The Mighty
Mitta Mitta River
Welcome to Friends Of The Mitta
Welcome to
Friends of the Mitta
HEY GUIDES, TEACHERS, INSTRUCTORS, OUTDOOR EDDERS!....
The best Citizen Science website about Victoria's alpine region on earth... you won't find more environmental info about the Mitta and pretty much all of the eastern portion of Alpine National Park:
Human history, flora, fauna, geology, you name it... check it out!
YEP, you're heading to the Mitta (or the Snowy, or the High Plains, or...). We all have lives, and yep, these rivers are WAYYYY REMOTE! So most people don't visit there much. It's also hard to find good, easy to access environmental or human history info on the area. Except... it's right here and super easy!
A wild area is more likely to be protected for future generations when people know it and love it. Spend a half-hour and check out some of our blog articles on your favourite subjects; birds, geology, Aboriginal or European history, flowers, whatever. It's all here, it's quick and easy, and you can involve your clients or students in some pre-trip research. It's fun, it's interesting, and it's real! Just check out the "How to use the FOTM website" info to the right on this page...
This is an interactive resource for anyone interested in the wonderful river environment and region that is the Upper Mitta Mitta River, as well as the people, past and present that have loved and shaped it.
Friends Of The Mitta
Our Mission
From long observation, the places that are cared for and protected are the places that lots of people have a connection to. Part of our mission is to give more folks a reason to care about what happens to the Mighty Mitta, and to use their voices to convince the powers that be to not only keep it safe from overdevelopment, rubbish and invasive species, but to pay a little more attention to it with funds and focus. Lots of people come through here, even more since the last gravel road has been paved. Lets give them a reason to stop a bit, soak it in, and care.
Contact Friends Of The Mitta
Friends Of The Mitta
c/o Jeffe Aronson
124 Callaghans Rd
Anglers Rest, Victoria 3898
03 5159 7252 or 0429 130 154
Our Commitment to you
We will never ever share your details with anyone, nohow, noway.
Check the resources tab for articles, or use the search for a specific interest, e.g.: "geology".
Want to support Friends Of The Mitta?
BECOME A MEMBER!
We'd love you to become a member &/or donate. That's how we can continue to do great projects like this website, and on-the-ground works. You can also buy a super cool hoodie.
You can donate, pay your annual membership, or buy a super cool hoodie by clicking the "Donate" button on any page on our site. Simple quick & easy.
OR
You can send a check to:
Friends of the Mitta
℅ Jeffe Aronson
124 Callaghans Road, Anglers Rest, Vic. 3898
OR
you can do a direct deposit, but you’ll need to contact Jeffe in order to do so for security reasons.
Hoodies are $45... great for sun, or cool weather... nice material & awesome logo... ;-)
(Same deal... use the "Donate" button & add a note re what size & colour)
We’re in our 7th year, and already have over 250 paid members!
We can’t do anything without you! We want your ideas and input, and if you have time, some volunteer work woud be awesome.
Or, you can just send us some of your riches.
However you can contribute, your support helps us do projects & gives us the power to lobby the powers that be to protect and preserve the Mighty Mitta. We also do work on the Snowy, Mitchell, & other Alpine rivers. Super-cheap annual dues help fund our many projects, including: river maps & info, new trails & maintenance, invasive weed control, campsite, put-in & take-out improvements & more!
WE OFFER THESE MEMBERSHIPS:
* CHEAP!: 15 bucks a year (Insurance costs are insane! They’ve gone wayyyy up, just for a volunteer org like us!) Be a member and feel great about yourself.
COVID NOTE: We recognize that a lot of our comrades have been severely impacted by the lockdowns. If you can only afford the old $10 annual fee, we’re cool with that.
* FAMILY RATE: $30 for 3 or more...
* $200 for a twenty-five-year gold membership. Such a deal.
* $500 for a lifetime membership. We’ll send you a cool T-Shirt or hoodie, and will put you on our list of our most special people on the planet!
* Open “donation” for the few outdoor edders who’ve shorn their dreads and really made it! ;-) Hopefully you’re still paddling, fishing, hiking and otherwise enjoying the joys of Mother Nature. Thanks!
If you’re donating and want to be noticed, let us know on the contact form.
We’d like to thank the folks listed below for their generosity, and have already put together many awesome projects to make them proud!
Here are our biggest donors in trade or cold hard cash. We've accomplished a lot over the years, for the Mitta Mitta environment and for our paddling community, and these supporters have been key to making it all happen. We couldn't do it without you guys, so... a huge THANK YOU!
ULTRA SUPREME LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP!:
MICHAEL “WALLY” WALLIS of HOLMSGLEN TAFE
DAVE TARLING of EAST GIPPSLAND TREE SERVICES
BRUCE BAXTER of PADDLESPORTS
HAMISH McMASTER of WATER BY NATURE
JAMES BOYD of NOMAD KAYAKS
TYLER WENDT of OARS, INC.
BRIAN MEGAW of RIVER VALLEY & WHANGANUI RIVER DORIES
NERI, HYLKE & SEM KIJLSTRA of ALEXANDRA FARM STAY
GORDON PIRIE of GLEN WILLS RETREAT
PAUL, JUDY, LYNTON & LAUREN SYKES of KAROONDA PARK
KAREN STRACHAN OF HALL’S OUTDOOR ED AND HER FAMILY; ANTHONY & ANGUS HALL
SHAUN SMITH
IAN GIBSON
MICHAEL GRONOW & SHELLEY BEATON
Friends of the Mitta would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners and custodians of this land we so dearly love today. It is through the stewardship of every one of us that this land will be here for future generations to fall in love with.
How To Use This Site:
It's all about learning about the environment, natural history and human history of the Mitta area!
Keen to cut to the chase?
There are lots of ways to find our huge resource of stories & articles under "Articles" and/or "Paddler Resources"
(Upper Right tabs on this home page):
You can refine your search using the sub-categories, as well as noting the little rectangular boxes at the bottom of an article with tags like "Birds" or "Human History", etc. Click a tag and all similar articles will appear. It's a living document so input, suggestions, edits etc. are welcome! Use it for research, information, students, whatever!
Subscribe and follow
The Friends of The Mitta
Once you've signed up, go to profile, More, Settings and click "Subscribe".
Enjoy!
Have something to contribute?
We encourage academics, Citizen and accredited Scientists, educators, guides & just downright people to help us create the best collection of environmental information for the Alpine area and Mitta Mitta drainage. Please submit your idea/paper/link etc. via the contact button below, and thanks!
Why do we ask you to sign up/sign in to post, comment, etc?
You can read or download anything on the site without logging in. But if you want to post or comment you need to sign up/log in for the security and management of the site, just like YouTube etc. This way we can curate and keep things honest & friendly.
About Friends Of The Mitta
Mittapedia is a project of Friends Of The Mitta Incorporated. Friends Of the Mitta (FOTM) is a volunteer run, not for profit organisation with the intention of protecting the Upper Mitta Mitta River corridor though advocacy and environmental projects. Wild and scenic places like the Mitta Mitta River have a tendency to disappear and suffer from neglect by overtaxed or understaffed agencies, or the environmental impacts of extraction industries like mining and logging. It is happening all over the planet, and with 7 billion and counting, isn’t about to stop soon.
The Mitta Mitta River
The Mitta Mitta River, located in the alpine district of Victoria, Australia is one of the most popular attractions in the area. The name Mitta Mitta derives from an Aboriginal term mida-modoenga meaning reeds called modunga.
The Upper Mitta Mitta River
The Upper Mitta Mitta river has strong links with outdoor education. School groups, an outdoor education centre and tertiary institutions all use the river and the surrounding Alpine National Park as their classrooms.
Mittagundi Outdoor Education Centre is synonymous with the area having been founded on the banks of the Big River in 1978. It offers 14-18 year olds with a chance to live, work and share adventures together in an environment where people mattered more than anything else.
La Trobe University's Outdoor and Environmental Education degree, as well as Holmesglen, Charles Sturt University and Wodonga TAFE's collaborative Outdoor Education degree. They all use the Big and Mitta Mitta Rivers as a learning environment for white water paddling.
Various schools use the river for their own independent Outdoor programs and camps.
Mitta Mitta river Recreation Seekers
Camping, hiking, car and motorcycle touring, fishing, hunting and paddling are all recreational pursuits that draw people to the region.
Introduced trout and deer which have flourished in the area are the drawcards for fishing and hunting. The winding Omeo Highway with its magnificent views of mountains and the Mitta Valley attracts the car and motorcycle tourists, especially now that the road is sealed for its entirety.
The upper Mitta Mitta river and its tributaries offer some of the best white water paddling in the state with options for beginners through to advanced paddlers. The main season is August through to November as it is reliant on snowmelt from the Bogong high plains.
There is also plenty to see for history buffs with the many mining ghost towns, historic tracks and the infamous Blue Duck pub.
