Newsletter - November 2025
From the President
I am excited to report that Geography Victoria has been invited to act as an ex-officio member of the National Committee for Geographical Sciences under the auspices of the Australian Academy of Sciences. This body, chaired by Professor Iain Hay, now includes the key national geography organisations. I look forward to representing all of the members of GV on this national body and welcome any suggestions of matters to raise with this body.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Garry Moore for his invaluable service to the Board of Geography Victoria over the last year as Secretary. During this time, Garry has employed his professional legal knowledge and expertise to assist in many ways, including preparing the constitution, registering us as a charity and applying for DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status. Thank you Garry, you have helped GV achieve so much in such a short space of time. We look forward to your ongoing involvement with GV and as you step down from the role of secretary, I extend a warm welcome to Jo McCoy as she takes up that role.
This brings me to the important notice of the upcoming AGM to be held on 24 November 2025 at The Royal Society of Victoria. We invite all members to attend from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. From 7:00 pm there is an open invitation to attend the inaugural Geography Victoria Lecture by Professor Michael Shawn Fletcher. Please see the details below. We hope to see you all on the night.
Geography Victoria's Key November Event
Unmaking Wilderness, Remaking Country: Rewriting the Book on Australia: Professor Michael Shawn Fletcher
7:00 pm Monday 24 November
Royal Society of Victoria
8 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
Dr Michael-Shawn Fletcher is a Wiradjuri man and Professor of Biogeography at The University of Melbourne. Michael’s interests are in the long-term interactions between humans, climate, disturbance and vegetation at local, regional and global scales, particularly through fire.
Come and hear Michael challenge assumptions about concepts such as Terra Nullius, ‘pristine nature’ and ‘wilderness’ which overlook and undermine Aboriginal influence on landscapes as negligible or destructive. Instead, Michael seeks to “not only reintroduce cultural fire, but transform the intellectual foundations of environmental science itself”.
Booking is Required
 Annual General Meeting
5:30 pm Monday 24 November
Royal Society of Victoria, 8 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
Please join us for our Annual General Meeting on Monday, 24 November 2025, held before Professor Michael Shawn-Fletcher’s lecture, at the Royal Society of Victoria building. The AGM will commence at 5:30 pm with a break for refreshments before Michael’s talk begins at 7:00 pm in the lecture theatre upstairs. Registration for both the AGM and Michael’s talk (via Humanitix) is required.
 Only a few places left – Port Phillip Bay Reef Restoration & Tour of The Port of Melbourne Fieldtrip
 Saturday 29 November
The Port of Melbourne and The Nature Conservancy Australia have joined together this year in a world-first attempt to remediate dredge material grounds cleared for navigation via the restoration of shellfish reefs in the Bay. Come and learn all about it in the morning from Andrew Bossie, Seascapes Conservation Officer and after lunch, we will join the Port of Melbourne boat tour, with expert guided commentary (proceeds donated to Seafarers Mission).
Further information and bookings
 Save the Date: Sunday 14 December
The Christmas StoryWalk® is back! Thanks to the City of Melbourne Libraries, join us for a free, family-friendly adventure in the Carlton Gardens.
Share the fun Christmas themed story as your little ones scoot, skip, or dance from one storyboard to the next, and enjoy a picnic or playtime in the gardens.
Fun, laughter, and festive magic await!
Don’t miss it - mark your calendars now!
What else is Coming up this Month?
Water Wonderfest Western Treatment Plant Werribee
Sunday 9 November
Free Event
A wonderful opportunity to tour the world-renowned wetlands and to go behind the scenes at the Western Treatment plant – where science, sustainability and nature come together in amazing ways
Further information and bookings
 Royal Geographic Society of Queensland:
Mobility as a Service and Beyond to Mobility as a Feature
7:30 pm Tuesday 11 November
Free online event
Join Professor David A. Hensher AM and Dr Peter Scarth at this online event as they share their insights into what the future of our transport systems might look like. The talk will discuss their research into 'Mobility as a Service (MaaS)' and their hopes for 'Mobility as a Feature (MaaF)'.
Zoom registration
 Royal Botanic Gardens ClimateWatch Walk
Thursday 13 November
Free event
Do you want to understand how climate change is affecting our plants and wildlife and contribute to climate change research? Join ClimateWatch advocates on this free guided walk to learn about indicator species of plants and animals and how climate change is affecting their seasonal behaviour.
Further information and registration
 West Gate Tunnel Sneak Preview
Sunday 16 November
Free event
‘Big Build’s West Gate Tunnel Discovery Day’ invites Victorians to have a sneak peak into the West Gate Tunnel before it opens to traffic. Register now to join the 8km run, a 2.5km walk through the tunnel or simply drop by the Yarraville Gardens on the day for some local family friendly activities.
Further information and registration
St Kilda Penguins Return
Free
The St Kilda penguins are ready for visitors again after a well deserved break during the pier reconstruction. Tickets waddled out of the door quickly for November but bookings are open for 2026 at the link below. Can’t wait? Head down to St Kilda to check out the new pier or visit Phillip Island Nature Parks to see the penguin parade any day of the year.
Bookings open now for 2026
And one last thing:
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to become a member of Geography Victoria. We are a newly formed, member-based, not-for-profit organisation, run by a passionate and dedicated team of volunteers. We need to grow our membership base to thrive. If you haven’t already joined us, please consider becoming one of our valuable members.
To Join
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