YONGERGNOW NEWSLETTER No. 7 - September/October 2007

September was a very busy month at Yongergnow, as was October, and I simply couldn't find a spare moment to write the website newsletter. Therefore I have decided to incorporate the two months as one. September was especially busy due to the Ongerup Wildflower Display which runs from September through to early October plus Yongergnow had a lot of group bookings for luncheons and guided tours.

Katanning hosted the Megapod Symposium from September 7th-10th and on the 11th a large international group of around 50 participants came to visit the Centre. While some took their time digesting what we have to offer here at Yongergnow others were ferried out to the Foster Rd reserve to see the malleefowl in their natural habitat. They also took the opportunity to visit Toni Powell's sandalwood plantation.

September continued to be busy with different groups visiting, Greening Australia and the Pallinup Landcare group hired out our conference rooms, bushwalkers and birdwatchers from Albany; Probus groups from Katanning and Albany, and,    Tambelup HAAC, all enjoyed lunch at our café and a tour. Susanne Dennings from the Malleefowl Preservation Group was kind enough to volunteer her time and give our guests a short malleefowl presentation.

Along with the wildflower season in Ongerup come various local sporting events and the school holidays so it is a busy time for everyone. As a small community our local volunteering body gets stretched to the maximum and yet, miraculously, we get through. The wildflowers were at their very best this year with the orchids putting on an especially marvellous show. It really is worth the trip to Ongerup to take in the Wildflower Display and to visit our wonderful Museum which is of a very high standard according to the curator of the WA Museum.

We now have some new signage on either side of town to catch the eye of passing tourists and have the opportunity to erect more throughout the Great Southern region due to a generous Lotterywest grant, so keep your eyes out if you are travelling this way.

Christmas is soon to be upon us, I can't believe how fast this year has disappeared, and Yongergnow has sent out invitations to various schools in the region to suggest an end of term visit. There is plenty of interesting environmental and educational material for school kids at our Centre and there is always the opportunity of a visit to the museum for more historic information.

Come and visit with us soon we will be happy to show you around.