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Other places get autumn colours in the trees- ours remain dull, dun and dusty grey-green. The end of Summer is a hard, dry time with everyone looking for water and food; the arrivals at the bird baths show the change of season as surely as falling autumn-toned leaves. Even when the weather is still hot ,you know that Autumn has arrived with the appearance of these three birds. Zipping through the shrubs where it is feeding on eremophila flowers, the Eastern Spinebill is like a small missile. The amount of energy this tiny bird expends in flying, foraging and yelling out about it means frequent rest periods! Taking a spell from hunting insects, this Grey Fantail catches the early morning sun. A rival to the territory- the bird in the mirror is an aggravation for this beautiful male Golden Whistler, his whipcrack notes setting off the male Superb Fairy-wrens who think he is a challenge to them.

Autumn is here- and so is Boisduval's Autumn Moth- Oenosandra boisduvalii(Family Oenosandridae, super family Noctuiodea)) Only seen during Autumn, this handsome moth rests on fly wire screens and is very happy to have close inspection and photos. Playing dead is a tactic used by this moth to avoid predators. Night-flying, these interesting moths come readily to light. The white ear-tufts are a give-away identification and the wings are beautifully mottled with orange and black speckles. The antennae are held back along the wing edges and are difficult to see. This moth hears through thoracic hearing organs- that is,ears in its chest! 24 cm in length, these moths are thought to feed on eucalypts. This is an all-Australian family with 8 named species. All photos taken on 29th March 2018, Carapooee West, Victoria.

Autumn brings a shortage of water and food supplies in the bush and we see an influx of birds into gardens where these 2 commodities are available. On the left is the "owner" of the birdbath, year -round inhabitant of creeklines, the New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae. In the front we have year-round inhabitant of River Redgums, the White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenstomus penicillatus. The interloper at the back right is the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops whose usual habitat is the higher Ironbark ridges. All managed to get a drink and a quick flip in the water but the truce was short-lived and the poor old Yellow-tufted Honeyeater was chased away.

What's On Our meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. We organise monthly excursions to interesting sites further afield. These are generally on the weekend after the meeting. We regularly observe our local bushland. If you want to join in Contact Us for activity and outing details. Our 2026 Program (1st half)

We show you an outline of what St Arnaud and surrounding district have to offer Places to Visit Less than one hour to Visit St Arnaud and Region Pastoral development in the region began before 1836 with the explorations of Major Mitchell. What followed has been a rapid clearing of the landscape for agriculture and industry, allowing little more than 5% of the native vegetation to remain. The two primary bioregions of the region are: The Western Goldfields bioregion; characterised by Box-ironbark vegetation communities, and The Wimmera bioregion ; characterised by Buloke woodlands and Black-box/lignum wetlands. Landscapes across the area are highly fragmented, with remnant vegetation occurring largely across private land and Public Land Reserves, including but not limited to the Kara Kara National Park, St Arnaud Regional Park, Bolangum and Tottington Conservation Reserves, Wooroonook Lakes, Lake Buloke, Lake Batyo Catyo, Walkers Lake, Dalyenong Conservation Reserve, and Mt Wycheproof. These few remaining sites provide critical habitat to native species, some of which are now endangered or regionally extinct, including Buloke tree, Stuart Mill Spider orchid, Powerful Owl, and Growling grass frog. Reconnecting these landscapes remains a priority project for the Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Network (BNGLN). https://www.bnglandcare.org/ https://windharphorizons.org/ The following link provides a map showing parks and reserves around St Arnaud https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H62LZpsoVN6v4yAx4wUEQXQ2rjqfCZcP/view?usp=sharing Around the Town Further afield - weekender / big day out Bealiba … begin at Evans Hotel. Picnic at Bealiba Reservoir, old gold diggings Boort lake … cabins, water sports, canoe hire Camping in the Goldfields (around Maryborough and St Arnaud) Butts Reserve Goldfield Glamping Hamilton Crossing Kooyoora State Park Hard Hill Tourist Reserve (near Wedderburn) Laanecoorie River Reserve Moliagul Campground Paddy’s Range Camping Pyrenees Glamping Retreat Secret Lead Slaty Creek Campground Teddington Camping Area Tullaroop Creek Tullaroop Reservoir Waanyarra Camping Grounds Canoe Trails – Serpentine Creek CT, Laanecoorie CT, Loddon River CT Central Goldfields Visitors Centre, Maryborough Railway Station, Maryborough, htpps://visitmaryborough.com.au Dunolly Museum 75 Broadway, Dunolly for some history Goldfields – current UNESCO review for inclusion Running from Mt Buninyong to Bendigo the Goldfields Track (210km) meanders through numerous Parks. Parks near Maryborough and Castlemaine , include: Castlemaine Diggings National Park. Paddy’s Ranges State Park. Maryborough Regional Park. Moliagul Historic Reserve. Walk the ‘Welcome Stranger’ discovery walk Visit htpps://www.parks.vic.gov.au Grampians National Park (Gariwerd) htpps://www.visitgrampians.com.au Laanecoorie Reservoir … walking tracks, birds Mt Arapiles … can drive to top and view the plains below. Nearby quaint town of Natimuk. Rock climbing, bushwalking, bird watching Mt Wycheproof … standing 43 m above surrounding plains is the smallest registered mountain in the world. Visit htpps://www.visitbuloke.com.au Pyrenees Unearthed Wine and Food Festival . At the beginning of April, our winemakers celebrate harvest - a day of sensational wine, delicious food, local produce and live entertainment. Head to Moonambel www.visitpyrenees.com.au Sea Lake … home of ‘big skies’ and Lake Tyrell Talbot … Court House Hotel, monthly farmers to stock up for that bush picnic Victorian Goldfields Railway . Heritage Goldfields Rail linking historic gold mining towns of Castlemaine and Maldon. Visit https://www.VGR.com.au or email info@vgr.com.au Pyrenees Rail Heritage Trail . Round circle Tour from Avoca via Amphitheatre, Elmhurst, Crowlands, Landsborough and Navarre. The St Arnaud Regional Park surrounds the Town so there is plenty of opportunity to walk or ride along tracks in the Box Ironbark forest. The St Arnaud Field Naturalists have helped Parks Victoria to develop the following nature reserves within the St Arnaud Regional Park. Wax garden Flora Reserve Viewpoint Bell Rock Heritage Reserve The Basin - St Arnaud State Forest 4 Brochures are available direct from the website. Here St Arnaud Silo and Wall Art Trail Features paintings and portraits by local artist Kyle Torney. Starting in St Arnaud the trail links the Wimmera & Mallee’s small towns through 700km of roads. https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/ Bike Riding Trails See Booklet ‘Cycling Trails Around St Arnaud’ Tour guides featuring ‘Historic Buildings in the Town’ and it’s ‘Mine History.’ See ‘Historic Walking Trail’ and ‘Mine History Trail’ produced by the St Arnaud Historical Society. Pamphlets, brochures and booklets are all available at the St Arnaud Tourist Information Centre, the St Arnaud Community Resource Centre and The Raillery Hub, St Arnaud … information and art gallery Avon Plains Walkers Lake … camping, water recreation Hollands Lake … a bird haven Banyena River Walk Burrum Burrum Cemetery (remember country cemeteries are rarely disturbed by the dead or living, making them a haven for bird life and our endemic plants) Cope Cope area Browns Lake / Lake Cope Cope Lake Nurrumbeet Lake Grassy Round Lake Swanwater West Cemetery … woodland birds in undisturbed buloke woodland Dalyenong Nature Conservation Reserve Kooyoora State Park … well managed park, facilities, camping - take a picnic Mount Bolangum Nature Conservation Reserve … again take a picnic Kara Kara National Park Teddington Reservoir Teddington Campground Walking trails and birdwatching, situated within Kara Kara National Park . Wooroonook Lakes … camping, water recreation, birds Local Facebook pages For great photos www friends avon plains lakes www friends bluegum rise friends mtwycheproof Farmers Markets ... for that picnic Avoca – 4th Sunday of month Talbot – 3rd Sunday of month Carisbrook – 2nd and last Sunday of month Castlemaine -1st Sunday of month Dunolly - 4th Sunday of month Maldon – 2nd Sunday of month