Dr Kylie Soanes at our AGM
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…
Happy Christmas!
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.
Sunday working bees back on
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…
Clematis microphylla
Ubiquitous, unique, fragrant, and dioecious. On any visit to Westgate Park in winter/spring you can’t miss the sweet perfume of this small-leaved Clematis. It can scramble over the ground and climb as high as 3 meters over other plants or rocky outcrops. It’s also…
Thanks, JH and Melb Water
The crew from John Holland and Melbourne Water are working in the park on the major task of duplicating the sewer under the Yarra River – a project to be completed in 2024. They took time out this week to see more of the…
Telstra Purple steps up
Thanks to the Telstra crew for a morning of tough weed-pulling in the Southern Wetlands followed by planting on the steep slopes of the freshwater lake edge and along the steps up the hill. Thanks too to our core volunteers for making it happen….
Coastcare project 2022
People often turn a cheek to the saltmarsh, it has rarely captured interest in the same way our forests or flowering heathlands historically have. The slippery sedimentary soils, blaring heat and occasionally offensive odours don’t lure the passer-by, but the appeal is real. Bands…
Volunteers wanted – working with seed
Some of our indigenous plants are grown by cuttings or division but most are propagated from seed. Preparing seeds, or seed cleaning, is a hugely important role in our propagation process. But all it requires is an aptitude for careful and methodical work, guided…
New Manager for Westgate Biodiversity
A warm welcome to Rhod Cunningham who joined the team this week as Manager of our operations. She has a wealth of plant nursery experience, great knowledge of indigenous plant species and seed collection in Greater Melbourne. Rhod has a special interest in aquatic…
Big ACF effort
Members of the Australian Conservation Foundation – Macnamara Chapter – are very good friends of Westgate Biodiversity, regularly pitching in at Westgate Park. On Saturday they pulled out a massive pile of weeds from a part of the Park alongside the Yarra River bank….