Land & Ecology
The Relationship Between Us And Our Environment
We have had as many impacts on the Land and environment as they have had on us. When people discuss Land and people, they usually focus on us as people have impacted the Land and environment with our actions. But people rarely pay attention to how much the Land and environment actually changes us too. We focus on understanding life in our environment, the ecologies, and major weather events. Stories on Land and ecology also include;
1956 Flood
The banks of Murray and Darling Rivers were overflooded in 1956, leading to flood waters overwhelming the surrounding rural areas and towns with water reaching above 30 feet of the normal levels. Historical footage of the incident from personal collections which include photographs and super8 film.
Ash Wednesday 30
These are web pages that were built as part of the 30th anniversary of the Ash Wednesday Bushfires in 2013. The Victorian Government has called on people to share stories of recovery, hope, and healing and celebrate the people who experienced this natural disaster to serve as an inspiration to Victorians. There are short films and short stories published on it.
Collections and Climate Change
Change is part of the earth cycle process, but climate change is far beyond the time of change we could have envisioned. This anthropogenic change has local impact and has altered the atmosphere of the Earth. Victoria is already having glimpses of this change’s effects with the coastal waters getting warmer and many tropical animals finding their way to the shores. We have started seeing the desert animals in Victoria, and the winters are changing. All these put the animals and plants at risk. But it affects humans too with risks of fire, droughts, and extreme weather events. In this collection, you will find information on plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals, living collections, culture and society.
Drought Stories
Drought has affected farmers in multiple ways with social impacts, farming practices modifications, water trading, change in weather patterns, and resilience. In fact, it is impossible to state all the ways in which drought has affected us as a people. This piece discusses the occurrence in different parts of Victoria and how farmers are coping while also detailing the historical droughts and law and policies developed to address drought in Victoria.
Mapping a Great Change
This is a series of stories and films that focuses on the complex and beautiful map named Plan of the General Survey from the Town of Malmsbury to the Porcupine Inn, from the sources of Forest Creek to Golden Point, showing the Alexandrian Range, also Sawpit Gully, Bendigo and Bullock Creeks. The map was hand-painted and handwritten and was only used once, for the purpose it was created before being returned to the drawer. It was created in 1852 based on Governor La Trobe’s instructions.