The next workday will be continuing the work started in January on the montbretia.

We will be working in the same area but the vehicles will be set up on the back straight behind the storyboard area and old toilet block near middle swamp along the Gully Walk.

Depending on the amount of people in attendance there is another spot that needs some montbretia work done and we have some leftover material from the Happy Habitat Day to place around middle swamp.

In March it will be Clean Up Australia Day meeting at Maple Grove.  Then our next workday will be May as the April workday falls on a public holiday.

These events are open to people of all ages. Please ensure you wear suitable clothing for working in the bush. Please wear a hat. Please bring a cup and bottle of water. All tools, gloves and training will be provided on the day. We have a cuppa at the end of our time from around 11.30am until 12.00pm.

Our workday starts at 9am and we finish at 12pm. Hope to see you there.

Waratah Education Centre, Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, Bells Line of Road, Mount Tomah, NSW.

Saturday, 27 January 2018 from
10:30 am to 1:30 pm (AEDT)

Hello Garguree Swampcarers I will be heading to this event so if you want to join me and haven’t got a ride I can fit 4 extra people in my car. I drive well, sing loudly and talk a bit but other than that I’m safe. David King

For Garguree Swampcare tomorrow January 7 we will not be having a campfire due to the heat. So along with your cup, drinking water please bring a hot water flask. Thank You.

Reminder Garguree Swampcare is on tomorrow Sunday January 7 from 9am until 12pm in a laid back shady spot with Jane the Bush Regenerator and Dave the tea maker. Garguree Swampcare this Sunday will be towards middle swamp just look for my car and Jane’s BMCC truck, due to the expected heat and we will work near the gum leaf sitting area.

Reminder Garguree Swampcare 2018 is back this Sunday.
9am until 12pm, January 7.

Please come along and join us to make real changes to our environment and community in 2018.

Back corner behind the tyre service on the left hand bend.

If it is rain rain we will have to cancel but currently the rain is predicted to occur in the evening. It will still be wet underfoot and around the legs but that it is Swampcare and the place my mother remembered with the beauty of wetlands.

Please register for the December 3 – Upper Gedumba Catchment Happy Habitat day so that Jane can order enough lunch. Please invite friends and feel free to share this day with others. It is a learning ​and introduction to habitat ​day​.​

December 3 -Upper Gedumba Catchment PROPOSED Happy Habitat Runsheet.

Open:

8.30 – Sign In, Setup, Tool Up, Questions.
8.45 – Welcome to Country and Upper Gedumba Catchment Pathway.
Birds, Bees, Habitat, Macroinvertebrates and Tree Planting:
Split into 5 even groups.
9.00 – Group Session 1
9.40 – Group Session 2
10.20 – Group Session 3
11.00 – Group Session 4
11.40 – Group Session 5
12.30 – Lunch
13.30 – Wrap Up (final touches), Clean Up and Yarning Circle.
2.30pm – Close.

Extra Items:

Pinch Bars needed for the perch pole holes.
Please bring some home snacks to share or a personal snack pack during the morning.
I will bring a small bell and whistle. The bell will signify 10 minutes until each stream needs to move on, the whistle will signify 5 minutes until the stream handover. I will yell out “handover” when time is up.

I will get the billy going early so people can have an ongoing cuppa, but everyone will need to bring their own cup. I will set up one table for people to wash and dry their cup.
Please bring a bottle of water and cup.

This will be a great day to close out another brilliant year working as a community restoring Country. We have worked out a plan for 2018 it will have its challenges but in the end it will make us a stronger and a better, better best, group.

Once again thanks everyone for what you do it is brilliant. I’m amazed at what a group of people who volunteer their time can do and be. For me it is more than just a group of people restoring Country it is family and community.

Garguree Swampcare 3 December
Would you love to come and do some planting and habitat creation? We will be making shelters for frogs, perchs for birds and sun soaks for lizards. Find out what critters live in the gully with local experts on birds, bees and everything in between as well as how to care for the catchment of the Dwarf Mountain Pine (Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii). You’ll meet other Bush carer’s in your community too.

• Lunch is provided as well as all tools and training
• Please RSVP to Jane before Friday 1 December on jlanderson@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

http://www.bushcarebluemountains.org.au/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=102&wysijap=subscriptions&user_id=154

One of the areas we will be highlighting on the December 3 Habitat Day in the Gully Katoomba. Our aim is to give you the confidence to create habitat at home and within your local area. We aim to create what we now call traditional pathways.

Hello Everyone, Our Bushcare, Landcare, Swampcare day was postponed recently due to some beautiful rain so we are going to try again on Sunday December 3 – 8.30am to 2.30pm.
Thankfully we have been able to put on the same program with a Welcome and talk about the work in Garguree and the Catchment area – Upper Gedumba. We will still have habitat creation talks, bird talks, bee talks, macro-invertebrates (water bugs) talk, yarning circle, campfire, planting etc.
We do need you to re-register or register for catering purposes. Please e-mail are call Jane by Friday November 24.
These days are community focussed, training provided, no pressure, no stress, just for you to enjoy yourself, you can join us for the whole event or part of the event.
Please BYO cup and water bottle. Thank You.

Garguree Swampcare Sunday December 3
Re-scheduled Habitat Day.

We are going to attempt the Habitat Day again at our next workday on Sunday December 3. A leaflet will be produced soon with registration details and hopefully we can set up the same program for the day.

Cancelled – Garguree Swampcare Happy Habitat Day cancelled as we have rain predicted to continue all day.

Upcoming events including Garguree Swampcare:

Friday 15th September, Hawkesbury campus, Western Sydney University

Citizen Science Symposium Citizen Science in Action

https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/rcegws/rcegws/rce_programs/citizen_science_symposium

Sunday 17 September 2017 10:00am – 2:00pm Waterways Festival

Wentworth Falls Lake 44 Sinclair Crescent Wentworth Falls, NSW 2782

There are talks which are listed at the below URL, please review and book in for the ones you are interested in. Lots of different sessions quite a few are sold out but there are still some seats at the crayfish event which is a great one.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/waterways-festival-tickets-36534296063

Saturday 23rd September at the shelter shed Shaw’s Creek, Yellowmundee Regional Park.

A mini culture camp to talk willows, cultural walk and fire sticks cultural walk and talk with Blue Mountains youth services. Everyone is welcome to come along. Please RSVP to me via e-mail or from the Campfire Embers FB page. The Yellowmundee Aboriginal Bushcare Camp Out only on Facebook but I can express any individual interest or send you an invite on Facebook. Please e-mail if you want to attend and camp out overnight I don’t have a problem managing responses, questions or requests.

Sunday October 1 Garguree Swampcare

Garguree Swampcare will return from 9am until 12pm up the back of the campsite behind big swamp, where we did some privet and montbretia work last November (2016 feels like yesterday). A nice walk but the rewards are awesome.

October 25 to 27 NSW Landcare conference

The 2017 NSW Landcare and Local Land Services Conference will be held from the 25-27 October, at the Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury, NSW. The Conference is being hosted by Landcare NSW and Murray Local Land Services, and is being coordinated in partnership with local Landcare and community groups.

Sunday November 5 Garguree Swampcare Big Walkabout

Possibly a 9am until 2pm but feel free to drop in or leave when you feel like it.

So for this is the expectation for the day, tubestock planting, habitat talks and creation, birds and the bees walks and talks, plus maybe a few more things but there will be with a big chance of weeding.

Garguree Swampcare 06082017

The Gully Katoomba we got to place 3 Bee Community Centres up today.

This Sunday the one and only Garguree Swampcare returns August 6 from 9am until 12pm so if you are available come on down and continue this restoration of Country.

I’m excited the site is just looking awesome. Thanks again for all the work I’m eternally grateful.

We will continue the work around middle swamp the same area as last month. We are still looking towards habitat and letting the plantings grow to see what it creates and how we proceed over the next few years. Whilst I’m looking for work my cupboard is a bit light on for cooking resources so I will mainly bring the tea making items. Hopefully Sandy is all good for this Sunday. There is a rumour Jane may have a cake to share.

Please wear clothes that protect you from being scratched, wear a hat, bring a cup and a drink bottle there is a slight chance of a drizzle so you may want to throw a poncho in your bag (predicted 0.2mm at some point over the 24 hrs deemed as Sunday).

The Garguree Swampcare journey has been a fruitful, connected, re-connected journey. Yesterday (Sunday July 2) was another brilliant workday where we gathered to restore Country.

Here are some photos with descriptions to describe our morning and afternoon together.

Thanks everyone for participating, for being so open and real. For the strong sense of community, for the discussions, for the people who stopped afterwards to discuss our work at Garguree Swampcare.

Thank you Jane for your continual input, support and guidance. Thank you to Sandy for your continual support, encouragement and brilliant morning teas.

It was great to have Lily and Noah sing a song in language for us at morning tea that they were taught at school. As it was the start of NAIDOC and this year it is about language.

The pathways are getting stronger hope to see everyone again next month.

This Sunday we are back Garguree Swampcare at the Gully in Katoomba. We start the regeneration work at 9am and finish up at 11.30am to then gather for a cuppa and some morning tea.

The current weather prediction is for a minimum of 1 degree to a maximum of 12 degrees with a chance of precipitation.
If you drive the place to park is the cul-de-sac next to the Gully Heritage Centre, 23 Gates Avenue Katoomba.

Please have a look at the progress of the Bush Tucker Garden thanks to BMCC for setting up the sandstone edge, it looks brilliant.

Please follow the Gully walk up to middle swamp and we will gather near the covered sitting area. Current plans are to work the middle swamp area for the next 3 workdays before moving to the top area around the big swamp for the final 3 workdays of 2017.

Garguree Swampcare First Sunday of the Month 9am to 12pm.

Sunday July 2 – Garguree Swampcare Middle Swamp 9am to 12pm.

Well we are back to a BAU (Business As Usual) workday on July 2. So weeding and regenerating with Jane from 9am to 11.30am in and around middle swamp. At around 11.15am we aim to clean up and have everything back into the truck by 11.30am which includes the washing of the tools.

A change to our photo policy can we please take flora, fauna, bush regeneration or selfies. Thank you.

Greetings Swampcarers,

Wednesday, 21 June Celebrate 10 years of Swampcare Swamp Symposium and field trip. Venue Blue Mountains Cultural Centre 30 Parke Street Katoomba.

An exciting all day Swamp Conference and field trip in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the foundation of Swampcare and the listing of Blue Mountains Swamps under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act.

Please go to this webpage to review the presentations happening at the event and it would be great if you can register for the day:

Celebrate 10 years of Swampcare! Swamp Symposium and field trip

The presentations will be followed by a field trip to visit the latest soft engineering innovations being developed and/or adapted to local conditions by Eric Mahony and his team from Blue Mountains City Council to protect swamps from stormwater by controlling, slowing, cleansing and infiltrating stormwater flows prior to them entering swamps as well as now tried and trusted techniques for rehydrating and repairing damaged and channelised swamps.

Book early to avoid disappointment at the website above. Looking at the website I’m guessing you e-mail or call Michael Hensen the organiser.

Hope to see you there,

David King
Garguree Swampcare Tea Maker

From Dave the Tea Maker –  I didn’t get to take any photos until it was all over yesterday but thanks to everyone who came to Garguree Swampcare and made it another awesome workday. I’m always amazed at how brilliant and functional this group is. Yesterday we managed to run a weeding session, a morning tea session, a presentation with multiple guests and then sit back around a campfire looking relaxed with no hint that around 50 people had been with us. Congratulations on achieving the LLS Indigenous Land Management Award.

From Blue Mountains City Council – The group won the prestigious Indigenous Land Management Award from the Greater Sydney Local Land Services for their hard yakka over many years to restore the natural ecosystem and Connecting to Country by sharing cultural knowledge & practice. Council is proud to continue supporting Garguree Swampcare.

Greetings Swampcare People,

My current period of unemployment is going well I still haven’t decided what is next but I have had the opportunity to work with Aunty Sharyn and a number of other people and groups over the last few weeks. Whilst working with GAHAI I picked up a new nickname. The Dingo doesn’t cope very well in amongst people and Darbo is Gundungurra for strong black tea. So a few close friends now call me Dingo Darbo.

We start at 9am finishes at 12pm. Our goal at GTO and Garguree Swampcare to reconnect community and Country so please feel free to enjoy yourself as well as helping restoring Country.

The Gully, Garguree Swampcare, meeting point for this Sunday will be middle swamp enter the path from 23 Gates Avenue and head up until you see the BMCC work truck where Jane will be. If you drive please park in the cul de sac.

Under the guidance of Jane, you will be guided around the area to start the continual restoration of this weed heartland.Some of our plantings haven’t worked out that well, some of our plantings have been highly successful, some plants need to be found again and set free, some weeds are trying to overtake our plantings, there always seems to be a blackberry, some of our plants are standing strong, so over the next few workdays we will address this area.

Morning Tea from 11.30am until 12pm (We might go until 12.30pm). Our brilliant morning tea lady Sandy Holmes will be there once again supporting us with scrumptious delights.

We have an extra item this month thanks to all the brilliant work done over the years by everyone we have been honoured with the Indigenous Land Management award presented on site this Sunday. We will also be honoured by the presence of Chris O singing a brilliant song that was written about Country.

I will arrive around 9am after a Welcome to Country at Wentworth Falls and set up for 11.30am Morning Tea at the Heritage Centre (23 Gates Avenue).

We won’t have Ellen with us this month as Ellen has absconded to Uni at Geelong due to her artistic abilities plus all the free food. So you will have to put up with Dingo Darbo managing the table which is always a tough gig.

Thank You,

David King
The Tea Maker aka Dingo Darbo

On June 4 we will be meeting in the middle swamp area which is passed Frogs Hollow (The Lake) and you will see the group on the left up the rise.

You cannot beat the feeling of restoring Country. Thanks again Garguree swampcarers.

Join happy people like this bloke named Dave at Garguree Swampcare. BYO Cup and there will be some morning tea to go along with your cup as well as tea, chai. coffee and hot chocolate.

We are continuing the creation of a Bush Tucker Garden whilst addressing the weeds and runoff.There are still a few plants to plant and some watering to be done. There will be a campfire and time for a chat.

A relaxing morning free of stress and no direct pressure to work hard for 3 hours. Dave may looked stressed but Jane will be relaxed and Ellen will have the cuppas on. Rumour has it Kelsie Sarah will be visiting telling beautiful stories about her father Dave all of the stories will just be for laughs.

Reminder: Garguree Swampcare is on this Sunday coming May 7 from 9am to 12pm. Meeting place The Gully Heritage Centre 23 Gates Avenue Katoomba please park in the cul-de-sac. Back to normal regenerating from 9am to 11.15am then clean up and pack up with a cuppa and some morning tea from 11.30am to 12pm.

Just an update on some of the items around Garguree:

– The tyre and BBQ were removed by BMCC.
– If you spot that the second window is broken I have reported it and BMCC are fixing.
– If you spot BMCC changing the tap head it is because some local trades people and some people who are illegally camping have been using our water.
– I have reported the bin which is overflowing.
– I haven’t reported to dumped blue chair yet as I misplaced the photo. The chair is near the Garguree entrance from the pool.
– Thanks to Erin and Jane we will be getting some coir logs above the falls at Maple Grove. Some students from Sydney Coastal Walks planted 250 tubestock in the Maple Grove area and cleaned up a lot more rubbish for us. A big thanks to Shelley from KCC for getting this connection started.
– The drain problem above Katoomba Falls has been reported.
– The boggy track someone formed into the Gully now has sandstone rocks to try and stop them.
– The mulch is being laid out in preparation for one of our workdays towards then end of this year.
– I’m contemplating what to write to BMCC about our landslide issues.
– I have been checking all of our plantings and we are very successful.
– Thanks again everyone for your continued support and encouragement.

If you watched the infomercial (now deleted) Mothers Day is Sunday week May 14. I made a mistake and said it was this week, May 7, apologies about that.So no special events this Sunday just all of us, the weeds, the tubestock to plant and some tea.

If you are available to donate some time Saturday week (May13) we have a working bee at KCC from 9am to 5pm.
I can only stay until 12.30pm as I now have a date with both of my daughters they are taking me to the football for Mother’s Day which starts at 3pm in Penrith (I was informed yesterday).

Here is the registration URL as the working bee caters for lunch and we need to know the numbers

http://www.kcc.org.au/working-bees.html

Working this site enables us to close the loop between the ridge from KCC and Prince Henry Cliff Walk encompassing the work done at Birriban (Katoomba High).
It then connects to all the work Jenny Hill is doing in Leura Catchment. So we need to keep Shelley as the KCC Operations Manager for a long time.

Just an update on some of the items around Garguree:

– The tyre and BBQ were removed by BMCC.
– If you spot that the second window is broken I have reported it and BMCC are fixing.
– If you spot BMCC changing the tap head it is because some local trades people and some people who are illegally camping have been using our water.
– I have reported the bin which is overflowing.
– I haven’t reported to dumped blue chair yet as I misplaced the photo. The chair is near the Garguree entrance from the pool.
– Thanks to Erin and Jane we will be getting some coir logs above the falls at Maple Grove. Some students from Sydney Coastal Walks planted 250 tubestock in the Maple Grove area and cleaned up a lot more rubbish for us. A big thanks to Shelley from KCC for getting this connection started.
– The drain problem above Katoomba Falls has been reported.
– The mulch is being laid out in preparation for one of our workdays towards then end of this year.
– I’m contemplating what to write to BMCC about our landslide issues.
– I will post photos of a lot of the above.
– I have been checking all of our plantings and we are very successful.
– Thanks again everyone for your continued support and encouragement.

Hope to see many of you on Sunday May 7 which isn’t Mothers Day. Apparently my oldest daughter will be visiting us whatever Kelsie says about me I’m certain it will be incorrect.

David King
E-mailer and Tea Maker.

So far this year we have been able work the Maple Grove and Katoomba Falls area as well as up the top with Garguree Swampcare. My thanks to GTO Sharyn Halls, Shelley Taylor from KCC, Elly Jane Chatfield Gamillaroi, BMCC Jane, Monica, Erin, Eric and staff. Ian and the Sydney Walks team. The Sydney Walks student groups. The school from Campbellltown and the legendary Garguree Swampcarers.

Elly Chatfield and I have had the privilege to sit and talk with all the groups. This week 9 x Senior High students sat with us on Monday night and were a brilliant genuine group as we discussed Aboriginal Culture and History. Today this group planted, weeded and cleaned up rubbish without complaint above Katoomba Falls.

Thank You.

Photos taken by Elly Chatfield where the students worked today.

If you have visited Garguree Swampcare as a volunteer then you can attend but you must RSVP. We just got the word from the boss – Jane. Register your attendance bushcare@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Stay on course and join us.

“Good morning Folks !
Just a reminder that our Bushcare Picnic is just around the corner and we would LOVE to see you all there !!
Please RSVP ASAP if you are attending.

The Bio Blitz is going to be super , informative and fun so come and camp on the Friday night go spotlighting and set up stations to monitor critters. Then wake up to bird watching, stream watch activity’s, bee habit making workshop ( take a bee hotel home for your Bushcare site ) And off course we are cooking for you.

So pass the word around , it will be FAB !
RSVP soon Jane”

My thanks to Jenny Campbell who comes along each month to capture images of our workdays and our beautiful surroundings.

Reminder: This Sunday April 2 Garguree Swampcare Workday 9am to 12pm meet at 23 Gates Avenue the Gully Heritage Centre, Katoomba.

Thank You

Thanks for all the great effort and support at Maple Grove Reserve for our last workday which was also Clean Up Australia Day.
I’m always amazed and humbled when the day and the week prior had continuous rain and 30 people (including the 2 Italian Tourists) came to support caring for the Gully, the swamps and Country.

Reflection

We collected a total of 17 bags of rubbish, a large cushion, an old bushcare sign and the remains of a Jewels trolley.
This is amazing considering we went for the microscopic rubbish and also sad.
The great result is that a lot of animals will have their lives extended because of all the work we did.
We also had the great BM MUGS Ukulele players who were awesome.
Then there was the always amazing Australian native animals with Anthony Stimson from Australian Wildlife Displays

Saturday March 18 from 10am to 2pm at the Co-Op Katoomba

We will be setting up a kind of exhibition to talk about my mother Aunty Mary King and the Gully. So if you are in Katoomba drop into Shop 3 at the Co-Op between 10am and 2pm. I have stated I will do a talk at 10.30am but I will just play it by ear.

Sunday April 2 Garguree Swampcare Workday 9am to 12pm.

Our next workday will cover 3 areas in and around the building (Gully Heritage Centre) 23 Gates Avenue. We will start on the Bush Tucker Garden, the memorial garden and follow up on the wet line where we planted the ferns during Threatened Species Day last year. So we should be back to normal with weeding etc from 9am to 11.30am. We will be planting so there will be digging and watering. Then from 11.30am to 12pm sit about, have a chat, cuppa and one of those great Garguree Swampcare morning teas.

Saturday and Sunday April 8 and 9 Jenolan Caves Sycamore Removal

There were some vacancies left in April but May is booked out. They tell me it is a great weekend on large sloping ridges. I’m going to this one in April.

The Bushcare Picnic for 2017 is on Saturday April 29. There will also be a camp out in the valley on Friday night April 28.

May 6 Capertee Tree Planting and May 7 Garguree Swampcare.

On May 6 there is the test called Capertee Valley Tree Planting. A few thousand tubestock planted in one day.
I’m planning on heading out to this one and then I camp overnight before coming back for 9am Garguree Swampcare.

Saturday May 13 Katoomba Christian Convention Centre (KCC) Landcare.

A great operations manager at KCC named Shelley Taylor has formed a Landcare group which officially meets twice a year.

This area is vital in the catchment as it really enables us to address a greater area. The next workday is Saturday May 13 from 9am to 4pm. The centre have about 10 tool kits so if you have your own tools can you bring them with you. I think there is a goal to plant 200 trees on this workday so some digging and planting tools would be awesome.Please register at this website http://www.kcc.org.au/working-bees.html
I attend this one. .

If you have gumboots or waders please wear them as we might need to weed in a new area due to the amount of rain or we might just drink tea. Bring a Cup and a Seat because the ground will be wet. Just sitting about having a chat will be nice.

Maple Grove Reserve Katoomba Falls Road, Katoomba.
Cancelled if the weather becomes wet and stormy.

Well we are back this Sunday for the 2017 March edition of Garguree Swampcare from 9am to 12.30pm.

Please bring a cup, something to sit on and a towel as the area will probably still be moist after all the rain. This is on top of a hat, long sleeves, pants, enclosed shoes and a bottle of water.

We have a group of Ukulele players who have volunteered to come along and play due to all the brilliant work everyone is doing at Swampcare. Hopefully it will release my only ukulele image which is Tinny Tim singing tip toe through the tulips.

We also have our regular morning tea which is always a treat and during this time there will be a reptile display. I will tell you why I paid them to come along on Sunday.

Our goal for the first two hours is to keep on removing the weeds that we have worked on in the Grove for the last few years in March.

We will also work the area for rubbish removal and Jane from BMCC will bring gumboots for those confident enough to drop into the creekline.

I love Garguree Swampcare workdays so no matter what the day brings, being on Country is just a beautiful thing.

The Bushcare picnic is at the end of April

The 2017 Bushcare Picnic

To attend the picnic you don’t have to serve a certain amount of time, if you have joined us for a workday over the last 12 months then you qualify to eat food cooked by BMCC. Always an awesome event and this time there is an overnight camp with snoring people.

In May KCC (Katoomba Christian Convention Centre) has their Landcare workday, Saturday May 13 from 9am to 4pm. we need to plant 200 tubestock and attack some major weed areas. I will add a registration page in April for those who haven’t already indicated they can attend. Morning Tea and Lunch provided.

Hope to see some if not a lot of you on Sunday.

Garguree Swampcare Clean Up Australia March 5 at Maple Grove Katoomba. From 9am to 12.30pm.
On top of having the best group of volunteers
On top of having the best Bushcare officers
On top of having the best managed morning tea table
On top of having the best morning tea
On top of having the best photographer
On top of having a supportive and encouraging community
On top of having a reptile show from 11.30 to 12.30
We are pleased to announce that Serena from the Blue MUGs will lead a band of ukulele players in a singalong. I think the infectious Garguree Swampcarers are attracting more passion than I can ever exude for the work we do.
So, from around 11.00 to 11.30 we will hear the wonderful sounds of the ukulele across the Maple Grove area of Garguree as we meander in for morning tea, a singalong and then the reptile show.
Here they are on you tube…..

It was another great workday and I constantly amazed and encouraged by the people come along. It was another great morning tea and time of banter.

Here is a rough cut for the first Sunday in March at Maple Grove.

The 2017 Bushcare Picnic

Thank You Bushcare picnic is on Saturday 29 April 2017 at Megalong Valley Community Hall – Save the Date! 

This year we are combining the usual lunch-time bar-b-q picnic with a camp-out on Friday 28th April, a night-time fauna survey and early morning birdwatching so – stay posted for more information coming soon!

Lunch will be at noon with our annual awards presentations at 2:00pm.

More details coming soon!

The 2017 Bushcare Picnic

Here is the general meeting area for story board workdays.

Some basic directions on where and how to get to the Community Path Privet area workdays. This is from our November 2016 Workday.

http://www.austwildlife.com.au/ For Garguree Swampcare at Maple Grove on Sunday March 5 we will be having an Australian fauna presentation during morning tea.

This workday will be a weeding and planting day. We will also follow up on previous work done in the Gully along the path next to Frogs Hollow. As discussed at the February 5 workday there will be a talk at morning tea time.

Here is the general area where we will be meeting, cleaning and weeding.

Thanks everyone for all the support, weeding and for joining us on a warm day.

We have visited the new site called Story board and the other new site for 2017 will be the Community Path where the Privet day was held in 2016. Here are 2 photos from 2016.

On top of looking for rubbish Paul Vale did a Reccy and came back with these recommendations for the day:

Along the edge of the footpath, going uphill from the corner of the mown picnic area/carpark. We have a small patch of privet that is isolated from everything else, so might be worth 10 minutes removing. Then, Scotch Thistle, Blackberry, Coreopsis, Cotoneaster, Holly, Monbretia, Japanese Honeysuckle, thick Privet, intense Star Jasmine. These generally extend about 5 metres from the footpath edge to what appears to be quite good native veg.

Below the “Chilli Guy” house. Last time we worked from the edge of the good bush about 8 metres below the house boundary, so near that boundary is still “bad”. But it is certainly not as bad as it was. Starting from the footpath and entering the rough track immediately below the house driveway, there is Privet, Ivy, Cotoneaster, Monbretia, Cherry Laurel, Blackberry, Japanese Honeysuckle, Holly, Himalayan Honeysuckle, Blackberry Nightshade (Solanum nigrum). There are also exotic garden escapees from the garden above – mostly unidentified. I did spray some of the worst patches last time.

At about 55 metres from the street, the native veg is quite good on both sides of the rough track; there is a sharp and obvious end to the weedy section.

My recommendation of priority is:

1. The small patch of privet near the mown picnic area, as it is easily achievable.
2. Weeds below the rough track, particularly the few vertical ivy plants on tree trunks, and small colonies of Monbretia. There are also few Cotoneasters and Hollies, all small that would be good to get done. This area below the track seems to have mostly resisted reinfestation of weeds after our efforts last year.
3. Some of the better areas above the track. There are some that are thick weed, e.g. a couple of square metres of Monbretia that would take a lot of resources to treat, while other areas have reasonable native veg that would benefit from weed removal.
4. I think last time we decided to leave the wall of weeds next to the footpath, but we might like to consider doing something with the Jasmine as it is quite a bit worse, I think.

The photo attached is of a section of the area below the track not long after we started last year. Most of those giant ivies were treated, but I did notice some new ones, up to 2 metres from the ground. They shouldn’t be hard to remove. The impression this photo gives is of dense undergrowth; just a bit of trick photography, as below the path is mostly quite open, so relatively easy to work in.

Another great turn out of around 25 volunteers young and younger. Another great morning tea and the Bushcare truck was loaded with weeds which is always the best feeling.

We had a great with a great crowd removing weeds and sharing morning tea. It was great to be back on Country bringing life and restoration.