Getting thereThe Newlands Nature Walk is in Apsley, a small picturesque town in Victoria. It is on the Wimmera Highway, 420 Kilometres north-west of Melbourne, and 7 Kilometres east of the South Australian border.

Take some time to walk and discover ApsleyThis family friendly walking track gives you the opportunity to connect with nature. You are reminded to use all your senses; breathe in the fresh sweet air, listen to the rustle and the creaks of the Red Gum trees and if you’re quiet enough, you may even see an unsuspecting kangaroo or wallaby. Please keep your dog on a lead.

Wetlands are unique and important Wetlands and lakes are unique places in the Victorian landscape, and their ecosystems are of great material and cultural importance to Aboriginal people. All wetland plant and animal species have some form of traditional use, particularly vegetation, crustaceans, fish, reptiles, mammals and waterbirds. These wetlands also have a deep cultural significance and have been used to tell creation stories, as seasonal indicators, as trade routes and provided important meeting places for ceremonies and feasts.Wetland characteristics provide numerous beneficial functions for people and for fish and wildlife. Some of these functions include protecting and improving water quality, providing fish and wildlife habitats, storing floodwaters and maintaining surface water flow during dry periods.

Nature Walk– 5km return, 50 minutes circuit

Begin from the Federation Corner carpark information booth. From there it’s an easy stroll along a raised boardwalk. A prickly home to keep small birds safeLook for Hedge Wattle on the left. This spikey shrub is a haven for small birds such as the Superb Fairy-wren and the Golden Whistler.The characteristic pea-shaped seed pods from this plant form after flowering (winter to spring). A favoured food for seed-eating birds such as the Common Bronzewing and Crested Pigeons.

Walking through the swampy Red Gum area, the trees may not change, but the animals and flowers on the ground do. The area floods in winter and dries in summer. Water Ribbons, with their slender strap-like leaves floating on the water’s surface, can be seen in winter. The tubers can be eaten raw or cooked. This plant continues to be an important food source for Aboriginal people. As you continue your walk, you will see the remains of a huge old Red Gum that has been burnt out by fire. Just stop for a moment and consider the hundreds of years and seasons that this tree has lived through. Nature can be as harsh as it is beautiful.Watch carefully during warmer months for brightly coloured orange butterflies that occur here. You may be lucky enough for them to accompany you as you pass by. At the boardwalk’s end the track changes to a well-defined dirt track. Along this section note the different soil types grow a vast assortment of trees and shrubs. The golden seasonLate winter and spring you may spot the Golden Wattle or smell the sweet aroma of the flower heads. This large brightly coloured shrub is Australia’s national floral emblem.

A superfood for nectar feeding honeyeaters and lorikeets!The Silver Banksia (sometimes called bottle brush) has green serrated leaves and the silvery underside to its leaves. The yellow

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Newlands Lake Wetland WalkApsley Bushland Reserve & Boikerbert Swamp Lake Reserve

Fact Sheet: Nature walk notesDalkaiana Wartaty – Welcome. The Traditional Owners of this land; the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk people welcome you to country. Aboriginal people have long-held cultural and traditional responsibilities to protect and manage their lands, wetlands and lakes. The Traditional Owners continue to care for and have a relationship with these special places.

Take some time to meander through this wetland’s 258 hectares of natural unspoiled bushland. You will find incredible stands of Red Gum, Stringybark and Manna Gum as well as Wattle and Banksia. Numerous birds and animals can often be seen and heard.

     

flowers can occur throughout the year, but more frequently in early autumn through to mid-winter. All Banksias produce generous amounts of nectar. This nectar provides a valuable food source for woodland birds, such as the Purple-crowned Lorikeet and White-plumed Honeyeater. Sweet drinks were made by the Traditional Owners by soaking the flowers in water.Heathy woodlandA Heathy woodland is dominated by small-leaved shrubs such as acacias, heaths and bracken fern.If you look closely you will see the vegetation changes as the soil changes. As the soil is becomes sandy the plants become smaller with harder leaves. A sign that can cope with the very low nutrient levels. This area is known as a Heathy Woodland.Gum trees – giant apartment houses for many creaturesThe Manna Gum and Yellow Gum are the main large trees in this part of the walk. During the summer months these eucalypts shred their bark in long ribbons and it is one of their most charming features. As the bark dries and peels, it often forms colourful patches and interesting patterns on the trunk of the tree. Bark is also home to insects, beetles and spiders. Take some fallen bark from the ground and feel the texture. Listen to the sound it makes when you squeeze it with your hands. Look carefully beneath the fallen bark. What can you see?I spy… or maybe I can hear?If you have any children in your group take the opportunity to play 'I Spy' and 'I hear' type games as you walk. Can you spot a butterfly or a brightly coloured flower or perhaps hear the raucous laugh of the kookaburra?Cherry and fernTwo more plants that are known to be part of the traditional diet of the Wotjobaluk people are the Austral Bracken fern and the Native Cherry tree. The roots of the Bracken fern contain a starchy substance that can be eaten. The young fern-tips provide pain relief for insect bites. The Native Cherry or Cherry Ballart is a small cypress-like tree. It is partly-parasitic and draws its nutrients and water from the roots of other trees nearby, usually Eucalyptus. The fruits are tiny but edible and delicious when they have turned red. This helps the plant attract birds which eat and distribute the seeds. The Native Cherry is a tree with vast cultural and spiritual significance to the Traditional owners. It has been and still is used in ‘Welcome to Country’ and cleansing ceremonies. The fruit which appears from spring through to late autumn was also eaten by the Traditional Owners and early European settlers.Always changing – listen for the ‘wind harps’As you walk along the track the trees and shrubs change again. You have now come across a stand of Buloke trees.Buloke trees have often been called the ‘Wind harps of the Wimmera’ due to the eerie sound made as the wind passes through their long, wiry needle like branchlets. These Buloke trees offer important habitats (food and shelter) for many native plants and animals including the nationally endangered South-Eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. Buloke timber is extremely hard and termite resistant. Settlers loved it and the extensive land clearing for agriculture saw these trees greatly reduced in numbers.

Buloke trees are one of only three types of trees that the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo feed on. You will usually hear them before you see them, calling to each other with a high-pitched guttural ‘creeee creeee’ before settling noisily high up in a tree.Take a moment to read the information board provided on this elusive bird back at the Federation Corner carpark. You are almost to Newlands Lake (Boikerbert Swamp Lake Reserve). This is another beautiful wetland area.The soil type changes once again. You are now walking on an ancient sand dune or lunette. These were first formed as the ancient sea that once covered large parts of south-eastern Australia receded leaving this sand behind. Over many thousands of years low-lying lakes and wetlands have formed such as Newlands Lake (Boikerbert Swamp L.R.).Are you a Bush Detective?As you walk this sandy path look carefully for tracks in the sand. Who left them behind as they crossed from one side of the track to the other? Where they big or where they small? How many legs, or toes? Perhaps none?Newlands Lake (Boikerbert L.R.) - a wetland for water loversYou have now reached the very tranquil lake wetlands that provide excellent habitat for a broad range of waterbirds such as spoonbills, ibis, swans and a variety of ducks.Is someone watching you?Can you spy the bush sculpture of an iron eagle on the left-hand side of the track in the bush?Spring into lifeSpringtime is a special time in the bush when plants and animals come alive with colour. If you learn to look carefully you can be amazed at the stunning display of native wildflowers including heaths, wattles and tiny rare orchids. My front door is a holeHave noticed different sized tree- hollows. A tree hollow can take up to 80 years to form. These hollows in trunks and branches are typically the result of decay that followed injury. Different sized tree- hollows provide perfect shelter and breeding homes for a range of different sized animals birds and insects.Many animals such as possums and gliders are not easily seen during the day because they are active at night (nocturnal). Have you ever taken a forest walk at night? You may not see anything if you are noisy, but if you take care and walk by moonlight or torchlight, who know what you may see…or hear!Walking can be fun in all seasons, just be prepared The Newlands Nature Walk has an ever-changing landscape. Whether you walk during the warm summer, the colorful autumn, in winter’s frosty wonderland, or the blooms of spring wildflowers; one thing is for sure, this walk offers a new experience every season.

Be prepared and stay safeNewlands Nature Walk is in the Wimmera Fire District. Bushfire safety is a personal responsibility. Anyone entering parks and forests during the bushfire season needs to stay aware of forecast weatherconditions. Check the Fire Danger Rating and for days of Total Fire Ban at www.emergency.vic.gov.au or call the Vic Emergency hotline on 1800 226 226. No fires may be lit on Total Fire Ban days. However a gas fuel stove may be used under certain conditons to prepare food. Code Red is the highest fire danger rating and on Code Red Fire Danger Rating days this park will be closed for public safety. If you are already visiting and hiking in the bush you should attempt to leave as soon as possible; this may require you to change

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or retrace your route. Closure signs will be erected but do not expect an official warning. Check the latest conditions at www.parkweb.vic.gov.au or by calling 13 1963. Consider carrying a small AM/FM radio and listen to ABC local radio 594 AM or 94.5 FM. September 2018

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