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‘Wonders of the Woodland’ - school activity program |
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Monday, 07 April 1997 |
A new activity program has been launched for the April school holidays
in the Dryandra Woodland, 165km south of Perth, by the Department of Conservation
and Land Management.
A new activity program has been launched for the April school holidays
in the Dryandra Woodland, 165km south of Perth, by the Department of Conservation
and Land Management.
The ‘Wonders of the Woodland’ activity program has been designed to provide
people with an opportunity to experience the wonders of the Wheatbelt under
the guidance of local CALM officers.
Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes said the Dryandra Woodland was an
excellent snapshot of a time gone past - a time when the Wheatbelt had
vast tracts of wandoo woodland and an abundance of native animals such
as the numbat, woylie and malleefowl.
"Dryandra is less than two hours from Perth, yet it has an amazing diversity
of native animals and plants, which visitors can experience at close hand,"
she said.
"Not only are the animals great in number and easily seen, there are also
openly welcoming to visitors."
Mrs Edwardes said there were four ‘Wonders of the Woodland’ activities
that would give people the chance to experience what a wandoo woodland
was like before European settlement and the introduction of foxes. These
include;
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‘Nightime Escapades’ - a spotlight walk and talk that gives people
the opportunity to view the woodland’s many nocturnal animals. Many of
these cannot be easily seen anywhere else in Australia and include the
brushtail possum, tammar wallaby, tawny frogmouth and the woylie.
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‘Walk, Talk and Gawk’ - where people can explore the many different
aspects of life in a wandoo woodland such as the tracks, traces and calls
of many different animals. This activity involves the use of setting and
checking harmless pit traps to discover some of the less obvious species
living in the woodland.
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‘Kids Corner’ - educational activities designed to teach children
about the value of remnant bushland areas while having heaps of fun. Activities
include face-painting and a game called ‘Poor Old Poss’ among others.
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‘Sensational Spider Stories’ - presented by spider expert Dr
Mark Harvey, this activity give people the chance to discover more about
spiders by taking an extremely closer look at them.
The Minister said the ‘Wonders of the Woodland’ program was designed
for families and individuals and was a fascinating experience that no-one
should miss.
"There are very few areas in Australia where people can view Endangered
species in their natural habitats in unfenced conditions," she said.
"People also get the opportunity to meet, talk and gain knowledge from
CALM and WA Museum staff who not only run the program but manage conservation
of the area."
The program will run from April 14 to April 27, 1997. Costs for the activities
have been kept low as possible, with all money raised being used to provide
these and future activities.
Accommodation is available in the heart of the Dryandra Woodland via the
Lions Dryandra Woodland Village. This is a group of rustic ex-Forestry
Department cottages which are available to the public as holiday rentals.
There are also a variety of accommodation venues such as farmstays, caravan
parks and motels all within a 20 minute drive.
For more information and prices of the ‘Wonders of the Woodland’ program
and the Dryandra Woodland contact CALM’s Narrogin Office on (098) 811 113.
Bookings are essential for all activities. To register phone the CALM Narrogin
District Office on (098) 811 113 between 8.30am and 4.00pm weekdays.
Media contact: Program Coordinator Anthony Desmond on (098) 811 113 |
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