Events

On Sunday 26th October, Friends of Garden Island Creek will be participating in the Great Southern BioBlitz and we would love you to join us! The Great Southern BioBlitz is an annual, southern hemisphere-wide event which aims to document the variety of life we share the planet with. Here in Garden Island Creek we will be going for a walk at Flat Rock and taking photos of as many different species of local plants and animals as we can. These photos can then be uploaded to the worldwide database, iNaturalist. When: Sunday 26th October 10am-12noon Where: Meet at Flat Rock, end of Garden Island Creek Road Who: Everyone welcome! This is a family friendly event and we encourage people of all ages to join us. You need to be comfortable walking uneven paths in the bush. Bring: clothes and shoes suitable for the weather on the day; camera or phone; byo morning tea & thermos; any plant and animal identification books you may have If you are keen on uploading photos to iNaturalist, you may like to download the app to your phone beforehand (iNaturalist Australia). It is straightforward to use and makes uploading photos that bit easier. You do not need to have a camera or the app to take part however. Citizen science aside, it's a great opportunity to get to know our local bush species together. We will have id books and our collective wisdom to identify what we can.

We are holding a foxglove weeding blitz at the end of Garden Island Creek Road on Sunday, 29th September 10am-12noon. After all the rain we've had, the plants should be fairly easy to pull by hand, but please bring your own spade or hand trowel just in case. Please also bring your own gloves and wear long sleeves as foxglove contains toxins and it is best to avoid skin contact. BYO thermos if you want to stick around for a hot drink and chat after weeding.

Come down to Garden Island Sands turning circle on Sunset Drive for a BBQ and a chat with your neighbours and TFS members about how we can prepare for the bushfire season. Free sausage sizzle provided

Join us for a follow up to our super successful foxglove blitz last month at the end of GIC Rd. We pulled out hundreds of foxglove plants in September, and now is the time to revisit the area and remove any we missed before they flower and set seed. Meet at 10am, Sunday 5th November, at the end of GIC Rd. Bring hand tools and gloves to avoid contact with the plants (as foxglove contains toxins). Bring a snack/lunch/thermos of hot drink to enjoy together afterwards at Flat Rock. All welcome.

Our next meeting will be our AGM, and will be held on Wednesday 30th August at 6pm. All welcome. This meeting is an important opportunity to get together and form our committee for the year ahead. Positions to be voted on are President, Treasurer, Secretary and general committee members. The meeting will be held at a private residence on Lowes Road, Garden Island Sands. Please email through 'Contact Us' page for exact address We appreciate your ongoing support and would love to see as many of you as possible at the meeting, regardless of whether you would like to be a member of the FOGIC committee, or you would just like to hear what's going on at the moment. Or maybe you have a project you would like to get up and running. Best wishes and we hope to see you on the 30th August

Unfortunately Mother Nature was a little unkind to us and the weather won over the day and we had to wrap up earlier. Thanks to those courageous friends who ventured out. Stay tuned for an exciting new upcoming event Everyone welcome, share with friends & family. Come and browse or set up your own car boot sale. No fees required. Free Sausage sizzle Sponsored by Friends of Garden Island Creek

Garden Island Creek All interested members of the community are welcome to attend. Duration: 1 hr 30 min Topics for discussion include: response to beach erosion reports, review of community survey, planning future community events. Please RSVP via email friendsofgardenislandcreek@gmail.com or DM. Those who rsvp will receive a message or email with the address.

Friends of Garden Island Creek Community Consultation on Beach Access and Beach Erosion Issues Sat 28th Jan, 10 am at the beach end of Lowes Rd.

Thanks to Trisha Hodge for such an engaging morning on Sunday at our Indigenous Connections workshop. 30 people met on the beach, walked and talked together, learned together and even danced (like emus) together. We gained an appreciation of the length of time melukerdee people have lived here through Trish's timeline in the sand. We identified shells on the shore used to make exquisite traditional necklaces. We were shown plants to look out for to enjoy bush food along our coast. And we learned emu and eagle dances that left us exhilarated. A great morning of sharing knowledge and building community, topped off with refreshments. Thanks to all who came along. Our gratitude goes to Bendigo Bank for the financial support to make it happen @communitybankhuonvalley #bendigocommunitybank

Wow what a fantastic cultural burning workshop on the weekend. Such a huge turn out and amazing community vibes. Thanks to Jason Andrew Smith and Danny Lutruwita Man Gardner as always for sharing your knowledge, we are learning so much and appreciate it so deeply! Thanks to Ros for organising this workshop and thanks to the Bendigo Bank for funding it.

FOGIC is hosting a chat on Tasmanian Devil Habitat and what makes a good den this Sunday 31st July. Come along and learn about what you can do to increase habitat for this beautiful animal. We have a very knowledgeable guest, Colette forest defender who will share her wisdom with us 🙂 We also have some wildlife cameras to play with .....lots of quolls at our place! All Welcome! BYO packed lunch and a mug We will provide tea and the campfire 🙂 Sunday 31st July 11-1pm Parking minimal so please car pool, walk or 4WD See less