“Meet you at the Bowlo,” has been a part of Daylesford’s dinning vocabulary for many, many years.

While other establishments come and go, the Daylesford Bowling Club has been a centre of the community for 125 years. And that tradition is set to continue with recently arrived chefs Geoff Wellington and Sharnee Halson and a new menu commencing this month.

“We are just putting the finishing touches to it now” says Geoff, “including local beef cheek and mash with red wine, chicken scaloppini and scotch fillet.

“It will also feature some blasts from the past specials such as ham, steak and pineapple, lambs fry, steak and kidney, curried sausages and salmon patties.”

I decided to see what was on offer on a busy Sunday afternoon and brought friend Gabrielle along, who did not need too much convincing.

Aside from the great selection on the current menu, there was a host of specials on the board.

I choose Sharnee’s chicken kiev with chips and salad ($36) and a Hollick the Bard Cabernet Sauvignon ($8.5). A fantastic dish and sure to become a popular choice from the specials board with sumptuous chicken breast drenched in garlic butter encased in a golden breadcrumb crusted chips and a crispy garden salad.

Gabrielle selected the pan grilled salmon with tossed salad, chips and hollandaise sauce ($36) accompanied by a 750ml bottle of Villa Jolanda Prosecco ($10).

It was a great choice with a thick salmon steak grilled to perfection smothered with a fresh, vibrant hollandaise sauce.

Dessert was a straightforward matter with two choices. I took the pavlova with berries, couli and cream while Gabrielle had the sticky date pudding. Both were only $12 and the perfect finish to a great Sunday lunch.

The Daylesford Bowling Club is very much a part of the local community supporting families and the young and older with kids-eat-free offers and seniors’ discounts. There is also a tradies’ lunch Monday to Friday with a 25 per cent discount on all main courses.

Or opt for the Sunday lunch carvery with roast pork, crackling, apple sauce and vegies accompanied by one more selection of beef, lamb or chicken and dessert for $30.”

As part of the Bowlo’s 125th anniversary celebrations the club will also have a promotion where every main meal purchased gets a ticket to go in the raffle drawn on the first of every month.

First prize is a $125 club voucher. Second is any meal in the pub for $12.50 and 3rd prize will get you any drink including a bottle of wine. All this and one of the best views over Daylesford.

Words & images: Tony Sawrey

Japan must be one of the most popular destinations for Australians, if the newspaper and magazine advertising is anything to go by. And for good reason.

It’s affordable, the people are lovely and there are myriad different spots to head to whether you love the hustle of the big cities like Tokyo and Osaka, the culture of Kyoto, the temples everywhere or the most remote areas like Shikoku or Hokkaido.

You can stick to the main tourist thoroughfares or head to places off the beaten track where the locals will be happy to say hello or practice their English.

It’s just important to remember the temples are real places of worship, not just tourist attractions, and no one likes a loud tourist.

Cherry blossom season is happening now and while people do flock to take photos of the flowers, it’s also an important time of the year for new employees to start work and students to head back to school. A time of renewal.

If you do find yourself in Japan during cherry blossom or ohanami – which translates as watching the flowers – find a local vendor for a tatami mat, grab a spot to sit and also pick up some food and drink.

There’s plenty of bento boxes or food on sticks to choose from, and there’s sake and beer everywhere on offer. If you don’t drink, the Japanese respect that too – they are a healthy bunch.

And if you want to try and few different foods, head to the department stores under most train stations. They often have food samples and are only to happy to give the foreigners a chance to try something different

At the moment, the yen is pretty much 100 to the Australian dollar, so really easy to work out as you shop.

Oh, accommodation. There are plenty of hotels you book online or perhaps try a couple of nights at a old style inn. You might find yourself on a futon on the floor, and with an Asian style squat toilet, but it’s all part of the experience – and you will definitely find old fashioned hospitality.

Transport is pretty easy. The trains run on time and the shinkansens are fantastic for their speed and convenience. Not to mention the lovely wait staff wandering along their aisles offering food and drink.

If you do step off at a station to grab a bento box make sure you watch the clock, the bullet trains wait for no one.

O tanoshimi kudasai! Please enjoy!

Words & images: Donna Kelly

Creswick’s CFA brigade team has put in an impressive effort at the recent State Firefighter Championships, showing plenty of promise ahead for this young competitive running crew.

“This is their first year running together and I was very impressed,” said coach Jason Paterson, who besides coaching the brigade’s runners also serves as second lieutenant with the brigade.

Seven members with the local brigade team, plus coach and supporters, attended the state championships in Mooroopna over March 23-24, competing in the urban seniors’ division.

More than 75 CFA urban and rural brigades from across the state competed in the championships with events for different divisions spread out over the two last consecutive weekends in March.

“We came fourth in the 4-man Y event and we were pretty consistent throughout,” coach Paterson said.

“It was a great display of how we work in a team.”

Among the team members competing in the Urban Senior Firefighting Championships on Saturday March 23, Logan Hand, 18, has been an active member of the brigade for two years, following in the footsteps of his three family members who volunteer with Creswick.

“I’ve been around the brigade my whole life and I’ve been marching with them for as long as I can remember. I always wanted to get involved as soon as I could,” Logan said.

“The championships are a great opportunity to mix with different brigades. I really enjoy the camaraderie and the friends that you get to make, both in your own team and in others.”

In the lead-up to the championships, Logan said he had been most looking forward to the ladder and cart events “as they are a bit more interactive and challenging for me”.

The team had hit the ground running early in the season, having started training twice a week from October with hopes to overcome their biggest challengers Osborne Park and Melton.

It had notched up wins in the B-Section Hose & Ladder 5 & Wet Hose with removable back cap at the Western Districts Championships held at Warrnambool in February.

“We figured because we’re a new team, we should get in some good practice,” Logan said.

Charles Huang, a 22-year-old medical student, has been a brigade member with Creswick for only just over a year, but has been putting his best foot forward on the track.

“I always go into training with the mindset of wanting to better myself and to find ways to improve my technique. I really want to get stronger and faster,” Charles said prior to the championships.

“I wasn’t very good at the ladder run initially. So, in the past few weeks, I’ve become really motivated to get better at doing it.”

Speaking prior to the recent championships at Mooroopna, Charles said he had also been particularly looking forward to the cart events – “because it is such a team effort, and everyone has a role to play,” he said.

“It’s also really exhilarating to push a decently heavy cart down the track.”

As a comparatively small team, Charles said that prior to the championships the Creswick crew had identified what they most needed to work on and had been drilling that in at training.

“A few of us weren’t powerful enough yet for the cart event, so we practised that initial segment over and over again,” he said.

“What we found was with each iteration we could really refine our technique. For me, I needed to work on my hand grip on the handle and make that a smoother transition. But after several run-throughs, I was able to actually do what we wanted.”

The brigade’s runners will now take a break from their regular twice-weekly training sessions before they resume training again around June-July ahead of the next major inter-brigade comps held towards the end of the year, Jason says.

He says that getting involved in the brigade running team is a great opportunity to encourage new memberships, with those who start out as runners with the brigade, usually ending up contributing as general brigade members as well.

“We are always looking for new brigade members, particularly daytime members,” he says.

While the runners take a breather for a couple of months, general brigade training continues at the Creswick fire station on the third Tuesday of the month, and also on Sunday mornings.

Jason says that for those interested in joining up, more information is always available through the brigade’s Facebok page.

Based, just under 10 kilometres to the north west of Creswick, the Ascot and District A team, fared notably well in the Rural Juniors category at the championships as well, ending as overall winners.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

It’s the thrill of the chase in large part that makes family history research such an addictive pursuit
for professional genealogist, Lynda Collier.

“My cousin is an actual detective and he said to me ‘you are a detective too really’, muses the
specialist researcher who lives at Wheatsheaf just out of Daylesford.

Because this niche area of historic research is all about identifying and confirming the links between
one human being to so many others back through the annals of time, it also means “bringing to life”
characters of the past, one’s own relatives. And this too especially appeals to Lynda.

“I spend a lot of time on DNA analysis,” she says.

“Even in my own family we’ve got an unknown ancestor, my mum’s great, great grandfather. I’ve
been lucky enough to test both of my parents with DNA.

“Every generation loses basically fifty percent of your parents’ DNA, because you only get half-ish
from each. And it’s not even. So from your grandparents you might have got 20 percent and 30
percent respectively. It can vary quite a lot.

“We’ve also got lots of cousins that we’ve been able to test and that helps with working out things
with DNA, and I’ve done that for quite a few people with an unknown parent, or those who know a
parent but where the name they’ve gone by their whole life wasn’t their real name. So the family
always knew there was something unknown there, and through DNA they’ve been able to find the
family.”

As a professional genealogist with a special interest in DNA, Lynda dedicates much of her own
current life to researching family histories for others and also to delving more deeply into her own
ancestry.

It’s a field of research that these days has gained a respectability in academia that it didn’t always
enjoy, and that has been popularised by television programs like ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

Lynda says public interest in genealogy or family history has increased in recent times, augmented
by significant advances in technology, particularly including DNA research techniques. She also
believes developments in AI hold plenty of positive potential for unearthing historic family linkages
and shedding light on familial ancestry in a manner not previously possible.

“Yes I think interest has increased,” she says of the uptick in people eager to uncover their own
family connections going back through the generations. You just never know who you might be
related to.

But, there’s a cautionary note, here when it comes to DNA. Those delving back into their past may
be in for some surprises, this experienced genealogist says.

“Many don’t realise that what they find may completely change what they thought about their
family, like finding out your father is not your biological father for example. All sorts of stories can
come out.”

Of course, while the “surprises” that DNA analysis may uncover might be disconcerting in some
cases, they may also be exciting, even flattering. Lynda says that when it comes to DNA research, the
revelation of “surprises” in family trees is quite common.

Lynda’s own journey with genealogy dates back to the late 1980s when she tried (unsuccessfully) to
encourage her own mother to get enthused about genealogical research. Lynda studied photography initially as a university student, going on to do honours in creative media incorporating
a focus on family history.

She then went on to complete masters post graduate studies in history through Monash University,
completing a thesis on the early female immigrants – the “needle women” who were assisted to
immigrate gratis to Australia from England on a ship called the Culloden.

From there, her research tracing her own family history has taken her to the US and to the UK where
she has unearthed here own Quaker antecedents while, in London, she uncovered a famed 1800s
actor in the family tree.

Lynda also uncovered quite a few church ministers in her own family background, and she says the
discovery of intriguing forebearers is all part of the attraction.

“I love it. Obviously. I feel like I get to know my ancestors,” she says.

As a fulltime professional genealogist, Lynda is a member of the global Association of Professional
Genealogists, the Society of Australian Genealogists and of the Genealogy Society of Victoria.

When somebody approaches her with a request to research their own family history, the sorts of sources she typically turns to may includes parish records, land titles, national archives, local archives, professional and academic organisations, old military records, census data, the registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and even old land maps revealing the names of farms and former family properties from days long lost to the mists of time.

She says that it’s really only been over the last eight years that advances in DNA research have come
to the fore in the field of family history – “before that it was very expensive. The cost has come
down a lot,” she says.

“There’s a lot online but it would be less than 10 percent of the records that are out there,” she says.
“Artificial Intelligence is already making a big impact.”

Lynda says the reasons people will turn to a genealogist to assist them in their quest to find out
more about their lineage are varied.

“Sometimes it’s because they don’t know how to go about it and sometimes it’s because they are
too busy,” says Lynda whose work in the field has resulted in the publication of quite a few books
both for herself and for others, including in coffee table style and magazine style publications.

Her earlier background in photography has proven to be very complementary to her work in
genealogy and in the work of preserving family knowledge for posterity.

“I think a lot of older people are wanting to leave something for their children. They are concerned
that it isn’t all just thrown out.”

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

Police are calling for anyone who witnessed a fatal collision at Eaglehawk to come forward as they continue to investigate the incident that occurred on Saturday evening.

It is believed that a car and a motorcycle collided near the intersection of Victoria Street and Averys Road at Eaglehawk, Bendigo, about 10.30pm on Saturday April 6.

The driver of the car and the solo rider, who had both yet-to-be formally identified as at the time of the most recent police report issued, had died at the scene.

The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are being investigated and anyone who witnessed the collision, with dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website.

Detectives from the Homicide Squad have charged a man after the body of a Clunes woman was found in Scarsdale on Friday.

A 21-year-old Sebastopol man arrested on Sunday afternoon has now been charged with one count of murder. He was required to appear before the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The 21-year-old Sebastopol man has been charged after detectives from the Homicide Squad had arrested him and another man late Sunday afternoon following the location of a Clunes woman’s body in Scarsdale on Friday.

Emergency services were called to reports of a vehicle on fire in bushland near State Forest Road just before 10am on Friday (5 April).

The remains of a 23-year-old Clunes woman were located inside the vehicle.

The woman had been reported missing by a member of her family earlier that morning.

Three search warrants were executed at residential addresses in Sebastopol yesterday afternoon (Sunday, 7 April).

Two Sebastopol men – the 21-year-old and a 22-year-old – were arrested shortly before 5pm on Sunday.

The 22-year-old man had been released, whilst the 21-year-old man remained in custody and continued to be interviewed by police.

At this stage, investigators believe the parties involved were known to each other. The investigation remains ongoing.

Any witnesses, anyone with CCTV/dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website.

Witnesses are being urged to come forward after Bendigo Crime Investigation Unit detectives charged a teenager following an alleged assault outside a Bendigo sporting club over the Easter long weekend.

It is alleged that a group of people had an altercation with a man and a woman, outside the venue on High Street, that resulted in the man being punched unconscious about 8.50pm on Saturday March 30.

He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening-injuries.

A 16-year-old Eaglehawk boy has been charged with recklessly cause injury, affray and unlawful assault.

The teen was bailed to appear before a children’s court at a later date.

Detectives are yet to identify other people who they believe may have been involved in the alleged assault and would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident.

Anyone with information is now being urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Coming up Friday evening April 26, renowned singer-songwriter Michael Meeking returns to the Palais-Hepburn for an intimate performance of soulful acoustic alternative country roots and rock.

With a magnetic stage presence, Meeking captivates his audience through a blend of showmanship, musical prowess, and remarkable songcraft.

Armed with his faithful 12-string guitar and soul-stirring husky vocals, Meeking has garnered a reputation for commanding the stage.

He will be featuring songs from his acclaimed latest album “The Night Air”, which is infused with echoes of classic American songwriters, such as Springsteen and Tom Petty.

On this album Michael has created a rousing bunch of songs that music journalist Jeff Jenkins has described as the finest in his career.

Retro vehicles will transform Ballarat’s Lydiard Street North on Sunday May 19 as part of next month’s Ballarat Heritage Festrival.

The Ballarat Classic and Vintage Car club is hosting a cavalcade of historic vehicles, motorbikes and caravans that will be displayed against the historic backdrop of Lydiard Street during the festival that happens over May 17-26.

The annual festival celebrates Ballarat’s colourful cultural history, inviting locals and visitors to discover hidden gems; uncover untold stories and explore the vibrant tapestry of Ballarat’s golden past and evolving future. 

The historic vehicle exhibition will take place on Sunday May 19 from 10am to 3pm.

The City of Ballarat is investing $4 million to repair sealed roads across the municipality as part of its annual major patching and resurfacing maintenance program.

Now underway, the annual program of works will maintain and improve sections of 70 roads, covering 44,000 square metres, from Ascot to Cardigan Village, Miners Rest and Wendouree through to Warrenheip, Canadian, Sebastopol, Redan and Buninyong.

The City of Ballarat’s 2023-24 budget features an increased investment in roads infrastructure, with the major patching and resurfacing program doubled this financial year, up on $2 million from last financial year.

Resurfacing works last week began on 1150 square metres of Tait Street, from Hertford Street to Southern Court, in Sebastopol.  

The works will use crumbed rubber asphalt as part of a trial using recycled rubber from tyres – an innovative way to promote sustainable practices while improving durability of the road and minimising cost.

Suppliers provide recycled tyres that have been processed into fine particles, which are then included in the bitumen before it is mixed with the crushed stone. The product is then laid like normal asphalt.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the City of Ballarat’s 2023-24 budget features an increased investment in roads infrastructure, with $36.3 million for maintenance and capital road programs, which includes $3 million of Federal Government funding.

“Our annual major patching and resurfacing program will ensure drivers can continue to move around as safely and efficiently as possible,” he said.

“The City of Ballarat’s investment in road infrastructure demonstrates that we are committed to delivering a better Ballarat.”

The City of Ballarat’s $2 million annual road reseal program was completed throughout summer and the $11 million road renewal program is now underway.

To celebrate the Bendigo Art Gallery’s latest exhibition Paris: Impressions of Life 1880 – 1925, the City of Greater Bendigo has launched the Café Galleries project to provide local creatives with an opportunity to exhibit their art in cafes across Bendigo. 

Café Galleries runs until Tuesday May 14, 2024, with selected artists asked to include one artwork that depicts one of three themes – City of Love and Light, Bon Appetit or La boutique – to hang alongside other original pieces. 

Twenty local artists applied through an EOI process, with 10 of those artists selected to showcase their works in seven local venues.

Cafe: Beechworth Bakery – High St
Artist: Karen McDougall 

Cafe: Peachy – View St 
Artist: Heidi Franklin 

Cafe: Get Naked Espresso – White Hills 
Artist: Steve Pole 

Cafe: Indulge Fine Belgian Chocolates – Fountain Court 
Artist: Kellie McAllister 

Cafe: HooGah – Fountain Court 
Artists: Lyn Raymer, Christopher Duffy

Cafe: PepperGreen Farm – Thunder St 
Artists: Frankie O, John Daniels

Cafe: Fox & Giraffe – Bridge St 
Artists: Wes Franklin, Linda Hermens

Lyn Raymer will be onsite at HooGah every Wednesday and Friday between 1pm-3pm to sketch café scenes. 
 
City of Greater Bendigo Creative Industries Officer Mandy Field said the program is a great opportunity for artists and creatives. 
 
“By displaying artworks in public settings, artists and creatives can raise their profile and promote their work in the community, to visiting tourists and within the creative sector,” Ms Field said. 
 
“The program is a great way to support local creatives and artists with an opportunity to sell displayed artworks and attract potential commissions. 
 
“As Bendigo is the first UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy in Australia, the Café Galleries program also aligns with the City of Gastronomy brand.” 

Luoda is their original music to Victoria’s beautiful Spa Country for the first time, playing songs from their debut album “Running Out of Time” as well as some new music to be recorded this year.

They play the Palias, Hepburn Springs on Saturday evening, April 20.

In addition to some of the country’s finest session musicians, they’ll be unveiling their newest addition – renowned Australian singer, Nina Ferro.

Original vocal-driven soul-rock from Melbourne, the members of Luoda bring extraordinary experience and sophisticated musicality to their songs.

Having pledged a lifelong commitment to refining their craft, members have written, recorded and performed in a staggering array of styles and contexts, spanning Avant-Garde Jazz to Acoustic Folk-Pop to Heavy Metal to Symphonic Orchestral music, to audiences all over the world in jazz clubs, theatres, stadiums, and through television sets.

Luoda’s music marries pop, jazz and rock sensitivities with complex chord progressions, intricate vocal harmonies and stylistic diversity.

The band’s debut album “Running Out of Time” is a powerhouse infusion of pop-rock, RnB and jazz-influenced music.

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has announced a $20 million investment to provide small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with greater access to vital research and development (R&D) opportunities to accelerate their growth.

The funding will allow CSIRO’s SME Connect team to support up to 750 SMEs through a range of programs and initiatives that provide facilitation, training, dollar-matched funding and support to start-ups and SMEs seeking to engage in company-led research projects.

One of the programs being supported is SME Connects flagship program, CSIRO Kick-Start. Since its inception in 2017, the Kick-Start program has facilitated over 280 company-led R&D projects, with alumni companies collectively holding a market value exceeding $2 billion.

Dr Doug Hilton, CSIRO’s Chief Executive, emphasised the significance of this investment and the transformative impact it would have for Australia’s critical SME sector.

“SMEs are crucial drivers of Australia’s future and so often the engine room of new, innovative thinking and solutions to many of the challenges our society faces,” Dr Hilton said.

“CSIRO’s fundamental role as the national science agency is to create benefits for Australia and that includes helping to drive SME’s productivity, sustainability and growth through greater access to R&D opportunities and conducting research to support a more resilient and diverse economy.

“CSIRO is committed to its role within the innovation ecosystem of supporting SMEs in embracing research and providing access to the resources, knowledge, and support they need to flourish.”

SMEs are the backbone of Australia’s economy, constituting 99.8 per cent of businesses, contributing to more than half to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employing 68 per cent of the private sector workforce.

CSIRO’s SME Connect team has supported start-ups and SMEs across a broad range of industry sectors including technology, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, energy and health and biosecurity.

Simon Hanson, Director CSIRO’s SME Connect said the investment helps boost Australian innovation by providing practical pathways for SMEs to leverage the expertise and facilities of the national science agency.

“Our research has shown that strong collaboration between industry and the research sector is crucial for the longevity and success of Australian SMEs,” Simon said.

“This funding injection enables us to encourage and support initiatives aimed at bridging this gap, fostering meaningful collaborations between businesses and academia, we aim to facilitate innovation and growth within the SME ecosystem.

“We are dedicated to proactively supporting SMEs nationwide by leveraging CSIRO’s extensive research capabilities and expertise, empowering them to commercialise and integrate cutting-edge innovations into their operations.”

Goterra, an award-winning start-up based in Canberra, is a shining example of the success stories emerging from CSIRO’s SME Connect programs.

Olympia Yarger, Founder of the CSIRO Kick-Start alumni company, has developed an innovative waste management system that utilises insects to process food waste, resulting in a 97 per cent reduction of greenhouse gases.

Olympia shared insights into Goterra’s collaboration with CSIRO farming experts, leveraging their expertise to overcome critical challenges.

“CSIRO’s Kick-Start program connected us with leading scientists who not only provided world class research capabilities to some of our most complex problems but were also pivotal in supporting our exploration of business opportunities, alternative technological advancements and industry connections,” Olympia said.

The Hepburn Shire Council has endorsed masterplans to guide the future planning and development of Queens Park and Pioneer Park in Clunes.  

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said masterplans have helped to identify the priority works for the two centrally-located and popular parks. 

“The masterplans aim to identify facilities and infrastructure at the sites that would improve accessibility, safety and connectivity, but also to draw more people to the sites and increase the visitation,” said Cr Hood. 

“The plans were developed after valuable feedback from the community. They also prioritise actions, which will help to guide future investment.”

Queens Park has 33 recommended actions including protecting the trees , improving paths for pedestrians, and providing public toilets to be located near the playground.

Refurbishment of the crumbling historic feature fountain in Queens Park is also listed for implementation, along with checking for any damages, leaks or blockages.

Pioneer Park has 18 recommended actions including making improvements to car parking and skating facilities, introducing signage, shelters and seating. The skate park will remain at the site.  

Cr Hood said the recommended actions will be implemented through a staged approach, subject to funding, and in balance with Council’s budget and priorities. 

“Thank you to everyone in the community who provided input to inform the masterplans. We know these are important facilities for the community and we appreciate your vision for their improvement,” he said. 

An Advisory Group has been established to provide advice on further developing the draft Clunes Recreation Reserve (Bull Milgate Reserve) Masterplan.

This includes further investigation and consideration of the future sport and active recreation provision in Clunes. More information will be shared as these conversations progress. 

The masterplans are able to found and read in detail via the council’s website.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council will call on the federal gvernment to factor in wildlife trauma and fatalities metrics in federal road safety funding models.

At its recent March scheduled meeting the council endorsed the move which aligns with the council considering wildlife in its new Mobility and Road Safety Strategy.

At the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in July, the council will submit a motion calling on the Australian Government to include wildlife trauma and fatalities metrics in federal road safety funding models.

The move aligns with collaborative discussions at the council’s ‘Reducing the wildlife road toll’ forum held last month.

The council will now also write to a number of relevant federal and state ministers advocating on the issue.

Beyond the Macedon Ranges Shire, way back in 2007 the Hume Region, in a collaborative effort with the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Melbourne University, created a project to build special world-first fauna bridges for gliders and other native animals to cross the road and – safely – reach the other side.

There followed three wildlife crossing bridges located over the Hume Freeway at Longwood and Violet Town.

The bridges consist of a rope ladder bridge, reinforced with wire rope, that’s suspended between wooden poles. 

Motion sensor activated cameras mounted on the structure have since captured many images of gliders and other native species utilising the bridges to cross over the freeway safely.

In the years the cameras have monitored these wildlife rope bridges across the Hume Freeway, thousands of animal crossings have been detected.

These have including threatened species like the cute little squirrel glider and brush-tailed phascogale and some amazing moments including a mother ringtail possum and her two babies, brushtail possums, cockatoos posing for the camera and even a goanna.

According to Regional Roads Victoria: “The research and findings have confirmed the importance of these structures and support the maintenance required to keep these crossings in good working condition.”