Teesdale Grassy Woodlands Reserve - interpreting wild Teesdale

Teesdale, central Victoria has a wealth of small reserves within the township

Teesdale in central Victoria has a wealth of small reserves to enjoy and if you like more open space, the 1,052 ha Inverleigh Nature Conservation Reserve is only three kilometers to the south on the Inverleigh Road.

Within the township there are five small nature reserves, Chinamans lagoon (8 ha), Native Hut Creek & Turtle Bend (7 ha), Walls Lagoon (2 ha) and Teesdale Grassy Woodlands Reserve (25 ha) and the adjoining Sheoak Nature Reserve (4 ha). A few kilometers to the west on the Shelford Rd. there is a now a new 4 ha reserve called Bakers Lane Reserve.

Bambra Wetlands - a beautiful interpretive sign but the volume of text will challenge the average visitor

Explaining the values of these natural areas is an important part their successful management. When visitors appreciate what they have to offer, peaceful bush walking tracks, wildflowers and resident wildlife, they are more likely to protect and look after them.

An effective way of informing visitors about these beautiful places is to describe their assets in 'plain talk' and to provide a window into what they might see on a walk as well as the mysteries they might not see. Hopefully these glimpses into the natural world will spark curiosity as well as pride in the these natural places that desperately need recognition and the communities long term protection.

Interpreting nature is more challenging than it looks because it involves an understanding of science, marketing and story telling. Like any good yarn, stories about nature should grab your attention in the first few words and hold it till the end. Unlike a good yarn though, which may sacrifice some truth and accuracy to keep an audience transfixed, interpretive stories have to tell it how it is.

Though there is some room to move as the story teller 'sells' the beauty, the quirkyness or the incredible interaction between wildlife and plants. This all has to be done in a few well chosen words and if done with flair then 'less is definitely more'.

People reading an interpretive sign are usually in a hurry and are time poor.  They will only spare a few seconds for an unexpected stop to read something that catches their interest. If the story and images are engaging, they may stay a little longer or make time to read more on their next visit to the reserve.

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Teesdale Grassy Woodlands Reserve has a new interpretive sign. Photo Ross Elijah

The latest example of the art of interpreting nature is from the Friends of the Teesdale Grassy Woodland Reserve. They have incorporated fine art, beautiful graphics, thoughtful design and engaging story telling into a remarkable sign that can be appreciated at a glance or studied at length.

The topics covered are diverse;
indigenous plants and animals of the reserve, vegetation structure, the ecology of life on a River Red Gum, the importance of woodlands, geology, local history and three different timed walks through the reserve that a visitor can choose.

The sign uses background colour to clearly separate the various themes into distinct sections. This allows the reader to navigate from story to story comfortably. It also has some bold images that invite a closer look. These are supported with short descriptions that can be read at a glance if the visitor is time poor.

Here is a closer look at the various story themes on the Teesdale Grassy Woodlands Reserve sign - Click on the images to enlarge.

The design, layout and text were put together by the Friends of Teesdale Grassy Woodlands inc. The graphic Design and Illustrations were done by Billington Prideaux Partnership.