Author: EJ

Muckleford Landcare Community Planting Day

MUCKLEFORD LANDCARE HABITAT CORRIDOR PROJECT as funded by the Victorian State Government, Community Volunteer Action Grants 2021

The Landcare community day will be Sunday 6th February, starting at 3pm. A vegetarian BBQ will be provided for dinner, as I’m hoping we can work until dusk. We would love to see as many of our Landcare members as possible come out. We will have free booklets and guides available at our information table, and food and drinks will be provided. Meet the landowners and take part in our project recording. Entry to the property is along the Muckleford School Road, opposite the Muckleford Bushland Reserve. Please RSVP for catering purposes.

Muckleford Landcare Committee

President is Neville Cooper, Secretary is Beth Mellick, Vice-President is David Griffiths, Treasurer is Eleanor Wright and the ordinary committee members are Albert Wright, Richard Mann, Chris McKenzie, Michael Billington, and Brona Murray.

Please note that we have two community planting/guardings coming up over the summer holidays, but we are still waiting on the bamboo stakes to arrive (they are stuck at the wharves apparently). We look forward to see members at these plantings, or at our other events planned for 2022.

muckleford-catchment-landcare-agm-2021Download

URGENT ACTION: Corellas are being killed

You might have heard on the news that Bendigo Golf Club alerted local residents of their plans to ‘eradicate’ the corellas who live in the trees on the golf course, shooting has already begun.

Corellas are native to Australia and are charismatic, social birds who mate for life and rely on tree hollows for their safe nesting sites. Little do they know that the trees they have found as homes in their ever-diminishing habitat are on a commercial golf course — and that this has placed them directly in the firing line.

Please contact the golf course operations manager Liam Carney and politely but urgently request the business to stop the shooting immediately and seek a kinder and non-lethal outcome for wildlife who share the golf course grounds. CALL: 03 5448 4206 EMAIL: gom@bendigogolfclub.com.au

Count down to the bike ride…

This Sunday is the Muckleford Catchment Landcare Group’s annual bike ride. You can bring friends and family, and you can ride at your own pace. Meet at the Muckleford train station at 11am, we will ride to Maldon and have a picnic in front of the information building. The Maldon market will be happening where we can buy food (or bring your own). And after eating, we will ride home.

Sunday 14th November, 11am-2(ish)

Annual bike ride in two weeks time!

We missed out on the bike ride last year because of covid. But this year we are definitely getting the bikes out and pumping up the tyres. Meet at the Muckleford train station, and we will do our group ride to Maldon. We will end up at the grassed area in front of the Visitor Information Centre in Maldon (next to the market) for a picnic. We can’t meet in the pub this year because it all has to be pre-booked. And then we’ll ride back!

Sunday 14th November, 11am, meet at Muckleford train station.

The end of the Bassett Creek project, stage 2

Muckleford Catchment Landcare Group members, Eleanor and Albi, have taken the final set of photos as part of the Photopoint monitoring for the Bassett Creek planting. Have a look at how much the trees have grown by clicking on the files below.

Here are the three years of photos:

Photo Points 2018Download
Photo Points 2019Download
Photo Points 2021Download

Leave the roadsides alone!

“The roadside which is bare of anything but the natural grasses, herbs and a sporadic shrub or two is much more interesting and refreshing than any artificial planting reflecting the suburban road or city street…” (Edna Walling, 1952)

Here is some advice for new and existing landowners in Muckleford – if you move to the bush, if you live in the bush, then leave the bush alone. The roadside vegetation is a valuable part of the ecosystem and contains precious and sometimes endangered plant species. If you remove this vegetation, you will open up the ground to weeds and grass that you will constantly have to maintain. Rather than planting exotics, consider enhancing the existing vegetation with some small flowering native shrubs and herbs.

Here is what you shouldn’t do!!

Planting Peas on our properties

Native Peas are beautiful shrubs and ground covers to consider planting more of – we can add them into garden beds for a spot of native colour.

We’ve put together a list of the rarer species that we need to try and bring back from the brink of extinction, as well as a list of other species that grow in the Muckleford/Walmer area.

bringing-back-peas-from-the-brink-of-extinction-in-the-castlemaine-districtDownload

Put in your order for next year from Francis at Newstead Natives https://newsteadnatives.wordpress.com

For a comprehensive guide to peas in our area, buy the book “Native Peas of the Mount Alexander Region” from Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests for $10 ($3 postage) https://www.fobif.org.au