Gippsland High Country Tours

22/08/2024

It's here!! The long anticipated book "Wildflowers of East Gippsland" is being launched on September 6 and will be available in local bookshops and by mail order via www.bairnsdalefieldnaturalists.com.au This is the culmination of many years work by Jennifer Wilkinson and James Turner with the help of other members of Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. and is a companion volume to very popular Orchids of East Gippsland.

NEWS FLASH!!!! We are excited to announce that Wildflowers of East Gippsland is being printed and will be launched in early September.

This book is a follow-up to Orchids of East Gippsland. Written by Jennifer Wilkinson and James Turner, the book is 380 pages with 100s of colour photos and detailed descriptions, distribution notes and threat status of each species. Most images were photographed by Club members.

- Book Launch by Neville Walsh, Senior Conservation Botanist, RBG Victoria (Retired) will be 6pm Friday 6th September at the Bairnsdale Library - *Please note there is limited attendance due to space*
- Second Celebration will be 2pm Saturday 7th September at the Lakes Entrance Mechanics Hall with no attendance restrictions.

Books will be available at both these events.

Copies of both Wildflowers of East Gippsland and Orchids of East Gippsland Revised Edition (2022) will be available by mail order via www.bairnsdalefieldnaturalists.com.au and from local bookshops. SchoolWorks Bairnsdale

Far East Victoria Landcare East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority
East Gippsland Landcare Network Parks Victoria DEECA Gippsland

15/08/2024

If you have ever been to the Mallee, you will know what a special place it is. Even if you haven't Roger's short article in Australian Geographic is worth a read in a quiet moment, conveying the uniqueness of this harsh environment.
It is a beautifully written story which makes you feel like you are there as he was - seeing a Malleefowl for the first time.

Move slowly and quietly in this specialist Australian arid habitat and you might be rewarded by seeing one of the world’s rarest birds.

07/08/2024

Wow, how good does this look!!! How amazing to see this wonderful bridge getting some TLC.

26/06/2024

Take a look at this Beginners Guide to Birdwatching - what a great resource to help you choose a bird guide, learn birdwatching techniques and more.

Have you seen our free Beginner Guide to birdwatching? This resource was developed by two of our wonderful Inala guides - Cat Young and Cat Davidson.
They cover everything from the best field guides, techniques and ethics!

Watch it on our website here and share it with your friends.
https://inalanature.com.au/tours/free-beginner-birdwatching-video

24/06/2024

Here is an amazing opportunity to complete a Wilderness First Aid course right here in East Gippsland, with Snowy River Expeditions. See below for the link and details.
https://wildernessmedicine.com.au/calendar/57/532-Wilderness-First-Aid--Karoonda-Park/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3NnBp7WTwiEVkbBLgHtmX_w4D0Y68ArCZzqRUBggV44HD7JRkunFmBSfU_aem_7Ybb-_CSl8JGEPd496sprQ

07/06/2024

If you live in NSW there is something you an do right now to help stop releases of helium balloons.

Yesterday Ms Kobi Shetty MP, Greens MP for Balmain, introduced the Protection of the Environment Operations Amendment (Balloons) Bill 2024 to the NSW Legislative Assembly.

The Bill proposes a simple one-word change to the current legislation, making it an offence to release one or more balloons, rather than twenty.

If the bill passes, it will make releasing helium balloons into the environment in NSW illegal - preventing plastic fragments from entering the ocean and harming marine wildlife.

"The Australian Marine Debris Initiative has documented several examples showing how quickly balloons can travel and become litter... Balloons released during a festival in Western Sydney were found some three weeks later on Lord Howe Island, 800 kilometres away."

How can you help?
📨If you live in NSW, ask your local MP to support the Bill.
🗣Help raise awareness in your area and share on social media!

Read the bill:
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/hansard/Pages/member-speeches.aspx?pk=2270

No Balloon Release Australia Peter Whish-Wilson The Greens NSW NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water NSW Environment Protection Authority

23/05/2024

It is fantastic to see these updates about the restoration of the Snowy River rail bridge. Follow the Save the Snowy Rail Bridge page (below) to keep up to date with progress. Then make sure you add a trip to Orbost to your holiday plans so you an walk or cycle over the bridge or do a longer section of the East East Gippsland Rail Trail

This is an update poster which is in a shop window located just next door to the 'Snowy River Mail' office in Orbost. Things seem to be progressing day by day now, so it's hard to keep entirely up to date. This one gives a general overview of the staging of the project.

17/05/2024

The streets of Heyfield are alive with vintage machinery and steam engines means only one thing... its on again!!! Heyfield Vintage Machinery Rally Come to Heyfield this weekend to hear the great sounds of steam engines, whooshing and chuffing and whistling as they work. The is so much on offer from the static displays to the action of the tractor pull and in between you can watch the steady plod of the draught horse working farm implements. More information on the page below.

14/05/2024

If you haven't see this amazing exhibition yet, pop a day in your diary to go and enjoy it. Finished May 26th.

Finishing soon! ⏰

If you’ve been planning to see ‘Annemieke Mein: A Life's Work - A Retrospective’ at the Gippsland Art Gallery, well, you better get your skates on 🏃‍♀️🏃! The exhibition finishes on Sunday 26 May 2024.

This incredible exhibition of the life’s work of Dutch-born Australian textile artist🪡, Annemieke Mein, has been receiving rave reviews ✨ with people travelling from near and far to marvel at her breathtakingly detailed works.

A Life’s Work is a never-to-be-repeated exhibition that spans Annemieke Mein’s remarkable 60-year career – don’t miss out!

📅 2 March - 26 May 2024
📍 Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale
🚙 3:20 hours east of Melbourne
🎟 $12-20
👉 Find out more:https://www.visitgippsland.com.au/news/annemieke-mein?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=annemieke-mein

📷 Gippsland Art Gallery



Image credit: Annemieke Mein, Fantail Rhapsody, 1987
High-relief textile wall sculpture with relief areas extending beyond the frame
165 x 170 x 12cm
Private collection © Annemieke Mein 2024. Printed by kind permission of the artist.

14/04/2024

Vehicle-based scenic tour of East Gippsland.
Snowy River Cycling are well known for their cycling tours, but they have just added a vehicle-based scenic tour (no cycling involved) to their program. If you've looking for a guided tour to see the sights of East Gippsland, this might be right for you.
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 0427 650 666

SCENIC TOUR 16th - 19th May

This tour fits in the the Vline train timetable and will be starting (11:15am on 16th) and finishing (12:30pm on the 19th) at the Bairnsdale Train Station! Or get in touch to discuss pick ups within East Gippsland.

Included:
3 nights accommodation
(3) Breakfast, (4) Lunch, & (3) Dinner
Local guide & transport (2 full days + 2 half days)
Boat Cruise


$925 for twin share
$1,295 for single room

** PLEASE NOTE This tour has no planned bike riding, it is targeted at those wanting a personlised experience, hassle- free tour, taking in the sights of East Gippsland **

16/03/2024

Colours and patterns found in nature.
This pair of intricately coloured leaves were found last week after the run of very hot day. Eucalyptus trees were shedding leaves at a great rate of knots and ground was littered with them, most dry but some still partially coloured. This pair of leaves were stuck together by a bit of web or similar, which along with the presence of various spots and patches, suggest than some sort of inset has been attacking or using the leaves. Maybe without the hot dry spell, they would have continued to grow and function on the tree but its possible that with the tree under stress, these were superfluous to requirements and shed. Whatever we speculate was the cause the end result was rather beautiful.

10/03/2024

I can highly recommend following the page Yellow Monday - Matthew Connors Nature Photography Matthews posts are so interesting and entertaining, he is both knowledgeable and passionate about nature in general and invertebrates in particular. This one is no exception, what do you notice is different about this butterfly? Read on....

The Evening Brown (Melanitis leda) is one of our most common butterflies here in Australia, and although it's maybe not quite as beautiful as many of our other species, I still think it's really pretty :) With that distinctive wing shape and lovely mottled patterning, it blends in really well every time it stops moving!

Now, I want you to take a close look at this butterfly for a moment. Does it look... odd? Does something look not quite right? I'll give you a moment to take a closer look.
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..
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Did you notice it? If you didn't that's okay! It's something that immediately stands out to me because I'm so used to seeing all sorts of insects, but if you're don't obsess over bugs like I do 😂 then it's probably much more difficult to see.

How many legs do insects have? Six, right? Then, why oh why does this butterfly only seem to have two pairs of legs??? Well, the entire family to which this butterfly belongs, the Nymphalidae, only use four of their legs for standing and walking. The front pair of legs are very small and are tucked up along the butterfly's body. If you have a look at this Evening Brown, you can just see one of the front legs between the head and the first big pair of legs.

The obvious question of course, is "why do they only have four functional legs??" And the truth is, we just don't really know! Isn't that exciting?? There's still so much that we just don't know about the natural world. There are a couple of different suggestions about why they have such tiny front legs - mostly they revolve around the fact that the butterflies have lots of sensory structures on these legs and can actually taste with them! But none of them are completely satisfactory, so maybe the real answer is something we've never even thought of before.

And who knows, maybe you could be the one to make the discovery! :D

This beauty is from Speewah in north Queensland, but the Evening Brown is a very widespread species found from Africa aaaaaall the way out into the Pacific, including most of the northern and eastern coast of Australia

18/02/2024

Have you ever wanted to discover the wonders of Mungo? Maybe this tour with guides from Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours is for you, more details below.

Visit Lake Mungo to hear it's magic songs. Learn about Australia's ancient history in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area.

09/02/2024

Cycling the magnificent Snowy River Country - what an adventure this will be! See below for details of this small group, fully supported cycling adventure with Snowy River Cycling. BYO bike or hire one - even an e-bike if you prefer. Don't miss out!!

Come on an adventure of a life time! Over 5 days you will ride through the wilderness of the Snowy River Country, taking in the breath taking views of mountains, valleys, water falls and much more!
Better yet this ride is fully supported! You will have a support vehicle, daily luggage transfers and all meals included. Come on an adventure of a life time! Over 5 days you will ride through the wilderness of the Snowy River Country, taking in the breath taking views of mountains, valleys, water falls and much more!
Better yet this ride is fully supported! You will have a support vehicle, daily luggage transfers and all meals included. Check out the tour dates below for 2024 or get in touch for a private booking

30/01/2024

Bruthen's amazing little Op Shop has been so busy during the holidays and has a fantastic SALE on now. If you are ever travelling though Bruthen, do stop and support our town. There are shady gardens, great places to eat, a real country General Store, specialty shops and of course the Op Shop! Bright and cheerful, the stock changes regularly and there are bargains for everyone. Follow their page to keep up to date.

31/12/2023

Farewell to 2023 and
Welcome to 2024
Featuring the pelicans of the Gippsland Lakes - appearing so awkward on land, but so graceful in the water.

23/12/2023

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas and acknowledging that it is not a happy time for everyone. No matter how you spend Christmas and the holiday period, I hope you are able to find things that bring you joy and also are able to find a way to share some joy with someone else. Although Gippsland High Country Tours is no longer operating any tours, this page will remain here to share nature news, articles and alternative nature holiday ideas in East Gippsland and beyond. If you missed news of our closure and the final farewell newsletter you can find a link to it on this page https://www.gippslandhighcountrytours.com.au/blog/farewell (or go to the NEWS page of the website)
Photo is sunset from the top of the Great Dividing Range near Mt Hotham last summer on the last Alpine Discovery Tour.