Waring
Wombat season
The cold, wet season. Morning mists settle over the creek. The nights grow long. Wombats emerge from their burrows to forage in the weak winter sun. Male lyrebirds begin their elaborate displays. Migratory birds arrive from Tasmania.
When
Approximately April to July
Seasons are marked by ecological events, not fixed dates. These times are approximate for the Merri Creek catchment.
Signs of Waring
- Wombats foraging
- Lyrebird displays
- Morning mists
In the sky
Scorpius and Aquila
Bunjil (Wedge-tailed Eagle)
Scorpius rises at sunset near the winter solstice, marking Waring's heart. The constellation Aquila returns to the evening sky—home to Altair, the star of Bunjil the Wedge-tailed Eagle, creator ancestor and law-giver. Bunjil's two wives, the black swans, are the stars Tarazed and Alshain on either side.
Indicator species
- Silver Banksia Banksia marginata Flowering
- Purple Coral Pea Hardenbergia violacea Flowering
- Rain Moth Abantiades atripalpis Emergence
- Bare-nosed Wombat Vombatus ursinus Foraging
- Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae Displaying
- Soft Tree Fern Dicksonia antarctica Unfurling