Sowing the seeds for the Mount Gambier Rail Trail project
The Mount Gambier Rail Trail project is in full swing, with the NGT nursery busy sowing over 30 different plant species for the ‘Year 1’ site. The plants are growing nicely at the moment with final sowing occurring as we speak. We will aim to have around 2,000 plants ready for planting in late June-July this year. A big thank-you to our regular ‘Field Work Friday’ and nursery volunteers … we can’t do it without you!
Vanilla lily (Arthropodium milleflorum) in full bloom at the NGT nursery in Mount Gambier.
Some of the species that volunteers are helping us prepare include wildflowers such as Paper daisies, Vanilla and Chocolate lilies, Scurf-Peas, shrubs such as Myrtle Wattle, Banksias and Bottlebrushes, as well as various rushes, grass and sedge species; one of which is the Spiny Flat-sedge (Cyperus gymnocaulos) which is commonly used for indigenous basket weaving .
Basket weaving sedge – Cyperus gymnocaulos.
We have prepared a draft revegetation plan for the Bertha Street to White Avenue section which was commenced by Lucie Pratt (Intern from Monash University) back in July 2019. We thank Lucie for her time and effort on this component and helping to ‘get the ball rolling’.
Before the end of the school year we met with two further interested high schools and one community organisation, and are pleased to welcome our new participants – St Martin’s Lutheran College, Mount Gambier High School and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation, who will provide assistance over the coming year. We look forward to working together as the project grows. We also thank locals who have contacted NGT to register in helping when the time arises either in the nursery and/or planting.
In term 1 this year we will be visiting Tenison Woods College to discuss design of planting areas. We will also meet up with students and teachers from all participating schools to map out the next few months and to arrange Rail Trail project activities. Students will be spending time out of the classroom and visiting the Rail Trail area where we will talk together about Indigenous and Cultural aspects, seed collecting, plant propagation, local wildlife species, and a variety of nature/biodiversity concepts relating to the plants we are growing and why they are important.
Any businesses, schools, groups or individuals interested to know more about the project and/or would like to participate please get in touch with us at our Vansittart Park office on Ph: 08 8797 8596, or email us (and check out our previous post for more information).
Nature Glenelg Trust would like to thank Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier City Council, Limestone Coast Rail Trail Sub-committee for your partnership in this project.
