Rehabilitating Clinkers Hill
Posted on 15 August, 2011 by Connecting Country
On Sunday 10 July a group of enthusiastic locals spent two hours removing weeds from the Clinkers Hill Bushland Reserve. This 2.1 hectare Reserve is situated between the township of Castlemaine and the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. It consists of two adjacent parcels of land along Preshaw St, beyond the southern end of the sealed section of road.
Some of the working bee participants. Photo by Chris Timewell.
Victoria Gully's ephemeral waterway. Photo by Bronwyn Silver.
The working bee was organised by Victoria Gully Group which is being assisted by Connecting Country and Parks Victoria to rehabilitate this bushland. The current focus of the project is weed control and supplementary plantings of locally indigenous tube stock. The long-term aim is to rehabilitate the whole Victoria Gully thus improving the habitat linkage between the National Heritage Park and Forest Creek. The project is part of Connecting Country’s broader Yellow Box Woodland project.
Community education will be an important part of the project. The Group plans to erect a sign to explain the project and encourage local participation.
More than 56 native plant species have been identified including numerous trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, sedges and mistletoe. Unfortunately there are also many weed species which are prominent in the lower areas near the gully. More than 38 non-native flora species have already been identified. Weed control will include a mixture of hand pulling and chemical control and the focus will be on the most invasive exotic species including Tree Lucerne, Gorse, Hawthorn, Broom, Blackberry, Cootamundra Wattle and Briar Rose.
Working bees will take place regularly on the second Sunday of the month, beginning at 9.30 and ending at 11.30 followed by a cuppa. If you have any enquires about this project or would like to participate in future working bees, ring Julie Hurley on 54 725082.
The working bee in action. Photos by Chris Timewell.
Comments are closed.