Tag: nature

Forest Creek Revitalisation Project Grant

The recently received grant for the Forest Creek Revitalisation Project—Castlemaine under the Australian Government’s Urban Rivers and Catchments Program will be a major focus for 2025.  It will enable the partners [North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA),  Mount Alexander Shire Council (MASC), Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), DJAARA, Friends of Campbells Creek (FoCC)  and Castlemaine Landcare Group (CLG)] to work together over the next 3 years to deliver a more natural stream and streamside within the channelised section of Forest Creek and additional upstream and downstream benefits to habitat and biodiversity.  NCCMA will manage this grant.

Under that grant, we will spread the CLG work from 2025-27 at –

  • The Wilding Site behind Best Motors, between Patterson Bridge and Ten Foot Bridge, to enhance vegetation, improve access to viewing areas of the creek and monitor water quality and wildlife including aquatic species;
  • The Indigenous Food and Fibre (IFF) site, expanding its upstream and downstream riparian treatments, creating a series of ponds and riparian areas to provide refugia for wildlife including Bibron’s toadlet and expanding informal walking and viewing along the creek;
  • The lower section of the Montgomery Street grasslands, to reintroduce some threatened and rare species (note that we also anticipate a cultural burn by DEECA / DJAARA to the upper grasslands where there is kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) but this is not part of the grant);
  • The footbridge waterhole and surrounds, to increase aquatic habitat and species and provide a viewing path and additional planting to the currently hidden anticlinal fold area; and
  • The junction of Moonlight and Forest Creeks, in the Copses area, to improve native grassland habitat.

FoCC will also be doing considerable work downstream, especially to reintroduce threatened species and protect platypus.
More of that as we go, but also will assume “weeding” is still part of the task, although it will be shared with contractors.

For 2025, we will also –

  • Continue our work on the existing section of the IFF site, with a small planting – mainly grasses;
  • Follow up, via a small planting by volunteers, on work to be carried out by DEECA along Moonlight Creek that will enhance an existing waterhole and place some tree trunks and limbs to slow water before it reaches the washaway; and
  • Set up some citizen science opportunities for our volunteers.

Seed Collection Workshop

Sunday 10th November, 10 -11:30am
At the footbridge, Leanganook Track, Castlemaine

Castlemaine Landcare Group invites you to a seed collection workshop on Sunday, November 10th, 10am-11:30. 

Come and spend a morning along the Leanganook Track in Castlemaine learning about collecting native seeds with Mark Walker. 

This free workshop will cover collection techniques for different species, tools of the trade, timing your seed collection efforts, the ethics of seed collection, and a little about direct sowing. We will explore native grasses, wattles, shrubs with woody capsules and eucalypts. 

The workshop will be an hour and half of walk and talk plus some hands-on activities. 

Mark holds a wealth of knowledge having worked for the North Central Catchment Management Authority and the Department of Primary Industries (now DEECA) in Bush Revegetation and Landscape Management for over a decade in the Box Ironbark country. He has been a commercial seed collector and professional educator. He is passionate about bushcare and sharing understandings of the natural environment.

To help with catering (a modest morning tea), please RSVP by email to clgvolunteers99@gmail.com with your name and any dietary requirements.

For further information, contact Jack on 0435 721 756. 

This workshop is funded through a Victorian Landcare Grant from the Northern Central Catchment Management Authority. 

When
Sunday 10th November, 10-11:30am

Where
We will meet at the footbridge over Forest Creek along the Leanganook Track (see map below or Google Maps pin here). We will walk together approximately 400m to the Montgomery Street Native Grasslands where we will end with morning tea. Note, the path we will take has some moderate slopes. 

What to bring
Bring gloves, secateurs, sturdy shoes and protection from the weather. Be prepared for some hands-on activities. 

Parking
Limited parking is available along Montgomery Street near where we will end the walk or on Happy Valley Road (see map below), with a short walk or ride along the track to the footbridge. Note, Connecting Country are also planning a full day seed collection workshop on Saturday 9th November if you aren’t free to join us on the Sunday. See here for further details and registration.