here - Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association

NOVEMBER 2007
VOLUME 18 THREE
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3

Childhood dream A presidential introduction
A
few years ago I had a recollection that shook me.
I realised I was one of those people who grow up to
be precisely what they dreamed of being as a child.
This might not seem like something to ‘shake’ one, but
it put the lie to my own long-held conviction that I am,
deep down, a person who can never make up their mind. A
conviction persistantly reinforced by friends and family.
This memory was of a springtime walk along the Plenty
River in Greensborough where I grew up. Perhaps I was
thirteen years old, which would make it about 1983. I was
on the bend of the river near Partington’s Flat, a sports
field set in a beautiful natural amphitheatre.
Elm trees, Willow and old Pear trees from long
abandoned orchards fought above my head for airspace
with Manna Gum and Silver Wattle. Watsonia, Ixia and
Panic grasses skirmished with Poa tussocks and a handful
of other indigenous plants for dominance of the ground.
As I walked, I pondered the botanical battlefield around
me. As you can see, I was kind of precocious when it came
to appreciating the distinction between indigenous and
exotic plants. I clearly recall thinking how satisfying
it would be to be employed in removing the exotic
vegetation and planting back some of the bushland
vegetation. For several minutes I transformed the
landscape in that little bend of river in my mind’s eye,
replacing the dusty, dank, shade under the elms with
a dappled, tussocky woodland alive with insects and
birdlife.
I had a vague sense that some people did do this
as a profession. Probably they did it over in Eltham,
whose environmental and artistic achievements filled
out the pages of the Diamond Valley News. Each
week I could read the exploits of the Eltham district
populace and its legendary and picturesque
environmental pioneers such as Neil Douglas
and Clifton Pugh. All the same, I was given
the strong impression that it was the
unemployed, and those on community
service orders who were lucky enough
to spend every day in what I felt to be
my ideal occupation. I quietly put away
my daydream, considering that, as this wasn’t
a ‘real’ profession, I couldn’t pursue it as a realistic
career goal.
For over twenty years, I forgot that I had ever had
the daydream at all.
Over the succeeding years, my solitary explorations
steadily reached upstream to the stunning Plenty
Gorge, and into Yandell Reserve where I was first
enraptured by native orchids. Eventually I ‘discovered’
the stretch of the old Maroondah aqueduct at St
Helena. The narrow banks of this hundred year
old waterway were over an hour’s hilly walk from
my home. I would arrive tired and footsore but
would immediately revive under the spell of a
living dreamscape that drew me back on a score of
weekends. Hordes of Donkey-orchids and Sunorchids,
Triggerplants and Everlastings replaced
Triggerplant
each other over successive springtime visits. Dozens of
other wildflowers and grasses played supporting roles.
In summer I was astonished by glamorous Hyacinth
orchids under the rows of planted Sugar Gums. An eerie
soundtrack was often provided by the local mob of Whitewinged
Coughs.
I was sixteen when all this was destroyed. I heard the
news on the Eclectic Parrot radio show on 3RRR. George
Paras was describing the efforts that had been made to
save this spot from the developers bulldozers. It turned out
I was not the only one who had appreciated this spot. (I
heard a week later that George broke an arm being pushed
into the aqueduct by a bulldozed tree as he rescued plantsthat’s
dedication!). I attended the mangled ruins of the
aqueduct in the following week, experiencing grief that I
would recognise years later as akin to attending the funerals
of much-loved relatives. I know many IFFA members will
have had similar experiences.
In following years I completed a Forest Science degree,
did time working in my parent’s bookshop and had a
detour into botanical and wildlife illustration before
landing a position in the Merri Creek Management
Committee’s Parkland Management Team.
am still there ten years later.
I In my roles at MCMC I have controlled
weeds, planted indigenous plants, collected
seed, planned species lists and layouts,
conducted vegetation surveys, observed
and documented wildlife and ecological
processes, assisted Planners and Parkland
Team Coordinators, designed and
edited pamphlets and publications,
produced displays, maintained a
reference library, conducted
GIS mapping, provided
comments on planning
permits, designed and run
community engagement
activities such as planting
days and Golden Sun-moth surveys,
liaised with community, Council officers,
contractors and crew, students and scientists.
It is a diverse, challenging and I think
respected occupation (although it is only recently
that some of my family have stopped asking me
when I will get a ‘real’ job). I have also maintained
a small freelance wildlife illustration business and
have become involved in my local Community House
native garden group and committee.
That long-forgotten daydream, among many
thousands that haven’t, eventually became reality. I am
quite pleased that this particular one did.
I have recently had the honour of having been
elected president of IFFA. I am new to its committee
but have already learnt to appreciate its good-natured
an experienced membership. There is much that IFFA
can offer to both old-timers and new-comers to the
area of flora and fauna management. Reminding our
2
INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC

disparate and independent-minded community of this fact
will be a major theme in the coming year.
Among the ‘old hands’, the niche of IFFA, among an
increasingly crowded field of journals and organisations has
been a topic of intense discussion. I personally value the
IFFA newsletter as a means of learning the preoccupations
of colleagues and for its rays of light-heartedness such as
Letter from the suburbs. Over fifty years ago, in his Sand
Country Almanac, Aldo Leopold succinctly described that
“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that
one lives alone in a world of wounds.”(my emphasis).
Thankfully, organisations like IFFA reassure us that while
we may live in a world of wounds, we are not alone in this
perception.
What are your thoughts on what IFFA is now or could
become in the future?
I’d appreciate your ideas.
Brian ‘Prez’ Bainbridge
IFFA’s new Vice President
Vanessa Craigie
My background is in marine ecology but for the
last fifteen years I’ve focussed very much on the
ecology and management of native grasslands.
In my private life I maintain an interest in both areas, being
a keen diver and an ambitious gardener of native plants of
the Volcanic Plains.
I was a member of IFFA from its earliest days and I’m
thrilled to see it arise again from the near-dead. In addition
I’m a member of VNPA, EV, WWF, Friends of the Merri,
Friends of Evans St Grassland, Victorian Indigenous
Nurseries Cooperative, Project Jonah, Australian Marine
and Coastal Society (AMCS) – which makes life a bit
difficult come fund-raising time.
I currently work for the Threatened Species &
Communities section of DSE, and I’ve worked in DSE in
its various incarnations and names since 1985.
Above: Milkmaids, Burchardia umbellata
Cover: Tiger Orchid, Diuris sulpherea, both pictured at the
Grange Heathland Reserve in Clayton South, October 2007.
Pictures: Mick Connolly
IFFA Field Trip
Vegetation Communities of
the Eastern Dandenongs
Saturday 1 December
Field trip led by Darcy Duggan
Meet at 10:30 am at Selby Community House,
Wombalana Road Selby. Melways Map 75 K11
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3
3

Paddock deep . . .
It was a glorious day, the sun was shining
and 14 expectant people met at the
entrance to Bush’s Paddock (Mulla Mulla
Grasslands) equipped with binoculars and
ID books, while our visiting entomologist,
Ian Faithfull brought his butterfly net and
collecting kit – we had all the ingredients
for a successful outing.
An overview of the management history of the
paddock was presented by Frances Overmars
from the Pinkerton Landcare Group, and then the
group set out. We made our chequered passage through the
paddock stopping to view whatever caught our attention.
We viewed Ptilotus spathulatus which had survived the
drought despite being planted in the 2006, it had receded
into a neat rosette of deep green leaves, we also viewed the
below ground tuberous roots of the weed, Prairie ground
cherry, no wonder this weed is a survivor. We enjoyed
the brilliant flowering Yellow rush-lily (Tricroyne elatior),
the blue flowering Wahlenbergia, the bright pink flower
of the ever reliable Convolvulus erubescens, Smooth
riceflower ( Pimelea glauca), the Green rock fern (Cheilanthes
austrotenuifolia) and the basal leaves of Chocolate lily
(Arthropodium strictum). We found that Grassland Cranesbill
(Geranium retrorsum) had started to grow in response to
the recent scattered rain showers.
The healthiest looking plants grew on and around the
basalt rocks, demonstrating the role they play in survival
of the grassland species during drought conditions. We
considered that the roots would have been protected by the
rocks. The Themeda grass had in the main dried out into
a surface covering of brown leaves, resembling minature
grass skirts, and since the rain, a few green shoots have
started to appear. The Austrostipa grasses were looking
comparatively healthy, the Red-leg grasses (Bothriochloa
macra) were setting seed as was the Windmill grass (Chloris
truncata) looking almost as if the drought hadn’t occurred.
There was much to learn from the members of the
group which included Ian and Tony Faithfull, Dr.Graeme
Lorimer, and members of FO Organ Pipes and Merri
Creek, the Little River Improvement Society. Many of
the group had experience in managing grassland species
and others were specialists in their particular field. Debbie
Reynolds for example, last year completed her BSc honours
degree on the importance of soil disturbance for the
recruitment, growth and reproduction of grassland forbs.
We viewed a pretty white spotted butterfly Pieris rapae,
the introduced Cabbage White, and two other butterfly
species, the Common Brown Heteronympha merope and the
Saltbush Blue Theclinesthes serpentata. The latter was flying
around Atriplex (saltbush) which is a larval host plant.
We saw yellow winged locusts Gastrimargus musicus and
the Long-headed Grasshopper or Giant Green Slantface
(misleading name, since the ones seen were brown) Acrida
conica. Ian found a matchstick grasshopper, probably
Vandiemenella viatica, a small wingless species in the family
Morabinae. This group is of special interest because it
has been intensively studied by geneticists and others
interested in speciation. V. viatica has at least 12 different
chromosomal races, which apparently do not overlap in
their distribution but form narrow hybrid zones where
races meet and interbreed. Whitefringed Weevils Naupactus
leucoloma were common. This is a South American pest
species which attacks clovers and lucerne in particular, and
is likely to be damaging to seedlings of native forbs. We
looked under the scattered tiles for Striped Legless Lizards,
but had no luck.
Graeme Lorimer told us how the currents of salt laden
air from Port Phillip Bay, striking Mt. Cotterell, the highest
point on the basalt plains, may effect the plant species on
the Mount and that some of them may have adapted to
these conditions.
We had initially decided to have morning tea in the
paddock, however, it was past 1pm before we paused, and
then rapidly departed for lunch in the nearby Pinkerton
Forest.
Large nests of the Meat Ant Iridomyrmex purpureus were
inspected. Dr Lorimer explained that the ironstone gravel
decorating the mounds is deliberately maintained by the
ants to assist in the regulation of temperature in the nest.
The excursion concluded around 3pm, with enthusiasm
for a return visit in spring.
Frances Overmars and Ian Faithfull
Field trip 31 March 2007
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Pimelea glauca
INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC

. . . mountain high
On Sunday 21st October IFFA held a field
trip to Bush’s Paddock and Mt Cottrell in
association with Pinkerton Landcare and
Environment Group.
This was a follow-up to the March field trip
designed to see more flowering of the Spring
flowering plants. Despite the extreme drought
conditions we were still able to observe a variety of
wildflowers at Bush’s Paddock. The bright yellow
flowers of the Podolepis
planted beside the gate
at Mt Cottrell Road
grew among the fluffy
plumes of the Pussytails
(Ptilotis spathulata).
Common Everlasting
daisies (Chrysocephalum
apiculatum) were
flowering in the
paddocks lower down
the track, Creamy
Candles (Stackhousia
monogyna) were
finishing flowering
while the Blue Grasslilies
(Caesia callilantha)
were about to flower.
Blue Devils (Eryngium
ovinum) were also quite
prevalent despite the
dry conditions. Many
Featherheads (Ptilotis
macrocephalus) were in
flower, the flowerheads
standing above the
dry grasses. They were
however not so tall or
as common as last year,
no doubt a response to
the dry conditions. The
walk in the protected
enclosure showed many more wildflowers, such as
Sticky, Common and Pale Everlastingsand Scaly Buttons.
A feature of the excursion to Bush’s Paddock was
the unexpected appearance of a large and noisy flock
of White-browed Woodswallows. This flock appeared
to consist of well over 100 birds. They whirled and
circled above the edge of
the woodland and over
the adjacent grassland,
noisily hawking for insects.
These birds migrate from
northern Australia each
summer to breed here. Their
close relatives, the Dusky
Woodswallows, arrived in the Melton area about a
month ago, but this massed flock seems to dramatically
mark the arrival of the more brightly coloured Whitebrowed
Woodswallows.
A week later, many were seen leaving Bush’s Paddock
in groups of about a dozen, heading north-east. They
have also since appeared in other areas around Melton.
They will most probably disappear in January-February
after breeding, while the Dusky Woodswallows will leave
a few months later.
Ptilotus macrocarpus
The first blood shed in Victoria
between the white settlers and the
local Aboriginal peoples occurred
on the slopes of Mt Cottrell.
In the adjoining
paddock was a
large flock of
about 50 Strawnecked
Ibis, walking
slowly across the
ground, their long
curved bills probing
the grass for insects.
Their low muttering
as they walked
sounded almost
like muffled human
voices at a distance.
The air was full
of the sounds
of grasshoppers
and small cicadas
(Smoky Buzzer
cicadas, Cicadetta
waterhousei) so the
ibis would have had
rich pickings among
the grass. A few of
them flew into the
air at our approach
but the majority
seemed unmoved
by our proximity.
Following a
couple of hours at
Bush’s Paddock we
then drove to Mt
Cottrell, where we parked beside the main gate (hung
heavily with the largest collection of padlocks ever seen)!
Rather than try to find the one lock matching the key,
we climbed the gate instead. The walk from Faulkiners
Road to the summit was more grueling than expected.
On the way up the track
to the summit we found
the desiccated remains of
a very dead Little Whip
Snake. These small snakes
are common on the basalt
plains west of Melbourne.
Views from the
summit of Mt Cottrell are
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3 5

Chrysocephalum apiculatum;
Smoky Buzzer Cicada,
Cicadetta waterhousei.
spectacular, especially so as this volcanic cone stands
alone in the middle of a large volcanic plain. The
neighbouring cones are low in comparison, offering no
interruption to the panoramic views. The You Yangs
stood out to the south in the midst of the flat plains
while Mounts Macedon, Gisborne, Bullengarook and
Blackwood towered above the surrounding ranges to the
north. Even container ships lying at anchorage in the
bay were clearly visible, awaiting berths at the container
terminals.
The summit was dry and rocky, but even here the
native bluebells (wahlenbergia) flourished among the
rocks; masses of blue star-shaped flowers waving in
the wind among the dark broken basalt and withered
grasses. On the exposed northern summit could be seen
several clumps of Stipa scabra in flower.
Mt Cottrell has a unique place in the history of
Victoria. The first blood shed in Victoria between the
white settlers and the local Aboriginal peoples occurred
on the slopes of Mt Cottrell. Possession of this land was
not relinquished lightly. Lying among the basalt boulders
was a tiny scraping tool. The whiteness of the quartzite
artefact contrasted brightly among the dark basalt, an
enduring reminder of the first inhabitants of the area.
As we descended down the track we were treated
to the sight of a small mob of kangaroos. These live
on and around the slopes of Mt Cottrell, making a
living despite the drought and lack of tree cover. Their
presence demonstrates the ability of these animals
to survive both in drought and in cleared farmland.
Areas such as Mt Cottrell are important as they provide
a haven in which native wildlife can survive in a sea
of encroaching subdivision and increasing housing
development
Darryl Akers
6
Lunch at summit of Mt Cottrell (with Cobbledick Reserve, Eynesbury Forest and You Yangs in background)
INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC

These photos of Willy
Wagtail chicks in their
nest were taken by
Lindsay Moore. It’s
amazing how quickly
the babies grow. The
nest, which uses lots
of spiderwebs, was
in a vine in an urban
backyard.
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3
7

Invertebrate websites
I have always been interested in
invertebrates. All my life I have observed
them, and for many years I have
photographed them.
I have always found it hard to ID those I have seen.
Many books relied on detailed entomological knowledge.
More generally accessible books often have rather a
northern Australian bias; not useful when I spent most of
my time in southern Victoria.
The World Wide Web aimed to make information
sharing much easier, and so it has.
There are some wonderful sites that can help you
identify and learn about the invertebrates that you see. Here
are just a few that I find useful.
I hope you enjoy looking at these, and discovering
MANY more.
Wendy Moore
http://linus.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/larvae.html
Australian caterpillars, moths and butterflies
Lots of photos and information about the these diverse
animals.
This was the site that introduced me to, and hooked me on,
the wonderful resources to be found on-line.
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/pchew_brisbane/
index.html
This site was created by a Brisbane family to share their
passion for the invertebrates they find, and the results of
their research into them.
The photos are absolutely stunning.
Their passion and dedication is inspirational!
http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/
Australian Butterflies, Snakes, Frogs, Mammals and Lizards
on the Web - The Victorian Fauna
If you want to ID a Victorian butterfly, for instance, look here:
http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/
butter/images/bthumbmenu.htm
http://www.ecology-solutions.com.au/vic_
dragonflies/
The Victorian Dragonflies Group comprises wildlife
enthusiasts who, over the course of the last three years have
been compiling information about these fascinating insects.
This website contains everything from species accounts
and identification information, to a sightings atlas and flight
periods.
http://www..xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/australian/
Spidaus.html
Spiders of Australia with information and pictures
This site aims to show the common spiders of Australia
by means of colour photos and some informative text. All
the pages together contain over 600 pictures with 240
species of spiders that were photographed in Queensland,
New South Wales, Victoria, Northern-Territory and Western
Australia.
Amazing photos and lots of interesting information.
http://www.ento.csiro.au/gallery/moths/albums.php
Photos of moth museum specimens. Useful for ID.
http://www.ento.csiro.au/science/ants/default.htm
Australian Ants Online, The Guide to the Australian Ant Fauna
S. O. Shattuck & N. J. Barnett.
Includes scientific ID keys and lots of other information.
http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/zoology/multipedes/
tasmilli/milintro.html
Tasmanian Millipedes site: Most multipedes are millipedes.
Tasmania has at least nine introduced millipede species
and at least 160 natives. The introduced species are
abundant on farms and in gardens, and are familiar to
every householder. Few people, however, are aware of the
remarkable diversity of our native millipedes, which are
found in all terrestrial habitats from sedgeland to rainforest
and from coastal dunes to rocky alpine areas. There are
also cave-adapted millipedes in Tasmania and at least one
semi-aquatic diving millipede. While this might be about
Tasmanian multipedes, it has lots of interesting information.
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INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC

Ideas for further development of the website
Grey literature database
1 Grey literature is a term describing materials not
identifiable through a traditional index or database. This
includes clippings, reports, newsletters, etc. Much of
the work that is done on indigenous flora and fauna is
published in very limited print runs, and supplied to a
client, who may or may not make it available publicly. If
the client does make it available publicly on a website, it
may be available only for a relatively short time. This makes
locating relevant earlier reports quite difficult, especially
when staff turnover at the client means that no-one knows
about anything that happened more than a few years ago.
IFFA could set up a database on its website allowing for
members to search the database by keyword for relevant
reports, add new titles to the database, add reviews of the
documents, links to them where they are published online,
etc. With permission from the authors some documents
might be made available on the website where they were
not available elsewhere.
Council by Council environmental
2
performance blogs
Not happy with the performance of your Council?
Alternately they might have done something really good
that other Councils could emulate. IFFA could set up a
number of blogs (perhaps one for each Council) where
members could record the good and the bad for others to
see and comment on and add their own experiences.
3
Training for use of website
I am still aiming to organise a training session in how
to use IFFA’s website and add material. Initially the training
will be for Committee members, but others interested
should get in touch.
Workspace for development of a Victorian
4standard for management plans, flora
surveys, etc
Frustrated because the report you struggled to get that
developer to do isn’t up to scratch? But there’s no standard
to match it up against. IFFA could create a workspace
where members could build a standard for such documents.
Your criticisms would have more power then.
Consultants could use the standards to demonstrate they
have done the appropriate amount of work, and avoid the
problem of poorly defined expectations.
5 Moderators
These ideas will only work if there is someone
interested enough in them to become a “moderator” for
that section of the website. Moderators screen material for
relevance, adding their expertise when appropriate, and
should aim to generate interest and participation in that
section of the site. If you’re interested please contact me.
Website virtual workshop
6
Northern Pacific Sea-star poster
Fishcare Victoria has produced a poster aimed
primarily at recreational fisheries users to alert
them to the threat posed by the introduced
Northern Pacific Sea-star, but also to remind
people that there are native starfish which are
protected.
The Northern Pacific Sea-star has:
n five arms with pointed upturned tips
n mainly yellow colouration and purple detail
n arms covered in many small spines with jagged ends
that are arranged irregularly.
The Northern Pacific sea-star arrived in Port Phillip
in the 1980’s in the ballast water of ships. It is a declared
noxious marine pest in Victoria and as such must not be
returned to the water. The Northern Pacific sea-star is
a voracious predator which attacks shellfish and poses a
threat to the marine environment. It is a pest because:
n it competes with native sea-stars for the same food
resources.
Following the training I plan to organise virtual planting
days - where we all don’t get together but work together
on adding (“planting”) material on the website. I’d set up a
help line for anyone who was having problems.
If you’re interested in any of these ideas, please give me
a call on (03) 93860264, or email me at editor@iffa.org.au,
or post a comment on the forum on the IFFA web page
Tony Faithfull
n it breeds quickly from a young age;
n it has few if any predators in our waters;
n shellfish do not recognise it as a threat, making them
easy prey.
The poster is available at http://www.fishcare.org.
au/Seastar%20poster%20for%20the%20web.pdf
Call for articles
Indigenotes is a newsletter by IFFA members for IFFA
members. Stories, snippets, photos, reports from
members are always welcome. If it’s something you’re
doing with flora or fauna or habitat, write it down and
send it to the editor at editor@iffa.org.au. What you
write doesn’t have to be sophisticated or complicated,
although it can be if you want. Indigenotes is not a
peer-reviewed journal, so it is probably not the best
place for scientific papers, however short summaries
of papers published elsewhere are welcome.
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3
9

IFFA Annual General Meeting 2006
Final minutes
9th June 2007, Kew Library
In Attendance:
Randall Robinson, Michele Arundell, Tony Faithfull,
Peter Neish, Linda Bradburn and Laurie Hanson.
Apologies:
Liz Henry, Dimi Bouzalas, Caroline Dunn
1. Minutes of Previous Meeting
Michele Arundell (Secretary)
Meeting held on 3rd May 2005 at Edinborough Gardens
Community Room. 7.30 - 10.30 pm.
Minutes prepared by Dimi Bouzalas to be published in
Indigenotes.
2. Treasurer’s Report 2005 - 2006
Caroline Dunn (Treasurer)
Prepared by Caroline Dunn and presented by Tony
Faithfull. (as attached).
Balance $31,000, Net Income $3,834.
Liz Henry recommended higher investment potential of
6% would provide $1,800 interest.
3. Report on Achievements 2005 - 2006
• Meetings: Report from Michele Arundell (Secretary)
IFFA Committee Meetings: 5 meetings held during
2005 - 2006: 7/6/2005 (Kew) 6/9/2005, 20/12/2005
(Boronia), 10/1/2006 and 9/5/2006 (Brunswick).
• No IFFA General Meetings held.
Indigenotes:
Report from Tony Faithfull (Editor)
• 4 Issues: Vol. 16 No.2 June 2005, Vol. 16 No.3 October
2005, Vol. 16 No.4 December 2005 and
Vol. 17 No.1 May 2006.
Web Site:
Report from Peter Neish (Web Master)
• Additions to website.
Peter Neish informed member that a new host: Jumba, a
Melbourne based content management system is now set
up but under-utilized.
• Tony Faithfull suggested that we need to arrange a redirect
from the old site to the new one. Multiple requests
to update Indigenous Nurseries detail.
• Randall Robinson suggested that Valentino Stasjic was
providing good information on provenance (for the
weeds website) and recommended that we include a topic
of provenance on the IFFA website.
• Liz Henry and Linda Bradburn suggested we load
pictures to the website “what members have seen today”.
• Peter Neish suggested we would need to re-size photos
to fit.
• It was also raised that we needed to include links to events
pages.
• Members present discussed the purchase a computer to
the value of $1,200 including 6 months web access for
Michele Arundell to improve membership contact and
stimulate web use by members and for use by Indigenous
Nurseries Network. Moved Tony Faithfull. Seconded
Laurie Hanson.
• Peter Neish will provide a training session once computer
purchased and set up.
Activities / Sponsorship / Submissions
• Habitat Assessment Workshop: 3rd May 2005, James Todd
and Pat Vaughan, North Fitzroy.
• Fungal Foray: 18th June 2005 Bruce Fuhrer, Warrandyte
State Park
• EPBC Workshop: 29th Oct 2005, Lyndall Kennedy,
Melbourne University, Burnley.
• Aboriginal Plant Use and Land Management Workshop:
11th March 2006, Beth Gott, Victoria University,
Melbourne.
• IFFA 20 year Reunion:
18th June 2006, Geoff Carr and Randall Robinson,
Latrobe University Wildlife Reserves.
Membership Report
Dimi Bouzalas (Membership Secretary)
Prepared by Dimi Bouzalas and presented by Tony
Faithfull, (see attached).
• Overview: 30/6/05 165 members, 30/6/06 152
members, 21/12/06 156 members compared with
30/12/04 91 members.
4. Election of Office Bearers 2005 - 2006
Nominations received:
Committee 2004 - 2005
President Randall Robinson
Vice President Ken Duxbury
Secretary Michele Arundell
Treasurer Caroline Dunn
Editor
Tony Faithfull
Membership Sec. Dimi Bouzalas
Public Officer Peter Wlodarczyk
IFFA Committee John Greening & Liz Henry
Election of Office Bearers 2005 - 2006
Re-nominated Elected
President Randall Robinson Randall Robinson
Vice President Ken Duxbury *Ken Duxbury
Secretary Michele Arundell Michele Arundell
Treasurer Caroline Dunn Caroline Dunn
Editor Tony Faithfull Tony Faithfull
Member. Sec. Dimi Bouzalas Dimi Bouzalas
Public Officer Peter Wlodarczyk *Peter Wlodarczyk
IFFA Committee John Greening, *John Greening,
Liz Henry, Liz Henry
Activities Coordinator Linda Bradburn Linda Bradburn
*Nominations assumed in absentee
General Business
Future IFFA Activities were discussed.
• Debate on Provenance
• Tour of Mt Cotterell & Bush’s Paddock
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INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC

• Future Committee Meetings:
Committee member availability was discussed for future
committee meetings.
General Business
Future IFFA Activities were discussed.
• Debate on Provenance
Linda suggested a talk on Provenance.
Randall suggested that this would need 4 or 5 months
lead time and that VUT bookings would need to be
in University breaks. Randall is to get a schedule of
availability and approach 2 genetics researchers from
Canberra (Linda & Andrew Young),
Michele to contact Ian Lunt and Laurie Hanson to
contact National Herbarium Senecio specialist.
Additional contributions were suggested from Indigenous
Nurseries, Judy Allen, Peter Wlodarczyk, Scott Watson
(VicRoads), Randall (Melaleucas) Geoff Carr (Dianellas).
Articles could be published in IFFA Occasional papers.
• Tour of Mt Cotterell & Bush’s Paddock
Linda suggested a spring tour of Mt Cotterell and Bushes
Paddock in conjunction with an article in Indigenotes.
Membership
IFFA membership costs
$40 for non-profit organizations,
$50 for corporations,
$25 for individuals and families,
or $20 concession.
Membership includes
n 4 issues of Indigenotes per year,
n enhanced access to IFFA’s website
at iffa.org.au
n discount subscription to
Ecological Management & Restoration
Journal (2008 price is $62.70
including GST)
Members should check the mailing label to
ascertain the status of their membership. If an
invoice is required, please send a purchase order
requesting an invoice.
Membership applications and renewals should
be sent to the Treasurer.
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3
Indigenous Flora and
Fauna Association
IFFA aims to promote the appreciation,
study, conservation and management of
indigenous flora and fauna through:
n research and discussion
n networking and advocacy
n information exchange
Website: www.iffa.org.au
Incorporated Association No: A0015723B
Office Bearers
n President: Brian Bainbridge, 7 Jukes Rd
Fawkner 3060 (03) 9359 0290(ah)
email: president@iffa.org.au
n Vice-President: Vanessa Craigie,
email: vicepres@iffa.org.au, phone 94973730 (ah).
n Secretary: Michele Arundell (03) 9755 3347 (ah)
email: secretary@iffa.org.au
n Membership Development Officer: Dimi Bouzalas
(03) 93860264
email: membership@iffa.org.au
n Treasurer: Caroline Dunn, 4 Abbotsford Street,
Abbotsford 3067 email: treasurer@iffa.org.au
n Committee members: Liz Henry, (03) 9890 4542
(h), Jon Greening.
n Activities Officer: Linda Bradburn, 6 Stephen
Street, West Preston, (03) 9416 7184(ah),
email activities@iffa.org.au.
n Editor: Tony Faithfull, (03) 9386 0264 (ah). 21
Harrison St East Brunswick 3057.
editor@iffa.org.au
n Public Officer: Peter Wlodarzyck, 0418 317 725
email: greybox-grasslands@bigpond.com
n Webmaster: Peter Neish, web@iffa.org.au
Indigenotes
Indigenotes is the newsletter of the Indigenous Flora
and Fauna Association. Contributions to Indigenotes
should be sent to the editor — the deadline for the
next issue is 10 December 2007. Contributions must
be in electronic form, either on PC formatted floppy
disk or CD or can be sent to the editor by email.
The views expressed in Indigenotes are not necessarily
those of the Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association.
11

Contents
President’s letter 2
Bush’s Paddock, Pinkerton Forest trip 4
Bush’s Paddock, Mt Cottrell field trip 5
Willy Wagtail pictorial 7
Invertebrate websites 8
Website development ideas 9
IFFA AGM minutes 10
IFFA Field Trip
Vegetation Communities of the
Eastern Dandenongs
Saturday 1 December
DETAILS PAGE 3
INDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC
St Andrew’s Cross Spider , Argiope keyserlingi. Picture: Mick Connolly