Category: News

The Wildlife Conservation Society at Melbourne Uni came to the Park in force on Saturday. Their tasks were to finish microbat box numbering, record the facing direction, and measure the heights of the nest boxes erected for microbats. We do this to see what di...

Some birds in Westgate Park like the Sacred Kingfisher and the Southern Boobook (owl) prefer to nest in tree hollows but these hollows take many years to form so we have erected special nest boxes where it will be safe to lay eggs and raise chicks. Come with u...

As part of our project – Hollows for Habitat – we are running a series of tours, field trips and monitoring events. This is to see if the 50 nest boxes erected in the park are supporting microbats and birds that would normally use tree hollows. Not...

It’s now official! Management of Westgate Park is to be taken over by the City of Melbourne on 1 January 2026. In the meantime, we will be working with the Council to develop a master plan and prepare for the new arrangement.  More to come on this … 

Large areas of Victoria’s wetlands have been cleared and drained over time so it is not surprising that some aquatic species have become rare.  Sedges, rushes and aquatic herbs grow in wet or swampy areas – bogs, ponds and lake edges – providing exc...

Araujia sericifera – Moth or milky vine – used to be a garden favourite but like so many weeds, it is a huge pest. It has been coming into the Park and we discovered the source is next door – the former Herald and Weekly Times printing works ...

Though not listed as threatened in Victoria, many of the 320 native plant species that once existed in the Melbourne region have all but disappeared. (Ref Flora of Melbourne) This makes Westgate Park and Bili Nursery important in protecting and conserving this...

We had the great pleasure in hearing about the work of Dr Kylie Soanes who is an urban ecologist at the University of Melbourne in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. She investigates creative and practical ways to conserve biodiversity in cities and ...

Bili Nursery, 525 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, will be open over the Christmas period – 9-4 weekdays, 10-3 Saturdays – closed public holidays. We hope to see you there.

Starting in March, we will be resuming our monthly volunteer work days – the second Sunday of each month – 10am to 2pm with a well-earned break for lunch. There is much to do at Westgate Park and we will be mostly weeding or planting. You will need...