Vale Bill Forsyth – Wildcare volunteer extraordinaire

Tribute to William (Bill) Forsyth by Andrew Smith – Founder and Appointed Co-Chair, Wildcare Tasmania Inc. (1998 – 2018) Sadly, one of the stalwarts of Wildcare Inc passed away on the 28th July. Mark William (Bill) Forsyth was a man of the wilds and had a strong desire to not only experience the wild places […]

Sounds of the Southwest

A music night to share the beauty, conservation ethic and stories of Port Davey also raised funds for Friends of Melaleuca’s volunteer work. The 25th May was a wintry night but the Moonah Arts Centre auditorium was booked out! Tony Fenton, Peter Marmion and Mick Lawrence put together this program of music and photography inspired […]

Mt Beattie Track Remediation – Friends of Melaleuca

Mt Beattie is a popular walk amongst visitors to Port Davey. The track begins at the historic Claytons cottage which is cared for by Friends of Melaleuca and PWS, and meanders through mature rainforest to the open slopes and summit, which afford wonderful all-round vistas of the waterway and surounding mountains. Special plants such as […]

Protecting peaty Mt Beattie

In 2021, Wildcare’s Tasmanian Nature Conservation Fund made a grant to the Friends of Melaleuca (the Friends) for remediation of deteriorated bushwalking track on Mt Beattie in southwest Tasmania. Boating visitors use the track to climb the mountain, which gives great views of Melaleuca Inlet, Bathurst Harbour, the surrounding mountains and Port Davey. This use […]

Friends of Melaleuca’s 15th Working Bee!

Wildcare Friends of Melaleuca have been working closely with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service since 2009 to care for, maintain and interpret natural and historic heritage at Melaleuca and Claytons Corner in Southwest Tasmania. There are no roads to this area, the waterways being the local means of transport, giving the place its unique […]

Friends of Melaleuca need track workers!

Friends of Melaleuca is seeking EOI for 3 track-workers for Mt Beattie, S.W. Tasmania. March 14th to 21st The Role: Working in a small team of three or four people (led by an experienced Parks Tas. supervisor), rebuilding sections of walking track over heavily eroded sections of old track. The work will be physically demanding […]

The Maugean Skate

Have you heard of the Maugean skate? It is an ancient Gondwanan relict species of skate. Seldom seen, this endangered animal lurks under the tannin waters of Macquarie Harbour. Maugean Skates are Tasmania’s largest endemic fish and also one of the State’s most endangered marine species. They face many challenges in Macquarie Harbour, especially in […]

Friends of Melaleuca say THANK YOU to Ranger Ian Marmion

In July, Ranger-in-Charge for the Southwest, Ian Marmion, retired. Ian has guided planning for Friends of Melaleuca’s working bees and provided support and hands-on-work on the ground since 2014. Our branch began in 2009, so Ian has been our PWS support for most of the life of FoM. We appreciate this active relationship and continuity […]

The Rust Remembers – Exhibition

The Rust Remembers An exhibition by Janet Fenton Wildcare Friends of Melaleuca President, Janet Fenton is an accomplished artist with a lifelong connection to Melaleuca in Southwest Tasmania where rusted mining machinery is gradually merging into the present living landscape. Rust holds memories of the past. The past disintegrates into the future. This body of […]

Busy days at Melaleuca – Working bee 2022

Friends of Melaleuca held its annual working-bee from 16 to 23 March. A special project this time was remediation work on the track up Mt Beattie (read about that here). This walk from Claytons corner is very popular but is becoming degraded. General and routine maintenance also continued at Claytons, including a garden clearing blitz […]


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