Category: News
Win tickets to Disney’s Planes Preview Screening
Exciting news Junior Rangers! To celebrate our love for Victoria’s national parks, and the role Parks Victoria plays in managing fire in these special places, we’ve got tickets to Disney’s new animation Planes Fire and Rescue. And best of all, we’d like to invite you to come along!
Brimbank’s playscape just got better!
A new all-terrain wheel chair available at Brimbank Park now makes it easier for children with a disability and their families to enjoy visiting the park’s playscape.
The new wheelchair is a great addition to Brimbank Park, particularly as the new playscape has been designed especially to cater for children with a disability. You can also take the all-terrain chair nearly anywhere in the park, as it is suited for sandy and semi-rough tracks and can easily disassemble and fit in the back of a station wagon.
Grab Shell Dude! – Baby loggerhead turtle rescue
Photo: Ron Waters
While holidaying at Mallacoota Inlet (far eastern Victorian coastline) some keen eyed kids discovered a lost baby loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). Just as the turtle was to be returned to the water, Parks Victoria’s Ron Waters noticed the river was closed to the ocean, spelling disaster for the young sea-goer. Instead, some telephone calls were made and the turtle was taken to the Merimbula Aquarium, where the turtle will be rehabilitated and released by expert hands.
What if I see an animal in need?
If you see a native animal you think needs help, report it immediately. Even the best intentions to help (as with returning the baby loggerhead to the river) may cause more stress to the animal. It is always best to call an expert for help.
Report injured animals to Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) Customer Service Centre on 136 186. You can also get in contact with a local Parks Victoria ranger by calling 13 1963.
Bye Bye Birdies
Millions of shore birds will be tweeting “See you later, Australia!” as they hightail it out of here in search of warmer weather. Having spent the summer in Victoria’s wetlands and saltmarshes, most will be gone by the 10th May. Shorebirds’ bodies have gone through a series of changes in the lead up to their long journey north. Fatter bodies, skinny legs, bigger heart muscles and brains wired to be half asleep and half awake at the same time will help these birds on their continuous journey north.
Where can I spot a shorebird before it leaves?
Victoria is proud to have eleven internationally significant wetlands. Test your bird spotting skills at one of these sites and create your own pair of wetland stilts in honour of their journey. You can also learn more about migratory birds at http://farewellshorebirds.org.au/
Rare animal sightings at the Grampians
Two rare nocturnal animals have recently been spotted in the Grampians National Park. In December, cameras set up in the bush captured pictures of a Long Nosed Potoroo (left). Then in February they also caught a glimpse of a Spotted-tail Quoll (right). Both these animals are very rare, with the Spotted-tail Quoll thought to be extinct for the last 140 years.
This is very good news for the animals living in the Grampians National Park because it suggests the environment is healthy and there aren’t too many pests or predators hanging around. “We have been undertaking extensive fox control and other conservation works across this landscape for decades, and we know those efforts are paying off” says Ranger in Charge Dave Roberts.
Potoroos and Quolls are nocturnal, meaning they are awake at night hunting for food and sleep all day. While you might not see these rare animals in person, you can still search for clues that they were there by looking for their footprints, shown in the picture above.
Which other animals you find in your local park? Check out our Wildlife Detective activity to help hone your skills and find hard to spot animals.
Brimbank Playscape Launch
Thanks to the Keilor Primary School students who helped to officially open the new playscape at Brimbank Park earlier this year. We’re glad you’ve given it the big thumbs up and look forward to seeing lots more kids and families enjoying this wonderful place with heaps to explore and discover.
The playscape is great for children of all abilities. It features a giant Bunjil’s nest for children to climb, a maze with many elements to discover, and a ‘build-your-own’ cubby house structure.
