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28-592: The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. The idea originated with J. K. Moir, a book collector and member of the Bread and Cheese Club . Moir wrote to the FNCV in 1939 suggesting that such a medallion should be awarded to

56-688: A growing population of the critically endangered swift parrot in Deep Lead Nature Conservation Reserve , while undertaking a long-term population study in collaboration with Parks Victoria. The FNCV was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included medical practitioner Thomas Pennington Lucas , botanist and curator of the National Herbarium of Victoria , Johann George Luehmann , Charles French, and Dudley Best. The club worked closely with

84-642: A key role in founding Croajingolong National Park , the Little Desert National Park and the box-ironbark forests . The FNCV has played key roles in founding conservation and natural history organisations across the country. Many regional field naturalist clubs in Victoria can trace their founding back to FNCV members starting offshoot clubs for their local region, including the Bendigo Field Naturalists Club ,

112-596: A monthly newsletter, the Field Nats News , since 1991, which contains club activity and excursion reports, internal notices for club members and member-submitted articles. The history of the club and their conservation work has been published by the club in Leaves from Our History: the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, 1880-2005 , and its follow-up publication Understanding our natural world:

140-713: A person who had performed, in his words, ‘a signal service’ to the protection of flora and fauna—‘a variation of the Nobel awards’. Nominations for the Medallion are made by field naturalist clubs and kindred bodies from all over Australia, each nomination being valid for a three-year period. The Medallion has usually been awarded annually since 1940. In that time, recipients have been honoured for their work in many fields of natural history studies, and have come from every state and territory in Australia. The list of Medallionists and

168-659: A radio aerial close by. An alternative walk-up Mount Bishop also has panoramic views of the Prom. The coastline is ruggedly and has indented coves and beaches interspersed amongst granite headlands, tors and cliffs. Beaches vary from broad sandy littoral plains to steep coves and rock pools. The northern part of the park comprises a great deal of the Yanakie Isthmus with sandy healthlands. Mount Oberon, located in Wilsons Promontory National Park,

196-433: A seat in the front row with a blanket. During summer, a ballot is held to allocate sites from Christmas until late January. Regardless of the time of year, all accommodation must be pre-booked. The Wilsons Promontory National Park is home to a wide range of wildlife species, including kangaroos , wombats , echidnas , emus , a wide range of small marsupials , and numerous species of birds, most prominent among which are

224-433: Is a good alternative. When fully occupied, the settlement of Tidal River swells to over 2,000 people. There is a visitor centre open daily, a general store which serves basic supermarket and emergency items, fish and chips and takeaway food. The outdoor cinema, established in the late 1940s, is a nostalgic favourite amongst summer campers who will sometimes line up for over an hour before tickets can be bought so they can save

252-445: Is a popular hiking destination. Hikers generally commence walking from Telegraph Saddle carpark, around halfway up the mountain from where Walkers follow a management vehicle track to Mount Oberon's summit. A short series of steps below the summit's rocky outcrops leads to views over Tidal River, the coast and islands offshore. It can be windy, cool and clouded over at the summit, even during summer . As of mid 2023 options for constructing

280-447: Is highly popular with bushwalkers and campers, and has a number of lodges and serviced camping near the mouth of Tidal River as well as a number of hike-in camping areas catering for bushwalkers . The first Europeans to sight Wilsons Promontory are believed to be George Bass and Matthew Flinders in 1798. Extensive sealing took place at Sealer's Cove during the 19th Century, such that seals are no longer found there. Lobbying by

308-560: Is less accustomed to humans, and may be more difficult to spot. Possums can be quite easily found with a torch at night, and kangaroos and emus are often seen in large numbers on either side of the road on the way in to the National Park. Swamp wallabies are frequently spotted on many of the walks, as are a variety of bird species. The northern section of the park is also home to an abundance of snakes . Southern right whales nowadays show slow but steady recovery and started using

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336-572: Is situated at 1 Gardenia St, Blackburn , in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. A range of services is available for members, including a bookshop. Currently there are ten special interest groups within the FNCV: Bats, Botany, Day, Fauna Survey, Fungi, Geology, Marine Research, Microscopy, Terrestrial Invertebrates, and Juniors. The Day group aims to provide a generalist, high quality natural history program that invites speakers from inside and outside

364-527: Is the southernmost national park on mainland Australia, known for its rainforests , beaches and abundant wildlife. The national park covers the southern portion of Wilsons Promontory , a peninsula containing South Point , the southernmost point on the Australian mainland, and a number of islands. A lighthouse on the south-east corner of the peninsula is the southernmost lighthouse on mainland Australia and has operated continuously since 1859. The Park

392-673: The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) and the Royal Society of Victoria (including Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas ) led to the Government of Victoria temporarily reserving the area as National Park in 1898, made permanent in 1908. The original settlement in the Park was on the Darby River site, where a chalet existed. The FNCV has maintained a watching brief over the promontory for over 120 years. The Wilsons Promontory

420-471: The Royal Society of Victoria , with which it shared a large percentage of its membership. The club's first president, palaeontologist and zoologist, Frederick McCoy , was also the first director of the National Museum of Victoria (now Museums Victoria ). The two organisations have maintained a close working relationship since that founding period, with many curators and staff playing key roles in

448-406: The rosellas . Generally, the wildlife around Tidal River is accustomed to human presence, and many of the animals and birds near the campsites will approach humans, accept food from them, or even enter their tents uninvited. It is, however, illegal to feed wildlife and if one is found to be feeding them you will be issued with a fine by Parks Victoria staff. Outside the camping area, the wildlife

476-555: The Black Saturday Fires of February 2009 throughout Victoria, trees in the Wilsons Promontory were struck by lightning, which then led to the loss of up to 50% of the national park through major fire damage. Tidal River is the main location for accommodation and camping in Wilsons Promontory National Park. Tidal River Campground has 484 camping and caravan sites (including twelve powered sites) situated near

504-579: The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria 1880-2015 . Past presidents include: The FNCV has informal links to a number of regional field naturalist groups across Victoria, including: Wilsons Promontory National Park The Wilsons Promontory National Park , commonly known as Wilsons Prom or The Prom , is a national park in the Gippsland region of Victoria , Australia , located approximately 157 kilometres (98 mi) southeast of Melbourne . The 50,500-hectare (125,000-acre) national park

532-955: The Peninsula Field Naturalists' Club, and the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club. To foster organisation between the Victoria clubs, the FNCV established the Victorian Field Naturalists Clubs Association, which is now the South East Australian Naturalists Association , one of the largest amateur science and conservation organisations in Australia. Since 1884 it has published the bimonthly scientific research journal, The Victorian Naturalist . The journal contains scientific research reports, contributions, naturalist notes and book reviews. Although

560-594: The area as a nursery like what was used to be along with humpback whales that tend to pass through the area rather than long stay. Killer whales , dolphins , seals , sea lions , and penguins can be seen more regularly. The Prom has a number of different hiking trails. There are trails of differing levels of difficulty, including day hikes ranging from short strolls using beach access ramps up to longer two- or three-hour walks. There are also several overnight hiking options which can be combined into larger circuit hikes from 2 days upwards. There are also multi-day hikes in

588-508: The beach and river. There are also eleven remote walk-in sites located within the park. Tidal River camping ground is nestled in sand dunes behind Norman Bay, on the western side of the peninsula. The only road open to visitors leads from Yanakie at the park entrance to Tidal River , a distance of 32 kilometres (20 mi). Yanakie is a dog friendly camp ground that can accommodate for large caravans as well as smaller tents. For those who wish to camp near Wilsons Promontory with their dog, it

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616-408: The club to undertake lectures and excursions around the state. Accounting for both the special interest groups, and Day Group, the FNCV holds weekly member events, including lectures, tours, excursions and conservation activities throughout the year. The FNCV works closely with government and not-for-profit conservation and natural history organisations, to monitor and protect key biodiverse areas in

644-431: The club. Since its founding, the club has played a critical role in founding and maintaining Victoria's key biodiversity regions through conservation efforts and lobbying government bodies. This includes the club's establishment of Wilsons Promontory National Park , in collaboration with the Royal Society of Victoria in 1898. The FNCV has maintained a watching brief over the park for over 120 years. The club also played

672-399: The journal predominantly focuses on Victorian natural history, submissions are accepted Australia-wide, on all natural history subjects. Ferdinand von Mueller published many of his first descriptions in this journal, including Agapetes meiniana , Oldenlandia psychotrioides , Morinda hypotephra , Phyllanthus hypospodius and Wendlandia basistaminea . The club has produced

700-425: The northern section of the park which require walkers to have good navigational skills. A permit is required for all overnight hiking. A portion of the peninsula is warm temperate rainforest. These areas are generally traversed on boardwalks and bridges and the wildlife includes several bird species and swamp wallabies. There is also some mountainous terrain. Mount Oberon affords views that are only mildly marred by

728-546: The state. This includes an ongoing research project with Parks Victoria, studying endangered malleefowls in Mallee country in the north of the state. The club's Fauna Survey special interest group has also been studying the population numbers of the endangered regent parrot , identifying a notable population increase in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park while on an excursion. The club has also notable

756-593: The year of the award is as follows: This award -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Field Naturalists Club of Victoria Since 1940 the FNCV has awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. Past winners include: Alex Chisholm (1940), Helen Aston (1979), Jack Hyett (1985), and Richard Shine (2009). The FNCV

784-524: Was used as commando training area during World War II . A memorial to commandos who lost their lives in World War II is located at Tidal River. A large section of the park was burnt out in April 2005 by a bushfire caused by a controlled burn that breached containment lines because of warmer and windier conditions than were forecast for that day, causing the evacuation of six-hundred people. During

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