The abundance of birdlife amid the grassy plains, marshlands and 200 lagoons of the Western Treatment Plant rivals Kakadu – and is a magnet for birdwatchers * Australian bird of the year 2025: nominate your favourite now In a gully between the dirt road and a field of softly waving grass, a brolga stands, straightens its elegant grey neck and gazes at the two four-wheel-drives crawling to a halt a short distance away. In the centre of a lagoon on the other side of the road, a second brolga sits atop a tiny island, its orange head bowed. Brolgas are common in northern Australia but are endangered in Victoria. One of the most reliable places to see them, though, is here: in the wide grassy plains, ponds and marshlands of Melbourne’s largest sewage farm, the Western Treatment Plant. Continue reading...

Meanjin, a mainstay of Australia's cultural landscape and the nation's second-oldest literary publication, is shuttering after Melbourne University Publishing decided to cease financial support.

Meanjin, a mainstay of Australia's cultural landscape and the nation's second-oldest literary publication, is shuttering after Melbourne University Publishing decided to cease financial support.