April – Waring Wombat Season

Waring Wombat Season (April-July)
Cool, rainy days follow misty mornings. The time of highest rainfall and lowest temperatures.
Waring (wombats) emerge to bask and graze in the sunshine.
Bulen-bulen (Superb Lyrebird) males perform their courtship displays.
Hearts of Kombadik (Soft Tree-ferns) are the major food when no fruits are available.
Days are short and nights are long.
The constellation of Sagittarius rises in the southeast after sunset, indicating the mid-point of cold weather.

❝Wumangurruditj, that’s wombat. Put a piece of wombat, a piece of pork and a piece of porcupine [echidna] and you can’t tell the difference. ❞ – Jessie Hunter, 1999

— Eastern Kulin Seasonal Calendar [Melbourne Museum]

April

wombat, from early April to late August, when wombats are most active, lyrebirds display, silver banksias flower and rainfall increases [eMelbourne Seasons]
 

❝ In the south, Autumn is an extremely pleasant time of year. Chilly mornings often give way to warm, but not hot, sunny days. In Adelaide heavy rains at night bring out masses of huge, silent swift moths, and fungi begin to occur in damp places. Along the east coast wading birds begin their migration to Asia and insect and seed-eating birds begin winter flocking. In Sydney early flowering wattles are in bud. ❞
– Banksias and Bilbies

❝ Wading birds begin migration to Asia eg. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Eastern Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper. Insect and seed-eating birds begin winter flocking and honeyeaters move north. Many fungi appear. ❞
– Gum Leaves and Geckoes

❝ Early Winter, April & May
All sorts of fungi appeared with the rains, while the ground was still warm. BUNJIL, the Eagle, was building his nest, and the Brush-tail and Ringtail Possums were mating. Bolin Bolin billabong started to fill. Many different moths emerged, and were food for birds during the day and for Sugar and Feathertail gliders at night. Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Wallabies fed on the new growth. ❞
– Dr. Beth Gott Seasonal Calendars for the Melbourne Area

❝ early winter, from early April to early June, when morning mists are in the valleys, migrating birds arrive from Tasmania, casuarinas flower, many moths emerge and mixed flocks of insectivorous birds move along the valleys. ❞
– Alan Reid (1993) six seasons for the middle Yarra region [eMelbourne Seasons]

Grasslands: first field mushrooms; male flame robins join winter flocks on farmlands.
Woodlands: grey fantails flocking; hawk moths common.
Towns: leaves of deciduous trees changing colour; oxalis common along footpaths; house centipedes active; inky cap fungi amongst long grass; in SW quendas (Bandicoots) actively dig for insect pupae.
Wetlands: masked lapwings flocking.
Beach: Flame robins feed on seaweed insects and crustaceans before heading north; sea snakes appear along souther coast; baby cowfish in rockpools.

Woodlands: manna gums flowering; parsons bands orchids flowering at peak; appleberry (bell climber) fruiting; dingoes mating; yellow-faced honeyeaters move north along wooded gullies; mealy amanita fungi in forest gullies; last blooming of Whalenbergis (bluebells).
Grasslands: goldfinches in large flocks; slender parasol mushrooms among bracken.
Towns: hawk moth caterpillars form brown pupal cases.
Beach: baby squids wash up.

Woodlands: wattle goat moths emerging; coral fungus on mossy ground; giant swift moths lay eggs at base of gums; black sheoaks flowering; woodswallows huddle on cold days.
Towns: musk lorikeets active in street trees; shaggy cap fungi & fairy rings in parks & reserves; scarlet fly agarics under pines, birches & spruces.
Beach: many swamp harriers cross strait from Tasmania.

Woodlands: sunshine wattle flowers in east; red ironbark flowers around goldfields; first rosettes of greenhood orchids; swift moths common; candlebark gums flower; ripe fruits on drooping mistletoe; small flocks of swift parrots pass over.
Towns: purple-crowned lorikeets visit bush reserves; onion grass shows new growth; pin cushion hakeas flowering; soldier flies common.
Wetlands: skinks & tortoises hibernate; black fronted plovers flocking.
Beach:

The Seven Seasons of the Kulin Nation

Gariwerd calendar
There are six distinct weather periods recognised in the Gariwerd seasonal cycle. The language groups, Djapwurrong and Jardwadjali are the languages used by the custodians for the Grampians/Gariwerd region.

Gwangal moronn (season of honey bees) – Autumn: Late March-end of May
Gwangal moronn season is depicted by insects, pink heath and being at home in the wuurn.
🍂 Warm, still days
🍂 Country starts to cool
🍂 Cooler mornings
🍂 Red sunrises and golden evenings

References
Reid, A.J. (1984) Gum Leaves and Geckoes: Gould League Nature Diary. Gould League of Victoria.
Reid, A.J. (1995) Banksias and Bilbies: Seasons of Australia. Gould League of Victoria.
Gott, B. Melbourne’s 6 seasons [Friends Of Herring Island]
Eastern Kulin Seasonal Calendar [Melbourne Museum]
Reid, A.J. Seasons [eMelbourne]

Last Month: March (2024) | Last Year: April (2023)