Congratulations to two of our member groups on their success with the Melbourne Water Victorian Landcare Grants 2022. 

The Friends of Merri Creek LGBTQI+ subgroup, Queermates of Bababi Djinanang, were granted $14,227 for the project: Queermates - building biodiversity at Bababi Djinanang. The project will facilitate training workshops and activities to restore degraded sections of the Bababi Djinanang grassland, next to Merri Creek in Fawkner. MCMC staff developed the grant application in close consultation with the group.

The Wallan Environment Group received $19,785 to remove gorse and blackberry along an old rail reserve to the north of Hidden Valley on the outskirts of Wallan. This reserve, at the top of the Merri catchment, contains some stunning remnant vegetation, including wildflowers like the Button Everlasting (Coronidium scorpioides) (photo). The rail reserve is a focus for the recently formed 'Friends of Hidden Valley Bushland Reserves'. MCMC's Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator, Chris Cobern, helped with weed mapping and identification of significant plants of this area.  

After the recent floods, we received many concerned comments about the number of tree guards in the debris that accumulated in Merri Creek. Here's what we plan to do about the problem.

As a general rule Merri Creek Management Committee avoids using coreflute tree guards in floodzones as they are too flimsy. However occasionally our clients require us to use materials that they provide. Because coreflute guards have now caused such a litter problem (not all from our own plantings) we are talking with our clients about using more appropriate materials for future plantings in flood-prone areas.

Allan Thomson, a pioneer in planting native plants, and a founding member and Treasurer of the Merri Creek Coordinating Committee (the forerunner to Merri Creek Management Committee) from 1976-1987, died peacefully in early September 2022, after a long illness. He was the co-author of Plants of the Merri Merri: A Guide to the Indigenous Vegetation of the Merri Creek Valley and Melbourne’s Northern Suburbs (1984), one of the first planting guides published on Melbourne’s waterways. Allan’s Order of Australia nomination listed 13 of his volunteer roles, but those who knew him well, know that he had even more.

In mid 2022, MCMC completed the second year of a three-year nature play project funded by a Hume Council community grant. We supported three of Hume's early years communities to lead outdoor nature play in Hume's open spaces. Overall, 162 participants were involved in six sessions and visits were made to parks and wetlands within walking distance of the early years centres. In some cases it was the first time the adults had visited these nearby areas. Groups were inspired to get out into nature more regularly and to seek funding for useful clothing such as raincoats.

Early Years educators appreciated the support we gave in planning planning and undertaking nature play visits to nearby natural areas. Now we are getting ready to re-connect with Hume’s early years communities for the third year of this leadership project.

Photo: A Hume Kindergarten group walks for the first time to the nearby wetlands of Malcolm Creek