PODCAST · society
Saltgrass
by Saltgrass
A show about the environment, the climate crisis and what everyday folk are doing about it. Based from a small town in regional Victoria, Australia. On Djarra Country. Find out more at saltgrasspodcast.com
Episodes
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S6E07 Trenches and holes for toilets and moles
There is a surprising amount of digging required out on a project for Desert Discovery. Some of the survey teams needed to move a lot of sand for their data collection methods and the base camp needed deep pits for the toilets. Geoff and Jenny ran both the Logistics Team, which managed the base...
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S6E06 Sparkle Scat
What can animal droppings and footprints tell us? Quite a bit it turns out. In this episode we follow the Desert Discovery tracking team around for a day and one of the first things we find out is why echidna poo sparkles. I feel like my day with the tracking team forever changed how I observe…
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S6E05 Long Shots
Bilbies, great desert skinks, malleefowl and stick nest rats. Burrows, mounds, and many kinds of excretment. Clues, fragments, and ancient relics. No matter what team you were on, everyone on Desert Discovery was told to keep an eye out for these rare and unlikely species or what they may have…
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S6E04 Invertebrates
Meet the invertebrate team as we peel back bark, turn over rocks and shine lights on sheets to catch insects and arachnids out in the Australian desert. One of the smallest teams on Desert Discovery they were looking at the some of the smallest critters, but they had their eyes open to all levels...
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S7 E02 - What are the possibilities for FO and GO?
In the last episode we had a chat with Mayor Toby Heydon and YIMBY co-founder Lucy Young to explore the impacts of the rolling out a Food Organics / Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside waste service in the shire. It seemed clear there was a lot more to say! So this episode we are joined once more by...
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S7E01 Should We 'Go Slow on FOGO'?
This episode was recorded from a live show on MainFM on 4th of May 2026. The Mount Alexander Shire Council is soon to vote on whether our shire should have FOGO bin, that is, a Food Organics / Garden Organics kerbside waste service. Saltgrass host Allie was joined in the studio my Mayor Toby…
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S6E03 Citizen Science
Citizen science is a bit of a buzz word, but what is it really all about? Desert Discovery did not start out as a citizen science group, at first it was a group of nature lovers having adventures together. Over time the group's focus has shifted more and more towards citizen science. So, in this...
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S6E02 Botany
Join us on the first full day of the Desert Discovery Yeo Lake Project. Allie hitches a ride with the Botany Team to find out what a day of data collection looks like for them. We hear team leader Alan Bedggood talk about how it all works and share in the enthusiasm of the participants. Links and...
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S6E01 The Largest Biome
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. The majority of people live in the major cities that hug the coast line, and as much as Australia is famous for the 'red centre', many Australians have never been. This season Allie, Saltgrass' host, will take listeners on an adventure to a...
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Saltgrass Season 6 Trailer
A little window into what is coming!
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S6E00 Preseason Update
A quick update before we launch into season 6! Allie talks about why it's been a while between seasons and what has changed since last time you heard from Saltgrass. Season 6 is coming really soon... for reals!
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S5 E23 Popcorn Activism
Handing out popcorn can get you arrested these days, especially if you do it in a bank. In this episode I chat with three activists who did just that over a year ago. Then, earlier this year they went to court to argue that they had to do it to prevent great harm from happening, that is to…
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S5 E22 The Housing Crisis - Creative Solutions
This is the final episode of the three about the housing crisis and what my local community is doing about it. In this episode we hear about some of the creative solutions including community groups building housing specific for their needs, Council utilising existing sites to build affordable...
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S5 E21 The Housing Crisis - Building Together
In these three episodes we will explore how housing is a key climate issue and we’ll look at how the housing crisis is impacting where I live, in regional Victoria. In this second episode we are looking at what deliberative development is and how co-housing and community building can be a part of...
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S5 E20 The Housing Crisis - What's the problem?
How is the housing crisis linked to sustainability? In the next three episodes we will explore how housing is a key climate issue and we'll look at how the housing crisis is impacting where I live, in regional Victoria. In this episode we will look at how the land lies, what is the problem? In…
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April 2024 Update
I know it has been a while since there was anything new on Saltgrass, so here is a quick (6 min) update for you. In summary: There will be 5 new episodes coming out soon which will wrap up season 5 of Saltgrass and then we will get stuck into season 6. Also, Saltgrass won some cool awards :) Yay!
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S5 E19 Bonus: Connecting Country live event
This is the full audio from the Connecting Country event called ‘Revegetation Success in a Changing Climate’ The event featured presentations from Sasha Jellinek from the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Water, Oli Moraes - Project Manager at Djaara and Tess Greives from the North Central...
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S5 E18 Connecting Country
Connecting Country is a not for profit organisation which works closely with landcare groups and others in restoring neglected and damaged ecosystems. Hadley Cole and Bonnie Humphries from Connecting Country join Allie to discuss how landcare groups contribute to various restoration efforts, and...
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S5 E17 Village Dreaming
Today we are going to Village Dreaming Farm and Orto cooking school. Mara and Ralf live on about 15 acres just outside of Daylesford – about a 30min drive south of where I am in Castlemaine. They have been there since 2015 and in that time have transformed the empty paddocks of former grazing…
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S5 E16 Compost!? Yes, In My Back Yard
Are you good at composting? I certainly haven't been in the past. But with the help of a community composting group called YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) I have become a kitchen scrap saviour, a leaf collecting ninja and I make steaming hot compost. In today's episode I talk to Lucy Young, Joel...
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S5 E15 Salad with Soul
Recent episodes have been looking at the farmers out at the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative. We've been out there to explore how farming and agriculture might be done in a way that is earth, biodiversity and humanity friendly. Each and every one of the farmers talked about how important the...
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S5 E14 Love and Garlic - Gung Hoe Growers
It has been almost a decade of effort and love and garlic from Gung Hoe Growers – supplying our local community through the local farmers market, selling to cafes and restaurants and providing boxes of veg to seasonal and annual subscribers. Many have felt sadness on hearing that Gung Hoe will…
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S5 E13 Micro Dairy with Tess Sellar
We are heading back out to the Harcourt Farming Cooperative – this time to talk to Tess Sellar who runs a herd of 10 or so dairy cows and supplies organic milk and yoghurt to our local community. Tess uses regenerative farming practices, re-usable glass containers and does countless other things…
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S5 E12 The Orchard Keepers
Following on from the last episode about the Harcourt Farming Cooperative, today we are looking at The Orchard Keepers. They are part of the grand experiment of this farming cooperative, having taken over the orchard management a couple of years ago. They are using organic and regenerative...
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S5 E11 An Incredible Octopus with Katie Finlay
This is the first of four episodes that will be released about the Harcourt Organic Farming Cooperative. Long term listeners may remember two episodes from season one that captured conversations with farmers from the cooperative as it was just beginning back in 2018. I’ve been following the…
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S5 E10 Plastic Free July with Rebecca Prince-Ruiz
Plastic Free July had humble beginnings in back in 2011 when Rebecca Prince-Ruiz had the idea of refusing to buy or accept single use plastics for the month of July, just to see if she could. She asked people around her if they wanted to do it too and now it is a global movement with an estimated...
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S5 E09 Walking Together
How can local councils and Traditional Owners work collaboratively towards climate and environmental goals? Today's episode explores one way to get things going. Back in November 2022 Djaara – the Traditional Owners in Central Victoria where Saltgrass is made – invited representatives from local...
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S5 E08 Living Democracy with Tim Hollo
Tim Hollo is many things, musician, politician, anarchist and the author of Living Democracy – An ecological manifesto for the end of the world as we know it. He was in conversation at the Taproom in Castlemaine with Jim Buckell and introduced by Alex Kelly with an extended Q&A with the audience....
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S5 E07 Root to Tip with Duang
Duang moved to Castlemaine just a few years ago, but is already an integral part of the fabric of our community. She sells delicious Thai cooking at the weekly farmers market and came here, as you will hear, in part because she knew about the Harcourt Farming Cooperative and the community…
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S5 E06 Talking About Money
Following on from the last episode about the Castlemaine Currency Project, this episode shares audio from a panel discussion that was part of the original exhibition and social experiment. Featuring: Warwick Smith, Castlemaine Institute Karl Fitzgerald, Prosper Australia Merryn Tinkler, Mount...
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S5 E05 The Castlemaine Currency Project
Local currencies and alternative money systems... what is that all about? Is it really a helpful thing to be thinking about in the middle of the climate crisis? A group of artists in Castlemaine have created an art project and social experiment in the form of a local currency they called The…
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S5 E04 The Salvage Yard
Anna and Matt run the Salvage Yard in Castlemaine. They rescue building materials that would otherwise go to landfill, clean it up and sell it on. It isn't hoarding if you turn it into a business is it? This episode is exploring waste again, but this time we are looking at the building industry…
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S5 E03 The Good Op Shop
Tiffany Inglis started an op shop (AKA opportunity shop - known as a thrift store in the USA) and all she wants to do is save the world one pair of very cheap second hand jeans at a time. Not only is the Good Op shop keeping A LOT of stuff out of landfill, but money raised there is then given to...
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S5 E02 Wilderhoods
Cassia Read and Ada Nano are both ecologists who have been working within a local climate focussed hub called The Castlemaine Institute. They have been developing a program called “Wilderhoods” that helps neighbours come together, learn about the land they are on and how to turn their nature…
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S5 E01 Wheelie Bins with Gemma
Are you worried about waste? If so, join us on an epic adventure of plastic reduction, waste management and letting your wheelie bin get dusty from neglect! In this episode you can hear all about one inspiring local who has tackled this challenge head on. Gemma has set herself the incredible...
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Zoe Scoglio and the Castlemaine Commons Collective: Episode 4
Back in March 2022 Zoe Scoglio joined Allie live on MAINfm and shared some interviews she had collected for a Castlemaine Commons Collective project. Beautiful conversations about community, connectedness and resilience. Episode 4 includes interviews with: Allison Nye from Country Womens...
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Zoe Scoglio and the Castlemaine Commons Collective: Episode 3
Back in March 2022 Zoe Scoglio joined Allie live on MAINfm and shared some interviews she had collected for a Castlemaine Commons Collective project. Beautiful conversations about community, connectedness and resilience. Episode 3 includes interviews with: Madz from Community Lunch and Growing...
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Zoe Scoglio and the Castlemaine Commons Collective: Episode 2
Back in March 2022 Zoe Scoglio joined Allie live on MAINfm and shared some interviews she had collected for a Castlemaine Commons Collective project. Beautiful conversations about community, connectedness and resilience. Episode Two includes interviews Zoe did with two locals; author Robyn Annear...
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Zoe Scoglio and the Castlemaine Commons Collective: Episode 1
This is the first of four episodes created in collaboration with The Castlemaine Commons Collective and artist Zoe Scoglio. They were recorded live at MAINfm in March 2022. Zoe had been collecting local stories of community organising and collective care. Each episode in this series includes…
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Bonus: NonfictioNow Panel Discussion - part 2
Allie and some other podcasters got together last year at the NonfictioNow Conference and had a long chat about what it is to make media and try to communicate about climate change. In this second part of the discussion we explore why we make our shows and the various problems we grapple with as…
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Bonus: NonfictioNow Panel Discussion - part 1
Allie and some other podcasters got together last year at the NonfictioNow Conference and had a long chat about what it is to make media and try to communicate about climate change. In this first part of the discussion we interview each other about our shows - what our shows are, how they came...
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End Season 4 - short message
A short message from Saltgrass host and producer Allie to close season four including some clues about what is coming soon.
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S4 E18 Djakitj Larr - part 2
This is part two on Djakitj Larr - Eating Country Healthy. Please listen to the previous episode first to hear the full story. In 2019 Bendigo was designated a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy. In early 2021 about 100 people gathered at a winery just outside of Harcourt. Djakitj Larr...
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S4 E17 Djakitj Larr - Eating Country Healthy
In 2019 Bendigo was designated a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy. In this episode we discuss what that means and also deep dive into an event called Djakitj Larr which explores all the reasons why our region was chosen for this. In early 2021 about 100 people gathered at a winery…
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S4E16 The Youth Are Rising
Today I’ll be taking you along for the ride as my 14 year old Nephew Oliver and I head into Melbourne and take part in the student strike for climate that happened on the 25th of March. It was a global day of action so there were similar events not just around Australia, but around the world. We...
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S4 E15 Democracy For Dinner
Today we are going to be chatting with Castlemaine local Bryn Davies and a group he has been a part of called Democracy for Dinner. I thought it was a very pleasant sounding enterprise and an example of how we can, where ever we are, get together in a grassroots kind of way and start to take it...
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S4 E14 A Library of Seeds
The Castlemaine Seed Library has been running for over five years with people 'borrowing' seeds to plant and grow food, and then 'returning' seeds once the plants have run their course. In this episode Seed Library founder Grace McCaughy and coordinator Eliza-Jane Gilchrist talk about the value…
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S4E13 Futures with Alex Kelly and John Wiseman
I was lucky enough to have a wonderful conversation about possible climate futures, not through a lens of disaster and doom but gritty possibility, radical hope and extraordinary courage. Alex Kelly and John Wiseman joined me recently to talk about their futuring practices. John has just…
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Podcast listeners, I haven’t forgotten you!
Hello podcast crew, I haven't forgotten you even though there has been a bit of radio or podcast silence over the last month. This very short message is just to explain what has been going on and what is coming up soon. Hope all is well in your world! Allie
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S4E12 Water with Steven Healy from Coliban Water
Steve Healy is Executive General Manager of Climate and Population Adaptation at Coliban Water. Climate change predictions for our region point to hotter and drier weather patterns and when it rains it is going to be more extreme, big dump kind of events. So water is on a lot of people’s minds…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Saltgrass have?
Saltgrass currently has 125 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Saltgrass about?
A show about the environment, the climate crisis and what everyday folk are doing about it. Based from a small town in regional Victoria, Australia. On Djarra Country. Find out more at saltgrasspodcast.com
How often does Saltgrass release new episodes?
Saltgrass publishes regularly with 125 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Saltgrass?
You can listen to Saltgrass on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Saltgrass?
Saltgrass is created and hosted by Saltgrass.
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