Undertaking a second year of planting as a part of the State Government initiative More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West; we planted another 5,000 trees at Werribee River Park this planting season.
These trees will provide much needed biodiversity and habitat to the park, which is home to incredible birdlife. We would like to thank Parks Vic for their ongoing support throughout this project and our incredibly dedicated participants of the Friends of Werribee River Park, who overcame road closures and harsh weather to help us with this amazing achievement. Check out the DEECA video of Werribee River Park plantings.
This year saw the start of planting as a part of our exciting project Save our Soils. Funded by the Port Phillip Bay Fund, the project focuses on reducing excess nutrients and sediments entering the river in Werribee South. With 2,000 trees, shrubs, groundcovers and aquatic species planted, we look forward to seeing how the plantings progress, and the results from our monthly water quality testing, over the coming years.
Also in Werribee South, we were fortunate to receive two Melbourne Water grants for this planting season, to work in partnership with the Werribee Park Golf Club, which involved working along the river below the course. Underneath the beautiful remnant Werribee Blue Box, we planted and mulched 1,000 grasses and wildflowers, to remove mowing pressures from underneath the tree, attract beneficial insects and improve soil quality. Along a stretch of the riparian, we planted a further 1,000 trees and shrubs to connect canopy cover, stabilise the banks and increase diversity.
This season also saw us continuing working and planting at key sites with the Wyndham City Council Conservation Unit, notably Cobbledicks Ford, Presidents Park and Grahams wetland. We would like to say a big thank you to the conservation team for another great year.
Watch the Werribee River Park video