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Book Reviews ExploringWerribee Gorge 1836-2010 EXPLORING compiled byJudy Douglas and Bob Reid WERRIBEEGORGE Publisher: FriendsofWerribeeGorge&LongForestMallee Inc., BacchusMarsh, Victoria, 2010. 320pages,paperback. ISBN9780958120050. RRP$32.00. Exploring WerribeeGorge 1836-2010isthelat- estinaseriesofbookspublishedbytheFriends ofWerribee Gorge and Long Forest Mallee Inc over several years. Previous books detail the natural history ofvarious sites in the Bacchus Marshareainwhichthegrouphasanactivein- terest. This latest book documents the history ofhumaninteractionwiththeWerribee Gorge. ItdemonstratesthattheGorgesuniquegeolog- icalfeatureswererecognisedintheearliestdays ofbirds identified was exactly50 species, nests ofEuropean settlementinVictoria. andeggsbeingtaken of19’ (page 18).Asimilar Usingprimarysourcesthatdocument thehis- statement nowadays would horrify most bird- tory ofhuman interaction with this fascinating watchers. place, combined with photographs taken over Despite early recognition that the Gorge was 160 years, thebookdemonstratesboththepub- worthyofprotection, the book details the slow licandofficialinterestintheGorgesincetheear- and tortuous process by which a reserve was ly days. These documents include reports from created. Alettertolocalnewspaper TheExpress government departments, newspaper articles, on 15 April 1939 reflects local frustration on hand-drawn maps, reviews, letters, early black lack ofprogress in creating a reserve at Wer- and white photographs and naturalists’ reports. ribee Gorge: The black and white format ofthebook reflects ThereisastorythataparrotwassentfromMildu- thenatureofthesedocumentsandmaterial. Bob ratoBenalla... Onarrival inMelbournethebird Reidsdistinctivedrawingsofplants andwildlife was found to be dead and an unusually efficient effectivelycomplementthestyleofthebook. officerwroteontheaddresscard“Bird dead”.On arrival at Benalla another official not to be out- The book documents a long association of done added: ‘Bird still dead. Has a similar fate the Field Naturalists Club ofVictoria with the befallentheGorges?’(page 142) Werribee Gorge. Therehavebeen regularvisits The region to the west of Melbourne and by the Field Naturalists Club ofVictoria to the its fascinating natural history have long been Gorge sinceatleastthe 1890s, reports ofwhich neglected by the wider community. ‘Nothing have appeared in The Victorian Naturalist for but weeds and Brown Wedges’ are commonly overahundredyears. Italso describesthe long expressed perceptions. This series ofbooks by involvement of noted naturalists such as AJ the Friends group plays an important role in Campbell and JALeachwiththe Gorge. promotinginterestinthenaturalhistoryofthis Local newspaper articles describe Dr JA region, especially in a climate ofrapid expan- Leach, and others, leading parties of 500-700 sion ofthe urban growth boundaries ofMel- students on educational excursions into the bourne’swest.Theirlatestbookdetailsnotonly Gorge, asearlyas 1906.This wouldbe adaunt- the history of the Werribee Gorge, but also ing exercise in these days ofuniversal vehicle givesan insight into the historyofthe Bacchus ownership,letalonein thedayswhen carswere Marshregion. ararityand travel was invariablybytrain. Excursion notes reveal that there existed a DarylAkers different approach to bird-watching in these pioneering days.Onereportstates:‘thenumber Melto1n1,LVaiccntloarniaR3o3a3d7, 152 TheVictorianNaturalist