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. .
The forest campaign – in pictures
I will begin with my list of simple pleasures to enjoy.
It is so easy to be distracted, to habitually take such things for granted. More complicated experiences repeatedly assert themselves as front and centre of our consciousness and decision making. Issues surrounding insecurity, relationships and others’ bidding clamour for attention, occupy us with busy-ness and distract us.
The experiences that are always there for the taking become secondary due to their very simplicity, their enduring nature, their very availability. We readily forget to be mindful of their existence as the essence of our existence.
These profoundly simple and accessible pleasures can be constant stabilising influences on our lives. They are always present, complete with restorative potential. When we do remember to attend to them we come back to ourselves as capable of choosing to reset, appreciate and experience joy.
Hub & Spoke / Bump & Grind Cycling Route
Start / Finish locations: Euroa Railway Station Railway St., Euroa 3666
Mode: Gravel Grinder, MTB, Hybrid, eBike (fats)
Map: GPS -36.749080001925385, 145.56809969105484
Difficulty: Intermediate
Distance: 32km
Elevation: 158 – 199m
Topography: Flat
Surfaces: Good condition bitumen Gravel varies, but overall pretty good. A bit rougher on the minor road end of Balmattum Siding Rd. Old Euroa Rd has a significant camber in places, take care on the gravel when moving laterally for traffic.
Description and Features: Flat with its own form of beauty, you have to be in it to appreciate it. Arrive at the Railway Station by train, car or bike. Euroa is an historic and pretty rural township with amenities aplenty. Appreciate it as you head through town to the fast straightaway of Balmattum North Rd. This smooth sealed bitumen parallels the Hume Freeway, but the traffic there isn’t too intrusive. There are more small waterways than expected and the countryside is quite appealing with the Strathbogie foothills to your right. There is a roadside stop at the only rise. When you hit the gravel you will find tree tunnels and enjoy vast plains vistas. Balmattum Grassland Nature Conservation Reserve is a great stopover for refreshment. Watch out for the playful Grey-crowned babblers. Return to Euroa alongside more waterways, swampy wetlands and lovely wooded roadside.
Riding conditions: It is flat, so exposed to the elements in some locations. Well wooded roadsides provide some shelter in others. Not much traffic.
Options: Access Balmattum Grassland via Wilbrahams Rd. However, the kink in Balmattum Siding Rd makes it a more interesting approach. Anti or clockwise
Anticlockwise Cues: Start Euroa Railway Station car park Railway St Head north east Right Kirkland Ave Left Tarcombe St Left Saxon St Right Balmattum North Rd Left Balmattum Siding Rd Right Old Euroa Rd Right Balmattum Grassland entry South east Old Euroa Rd Straight Riggs Creek Rd Bear left Moglonemby Rd (south) Left Boundary Rd North Straight Melbourne to Sydney Railway underpass Right Railway St back to the Station
Amenities: Car parking BBQ Fuel Shops Seating Parkland Waterways Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Potable water Trail head sign Walking tracks Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Swimming Pool Railway station Directional signs Information signs Alternative routes Flora and fauna habitat
Cautions: Open water Limbs may fall Embankments Uneven ground No potable water outside Euroa Slippery surfaces Subject to flooding Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Beware of vehicle traffic Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding
Restrictions: Take rubbish with you Native flora and fauna are protected Riders must use formed roads only
Hub & Spoke / Bump & Grind Cycling Route Route Name / Address: Nagambie – Tahbilk Loop Nagambie Railway Station Nash St., Nagambie 3608 Mode: Gravel Grinder, MTB, Hybrid, eBike Start / Finish locations: Nagambie Railway Station Map (satellite): GPS -36.785485, 145.160476
Difficulty: Easy. Thick gravel can add an extra push requirement Distance: 27km, 2hrs Elevation: 128 – 144m Topography: Flat with slight rises. Surfaces: Good condition bitumen Variable gravel. Mulberry Drive is smooth, but has drifts of quartz pebbles and blue metal stones. Mullens Rd is due to be sealed Nook Rd and Terrara Lane both suffer water sheeting and mud in winter Description and Features: Excellent services, wide roads and service lanes in Nagambie itself. Prime horse stud and wine country. Lots of vast grain fields, pasture and vineyards. The Goulburn River bends and billabongs at Tahbilk Winery are gorgeous. The winery itself is an historic gem. Riding conditions: Little traffic on the mapped route. If you opt to use O’Dwyer Rd there is steady traffic, but the shoulders are bitumen and wide. Options: Use O’Dwyer Rd instead of Habel Rd if you want to reduce the distance. Avoid what seems an obvious route along Vickers Rd. It has no shoulder is a narrow two way and heavily trafficked. Clockwise or anti Anticlockwise Cues: Start Nagambie Railway Station Left Nash St Right Prentice St Left High St Right Nook Rd Right Mulberry Drive Straight Oneils Rd Left Mullers Rd Right Terrara Lane Straight Nagambie – Locklsley Rd Left Habel Rd Left Ballantynes Rd Right Murray St Straight Nash St Stop Nagambie Railway Station Amenities: Car parking Fuel Shops Fishing Winery Seating Parkland Swimming Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Potable water Walking tracks Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Railway station Directional signs Information signs Waterways & lake Alternative routes Flora and fauna habitat Cautions: Open water Soft shoulders Limbs may fall Embankments Uneven ground No potable water while riding Slippery surfaces Subject to flooding Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Beware of vehicle traffic Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding Restrictions: Take rubbish with you Historic relics are protected Native flora and fauna are protected Riders must use formed roads only Closed on days of total fire ban
My thoughts are of Australia
Land most covid-19 free
My heart yearns for Australia
The place I’d rather be
For to the north we languish
Now that winter has come
Amidst a pandemic of anguish
Where our suffering is done
As each dawn’s fresh horizon
Offers more sadness, fear and dread
I long for home Australia
Where a rising sun means health instead
And with each passing morning
As the hospitals here do fill
The sights and sounds of mourning
The streets and air do fill
I see mankind retreating
From a cocky arrogant stance
From destruction of ecosystems
To victim of nature’s dance
Where bushmeat's viral load
Transfers itself to humans
Just what have we to show?
For the things we are consuming?
The winter birds and bare trees
Remain testament to the natural world
A world humankind now sees
Corrupted by exploiters and churls
Our world so terra formed
To overwhelming degradation
And Australia heading so
Observe and save our nation
Close your eyes and be transported.
These characters are buffoons.
Full of laughter they rail at you.
Carping and harping blaming all.
Innocent of everything when the law calls
Dangerous in their own special way.
Ready to trick and seize the day.
Yet by their pompous humorous demeanour.
You’d think all would have seen it sooner.
The vile attempts at undermining.
The rotten values they’ve been hiding.
Self confident enough to infect the masses.
Rich enough to corrupt all classes.
Replete in vanity self-declared divine.
So full of shit they make shit shine.
Larger than life with seismic crows.
Ready (not) to be the one big (side)show.
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
My view of the world is not an honest view because my expectations interfere. My ego inserts itself into every unconscious and conscious perspective. I create altered realities for bending the world I see toward addressing my wants. This constant aspiration engenders a manipulative restlessness within my persona. I look, see, expect and act accordingly, never finding the time or mental resilience to resist. Never engaging with the appreciation of a moment or the truth of where I am.
The more I understand this, the more I seek to stop, observe, contemplate and appreciate. I try to place myself differently in the world, as within rather than without, as an internal part rather than an external entity, as influenced rather than influencer. I think this practice is helping.
The March edition of our local newsletter
I ponder on the wise of it As trees around me bow Before the gusting hot north wind Before which they bend so cowed I give the thought deep consideration As the darkening sky forebodes I check, the heat is forty four As wind and weather goads There’s much to lose either way Deciding to stay or go Give up the home to fiery tempest Risk the life you know There’s a plan to pack the things I need Water blanket items precious There’s alternative routes to avoid the flames Where the flames may be ferocious But then there’s plans to stay and fight Buckets mop hose and mask Hit each ember where it lands But am I really up to the task? This day’s been declared catastrophic red I waited to see how it would turn Now I’m stuck as the catastrophe looms All around wilts then starts to burn The air is burning in my throat Radiant heat scorches all around me The sky rains burning leaves and hot grey ash The smoke so thick I can’t breathe or see I dare not move can’t find the house I touch hot metal seek shelter in the car Pull the woollen blanket over my head And lie below the glass to cower Explosions start as eucalyptus oil In nearby trees ignites The car is rocked by more of them as fuel detonates in light so bright The fear is terrible I’m paralysed hope my only gift I so wish I’d gone before the fire packed my stuff and left
Bump & Grind
Mode: Gravel Grinder
Start / Finish location: Jubilee Park, Avenel
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 39km
Elevation: 150 – 480m
Topography: Flats through to steep gradients
Surfaces: 25km bitumen / 14km gravel
Description & Features: Quiet roads. Beautiful scenery. Vistas to grazing pasture, rolling hills, cherry orchards, vineyards, forested waterways and granite outcrops. • A steady gravel climb to views across to Mt Wombat from Upton Hill • A winding bitumen return downhill • Avenel Maze is passed on the return leg
Riding conditions: It can be very cold in winter and very hot in summer. Check local weather conditions before leaving.
Options: Choose clockwise or anti clockwise, the 14km of gravel is at the eastern end of Tarcombe Rd
Amenities (Avenel): Car parking BBQ Fuel Shops Seating Parkland Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Potable water Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Swimming Pool Railway station
Cautions: Steep climbs Soft shoulders Slippery surfaces Subject to flooding Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding
Anticlockwise Cues: Start Jubilee Park car park Right Ewings Rd Right Livingstone St Left Mitchell St Right Jones St Cross Hume Fwy Straight on Tarcome Rd Left Upton Rd Right Tarcombe Rd Cross Hume Fwy Straight Jones St Left Mitchell St Right Anderson St Left Ewings Rd
On a perfect summer evening the lights of the Arts Precinct and Flinders Street Station were irresistible.
Choose a place to still your body and a restless mind. Sit. Start by observing all that is going on around you. Hear the background noises. Examine the occupants, textures and colours of the physical surroundings. Feel the movement and temperature of the air. Take your time. Acknowledge and appreciate these things. Once you have paid them their due. Let them go.
Look into your mind. Question the constant restlessness of your thinking. How important is it for this moment? Work your way through your thoughts, shedding all that are not essential to your being here and now. Settle any disturbing waves of turbulence to a calm pool within.
Breathe, slow and deep. Find your own rhythm.
Place yourself exclusively in this moment and space. Stay for as much time as you need. Peacefully, refresh and reset.
When Sissy
went into the water
I followed.
Naturally.
Because I,
a younger brother,
had an older sister
I adored.
Well, what else is a sibling
water daughter for?
I saw her wavering figure
deep down ahead,
cutting through
crystalline
mountain water
like an arrow.
Streaming effervescence.
I saw her
touch the bottom
of washed sand,
of rounded stones
smoothed by years
of grinding,
with a pat of her hand.
Box ticked.
Camp task
number one
accomplished.
River mastered.
She rose then.
A lithe silver nymph
spearing her way to the surface.
And I knew I was in trouble,
as I
continued down.
Caught by the current
like one of those
smooth stones,
tumbled and bumped,
grated and ground.
I had no hardened surface
to resist the battering,
no thick skin
to soften defeat,
no awareness
of up or down,
no ability
to swim or float,
not even the desire to flap about.
I just froze,
one with the chilled water.
Not desperate,
not fearful.
That would come later.
I was
simply,
absolutely,
completely,
unable to comprehend
how I could find
myself here.
What did it mean
exactly?
Incapacitated
by lack of learning.
Paralysed
by ignorance.
Alone,
for the very first time
in my very short life,
the refracted sky
above was still blue,
the fluffy clouds
were still white,
the trees on the bank
were still green.
I,
however,
remained unseen.
The water became
my atmosphere,
thick,
tangible.
The known world
began to disappear.
The water
filled my ears.
Sound disappeared.
The water
filled my nose
and my mouth.
I couldn’t call out.
The weight
on my chest grew heavier.
I couldn’t breathe,
anything,
but water.
If you couldn’t get into the NGV Triennial between lockdowns and all the other life stuff that interferes with what you really want to be doing, here is a small photographic essay of my experience. Being at the NGV again was such a treat. The visitors were well supported and everyone looked very cool and very relaxed. As usual, the curation was excellent. The artworks were impressive and engaging. It almost felt normal.
We started in the back garden where, as DJ, our daughter’s partner was doing a great job getting everyone into a chilled art space frame of mind. Seated under a shady Pin Oak was the perfect setting for the groove and the company. In fact, it was so chilled and relaxed I even risked my first light beer in a very, very long time. It was appropriately refreshing and I didn’t get my usual alcohol headache. Very pleasing.
Note: The photos are pretty grainy and may be a bit out of focus at times. I was using an old Nikon A300 point and shoot. It isn’t a very capable camera, but I had fun with it nonetheless.
Be your own measure of success. Do not accept it being imposed upon you. Examine the reasons for your decision making with a view to determining where your decisions come from. Those arising from necessity must necessarily be actioned. However, those arising from other forms of external pressure may be either unnecessary, misdirected, inappropriate or appropriate. You should be the one to determine which. To understand the motives of everyone involved and how they influence you, take the time to ask yourself, “What is really happening here?”
Advertising seduces me into ever wanting more. Advertising leaves me wanting.
Nature arouses in me the need to belong, experience and explore. Nature fulfils these needs and more.
Although I feel a closeness to nature in the place that I live, I recognise that I live in an anthropomorphic construct of the natural world. Our previously bare domestic garden is increasingly made up of intentional revegetation. However, this is composed of a significantly disproportionate mix of indigenous and non indigenous species, of naturally random, arbitrary and planned placement of plants and spaces. Our decision making always seems to find a way to more suit human than wildlife visitation.
The wider rural countryside is much the same. Despite being comprised of grasses, shrubs, trees, water and wildlife, this is a man made place. The dominant grasslands are introduced crops and pasture, extensive and controlled. Amongst the shrubs and trees exotics are commonplace whether in a garden or in the bush. The creeks support nothing like the biodiversity they once did and across the landscape quality indigenous habitat is scarce. Any natural world remnants are fragmented and disconnected, degraded and infiltrated. This place has been radically modified by the imposition of a consumption focussed cultural model, where everything must serve a human oriented purpose.
In the tiniest instance of natural world history, narrow human interest has either directly destroyed or undermined millennia after millennia of interdependent natural world systems development. Ironically, this continuing single mindedness may well be our own undoing. Regardless of how obvious this fact should be, it remains subject to debate because of human arrogance and our incapacity to respond to science, to recorded history, or learn from our mistakes.
Science and recorded history tell us that just 250 years ago Australia hosted a richer natural world where waterways, landscapes and the sky were full of the noises and business of bush life. Today we consider a terraformed garden space that might just support a small range of wildlife part of this natural world. It is not, by its very nature it is a construct, better than other forms of obliterating built environment, but a construct nonetheless. Without a doubt, humans will choose to retain their gardens for productive use and against the uncontrolled threat of the wild
Gardens are necessary for function and pleasure. However, extensive rewilding is the only scalable answer to imminent ecosystems collapse. Unless we restore declining biodiversity, consequent collapsing food chains and the checks and balances of natural world systems interdependence, we will lose everything.
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.
How is it we can perceive acquisition of things as necessary to our wellbeing, but continue to feel deprived of a sense of wellbeing when we acquire things? Why does this disconnect exist? Where does it come from? What is it that we really need or want?
When is thinking more important than things? Other than when things are required to do good work, maybe all the time?
Ah, but what exactly is good work ….. ?
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
I love it when you are reading a book, no matter how good it is, and you come to a blank page. This is because as you turn that empty page you are quickly one page closer to the end than you thought. One page closer to the sweet anticipation of finding and starting your next book.
