A combined effort to pull off recent revegetation at Walker Swamp

Over the past six months we have been holding regular Fieldwork Fridays at NGT’s Walker Swamp, where NGT volunteers have been working alongside NGT staff to complete various tasks across the reserve. The biggest task that we have recently undertaken is a new revegetation area surrounded by a kangaroo proof exclusion fence. The fence is now almost complete, and it has been a tremendous combined effort from our wonderful volunteers, with support from OneFortyOne (supply of second-hand wire netting), WestVic Earthmoving (transportation of netting), Dale Collins fencing contractors, and NGT staff.

Inside this new herbivore exclusion area, we have so far planted 1800 locally native seedlings, with a further 700 to go in next year. You may remember from previous stories (catch up here and here) that the seedlings were supplied to us as a result of Ella Plumanns Pouton’s PhD research looking into fire regimes, climate, and other environmental drivers on plant diversity in native heathlands. The seedlings were generously grown on and housed by Arborline nursery in Hamilton until they were ready for planting out at Walker Swamp. It was fantastic to have Ella out on site recently as part of the planting team!

With the high rainfall that Walker Swamp has seen over the past month, I’m sure the seedlings will have a high chance of survival to enhance the landscape around the swamp.

Revegetation efforts are Walker Swamp will be ongoing, so if you are interested in helping out with plantings or other Fieldwork Friday activities, please reach out (email NGT’s Southern Grampians community coordinator Lisa: ). A huge thank you to all who have been involved so far!

This project has been supported by WestVic Earthmoving, OneFortyOne, The University of Melbourne, and Arborline.