Do you work with hazardous chemicals and reagents? If you work in a research laboratory like me, you’ll be handling dangerous chemicals and potential biohazards every day.

I manage these risks by reading the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets, using safety equipment and wearing suitable personal protective equipment. I also rely on appropriate chemical labelling and safety signage in the lab and on reagent bottles. Unfortunately, erecting appropriate signage or providing appropriate labelling can sometimes be problematic if the supply of labels, stickers or signs is exhausted or there are specialised labelling requirements.

In response to these challenges, I have designed the free HazChem TrueType font.

Now, safety signage or chemical labelling are just a font-change away!

The HazChem font is ideal for generating OH&S-compliant labels for reagent bottles, writing Material Safety Data Sheets or Standard Operating Procedures as well as general chemical safety labelling around your lab, industrial site or educational facility.

My HazChem font comes with a range of hazmat and hazchem symbols including Cytotoxic, Explosive, Radioactive, Biohazard, Corrosive, Flammable (Solid, Liquid, Gas), Oxidising Agent, Non-Flammable Gas, Cytotoxic, Poisonous, Toxic, Harmful and Ionising Radiation. For convenience, Attention, No Smoking, No Food and Exit glyphs have also been included.

Because there are many regulatory regimes in existence, I have created symbols that work within the Australian/British and USA/Canadian systems. Symbols from the European Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations (CHIP) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals (REACH) systems have been included, as well as the United Nations’ new Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

As a result of these many systems, I have made a handy printable reference sheet that summarises what keyboard characters correspond to each symbol. All symbols can be accessed on a US-Style computer keyboard without having to access the Character Map or “insert special character” functions.

Whilst my HazChem font won’t resolve your chemical safety issues, I trust that it will be an invaluable tool for promoting safety in laboratories, industrial sites and educational institutions.

You can find out more about the HazChem font, access installation instructions and get your free download at http://www.adonline.id.au/fonts/hazchem/

I noted with considerable interest today’s announcement from the Victorian Premier John Brumby, that Melbourne’s Stage 3A water restrictions will be reduced to Level 3 as of Good Friday (10 April 2010).

In an election year where voter dissatisfaction with the government is growing, I cannot help but wonder whether this is just another cynical ploy to win votes, rather than consider the future of Melbourne’s water supply.

I care a lot about this issue. As a person with a deep concern for the health of the environment as well as the health of our agricultural sector, water policy is of particular interest. I have written previous blog posts documenting rainfall patterns, El Niño and the drought. Given the importance of water to Australia, the driest inhabited continent, I expect water policy decisions to based on science and data, not politics.

Unfortunately, I have a suspicion that today’s announcement that Stage 3A would be reduced to Stage 3 has a lot more to do with politics than science. Here’s why:

Let’s look at the data. Shown below is a graph illustrating the overall amount of water stored in Melbourne’s reservoirs as a percentage of total reservoir holding capacity at this time of year, for the past decade. The data has been taken from Melbourne Water, who publish weekly statistics in their Weekly Water Report.

^{Melbourne’s total water storage levels as a percentage of capacity on or around 16 March for the past 10 years. The period where “Stage 3A” restrictions have been in place is marked in red. (Data supplied by Melbourne Water Corporation, based on readings from Cardinia, Greenvale, Maroondah, O’Shannassy, Silvan, Sugarloaf, Tarago, Thomson, Upper Yarra and Yan Yean reservoirs.)}

The graph clearly illustrates a drop in Melbourne’s water from 2007, but Melbourne’s water supplies had been dwindling prior to that. As a response (and in accordance with legislation), Stage 1 water restrictions were introduced on 1 September 2006 after that year’s dry winter. As the effects of the drought continued, Stage 2 restrictions were introduced on 1 November 2006, and Stage 3 commenced on 1 January 2007.

Then a curious thing happened.

Just as it appeared Melbourne would head into Stage 4 water restrictions (which would prohibit almost any outdoor water use), the then Premier, Steve Bracks, announced the creation of a new level: Stage 3A. Unlike Stage 4 (which was in place throughout much of the state, and in the city of Geelong), Stage 3A still allowed some watering of plants. But the real change in water policy was not the creation of Stage 3A, but how the restrictions were decided in the first place.

Up until that point, the various government water authorities made a decision about implementing water restrictions as per the Water Industry Act 1994. Whilst each decision about water restrictions had to be approved by the Minister for Water, the actual decision rested with the various water authorities who were at arms-length from government. This is detailed in the Victorian Uniform Drought Water Restriction Guidelines (PDF) which clearly specifies four water restriction levels (ie. Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4).

In 2007, the Premier announced that the government would make the decision about water restrictions in Melbourne in consultation with the water authorities. Suddenly, there was a chance for politics to enter the decision-making process, and suddenly Stage 3A was born.

Look at that graph again. You will notice that water storages were at 33.0% on 15 March 2007, just before “Stage 3A” was announced. Now, three years later, the levels are 34.6% and 3A is to be abandoned for Stage 3.

A paltry 1.6% more water seems to be the difference between Stage 3A and Stage 3. I wonder what threshold was crossed in that small rise? According to Yarra Valley Water’s Drought Response Plan (PDF), no threshold was crossed.

The table below is taken from Schedule 1 (p.8) of Yarra Valley Water’s Drought Response Plan. It shows the “trigger levels” for the four legislated stages of water restriction. You will notice no mention of “Stage 3A” in this document, any other water authority’s Drought Response Plan, in the Victorian Uniform Drought Water Restriction Guidelines or in the Water Industry Act 1994.

What you will note is that the trigger for Stage 3 water restrictions in March is a storage volume of 629 GL (gigalitres). Our current water storage is at 34.6% full, equivalent to 626 GL. Technically, this means we should be on Stage 2 restrictions!

Of course, this can’t really happen. The dams need to re-fill after dry periods, before we can reduce restrictions. We also need to ensure that Victorians learn from the experience of the drought, rather than redeveloping ‘bad habits’.  The Victorian Uniform Drought Water Restriction Guidelines and Water Industry Act 1994 both provide for consideration of these factors.

Those published documents mandate that water authorities must consider how quickly the reservoirs are refilling, patterns of consumer water consumption, recent climate patterns and predictions of future rainfall before reducing restrictions. In addition, the Drought Response Plan for each of Melbourne’s various water authorities actually provides a very sensible scientific evidence-based decision-making process.

Unfortunately this system has been corrupted by a State Government only too keen to use water policy to secure votes.

In its defence, the State Government had cited the commissioning of the (much hated) North-South (Sugarloaf) Pipeline, the ‘success’ of Target 155 and the construction of the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant as reasons to remove Stage 3A restrictions. I don’t wish to make comment on these various policy decisions nor their effectiveness, other than to remind you that there’s been no real change in water storage levels between 2008 and 2010 to justify a change in water restrictions.

The truth is that in Victoria, the setting of water restrictions is a complicated process described variously in Drought Response Plans, the Water Industry Act 1994 and the Victorian Uniform Drought Water Restriction Guidelines. It is my view that the Water Industry Act 1994 should be amended so that: (1) Trigger points are clearly published in law; (2) The decision about the imposition and removal of water restrictions are made independent of government; (3) that government water authorities are given legislative independence from government; (4) environmental considerations and consumption behaviour be considered in the decision-making process and (5) only the Governor of Victoria may revoke decisions.

It is only with these measures that we can have full confidence in the impartiality of water restriction decisions.

As it currently stands with a State election in November, declining government popularity and a government with a recent (alleged) history of corrupting public processes, I have little faith that the removal of State 3A was nothing more than a cynical pre-election ploy.

Water is our most precious resource. We need to start treating it that way at both the consumer and political levels.

Question: Do you like spiders?

The mere thought of a spider is enough to elicit feelings of discomfort for some. The sight of one will induce many into a state of panic.

Personally, I am not too concerned by the presence of spiders, except perhaps for the huntsman (Delena spp.) owing to it’s size and the white tail (Lampona cylindrata) for its potential to cause severe injury. That is the sort of response most people would say was ‘normal’.

What might seem a little more unusual would be to admit that actually like a particular type of spider.

Ever since I have been a child, I have had a mild fascination with Leaf-Curling spiders (Phonognatha graeffei). A native of the eastern states of Australia, these were always a common sight in the garden every summer.

Leaf-Curling spiders are easily identifiable because they build a shelter from a rolled-up leaf, which they place in the centre of their web. (No other spider does this). Because of this, they’re easy to spot and therefore pose no real danger to anyone. (In any case, they’re non-venomous). Should a person disturb their web, their instinct is to withdraw into their leaf rather than confront. However, if an insect lands in the web, they’ll waste no time in rushing out to grab themselves a snack!

The Leaf-Curler is actually quite attractive for a spider, being brightly coloured with yellow and black markings across their over-sized abdomens.

Leaf-Curling spiders belong to the Araneidae order of orb-weavers. Their web is constructed as three-quarters of a circle, with the leaf suspended in the missing section at the top.

The leaf is hauled from the ground by the spider using a silken pulley system and more silk is used to ‘sew’ it together. Leaf-Curlers preferentially choose Eucalyptus leaves, but other plant leaves are sometimes used, or even snail shells!

Oddly for spiders, the male co-habits with the female, even sharing the same leaf. However eggs are laid in a separate curled leaf away from the web. Leaf-curlers are an annual species, and die at the end of summer.

Because of this species’ distinctive shelter, harmless nature, beautiful colours and peculiar life cycle, I welcome the arrival of Leaf-Curlers into the garden each summer. It is always interesting to see where they’ve built their webs or what they’ve decided to use for a shelter.

Have a close look for Leaf-Curling spiders next time you’re in the garden.

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_{Image credits:}

_{All images © Adam Dimech, except the last image by Darcy Moore (used under a Creative-C0mmons Licence).}

I recently paid a visit to the magnificent Otway Fly treetop walk in Beech Forest, Victoria, and was most impressed. Located near Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road, the Otway Fly offers the visitor a unique opportunity to walk through the canopy of a forest, as well as explore the forest floor.

The Otway Fly consists of a 600 metre long, 25 metre high, elevated tree-top walk which passes through a stand of cool temperate rainforest dominated by Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans).

The walk commenced with a moderately steep decent into the cool forest, before I arrived at the treetop walk. As I proceeded along the walkway, I quickly found myself amongst the upper canopy of the trees. From this vantage point, I was able to study the epiphytic vegetation that grows on the trees (such as Kangaroo Ferns [Microsorum pustulatum] and various mosses), as well as appreciate the tree canopies and look down to the forest floor below. The view really was quite impressive!

One of the highlights of the Otway Fly is the 45 metre tower (1oo metres above ground), which affords a magnificent view of the forest from the very tops of the trees. I spent quite some time up there, taking in the view!

It must be stated that people who are anxious about heights should be careful. The walking structure is designed to take some sway, and therefore the vibrations of others on the walk can be felt throughout the structure. The tower is accessed by a very narrow spiral staircase which lacks resting points. However, the structure is entirely safe, having been constructed in 2003 and costing $6.5 million to build.

After the tree-top walk, the path took me to the forest floor, where I could explore the terrestrial vegetation including the magnificent tree ferns. There were also some interesting fungi growing when I visited.

The walk back up to the tourist centre was moderately steep, but taken at pace was still quite enjoyable. There is a coffee shop on site, which sells a selection of foods and has a nice outdoor eating area. Entry to the venue is $22.

Here are a few photos from my recent visit:

Whenever I travel around Australia or abroad, I like to visit local gardens. For a visitor, a garden can say a lot about a community. The community’s past and present economic fortunes, climate, and appreciation for their city or town are all represented in the gardens they create and maintain.

So I can only conclude that the people of Mount Gambier in South Australia have an easy-going nature and a great sense of humour, because it was there that I recently visited the most peculiar garden I have ever seen in my life: The Umpherston Sinkhole.

Yes, even its name is odd.

But the name is very fitting for a garden that made me laugh at its sheer absurdity and fall in love with its beauty and novelty.

What is the Umpherston Sinkhole?

The Umpherston Sinkhole is named after James Umpherston, who established the garden in 1884. Umpherston purchased a farm property in Mount Gambier in 1864 which contained a large sinkhole (or cave remnant).

Thousands of years ago, the sinkhole had been a cave that had formed because parts of the Mount Gambier limestone had been dissolved. When the top of the cave chamber eventually collapsed, a large open pit (called a sinkhole) was formed. The Mount Gambier district has hundreds of such caves and sinkholes; there are even some in the city centre!

Umpherston used the sinkhole on his property as the basis for his garden, which he named “The Caves”.

Being retired, Umpherson wanted to create for the people of Mount Gambier “a pleasant resort in the heat of summer”. So he set to work clearing the existing vegetation off his property and from within the sinkhole. He carved a path in the side of the rock and erected a set of wooden steps so people could comfortably enter his sunken garden, which he planted with all sorts of ferns, shrubs and flowers.

The garden was an immediate success and became quite famous. People from Mount Gambier and surrounding districts would frequently come and visit. The sinkhole originally had a lake within, and Umpherston even organised boat rides for interested people.

James Umpherston died in 1900, and his garden fell into disrepair in the following years. In 1949, the South Australian Woods and Forests Department purchased the property and established sawmills nearby. As the water table dropped as a result of agricultural activity, the lake disappeared.

By 1976, the garden was nothing more than a ruin and a rubbish dump. It was at this time that staff from the Woods and Forests Department decided to restore Umpherston’s legacy.  Slowly, they removed the rubbish and cleared the weeds. Umpherston’s terraces were still there, and so the staff restored them and planted hydrangeas and other species along each row.

Once again, the garden was a hit with the people of Mount Gambier. In 1994, the South Australian Forestry Corporation (as the Woods and Forests Department had become known) handed the garden over to the City of Mount Gambier, and in 1995, the garden was added to the South Australian Heritage Register.

Visiting the Sinkhole

Visiting the sinkhole is a unique experience. A long ramp provides the initial entry point, which is followed by a set of enclosed steps. It is from here that the first real view of the Umpherston Sinkhole can be seen – and what a view! Being barely a third the way into the sinkhole, it provides a great overview of the entire garden, which beckons below. The sinkhole is round, and from here one can see the various terraces in the garden.

One then descends to the sinkhole floor, where hydrangeas and tree-ferns greet the visitor. The sinkhole ‘walls’ are garnished with a ‘wallpaper’ of hanging ivy, which partially conceals the jagged rocks that surround the garden. Whilst there’s no longer a lake, there is a fountain that operates periodically.

Wandering the terraces offered many different vantage points to appreciate the garden. Children also seemed to enjoy running across the terraces, and it made an excellent location for them to enjoy a game of ‘hide-and-seek’.

After Sunset

As dusk approached, I noticed more and more locals arriving with bags of bread or fruit, and torches as the garden became illuminated. Initially curious, I soon realised what it was all for. Each night, several dozen possums emerge from the shrubs and rock crevices and each night, the locals take food for the possums in the garden.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time hunting for possums with torches, and watching them eat the food provided. Of course, having been so well fed, the possums had become quite particular about what they would and wouldn’t eat!

Umpherston’s Legacy

One one level, this really is the most ridiculous garden I have ever seen. Viewing it with 21st-century eyes, one can only be surprised at this horticultural folly and quite reasonably ask ‘How could anyone ‘destroy’ such a natural wonder, and turn it into this garish pleasure garden?”.

But this isn’t a 21st-century garden. It’s a 19th-century garden, created in a period before conservation laws existed. And perhaps we should be grateful that such laws didn’t exist, or we’d have been deprived of such a wonderful public space.

As a person with horticultural qualifications, I readily acknowledge that this garden lacks botanical interest. There’s nothing particularly special or eye-catching about the common mop-top hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla cv.), tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) and ivy (Hedera helix) that dominate the plantings in this garden. But seeing them used in such a creative manner and in such a unique context makes this a most desirable garden to visit.

So what does this garden say about Mount Gambier? This garden showed, above all else, that it is cherished by the people of South Australia’s second-largest city.

Watching parents take their small children along (as their parents had done for them) was a delight, especially given how much the children enjoyed the garden. Teenagers were appreciating the garden too, as were some elderly residents that came out just to see the possums. Tourists from Asia and Europe were astounded at the novelty of the garden and were taking plenty of digital photos to show their relatives back home.

There are few places that will bring all of the diverse sections of a community together, but the Umpherston Sinkhole does just that.

Surely, as James Umpherston looks down from above, he’d be delighted to see that his garden is still enthralling the people of Mount Gambier, 120 years after its creation. As he’s hoped, it is a most special place indeed.

Getting there: The Umpherston Sinkhole is located on the Jubilee Highway East in Mount Gambier, South Australia. Entry is free, and the garden is open from 6am to 1am daily.