This event is part of
Wildflower sowing for our Connecting Country project.
Meet 9:45am at Campbells Creek Park to car pool to the site or make your own way there by 10am along the Campbells Creek walking track: the site is 275 m downstream from the top pedestrian bridge over the creek. Access to the path is from Lewis Drive, Castlemaine.
Wear sturdy footwear, weather appropriate clothing, gloves. Bring rakehoes, picks, steel toothed rakes.
Morning tea provided.
Bring back the wildflowers!
In the spirit of the Castlemaine State Festival, the Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare Group are running an unusual event this Sunday the 17th of April. Group President, Stephen Ellis said while most landcare groups have a focus on tree planting, the ‘Friends’ are also restoring the ground flora.
Thanks to the Shire wide Connecting Country project’s support, the group is running an outdoor workshop and working bee to demonstrate how to put back some of the beautiful wildflower species missing from the Campbells Creek valley.
“Most people don’t realise what we’ve lost since European settlement. Although the Castlemaine district is lucky to still have hilly public land in reasonable condition, the valleys and creeks never recovered from the devastation of the gold rush” Stephen said. To find out what used to grow here, the group had to resort to historic accounts like Joseph Parker’s description of the Campbells Creek valley in 1846.
Parker wrote: “On the flats, the meadow…was in many places two and three feet high with buttercups, native daisies, soldiers' buttons, and everlasting flowers, and many other beautiful and highly-scented flowers.”
Stephen said “we’re lucky to have native vegetation guru Ian Higgins to show us how to do this. He even suggest it’s worthwhile growing these wildflowers in your own garden. That’s why we’ll be giving away free wildflower seed packets to participants on the day.”
The group has spent the last year preparing a one acre site for this Sunday’s wildflower sowing event. Stephen said Connecting Country support also allowed the group to test out their ideas in some small scale trials in 2010. “Last year’s wildflower sowings taught us a few lessons, but now we feel confident to take on the restoration of this larger area.”
WHERE: The site is 275m downstream from the top pedestrian bridge over the creek. Access to the path is from Lewis Drive, Castlemaine. Here’s a link to a map of the site
If you’re in government you may not have a licence to use NearMap, so here’s a Google Maps link