Back in 2006, a major wildfire burned approximately 85,000 hectares of the Grampians National Park. Lightning sparked the blaze and a burning question – how will the system respond to this large, high intensity fire?...
Category: Wild Melbourne
To bee or not to bee: a guide to our native pollinators
The thought of a bee with a blue bum may be a bit surprising. Bees are yellow, right? Actually, the iconic Honey Bee only became part of the Australian landscape as recently as 190 years ago.
The Bulldogs aren’t the only good thing in the West
When I think of Melbourne’s western suburbs, excellent wildlife-watching is not the first thing that springs to mind. This side of the city’s long, industrial history has taken a heavy toll on natural areas. Yet it would be incorrect to blithely write western Melbourne off as a wildlife wasteland...
Toadfish: Getting a Bad Rap?
During my many dives and snorkels in Port Phillip Bay, I have always enjoyed coming across toadfish (Tetractenos glaber) – their curious demeanour along with their big eyes and upturned ‘smiling’ face have always made them a delight to encounter...
A cold winter in a box-ironbark forest is far from a silent spring
As a winter morning breaks in box-ironbark country, the first feeble rays of sunshine to crest the horizon more often than not reveal a blanket of either frost or fog. It is at these times that the forest is at its most beautiful...
Walking Amongst Giants
Toolangi State Forest is home to many of Victoria’s most astonishingly lofty trees that are primarily of the mountain ash species...
Sustainability on Set
Late last year I directed a short film that was shot over several days in the Victorian Alps. Since being a part of nature is one of the key themes of the film, we took the potential environmental impact of our shoot seriously...
Plight of the Orange-Bellied Parrot
Did you know that one of the rarest parrots in the world can be found right here in Victoria? The orange-bellied parrot (OBP) is a small, beautifully coloured ground-feeding parrot slightly larger than a budgerigar...
Dinosaur Hunting: Searching for a Prehistoric Melbourne
If you went out today and asked a Melbournian where you could see a prehistoric creature, they would likely point you in the direction of the Melbourne Museum. Most people don’t realise that you can find all kinds of prehistoric animals and plants in the wilds of Victoria...
Not as we know it: along the Maribyrnong
Even though it’s quite close to the hugely developed Melbourne Airport, it feels like it’s hundreds of miles away...