This event is part of
Help us prevent a weed of national significance from taking over Ranters Gully.
Before 2011 Ranters Gully, a small tributary of Campbells Creek, was a heavily weed infested and rubbish strewn eyesore. The Friends obtained funding to remove all that and replant native trees and shrubs. These are now doing well.
However, like a ticking time bomb, seeds of English Broom were still in the soil. English Broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a weed of national significance also declared noxious in Victoria.
The broom is now making a concerted comeback and threatens to take over the gully and surrounding areas. See the Photo Gallery link below for some photos that illustrate the situation.
We haven’t revisited Ranters Gully in a group activity for quite a while. This Sunday’s working bee is an opportunity to see how the area is progressing and to sweep away some of the English Broom before it can set yet more seed.
Meet at 10:00 AM here at the derelict shed. You can park on the mown area off the unnamed laneway that runs north from Princess Street next to the bridge over Campbells Creek. This is public land.
If you can, please bring loppers, large secateurs or a pruning saw (and your own drinking water). Some of the ground we’ll be traversing is uneven with steep slopes, so wear gloves, hat and sturdy clothing and footwear suitable for the weather.
We’ll supply the rest.
Coronavirus protocols:
Please let us know if you plan to attend this activity, so that we can organise numbers accordingly, with a maximum of 10 in our group (or plan a number of smaller groups if there is sufficient interest). You can register your interest on our website, or send us an email (info@focc.org.au).
The following provisions are for the protection of attendees, and to ensure our volunteers are covered by insurance.
• You must wear a face mask: please bring your own.
• Social distancing: numbers in each group will be limited to 10, and volunteers (adults and children) will maintain a 1.5 metres separation from those not in their household.
• Hand sanitiser will be available.
• There will be no sharing of equipment, including tools, gloves and sign-on sheets. Bring your own equipment, or use our pre-sanitised equipment, and then maintain exclusive use of those for the morning.
• Unfortunately we will not provide our usual shared morning tea. If needed, please bring your own drinks and snacks.
• We will make sure we have a record of everyone who has attended and their contact information if follow-up is needed.
• Do NOT attend if you are feeling unwell, if you have concerns about your own health or that of vulnerable people you are close to, if you have been in contact with known sufferers or recently (<14 days) arrived from area known to have sufferers.
• If you become concerned about your health in the days following the activity, let us know so that others can be alerted.
Plans may need to be reviewed and changed at short notice, depending on changing advice.