Sunday 2 March Working Bee – Clean Up Australia Day
Clean Up Australia Day occurs annually on the first Sunday in March. This year we are removing rubbish and weeds along Five Mile Creek between Jeffreys St and High St. Everyone is welcome to help us take positive and practical action to clean up Woodend!
We hope you you’ve had a great start to the year and are looking forward to helping restore nature in Woodend with Landcare in 2025. We have won 4 grants this year, so we’ll be undertaking a couple of planting days to continue the Black Gum BioLink Enhancement project in the vicinity of the tennis club – Scout Hall – Jeffrey’s St. Throughout the year we also plan to take part in Clean Up Australia Day, visiting Quarry Road Flora Reserve and Slatey Creek Black Gum Reserve.
Our trusty Thursday Crew are back in action and continue to meet most weeks – contact Dave Bower (dvbower65@gmail.com) if you’d like to get involved.
February Working Bee
As usual we have December and January off each year. We begin our working bee season in the shade of the gum trees by Five Mile Creek, along the Rotary exercise track near Jeffrey’s Street. This has been the site of our annual February bee for a couple of years now and the impact we’ve made on the ivy can easily be seen by anyone strolling by.
When: 9am – 12 noon, Sunday 9 February
Where: Five Mile Creek near Jeffrey’s St
Don’t forget to check our website before the bee in case we have had to change locations or cancel at the last minute.
Taking Action Against Indian Mynas: The MRIMAG Project
The Indian Myna, while seemingly harmless, is a significant environmental concern in Australia. Its aggressive and adaptive nature has allowed it to disrupt ecosystems, threaten native biodiversity, and cause issues in urban and rural areas. Groups like the Macedon Ranges Indian Myna Action Group (MRIMAG) are taking action to combat this invasive species and protect the environment.
We have set up a new page to find out more about the MRIMAG project and how you can get involved – click here to view.
2024 in reflection
Woodend Landcare would like to express our gratitude to all our dedicated volunteers and generous supporters who have helped us achieve so much this year. Some of our 2024 accomplishments include:
Received Macedon Ranges Shire Council Healthy People and Environment Community Award.
Commendation presented to Nicole Middleton (our Treasurer) for the Joan Kirner Landcare Award.
Received donations from Woodend Rotary, Woodend Community Bags (MRSG), Natural Grace, Macedon Ranges Signs and several locals.
Filmed for Postcards travel and leisure tv show to air early in 2025.
Completion of the Pollinator Corridor Project, planting 750 understorey species along Five Mile Creek and surrounds.
Collaboration with Woodend Scouts to plant 660 seedlings for the Black Gum Biolink Project (Join us for more planting days in 2025).
Provided guided tours of our revegetation work along Five Mile Creek to two Victoria University student groups and the VNPA Nature’s Stewards program.
Negotiated approval by VicTrack to continue working to conserve the beautiful remnant flora along Quarry Road Rail Reserve
Applied for and acquitted 10 grants, including auspicing a GWW grant for Woodend Primary School
Monthly sampling of Five Mile Creek water to test for water quality (CMA Water Watch) and pesticide residues (Deakin University research)
Cleared 464 pieces of rubbish from Five Mile Creek for Clean Up Australia Day.
MRIMAG continued to reduce the impact of introduced Indian Myna’s on indigenous bird communities.
Sightings of platypus and rakali in Five Mile Creek within town, indicating a healthy riparian ecosystem.
Eleven Sunday working bees as well as Thursday Crew working bees during most weeks.
Gazillions of ivy, willow, blackberry, privet, broom, gorse plus other invasive weeds removed from our local environment.
Despite our successes this year, we only have 36 financial members, which is down from last year. If you’d like to support the amazing work of Woodend Landcare volunteers maintaining and enhancing the natural environment within and around our town, please sign up as a financial or financial/active member by clicking here.
It been a great year for Woodend Landcare. Please join us this Sunday (9am, 24 November) to celebrate and pull out the odd weed or two. We will be working along the south side of Five Mile Creek – between Wood and Bowen Streets. We will stop work at 11.30am for morning tea – a special thanks to all our incredible and hard working volunteers! Hope to see you there.
The travel and lifestyle TV show, Postcards, visited Woodend this week to highlight some of the wonderful food and leisure options available in town. They included the lovely walk along Five Mile Creek, which has been the focus of Woodend Landcare’s revegetation work over the past 30 years.
Presenter, Brodie Harper interviewed Woodend Landcare’s Nicole Middleton about the community group’s activities as they took a stroll along the Creek path and we thought we would share what Nicole spoke about.
“There are many reasons why people should join a community group such as Woodend Landcare.” Nicole explained. “Some of these include getting out in the fresh air, doing some exercise, helping to protect and enhance the local environment, meeting new people and socialising. Our caterers, Chris and Kate, put on a delicious morning tea for everyone who helps out at our Sunday working bees”.
“People can get involved with Woodend Landcare by coming along to one of our Sunday or Thursday working bees or signing up as a financial member.” Nicole continued. “Working bees are advertised on posters around Woodend, on our Woodend Landcare blog and facebook pages and in the Woodend Rotary’s New Woodend Star magazine”
Other members of Woodend Landcare were present to demonstrate planting an endangered Black Gum (Eucalytpus aggregata) seedling within the site of a recent planting event – check out some of the pics below. The Black Gum BioLink Enhancement Project is funded by a grant from Macedon Rangers Shire Council together with Bendigo Bank. Black Gum is an endangered gum tree within Victoria, as it only grows with 4km of Woodend.
The episode of Postcards featuring Woodend will air early in 2025 – we’ll let our followers know when.
Working bee this Sunday
A reminder that our monthly working bee is on at 9am this Sunday 27 October to tackle the weeds growing along Five Mile Creek near Bowen Street. Hope to see you there!
Woodend Landcare 