Mt Macedon Crossing

		Mt Macedon crossing 26Oct2010 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Most of these pictures are by Hubert Weisrock – with thanks. We crossed the mountain together on Tuesday 26 October 2010.

I crossed Mt Macedon almost weekly since relocating to Australia in September 2008. However, in recent times that declined to monthly crossings faced with the cold wet muddy wintry conditions. But I’m back on track to maintain my weekly schedule.

Cannie Ridge Pottery Canisters

I purchased this lovely set of Cannie Ridge Pottery canisters a little while ago. However, I was only able to find some scant historic details about the pottery where they were made. The canisters are stamped: Harcourt Vic Cannie Ridge Pottery Made in Australia.

I contacted Bendigo Pottery (Australia’s oldest working pottery) for historical information, and they replied as follows:

Cannie Ridge Pottery was started by Allan and Mary Letts with son Gary in the mid 1970s. According to our records Allan was born in 1921 and worked at Bendigo Pottery prior to starting Cannie Ridge. The records we have show A Letts here 1971-1974 and an A Letts here 1942-1950. We have some gaps in our records 1950s and 1960s as Bendigo Pottery was owned by partly by Martin Stoneware and then Humes Pipes. Cannie Ridge continued until around 1990, not sure of the exact date. Apparently they had up to 16 employees in busiest time.

A botanical day in Woodend

		Botanical Walk Activity VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Pictures by Hubert Weisrock with thanks.

Yesterday morning the Friends of Hanging Rock gathered for the annual Botanical Walk Activity. We enjoyed a sparkling spring day. The reserve boasts the following flora:

Common Name Silver Wattle Black Wattle Blackwood Bidgee-widgee Sheep's Burr Trailing Ground-berry Common Wheat-Grass Sweet Vemal-grass Drooping Mistletoe Pale Vanilla Lily Prickly Woodruff Necklace Fern Silver Banksia Creeping Bossiaea Bulbine Lily Milkmaids Sweet Bursaria Shiny Cassinia Centaury Rock Fern Spear Thistle Australian Clematis Native Convolvulus Crassula Rough Tree-fern Austral Bear's Ear Tiny Flat-sedge Tree Lucerne Wallaby Grass Narrow-leaf Bitter Pea Black-anther Flax Lilly Tasman Flax Lilly Chocolate Lily Grey Parrot Pea Leopard Orchid Tall Sundew Pale Sundew Common Spike Rush Prickfoot Messmate Swamp Gum Snow Gum Narrow-leaf Peppermint Candlebark Gum Manna Gum Cherry Ballart Common Raspwort Cranes-bill Geranium Twining Glycine Raspwort Raspwort Purple Coral Pea Bats-wing Fern Hairy Pennywort Stinking Pennywort Pennywort sp. Tree Violet Small St. Johns Wort Yellow Star Joint-leaf Rush Rush Rushes Prickly Tea-tree Wattle Mat-rush Woodrush Weeping Grass White Purslane Onion Orchid Water Blinks Creeping Mistletoe Water Milfoil Mush Daisy-bush Snow Daisy-bush Broad-leaf Stinkweed Yellow Wood-sorrel Small Riceflower Ribwort Variable Ribwort Handsome Flat Pea Tussock Grass Tussock Grass Mother Shield Fem Hazel Pomaderris Magic Mushroom Large-leafed Bush Pea Bracken (Tall Greenhood) Orchid Australian Buttercup Small-leaf Bramble White Elderberry Common Bog-rush Cotton Fireweed Prickly Starwort Spear Grass Kangaroo Grass Bulrush Tall Bluebell Slender Speedwell Native Violet

Botanical Name Acacia dealbata A. mearnsii A. melanoxylon Acaena anserinfolia A. echinata Acrotriche prostrata Adiantum aethiopicum Anthoxanthum odoratum Amyema pendulum Arthropodium milleflorum. Asperula scoparia Asplenium flabellifolium Banksia marginata Bossiaea prostrata Bulbine bulbosa Burchardia umbellata Bursaria spinosa Casssinia longifolia Centaurium. sp. Cheilanthus austrotenuifolius Cirsium vulgare Clematis aristata Convolvulus sp. Crassula sp. Cyathea australis Cymbonotus preissianus Cyperus tenellus Cytisus prolifera Danthonia sp. Daviesa virgata Dianella revoluta D. tasmanica Dichopogon strictus Dillwynia cinerascens Diuris maculata Drosera auriculata D. peltata Eleocharis acuta Eryngium vesiculosum E. obliqua E. ovata E. pauciflora ssp.pauciflora E. radiata E. rubida E. viminalis Exocarpus cupressiformis Genocarpus tetrogynus Geranium solanderi Glycine clandestina Gonocarpus tetragynus Haloragis heterophylla Hardenbergia violacea Histiopteris incisa Hydrocotyle hirta H. laxiflora H. sibthoripioides Hymenanthera dentata Hypericum gramineum Hypoxis glabella J. holoschoenus J. subsecundus Juncus spp. Leptospermum juniperinum. Lomandra filiformis Luzula flaccidus Microlaeana stipoides Montia australasica Microtis uniflora M. fontana Muellerina eucalyptoides Myriophyllum propinquum Olearia argophylla O. lirata Opercularia ovata Oxalis comiculata sens. lat. Pimelia humilus Plantago sp. P. varia Platylobium formosum Poa labillardieri Poa sp. Polysticum proliferum Pomaderris aspera Psilocybe sp. Pultenaea daphnoides Pteridium esculentum Pterostylis sp. Ranunculus lappaceus R. parvifolius Sambucus gaudichaudiana Schoenus apogon Senecio quadridentatus Stellaria pungens Stipa sp. Themeda australis Typha sp. Wahlenbergia stricta Veronica gracilis Viola hederacea

In the afternoon, we visited the Flint Hill estate’s Open Day in Romsey Road, Woodend that’s owned by the doyen of Australian industry Sir Roderick Howard Carnegie AC.

Flint Hill's grand vision was started in 1920 by Harold Brookes, a prominent business man, and has matured into a great woodland garden. Three gardeners tend the leafy woodland of huge old oaks, birches and conifers, under planted with rhododendrons, azaleas and bluebells, fringes the formal lawns and flower beds near the rose and wisteria-clad house. Winding woodland paths beckon the visitor to explore the depths of the garden and a series of linked ponds and streams adds the refreshing sound of trickling water to the songs of myriad birds.

Friends of Hanging Rock: bird identification walk

On Sunday morning the friends of Hanging Rock were joined by members of a bird watching group for the annual bird identification walk. It was great opportunity to meet knowledgeable and enthusiastic bird watchers - which I'm definitely not. However, I used the occasion to take photographs of the splendid flora, fauna, geological formations, and infrastructure of the Hanging Rock Reserve.

		Hanging Rock reserve birds VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

These images are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.

The Hanging Rock reserve boasts well over 100 different types of birds and of these 39 are listed here; of course, not all were sighted, but many were. Wikipedia has articles for each of the 39 birds and for many more not listed here.

Australasian Pipit Australian Golden Whistler Australian Magpie Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Black-fronted Dotterel Brown Thornbill Brush Cuckoo Crimson Rosella Dusky Woodswallow Eastern Rosella Eastern Spinebill Galah Grey Currawong

Grey Fantail Jacky Winter Laughing Kookaburra Little Raven Magpie Lark Pacific Black Duck Pallid Cuckoo Pied Currawong Rufous Whistler Spotted Pardalote Striated Pardalote Striated Thornbill Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Superb Fairywren Varied Sittella Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Silvereye White-browed Scrubwren White-Eared Honeyeater White-faced Heron White-naped Honeyeater White-throated Treecreeper White-winged Chough Willy Wagtail Yellow Thornbill Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Aerobatic attacks by Masked Lapwings defending their fluffy babies

		Masked Lapwings VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Yesterday, we were on our way for a walk of the Macedon Ranges countryside. Hubert Weisrock parked his car nearby a pond that was formed from a disused quarry in Quarry Road, Woodend. 

We observed two Masked Lapwings on an island not far from the shore who became quickly on edge, and it was apparent that they were the parents of some fluffy babies. Those birds viewed us as intruders/predators and began a series of amazing spectacular aerobatic attacks to deter our advance and draw us away from their territory and nesting site. These birds are notorious for defending their nesting sites in particular after their chicks have hatched. It was quite an experience to see these bold determined birds in action!

These pictures were taken by Hubert Weisrock photographer extraordinaire. He teaches photography and digital imaging at the Woodend Neighbourhood Centre.

Aggressive Australian Magpies

Australian magpies are common and conspicuous birds that live year round in territories that are actively defended by their group members. The group depends on its territory for food and drink, roosting and nesting. These haughty melodic birds normally live harmoniously and in close proximity with humans, and it’s impossible to avoid crossing their territories.

However, it’s early Spring and that’s Australian magpie breeding season, and Australians start scanning the skies for a crazy black and white bundle of feathers that can be frightening at this time of year. Many of us have childhood memories of aggressive magpies, and indeed, a national survey found that 90 per cent of males and 72 per cent of females were attacked by a magpie at some time in their life! I was swooped twice this week although not actually pecked. So take care!

Oral storytelling group

Woodend Neighbourhood Centre

47 Forest Street, Woodend, Victoria 3442
T: 03 5427 1845
F: 03 5427 4027
E: wnci@netcon.net.au

We meet monthly for 1½ hours and begin Friday 15 October at 10:30-am
Donation $3.00

Since people began communicating with each other, "Tell me a story" has often been a request of  children and grownups. Storytelling involves one person telling others of something, anything. The story can be of a real event, a family history, or it can be a made up one. Storytelling is part of our everyday conversations, and each and everyone of us has stories to tell.

Oral storytelling is the art of telling a story through the medium of voice, no more, no less. The story reaches out and touches each listener in a different way, engaging directly with listeners creating a shared experience.

The joy of storytelling is the reason for the group, and all members will participate by telling, learning and listening to stories.

• Oral storytelling is fun.
• Oral storytelling is a time to try something new, and to be in a safe environment as you explore different ways to tell a tale.     
• A story is never memorized; it is to be told as it is remembered.
• Notes may not be used.
• Telling a story is like telling a friend about something that happened.
• Forgetting parts of a story or making mistakes is normal.  This is how ordinary conversation takes place, and we usually find ways to correct these things as we talk to family and friends.
• Listeners and storytellers understand that there is no right or wrong way to tell a tale; the idea is to share what you know. 
• No matter how a storyteller chooses to tell a story, it is correct. It is never incorrect!
• No one may interrupt when a story is being told.
• Listeners may not offer feedback to the storyteller unless requested.
• The storytelling space is to be respected, and no one may discuss the details outside of the group, unless permission is granted by the storyteller.
• A story is a gift from storyteller to listener. Once a listener receives a story, it can be recalled and shared with others. This is how stories travel around the world, and why so many wonderful tales have lasted for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Revised: 29 August 2010

Expressions of interest

Woodend Neighbourhood Centre

47 Forest Street, Woodend, Victoria 3442
T: 03 5427 1845
F: 03 5427 4027
E: wnci@netcon.net.au

Do you enjoy walking 24-km and longer distances?
If you do, please register to form a walking group.

I will welcome you!

My photographic progress or not!

		U3A Newfield VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This is a slideshow of pictures from last week’s photography excursion in Newfield an olde worlde mining village about 15-km from Castlemaine.

I recently joined Castlemaine’s U3A ‘Photography & Digital Imaging’ group. The programme aims to develop our photographic skills to get the best from our digital cameras, and how to edit and tweak photographs with Adobe Photoshop.