Best $200 We Ever Spent...

The toilet has been a fantastic investment. It follows us everywhere, hasn't complained and is yet to do a wheel bearing. For remote sites it is essential and you can almost feel the relief of the volunteers when they turn up and you direct them to it during the ice-breaker. We have left it around the country-side at cleared blocks and turned up to see it has been gently moved to allow for construction and being used by the guys on the construction site! Here it is posing at a site in Kinglake.

Tree Project Sans Frontiers (with apologies to the Doctors with the same name)

Tree Project has been helping us out this Winter; they have supplied extra seedlings (we over subscribed our 28,000) and they have supplied their volunteer groups. Support from other agencies has been essential in getting our work done and Tree Project, like many others, responded to our call for help.

Sth West Sydney students help out for a week

24 students and staff from Sth West Sydney have come down for a week to give local landholders a hand. They will spend the week planting trees, installing nest boxes and cutting and painting weeds. This is the group's second trip; they helped last year with a different lot of students.

Three Sisters, Strath Creek.

6th August 2010
25 ANZ/GE volunteers plus Chris , Cath , David and Janet met at Terry Hubbards property in Strath Creek to do some serious tree planting . The paddocks were beautifully soggy and the hills impressively steep. We travelled to the planting site via 4WD tractor . The weather was not that kind so Terry's shearing shed made a welcome retreat for our BBQ lunch . The team was very efficient -1800 trees were planted.

Highlights of the day : Chris's ability to drive any machine . Tractors & Four Wheel Motorbikes. The left-overs from the Strath Creek ladies catering for the playground opening , Terry's dog , wedgetailed eagles and the guys who headed off for a weekend skiing straight after the planting.

Bushfire Recovery Revegetation Guide

MEDIA RELEASE – ‘Restoring our Landscape’ Revegetation Guide.
A free revegetation guide is available to all landowners in the Murrindindi Shire that have fire affected properties.
The Upper Goulburn Landcare Network (UGLN) has produced the ‘Restoring our Landscape’ revegetation guide which has been funded by the Federal Government’s Caring for Our Country Fire Recovery Program.
The booklet provides landowners with information to help them make informed decisions when planning revegetation on their properties.
UGLN Fire Recovery Landcare Coordinator Chris Cobern said “the booklet was designed to highlight the issues that landowners needed to think about if they wanted healthy and sustainable native vegetation and pastures in the landscape”.
The booklet covers whether or not to plant; the benefits of planting with indigenous species including the economic and aesthetic values; and how, what, where and when to plant.
A species list also describes a large variety of local plants and their preferred locations; and how to select suitable plants for different terrain.
The booklet is available at council offices, community hubs and at out-lying general stores.

Or by contacting Chris Cobern 5736 0104.

Serious Landcare Activity in Kinglake

You know the community's active when the 'lolly-pop' turns up! Kinglake Landcare are serious about rebuilding and rejuvenating their local environment. Public safety is high on the list when planning and conducting on-ground works. We've been busy on National Tree Day:

• 40 volunteers including grade four students from Middle Kinglake Primary School attended the National Schools Tree Day at Number One Creek on Friday 30th July. We planted 300 shrubs and ground covers and finished off with a sausage sizzle and refreshments.
• An ecologist from Practical Ecology was also on site to talk to the volunteers about the management plan he has completed for the site. 
• 37 volunteers turned up despite the wet weather on the following Sunday for National Tree Day. We were able to plant over 400 trees and shrubs. A Channel Seven news team, in town to report on the Royal Commission findings, turned up after the event but were still able to film a few of the Kinglake Scouts for the evening news.

Thank you to Pat Ash Civil for donating the marquee- it came in very handy.

Kinglake residents Michelle and Colin (below right) tree planting at Number One Creek on National Tree Day.