Tag Archives: environment

5 Good Things Only #01

Posted on by
1
Greenhood Orchids in Strathbogie Forest.

1. A Grey Shrike Thrush sang for us from the verandah as we ate breakfast while a Scrub Wren scoured the brickwork and window frames for its own breakfast.

2. Starting a new book and enjoying it from page 1. Shadow Hawk by Andre Norton.

3. Listening to a Late Night Live podcast while exercising.

4. Deciding not to walk amongst undulating hills of grazing land in the wind and rain.

5. Deciding to walk in the shelter of Strathbogie Forest instead. The rain stopped when we got there. It didn’t resume until we returned to the car. Adding to the pleasure of being in the forest, we observed many Greenhood Orchids.

Falling birds

Posted on by
Reply 
 
 All those birds
 falling from the sky
 Some birds live 
 More birds die
 So consider
 Why oh why?
 We poison
 food chains
 and nature deny
 We pave 
 We divert
 We scrape the sky
 We take 
 too much
 don’t comply
 heat the planet
 watch it dry
 Then only
 crocodile tears
 do we cry
 As our legacy
 becomes
 the worlds biggest
 lie
 That we care
 action says
 we deny

What I said to the other animal on my journey to the end of the world

Posted on by
Reply 
 
 I think you might eat me
 I‘m scared that you will
 If I run you beat me
 No light on the hill 
 In the hope of appeasement
 Still desperate to run
 I appeal for lenience
 For my trashing your home
 So I’ll say I’m sorry
 That we humans are dumb
 I’ll say we forgot
 Where we’ve been and come from
 You don’t need to eat me
 Because we’ll eat ourselves
 Let me go quietly
 From the home where you dwell
 Humans all will be leaving 
 It’s our destiny
 There will be no grieving
 And your world will be free

Mountains old

Posted on by
1
Strathbogie Ranges
 
 Mountains old
 worn down
 by time and weather 
 Peaks 
 smoothed
 Summits 
 rounded
 Rocks  
 broken to
 new
 beginnings

 Stones to gravel
 sand to granules
 dust to mud
 growth to decay
 decay to soil
 
 Inclined to 
 slippage
 Declined to
 fertility

 Treacherous
 nurturing
 home of the 
 tenacious

 Boon to the
 potency 
 of flood plains 

 Mountains old 
 are so much more alive 
 than the hard 
 sharp ridges 
 and strewn 
 craggy defiles 
 of the young

strathbogie poetry #strathbogiepoetry

strathbogie photography #strathbogiephotography

The Trees

Posted on by
Reply
River red gum under rainbow, north of Yarck on the Great Victorian Rail Trail.
 
 The trees, the trees are prophesy
 Their collective memory grand
 equips the trees to well foresee
 beyond the reign of man 
 
 In forests or in parks 
 or standing on their own
 if trees of the world
 could speak as one
 I know what they’d say 
 before they are gone

 For happiness, health and wealth
 For worthwhile survival
 Save the trees to save yourself
 re-wilding equates with revival

strathbogie poetry
strathbogie photography
strathbogie cycling

ABC Breakfast Radio interview

Posted on by
Reply

This morning’s interview with presenter Matt Dowling regarding my work on tracks and trails promotion in the Strathbogie region. Commences at 43.30minutes.

ABC radio tracks and trails interview

The Last Butterfly

Posted on by
Reply
A Common Brown photographed at Jubilee Swamp
 
 When the last butterfly flutters by
 your seat on the grass
 When the sun moves overhead
 in one more timeless pass
 When the creek’s empty water
 flows by and on
 When the creatures of the bush
 all around you have gone
  
 Will you sit and reflect
 on what could have been
 When you knew it was coming
 it had been foreseen
 Will you ask why you didn’t 
 when there was time and you could
 While you sat on the grass
 thinking I must then I should

Being Human

Posted on by
Reply 
 
 This being human is brutal
 Where survival remains primal
 Where savagery can be ruthless
 Where being human is animal
  
 This being human is joyful
 Where sharing is a pleasure
 Where smiles reflect happiness
 Where being human rises above 
  
 This being human is indulgent
 Where affluence is wasted
 Where consumption is recreational
 Where being human is an economic unit
  
 This being human is religious
 Where unknowns engender hope
 Where faith equates with confidence
 Where being human could be spiritual
  
 This being human is political
 Where a few choices matter
 Where many choices don’t
 Where being human is good and evil
  
 This being human is being creative
 Where knowledge grows exponentially
 Where caution is thrown to the wind
 Where being human is a contradiction
  
 This being human is arrogant
 Where entitlement reigns
 Where extinctions surprise no one
 Where being human is collective stupidity
  
 This being human is ridiculous
 Where universes are vast
 Where consciousness is nebulous
 Where being human is being alone
  
 This being human is scary
 Where thoughts beget actions
 Where actions beget unanticipated consequences 
 Where being human is in itself an existential risk

To add another dimension to your experience of poetry, I recommend you also engage with the international community of fellow poets at d’verse virtual pub poetry challenges

The green cane chair

Posted on by
Reply
The green cane chair
 
 I sit 
 on my green cane chair
 The best chair for thinking
 It is outside 
 It has the advantage 
 of being 
 in a good place 
 A verandah from which
 there is much to see
 Even if the weather is cold
 it is in the right position 
 because the wind slides past 
 laterally
 In this chair 
 you can avoid 
 confronting winds of change
  
 You can sit here for 
 a long time 
 confident 
 you won’t have to move 
 or make way 
 for someone or something
 
 You can watch 
 all sorts of things 
 unfold from this chair
 Insects birds animals people 
 the day the night 
 the light 
 Seasons pass you by 
 I unfold from this chair
  
 This is a sitting for thinking chair 
 It gives access 
 to great scope for thought
 A matching cane table 
 stands 
 by this chair
 It is for
 all the paraphernalia 
 I choose to utilise
 for observation and thinking
 for research recording and writing
 Endless cups of tea 
 Vegemite and salad rolls 
 Fruit  nuts
 stacks of books
 Pens paper 
 Camera iPad and phone 
  
 Background noises 
 surrounding this chair 
 are soothing
 Creek water 
 tumbling over rocks
 An irregular breeze
 wafting at leaves
 Morning song birdsong evensong

 Another nice sound
 I often hear from this chair 
 is children playing 
 Always happy to be outside
 In cooler months
 running along the bush track   
 In summer  
 swimming in the waterhole by the bridge
 or excitedly calling to each other
 as they splash 
 about amongst the cascades
  
 You need to wear 
 a brimmed hat 
 sitting in this chair 
 regardless of the season
 This is to shade your eyes 
 from the northerly and westering sun 
 To balance the glare 
 against the shadows 
 on the surface 
 you are working on
  
 This chair has soft cushions 
 for the seat and for the back
 They rest against its structure of
 bent cane
 It is a very good fit 
 You can sit for a long time 
 before needing to move 
 
 However, the arms of this chair are narrow 
 They may confine you 
 to a limited range of positions
 This has the advantage
 of forcing movement
 This state of affairs 
 is  conducive 
 to constructive
 thinking by prompting
 physical activity
 around the house 
 along the verandah 
 in the garden 
 along the creek
 
 Such activity can be necessary 
 to continue to be 
 effective
 A mental activity reset
 New approaches 
 come with a reset
 Quite often they are so
 new
 you get a pleasant surprise 
 This is because 
 you didn’t  know 
 they were there 
 within you
 beforehand
  
 Another way to reset is
 change the scene
 move this chair
 to the edge of the verandah 
 or reorientate
 A different outlook
 New space
 New thinking
  
 You have to remember 
 to take the cushions 
 in 
 every evening 
 to stop them
 getting damp
 They get tired and worn
 They are due for 
 a new skin
 Just like me
  
 This chair is exposed to the elements 
 One day it won’t be there
 I wonder will another chair
 be so generous?

The fight to protect Strathbogie Forest

Posted on by
Reply
Bert Lobert with fellow campaigners

Thoroughly documented by principal activist Bert Lobert, click the link below to view the remarkable chronicle of the successful local campaign for forest preservation and re-wilding. A golden example of what needs to be happening around the rest of the nation and the globe. .

https://strathbogiesustainableforests.wordpress.com/2021/02/18/the-forest-campaign-in-pictures/

The Reed Warbler

Posted on by
Reply
Reed Warbler at Polly McQuinns
 
 That clamorous reed warbler
 With the protracted breeding song
 Passages of enamouring power
 Designed to bring along
 A partner for the season
 With whom to court and spark
 To share nesting in long reeds
 At the edges of the lake 
 
 I do not know the words
 Of this loud and spirited song
 Launched from this small bird’s throat
 Into the gathered avian throng
 In the early morning, 
 at the end of each long day
 Persistent and single minded
 Seeking a mate to hold in sway
 But the message is clear and proud
 I am the one for you
 Come to me my darling 
 Let’s see what two can do

Natural world spaces

Posted on by
2

Natural world spaces beckon. A track, a trail, a waterway, a forest, a desert, a garden, a valley, a mountain, a park. They call on us to linger in place, to appreciate and contemplate. They feed our souls and refresh our minds. They represent and deliver the simplest pleasures of life, observing and feeling part of the interconnectivity of everything.

Rewilding: an urban beginning?

Posted on by
Reply

I recently read David Attenborough’s 2020 book, “A life on our planet: My witness statement and a vision for the future”. Ever since, I have been contemplating how on earth it will be possible to action the plans he outlines for preserving functional global climate systems, biodiversity, and saving ourselves from ourselves.

Rewilding is one solution Attenborough envisages. A small example may be when many urban neighbourhoods develop their own small forests and foster biolinks. The cumulative effect could be significant. Just as each relatively small piece of new built environment and mono cultural agribusiness diminishes our capacity to recover, each relatively small piece of new ecosytem and forest enhances it. See www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-56003562

Walking

Posted on by
1

As I head

toward the door

Questions

head my way

Where are you going?

Walking.

Where to?

It doesn’t matter, I say

Walking

a destination in its own right

Walking

the easiest way

we can fully engage

With the natural world

In walking

we place ourselves

at a new destination every minute

we escape ourselves

And we expose ourselves

to genuine experiences

of our surroundings

and the elements

on the human scale

What will you look for?

I smile

knowing whatever I look for

I will also find many things different

I don’t need to look

for anything in particular

because I will find

small parts of everything

Walking always takes me there

Melville’s Lookout Track (revisited)

Posted on by
Reply

Title

Melville’s Lookout Track

Map

Lat: 36.812930

Lon: 144.996363

Distance, Grading and Cautions

Distance
10.5km
Difficulty
Grade 3
Duration
3 – 4 hours bushwalking
Alternative Recreational Uses
This is a good location for multi recreational use: bushwalking, mountain bikes, orienteering, rogaining and driving (on formed roads only)

Horse riding, motor bikes and 4WDs are only permitted on formed roads.
Seasonal Information
Wildflowers in autumn and spring. Muddy tracks in winter. Very hot and dry in summer.
Cautions
Grass trees are vulnerable to cinnamon fungus transfer: keep to formed roads and tracks.

Unauthorised tracks exist. Take care not to get lost!

No pets or firearms. No drones without a permit.

Rough ground, snakes, falling limbs, no potable water.
Amenities
Picnic tables and fire grates at the Lookout
Management and Support Groups
Parks Vic

Location

Embark from and return to the carpark (of sorts) on the corner of Mt Black Quarry Rd and Heathcote Nagambie Rd., Wirrate.

Track Notes

The main part of the track comprises Mt Black Quarry Rd. This is a dirt vehicle track with very little traffic. Take care, loose stones can make the track slippery. The track rises gently for 3.6km, where it arrives at the base of a steep, rough foot trail that ascends directly to the Lookout (at 4.2km). This foot trail then joins the dirt vehicle track on the opposite side of the summit. This dirt vehicle track loops back to the base of the hill. If the initial steep foot trail ascent looks too daunting, keep walking along the road approximately 100 metres until you get to the Melville’s Lookout 2km directional sign pointing left. Follow this track up and back down for a less demanding walk.

To the right of the Melville’s Lookout sign you will see remains of the old Goulburn Weir quarry site. Rocks from this location were cut to build the Goulburn River Weir wall at Nagambie in 1890. This area invites exploring. Kids will love it for all the climbing and hiding places. It makes for excellent mountain biking as well.

Options

  • For a shorter walk, you can comfortably 2WD drive in on Mt Black Quarry Rd to the base of the Melville’s Lookout.
  • A 4WD can take you all the way to the Lookout on the summit vehicle track, 2km from the Melville’s Lookout directional sign.
  • Walking 800 metres further along Mt Black Quarry Rd brings you to a walking track on the right going up to the Mt Black summit.
  • The nearest camping is permitted at Spring Creek or Dargile Camping and Picnic Grounds or the Whroo free camping area.

Topography and Geology

The National Park is composed of forested hills and gullies. The sand stone ridge lines are a result of folds in the earth’s crust. Look out for fossilised sea shells from the ancient sea bed.

Flora

This park comprises Victoria’s largest remaining box – ironbark forest, consisting of open woodland including ironbark, grey and yellow box and stringy bark. The understory features blackwood, gold dust wattle, silver wattle and drooping cassinia. Grass trees are numerous. Green rock fern is a common ground plant in milder months.

Wildflowers include grassland wood sorrel, shiny everlastings, tall bluebells and Nodding Greenhood orchids, with many more according to the season. Rare spider orchids may be also found.

Fauna

Eastern Grey kangaroos and goannas may be encountered.

Threatened species you may be lucky enough to see are the tuan and swift parrot

Birdlife

White winged choughs love the ground layer and white throated tree creepers are commonly seen running up midstory trunks. Red and little wattle birds and parrots particularly enjoy the canopy when eucalypts are in flower. And, of course, cockatoos abound. If you keep your wits about you, there are plenty more birds to be seen.

Pests

Damage from 4WD and motorbikes is not as bad as elsewhere, but sadly some clowns will always take pleasure in littering and tearing such places up.

March flies can be a problem in Autumn.

Local History

Naming:

Dargile (formerly Heathcote – Graytown) National Park.

Melville’s Lookout: Captain (Francis) Melville was a notorious goldrush era bushranger. After being transported to Australia at age 15 for housebreaking, he escaped Port Arthur to live with local aborigines for a year. He came to Victoria in 1851. Within a short time he had formed the Mt Macedon Gang that robbed travellers heading to and from the goldfields.

Superheroes Really Do Exist

Posted on by
1

Holy smokes, Buttman!

Richard Squires has picked up nearly 50,000 butts around Melbourne over the past six months and wants everyone else to get in on the act.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/holy-smokes-buttman-the-man-on-a-mission-to-rid-the-city-of-cigarette-butts-20200227-p5450v.html?btis