On Sunday 15th May we'll hold our Bush Restoration morning from 9.30am - 12.30pm. We meet at the central car park on Glenfern Road.

Please bring your own garden gloves, drinking water, and vaccination tick or exemption. We'll provide you with tools, hand sanitiser, and morning tea.

In case of rain we'll announce any cancellation by email and on Facebook.

Hope to see you there!

This coming Wednesday 4th of May we'll hold our midweek Conservation and Conversation morning, 9am - 11am, followed by morning tea. Please note that we'll meet at the New Road car-park this time, to do some work in that area.

Please bring your own garden gloves, drinking water and vaccination tick or exemption. We'll provide you with tools, hand sanitiser, and morning tea.

If it’s raining the event will be cancelled and we’ll confirm that on our Facebook page.

Photo by Linda Fullagar

This week we have two bush restorations, to avoid our Sunday event clashing with Easter.

Wednesday 6 April starts at 9am, and Sunday 10 April at 9:30am. Take your pick! Attend both! Be the Best Bush Restoration-er a Bush Restoration-er Could Be. 

Tools are provided, no experience needed. Just bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes and gloves.

We'll meet at the car-park midway along the reserve. Hope to see you there!​

Our Bush Restoration Mornings are back. This time we are working in the Forest Park section so we are meeting at the Depot car park which is at the South-eastern end of the Reserve.
Sunday 20th March, 9.30am.

Our first bush restoration for 2022 was blessed with some tremendous weather and some new faces. And boy oh boy did the weeds turn on a show. Hawthorns, blackberries, passionfruit vines?!? They’d been having a field day while we were going through a pandemic over the last two years. Area 12 also had a strong selection of thistles to deal with. Those prickly so and sos.. Check out the photos, below.

Our next event is the Midweek Conservation & Conversation on the first Wednesday of the month from 9-11am.

- Daniel

Photos by Daniel J Jackson

Saturday was a lovely evening for a picnic and twilight walk. And as is customary for these evenings, we like to tally the fauna viewed. Before the sun went down, two black-tailed cockatoos and a magpie were spotted. And as a nice intermission before the sun dipped below the horizon, the kids present were shown some Victorian Christmas Bush, which they thought smelled like toothpaste. Then encouraging the use of other senses the group heard a tree creeper, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, crickets and a bat.

At nightfall we saw micro bats, six brush-tailed possums, nine ring-tail possums, numerous spiders and their webs, inchmen marching up a tree, and dragonflies that were up late at night. Unnnnless you were walking with the other group (me!) who saw just one bat, a few possums, and a beetle. Oh, and a rabbit! Now we know where all the animals were gathering, that night!

A unique sighting not yet mentioned was an eel seen in Ferny Creek! None of us had put eyes on one before, so do let us know if you’ve seen one at Glenfern and when.

Join us this Sunday 20 February at 9:30am to explore the flora and be part of our bush restoration mornings.

​Just one four days until our New Year's Picnic and Night Walk on Saturday 12 February. Please bring your own food, drink, sturdy shoes, and a torch. There is plenty of seating at the amphitheatre, but do bring a chair if you prefer. The vaccination requirements of Yarra Ranges for attendees at events are still in place, so please bring proof of vaccination status or exemption.
There is no mask requirement, but our advice is that it's sensible to have one with you, just in case.

On Thursday we celebrated David's tenth and final year as president of the Glenfern committee. I've known David as a relaxed and humorous leader, and he's been at the helm for so many wonderful achievements at the reserve. One need only scroll through this page to be reminded of that.

David has elected to stay on the committee as a general member, and will be able to assist the transition to our newly elected president: Jackson Ellis!

Jackson starting volunteering with the Friends of Glenfern Valley Bushlands in April 2018, and joined the committee in 2019.  Please join me in welcoming Jackson to his new role at Glenfern.

After ten years as president, David decided not to stand again for nomination as he wants to focus more of his time playing the Japanese flute to his hives of bees, and kitesurfing on Aura Vale Lake (all allegedly).

​- Daniel

* The Friends of Glenfern Valley Bushlands AGM was held on 9 December 2021. 

Our last volunteering session at Glenfern this morning for the year. Just a small turn out but we got some urgent tasks ticked off. Including brush-cutting and track repairs.
 
Council has replaced the damaged Glenfern sign – thanks YRC.

Good news: Our Welcome Leaf has been repaired and reinstalled at the main entrance, thanks Jackson – nice work. 

A super big thanks to all our volunteers and supporters who have helped out during this challenging year. 

ALERT Snakes are active in Glenfern. We encountered a small Copper Head on the track down to the quarry.

Keep in mind that pandemics come and go but Glenfern is here forever.