New activity launched for April school holidays in the Dryandra Woodland

7/4/97

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;

·      '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;

·      '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;

·      '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; and -

·      '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 contacts: Diana Russell Coote (09)421 7777

CALM Program Co-ordinator Anthony Desmond on (098) 811 113