January break at nursery
Bili Nursery will be closed on Saturday – 15, 22 and 29 January- opening again Saturday 5 February.
If you need plants, the nursery is still open Monday to Friday.
See you there!
An invitation to volunteer with us
Bili Nursery
We have vacancies in our regular volunteer teams on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The nursery is at 525 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne.
Our volunteers perform a range of tasks including potting up, pricking out, removing weeds, ‘cleaning’ and storing seeds, and helping with retail customers.
We produce indigenous plants for Westgate Park, friends groups, local councils, landscapers, and residents and we do this because it is so important for biodiversity.
Bili Landcare
Our Bili Landcare volunteer team could do with more help on Mondays and Wednesdays in planting, weeding and generally taking care of our wonderful Westgate Park, Todd Road Port Melbourne.
If you like to be outdoors in a bush-like setting, working to the sounds of frog and bird calls, this may be for you.
Parks Victoria requires that volunteers working in the Park have a Working With Children Check or have applied for one. It’s free and you can apply for one here.
Register your interest in volunteering
We will do an induction, show you around both the Park and the Nursery and make sure you know how to stay work safe.
Welcome on board!
Bird survey 6 December
Recently fledged superb fairy-wren nestling (Pic: Ursula Dutkiewicz)
Hot, blustery, and humid weather suppressed a great deal of bird activity, but with good habitat conditions the superb fairy-wrens continue to breed.
Overall, however the park looks good with larger trees well recovered from the near-drought conditions that prevailed early in 2021.
Weeds remain a problem, but the Westgate volunteers are back in action.
The three Weebill reported on eBird on 5 December is a new record of this species in the park.
Bird survey 1 November
Australasian Grebe on nest of floating algae. Six out of the eight grebes were nesting or constructing a nest. (Pic: Andrew McCutcheon)
This survey recorded the first eastern rosella seen in the park 2016.
Clamorous reed warblers are back in number, and the high number of white-browed scrub-wrens.
The water in both major lakes is at very high levels, with almost all the smaller islands in the Large Freshwater Lake fully submerged.
Whilst clearer than usual, the Large Freshwater Lake hosts large patches of green algae but very few water birds with all species in very low numbers.
Continuing excellent rains have brought dense growth in many parts of the park, along with weeds.
The high number of white-browed scrub-wrens indicates that past surveys have generally under-estimated the numbers of this elusive species in Westgate Park.
Opening hours over the break
Bili Nursery
Open over Christmas, other than public holidays: 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday.
525 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne
Bili Landcare
Resumes Monday and Wednesday working days at Westgate Park after 10 January 2022
Call 0492 972 652 for information on volunteering
Garden gift ideas for Christmas
The tree that just keeps giving
Black she-oak (allocasuarina littoralis) is available at the Bili Nursery in mantelpiece- or shelf-friendly sizes, perfect for a splash of seasonal greenery and decoration.
And once the celebrations are over, plant a sapling to mature into a very controllable tree.
Black she-oaks can grow to more than 8 metres in height but can also be trimmed or lopped to suit medium-sized urban backyards.
Virtually indestructible, black she-oaks also offer other benefits.
“What they are in habitat terms is they are the number one food for black cockatoos,” says Bili Nursery manager Nic Brinkley
Fast-growing bird habitat
Acacia acinacea is also known as the gold dust wattle.
This native of south-eastern Australia makes a fast-growing hedge and wonderful small-bird habitat.
Gold dust wattle blooms usually between July and November, adding a dash of bright colour to a winter garden.
A native for a cottage garden
If you’re after an informal indigenous plant that would not look out of place in a traditional European-style garden, try the blue devil (eryngium ovinum).
Often thought of as an Edwardian-era plant, blue devils make excellent garden drifts.
Alternatively, use blue devils for a random-style colour effect in informal cottage gardens.
Weed fightback
Weeds are now a major problem at Westgate Park and the focus of our volunteer efforts there. However, we have discovered that many of our indigenous species are holding their own against the invasion.
Dense shrubs like Pomaderris paniculosa – Coast Pomaderris and Dodonaea Viscosa – Wedge-leaf Hop-bush are effective at keeping weeds at bay but, surprisingly, so are some of our groundcovers and sprawling herbs.
Pomaderris paniculosa – Coast Pomaderris 
Dodonaea viscosa – Wedge-leaf Hop-bush 
Calocephalus lacteus – Milky Beauty-heads is surrounded by Vetch – one of the most difficult weeds to control. Veronica gracilis – Slender speedwell is a tough little trailing herb with woody roots that apparently discourage weeds. 
Tetragonia implexicoma – Bower Spinach forms dense impenetrable mats 
It’s young leaves are edible but must be steamed or boiled to remove the oxalic acid. 
The tiny Goodenia geniculata – Bent Goodenia has not only survived but flowered for the first time and spread widely . 
It’s also keeping weeds at bay in the Southern Wetlands where they are rampant.
Parts of the park with mature vegetation are largely weed-free especially where the soil is well covered by plants and leaf litter.
Leucophyta brownii – Cushion Bush in the foreground 
Bed of Ranunculus papulentus – Large River Buttercup in the River section (A now very uncommon species in Victoria) 
1st Heath
Bili Nursery reopens to public
We’re back from 9 am Friday 20th October, and we’re having a bit of a sale to welcome customers to our outdoor home in Williamstown Road.
Now that COVID restrictions have been eased, Westgate Biodiversity’s Bili Nursery will once again be able to sell a wide range of indigenous flora to the general public.
The price of tubes has been dropped to $3 each, down from $3.50, and 14cm pots will be on sale at $15 for two, compared with the usual retail price of $9 each.
But there is limited availability, so it’s probably best to get down sooner rather than later.
Opening hours are:
Monday-Friday 9 am to 4 pm
Saturday 10 am to 3 pm
Bird Survey 4 October
Just in time for the result of the highly competitive Guardian Australia Bird Of The Year poll, comes our October survey featuring not only the deserved winner, the superb fairywren, but also another top-5 finisher, the Galah.
The superb fairywren has become one of the most common birds in Westgate Park, with 54 sightings including 30 blue.
The Galah clocked 3 sightings, making up a total of 63 species spotted in the park.
Observations
The water in both major lakes was at high levels and noticeably clearer than usual – could this be due to the considerable growth resulting from recent excellent rains providing better than usual coverage of the soil?
A brushtail possum has returned to roost in a tree close to the barbecue shelter. The perch, located where the tree was snapped off in a storm, is very exposed although recent epicormic shoots have obscured the spot somewhat.
Not for the first time, a pair of hobby hobbies has nested at the top of the crane at the Wharf Road CFMEU training centre.
Bird Survey 6 September
Following regular and substantial rain both major lakes are at high levels not seen for some time.
This means several species of water birds have dispersed to some of the many other wetlands in the region.
Many passerine species are flourishing and breeding, and since our survey a female golden whistler has been photographed in the park.
Yellow-tailed black cockatoos have been frequently observed.
The survey team also saw a brush-tailed possum with a young offspring high in a red gum near the Friends compound.
It is gratifying to see considerable increases in the number of welcome swallows soaring across the park
The number of visitors to the Park indicates it remains a very important outlet for nearby residents and workers during the Covid era.