Category: General

Dates for your diary

Here are the two events coming up for Muckleford Landcare members:

  • Mucklefest (Muckleford’s local festival) is on Sunday 22nd October, starting at 10am. We will have our tent there with information, guides, and plants to sell.
  • Weed Workshop (get to know your local weeds) on Tuesday 24th October, 6pm. This is a Connecting Country workshop for three adjoining Landcare groups (Guildford, Muckleford, and Sandy Creek). We will not only learn about weed species, but there is games and a quiz (surely us Mucklefordians need to win this one!!) and supper is provided. Please let me know if you are coming Beth 0431219980 or email me. Here is the flyer – Get to know your weeds_Newstead & surrounds flier.

Landscape Restoration Techniques

We had an interesting workshop a few weeks ago, on the property of Landcare member, John MacGregor. Thanks to John for letting us on his property and to David Griffith for conducting the workshop.

John has been using a range of techniques to slow down water flowing across his land, in order to decrease erosion in a gully. This is what we learnt:

  • ideally adjoining properties (in this case state forest) further up the catchment need to apply the same strategies to slow down flow
  • I was surprised that John didn’t need to use logs or fallen trees – branches and sticks were successful
  • these techniques can be combined with plantings around the edges of the erosion areas
Dams placed in the wrong place in the landscape (often inherited by previous landowners) show you how powerful water is, it will do what it wants to do every time, like blow a hole in the wall
small barrier with sticks and stakes in the gully, plant in guard also visible

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetation also slows down the water

 

Sticks lying across a large bare piece of ground where run off would have been quick

Bike Ride

Great to see the bike ride go off well yesterday. We’ve decided to make it an annual event.

Bike riders Muckleford to Maldon, missing are Eleanor and Albi who had already taken off for home, and Paul and Indy who were a bit behind the pack…

Landcare Bike Ride

Join the Landcare crew this Sunday – 8th October at 11am to ride the bike track from Muckleford to Maldon and back. We hope to have lunch at a pub in Maldon before riding back. A support vehicle will be available.

We will meet on the corner of Sawmill Road and Prison Farm Road – follow Sawmill Road along until you get to the part where the bike track joins it and this is where we’ll leave our cars and start the ride. You get there either from the McKenzie Hill end, or from the Muckleford-Castlemaine Road.

Any problems, call Beth on 0431 219 980

Property Tour on landscape restoration

Workshop on Sunday 24th September 2017 – Meet at 78 Cruits Lane, Muckleford at 9.30am. We will have a look at some landscape restoration techniques on this property and discuss methods that landholders can use on their own places. Come equipped with any questions you might have as an expert contractor will be available to answer them. You don’t need to RSVP, but you can call Beth on 0431219980 with any workshop queries. We aim to finish by 11.30am.

Sharing Stories around the Fire

Join the Friends of Muckleford Forest this Saturday 12 August 4.30-8.30pm to explore stories of fire in our landscape. The event includes visiting a spot in the nearby forest, for readings and to listen to the language of the forest.

Back at the Newstead Railway Arts Hub, Tivey Street, Newstead, with hearty soup in hand, there will be sharing stories and creating some new stories too. Please RSVP to Chris on 5476 2457. https://mucklefordforest.wordpress.com

This journey through place, story, memory, myth and experience is a special event offered by the Talking Fire group as part of Newstead’s Words in Winter. Bring a story to share, torch, folding chair, dress warmly and wear sensible shoes. Car pooling is available to and from the Newstead Hub.