, led by local Read more…

It is a pleasure to report, in my role as Working Party convenor, that the SEANA Autumn 2017 Camp held over the extended weekend of Friday 17th – Monday 20th March was a great success. Hosted jointly by the Sale & District FNC and Latrobe Valley FNC, 120 naturalists registered, making it one of the Read more…

Leader: Garry Cheers.   This excursion was very well attended with 15 cqard and about 35 people. We travelled in convoy and almost lost each other in huge clouds of dust. The outlook as we drove along was not at all promising – even the Smilax wilting in the drought conditions. Garry started his walk Read more…

Our first stop was at the Paddy Ranges Wildflower Reserve No 2 on the western edge of Maryborough. This was once the best wildflower area in the district but the ravages of fire, drought and grazing by wallabies have lessened the spectacle. Careful observation was necessary because there were few plants flowering in abundance but Read more…

Leaders: Lyle and Eileen Courtney   Many of us had never heard of them! They would have taken a long time to make. Possibly they were worked over hundreds of years. The three wells are oblong in shape, and up to 1.3m deep. Coversor lids were put over the wells to conserve the water by Read more…

Plant List – plants given in the text   Ballart, Cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis) Bindweed, Blushing (Convolvulus angustifolia) Bitter-pea, Narrow-leaf (Daviesia leptophylla) Box, Grey (Eucalyptus microcarpa) … Long-leaf (E. goniocalyx) … Red (E. polyanthemos) … Yellow (E melliodora) Bursaria, Sweet (Bursaria spinosa) Buttons, Scaly (Leptorhynchos squamatus) … Wiry (L. tenuifolius) Cassinia, Drooping (Cassinia arcuata) Correa, Common Read more…

Grebe, Australian .. S .. Hoary-headed .. S Cormorant, Little Black .. H Ibis, Sacred .. S Heron, White-faced .. S Spoonbill, Yellow-billed .. S Swan, Black .(+3y) .. S Shelduck .. S Duck, Musk .. S .. Pacific Black .. S .. Pink-eared .. S Teal, Grey .. S .. Chestnut .. S Shoveller.. Read more…

Photographing the wildflowers. Maryborough FNC club rooms entrance. Lunch at Maryborough FNC club rooms among the ironbarks.   Group with ranger, Paddy Range. At the base of an old eucalypt, Havelock Conservation Reserve. Globular Wattle Scale (Cryptes baccatus) on Gold-dust wattle (Acacia acinacea) Amhirst Reef Photos this page: R. Smallwood

Leader: Brian Johns. The outing was to the large quartz reef at Amherst. The reef is thought to be the largest in Victoria. The reef has a low gold content, and so was not mined for gold. A wildfire swept the reserve in 1985. The intense heat killed many of the lichens on the rock Read more…

Saturday Excursions The leader was Park Ranger Samantha. The Box/Ironbark Forest was dry and dusty with the understorey stuggling from 9 years of prolonged drought. Some ironbarks appeared very dark in colour due to ash retained from bush fires 20 years ago. A solitary Wallaby bounded away as we explored the surrounds and found:   Read more…

The South East Australian Naturalists Association (SEANA) Spring Campout was held during the weekend of October 14th and 15th hosted by the Maryborough Field Naturalists. Ballarat was represented by Elaine and John Gregurke, Peter and Claire Dalman and Les Hanrahan. A few others had intended going but were unable. In total about 90 participants attended Read more…

The Maryborough Campout Amherst quartz reef Aboriginal Wells Paddy Ranges Wildflower Reserve no 2 Havelock Flora Reserve Paddy Ranges More photographs Bird List Plant List     The Spring campout was conducted at the Maryborough and centred on the Maryborough Field Naturalists Club clubrooms. Naturalists from many parts of Victoria were in attendance. Registration began Read more…

1. Entering Melba Gully. A beautiful rainforest area known for the glow worms at night. Photo: Val Hocking. 2. Otway Forest Road near Ayre Crossing. 3. The Otway Snail is endemic to the Otways. Its black shell is distinctive. On the walking track, Melba Gully. 4. Triplet Falls. Photo: Val Hocking. 5. Aire River crossing Read more…

Looking west from Red Rock, across two maar craters to the much larger Lake Coranganmite. Marr craters form as a result of an explosion which occurs when underground water is vaporised by molten rock below the surface. The small particles of rock (ash) fall down to form a layers of ash, called tuff. The iron Read more…

Leader: Trevor Pescott Who needs the Great Ocean Road with its endless lines of tourist vehicles whenyou can explore some of the emptier back roads of the Otways, and get to know other field nats as you car-pool with different people each day? Not us. And while the rough roads got windier, and the windscreens Read more…

Areas with black sandy soil carry heathland vegetation. One such area is about 5km north of Barwon Downs, in the Otway State Forest. In this area, the dominant tree is Messmate. Prickly Teatree sometimes forms dense stands. Other kinds of shrubs and understorey plants are abundant. 1: Hyacinth Orchid is a leafless, and gains nutrient Read more…

Some naturalists paid a visit to Lake Colac and the Colac wetlands. The water level was well below normal. Highlight was to see hundreds of Red-necked Stints on the lake shore. 1: The wetland is adjacent to the lake and can be reached via Chapel Street. 2: Part of the lake bed is exposed. Looking Read more…

The autumn meeting of South-east Australian Naturalists Association was at Forrest and organised by the Geelong Field Naturalists Club. A range of field trips were held during the six days of the meeting. Most trips were scheduled on more than one day. The trips were to   Goat Track (Barwon Downs) and West Barwon Dam Read more…

Hoary-headed Grebe s Australasian Grebe s Pelican bg Little Black Cormorant bg Little Pied Cormorant bg Great Black Cormorant bg Pied Cormorant t Darter b Great Egret bgo Intermediate Egret t Sacred Ibis bs White-faced Heron bgos Black Swan bgo Chestnut Teal bg Mountain Shelduck s Pacific Black Duck s Grey Teal bs Chestnut Teal Read more…

Apple, Rough-barked Angophora floribunda   Ash, Silvertop Eucalyptus sieberi   Banksia, Saw Banksia serrata   Silver B. marginata   Beard-heath, Lance Leucopogon lanceolatus   Prickly L. sp   Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon   Blanket-leaf Bedfordia arborescens   Bloodwood Angophora floribunda   Bolwarra Eupomatia laurina   Boobialla Myoporum insulare   Boronia, Forest Boronia muelleri   Brown Beaks Read more…