banksia bulletin summer 2008
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banksiaissue number 029 - summer 2008
bulletin
Friends of Bayside 2008 contact list
Friends of Balcombe Park Coordinator: Mrs Joan Couzoff26 Balcombe Park Lane, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 1060
Friends of Bay Road ReserveCoordinator: Michael Norris (Abbott Ward Councillor)5 Deakin Street, Hampton 3188Phone: (03) 9521 0804
BRASCACoordinator: Mrs Janet Ablitt4A Fairleigh Avenue, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 6646
Friends of Brighton DunesCoordinators: Mrs Elizabeth McQuire34 Normanby Street, Brighton 3186Phone: (03) 9592 6474andMs Jenny Talbot71 Champion Street, Brighton 3186Phone: (03) 9592 2109
Friends of Cheltenham ParkCoordinator: Mrs Valerie Tyers65 The Corso, Parkdale 3194Phone: (03) 9588 0107
Cheltenham Primary School SanctuaryCoordinator: Mr John WaughPO Box 289, Cheltenham 3192Phone: (03) 9583 1614
Friends of Donald MacDonald ReserveCoordinators: Mrs Alison and Mr Bill Johnston4 Wellington Avenue, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 5459
Friends of George Street ReserveCoordinator: Dr Val Tarrant47 Bayview Crescent, Black Rock 3193Phone: (03) 9598 0554
Friends of Long Hollow Heathland/Friends of Table RockCoordinator: Mr Ken Rendell33 Clonmore Street, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 4452
Friends of Gramatan Avenue Heathland SanctuaryCoordinator: Mr Ken Rendell
Friends of Merindah Park and the Urban ForestCoordinator: David Cockburn72 Spring Street, Sandringham 3191Phone: (03) 9598 6148
Friends of Native WildlifeCoordinator: Michael Norris (Abbott Ward Councillor)5 Deakin Street, Hampton 3188Phone: (03) 9521 0804
Friends of Ricketts Point LandsideCoordinator: Mrs Sue Raverty5 Rosemary Road, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 2103
Friends of Watkins BayCoordinator: Mrs Moira Longden73 Dalgetty Road, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 2725
Marine Care Inc. Ricketts PointConvenor Phil Stuart104 Dalgetty Rd, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 3053
St. Leonards College Conservation GroupCoordinator: Ms Joanne Burke163 South Road, Brighton East 3187Phone: (03) 9592 2266
AcknowledgementsThank you to all the people who have contributed to this issue of Banksia Bulletin. The editors encourage people to submit articles, however Bayside City Council reserves the right to edit or omit articles. Artwork, illustrations and photographs can also be submitted to feature in the publication.
DisclaimerThe views expressed in the Banksia Bulletin are not necessarily those of Bayside City Council or its representatives.
EditorsAmy Weir, Andrea Davies and Cr Terry O’Brien
Copy deadlines 2008Copy deadlines are set for the first Friday of the month of release:Autumn 2008 Friday 7 March 2008 for release end MarchWinter 2008 Friday 6 June 2008 for release end June
Banksia Bulletin is published quarterly by Bayside City Council to service people interested in enjoying and protecting the local environment. Corporate CentrePO Box 27 Royal AvenueSANDRINGHAM VIC 3191Telephone: 9599 [email protected] of business 8.30am – 5pmMonday – Friday (except public holidays)
Printed on 100% recycled paper.
Cover photograph: Pterostylis nanaby Pauline Reynolds
banksia bulletin - summer 20082
I am delighted to be able to write my first welcome as Mayor for the summer edition of the Banksia Bulletin, and hope you all enjoyed the festive season.
Friends and volunteers make valuable contributions towards the conservation of indigenous plants and animals in Bayside along our foreshores and inland reserves. As someone who has worked in a not-for-profit environmental organisation that relied on volunteers, I have a particular appreciation of your valuable contribution.
During the past year, Friends of Bayside have weeded and planted, preserved and regenerated some very important open spaces in Bayside. In addition to the work you have done with your hands, there is the work you have done with your advocacy.
The natural environment needs well-reasoned and passionate advocacy to marshal resources and connect with the community. This is important as individual labours have the potential to reveal significant resources for major achievements. Your work has helped to ensure our local environment can be enjoyed, both now and into the future. I would like to thank you all for your contribution.
Council’s vision for Bayside is a City that is strong, connected, healthy and sustainable. We recognise that when people give to their local area they are helping to build strong local communities. I am sure you will agree with me when I say that voluntary activity not only benefits the community but the individuals who generously share their time and skills.
Participating in a voluntary activity has clearly been linked to improved health and wellbeing. The Mental Health Council of Australia states, “Volunteering is called the ‘win-win’ activity because it helps others and makes us feel good about ourselves. At the same time, it widens our social network, provides us with new learning experiences and can bring balance to our lives.”
Being involved in voluntary activity as a community means having the opportunity to strengthen local interests and include people in community conversations and projects.
Council’s role is to facilitate, motivate, communicate and coordinate opportunities for people to contribute to their local community. Contribute can mean someone participating in a local group, fundraising at the local school, participating in a community consultation, or simply buying groceries for a housebound neighbour.
We facilitate, motivate, communicate and coordinate in a number of ways.
Our key initiative is matching people’s skills and interests with community groups through the Invest in Our Community program. If you’re not already on it, it’s worth a visit. This is an area of our website where people can find out how to volunteer, what to volunteer for and the best ways to get the most out of volunteering in the local Bayside area.
And we like to celebrate you!
On 5 December each year, International Volunteer Day is held. It’s an initiative of the United Nations that recognises the invaluable contribution individuals make to communities worldwide.
As part of the International Volunteer Day celebrations in December 2007, Bayside City Council acknowledged all voluntary activity across Bayside by placing a picnic table and plaque on the foreshore at Ricketts Point. When people use the picnic table they will be reminded of the work you and others do to improve the area in which we live.
I wish you all the best for the coming year and look forward to meeting many of you in my travels around Bayside.
Cr Andrew McLorinanMayor
In this ISSUEEditors Note 4 - 5 Amy Weir
Friends of George Street Reserve 6 - 7 Valerie Tarrant and Pauline Reynolds
Friends of the Watkins Bay 8 Moira Longden
Street Tree Strategy 9
Carp removal at Elsternwick Park Lake 10 - 11 Geoff Smith
Our Wilderness Illusion 12 - 17 Brenn Barcan
Frogmouth Diary sequel 18 Moira Longden
Banksia Bulletin - postal copy or electronic copy? 19 Amy Weir
Banksia Bulletin mailbag 20
Banksia Bulletin mailing list form 21
Working Bee Dates 23
From the Mayor
Upcoming Event!Don’t miss the Bayside Community Nursery Gala Day on Saturday 29 March from 9am until 2pm. There will be a free BBQ lunch from 11am until 1pm.
Bayside Community Nursery at 319 Reserve Road, Cheltenham
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 3
Editors notes
Acknowledgements
Although the Editors of
the Banksia Bulletin take
every care to reproduce
material and photographs
and acknowledgements
accurately, occasionally we do
unintentionally make an error or
two – we are only human after all!
In the last edition of the Banksia
Bulletin on pages 16 and 17, we
reported on the re-opening of
the Indigenous Resource Garden
(formerly the Native Resource
Garden) on the corner of Bluff
Road and Royal Avenue, which
occurred on 13 July 2007 as part
of NAIDOC week.
This was an exciting project for
Council and one that saw this
special garden restored to its
original design and planting
structure, showcasing the great
diversity and use of indigenous
plants by the Ngaruk Willam
and Yallukit Willam Clans of the
Bunurong and Boon wurrung
people.
I would like to acknowledge an
omission in that article and that
is the contribution of BRASCA
(Black Rock and Sandringham
Conservation Association) in
advocating for the restoration of
the Indigenous Resource Garden.
During the past five years or so,
various members of BRASCA have
written articles for the Banksia
Bulletin regarding the plants found
within the Indigenous Resource
Garden and BRASCA has lobbied
Corrections and acknowledgements
Photographs courtesy of Pauline Reynolds
hardenbergia violacea
diuris sulphurea
banksia bulletin - summer 20084
for the restoration of this garden
for some time. I would like to
apologise for not mentioning this
contribution in the article that
appeared in the last edition of the
Banksia Bulletin. BRASCA contribute
many hours advocating and
working towards the conservation
and protection of the Bayside
environment and this is work that is
greatly appreciated by Council.
Corrections
Sometimes we make errors in the
spelling or correct identification
or caption of a plant species
– and we are very grateful that
our readers are interested enough
to provide us with the correct
information.
• In particular I would like to thank
Val Stajsic from the National
Herbarium of Victoria who has
made the following corrections
regarding the identification of
plant species.
’Just a note to point out that the
images of the fungus depicted on
pages six and seven of the Banksia
Bulletin Issue 028 (spring 2007) as
‘Clathrus cibarius’, are actually
Ileodictyon gracile smooth cage
fungus. Ileodictyon gracile is one
of two white cage-like species,
which resemble a soccer ball with
the panels punched out.
There are good illustrations of both
species and how to tell them apart in:
Grey, P. & E. (2005), Fungi Down
Under. Fungimap. Royal Botanic
Gardens Melbourne.
The cage arms in Ileodictyon
gracile are smooth (wrinkled in I.
cibarium), the arms widen where
they join (no widening of arms
where they join in I. cibarium),
the arms are thin (thick arms in I.
cibarium).
The name ‘Clathrus cibarius’ is an
earlier name for what we now call
Ileodictyon cibarium (Wrinkled
Cage).
I will pass on this record to our
Fungimap coordinator. Both
species can be found in litter,
mulch and woodchip.’
Also from Val:
• The Diuris depicted on the front
cover of Issue 027 (winter 2007)
and captioned as Diuris orientis
(on page two) is actually Diuris
sulphurea.’
I would like to thank Val for this
information and appreciate him
sharing his knowledge.
• We have also been informed
that the Gramatan Avenue
working bee time is from 1pm
– 3pm on the first Sunday of
each month, not 10am – 12pm
as listed on the back page of
working bee dates. Apologies for
any confusion this may
have caused.
• Two photographs were also
incorrectly captioned in the
last edition:
1. The photo accompanying the
article from the Bushland Crew
on page ten and eleven of
the spring edition, should have
been captioned Hardenbergia
violacea not Comesperma
volubile.
2. The fantastic photographs
of the smooth cage fungus
(as correctly identified by Val
Stajsic), which appeared on
pages six and seven, were
actually taken by another
‘Friend’ of Donald MacDonald
Reserve, Kim Croker. Kim is an
avid photographer and a new
member of the Friends of Donald
MacDonald Reserve, who kindly
passed on these photographs
to the coordinator of the Friends
of Donald MacDonald Reserve,
Alison Johnston, who passed
them onto me for publication.
My apologies also to Kim for
omitting her contribution in the
article and I look forward to
receiving more photographs
from her in the future!
Amy Weir Editor
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 5
Friends of George Street Reserve
as a great team of Friends from many Bayside reserves joined the George Street Friends in a mighty effort to deal with the non-indigenous species, particularly coastal tea tree Leptospermum laevigatum which are emerging in large numbers in the 2006 burn site. Jo Hurse and other Citywide staff went beyond the call of duty in providing back up and additional labour. We were delighted that Citywide Parkcare Manager Lisa Carty was there, once again proving her love of our precious reserve and interest in the regenerating heathland.
Rare small plants are emerging and Val Stajsic (Identifications and Research botanist of the National Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne) reported his excitement at discovering sticky daisy heads Podotheca angustifolia last seen in Bayside in 1909 and presumed to be extinct in the Melbourne area. (See addendum).
Senecio species are flourishing and the grass tree Xanthorrhoea minor is sending up a splendid flower head.
Pardalotes have been sighted in the Tulip Street bank just inside the fence, and there are thornbills and many ravens within the reserve.
Friends, Citywide and Bayside Council have faced many challenges since the unexpected fire of late 2006 but we are fortunate in the decision to keep working to ensure the survival of the regenerating indigenous plants. The discovery of a species last seen in the district nearly 100 years ago shows the value of that policy. It also shows that fire has an important part to play in management.
Valerie Tarrant and Pauline ReynoldsJoint Coordinators
Sunday 19 November was a day to be remembered ...
banksia bulletin - summer 20086
An exiting addition found in the regeneration at George Street Reserve…
Further to Val Tarrant’s article, we are delighted to provide a small additional snippet from Val Stajsic from the National Herbarium from the Royal Botanic Gardens…
“During my visit to the George Street Reserve yesterday, I was thrilled to re-discover Podotheca angustifolia, last collected in Bayside in 1909, and presumed extinct in Melbourne area... Sadly, I only found one plant, which is in lovely condition and quite vigorous 30 x 30cm across.
Podotheca angustifolia (sticky long-heads) is an indigenous, annual daisy (Asteraceae), which is locally common in the mallee and shrublands in NW Victoria, but also with scattered occurrences on sandy ground near the coast such as near Portland, near the Otways, and Wilsons Prom.”
all photographs courtesy of Pauline Renolds
Working bee volunteers at George St Reserve
Senecio longicollaris
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 7
Friends of the Watkins BayOn the whole we have had a good year, except that three of our group have experienced significant health problems and we wish them all the best. Our main task throughout the
year has been watering and
mulching, however the weed
Erhata sp. still persists.
This year for the first time there
has been tube stock of coast
beard heath, Leucopogon
parviflorus. This beautiful shrub,
which grows along the southern
coast of Australia and into NSW,
is not common at Ricketts Point
or Watkins Bay. A few years back
we were given some advanced
plants in spring tins but we failed
to get them through the very
dry summer despite extra care.
So far these little ones are doing
well, but are protected in their
plastic guards, heavily mulched
with seaweed and are carefully
watered.
We were also given five
advanced specimens of coast
banksias Banksia integrifolia.
Each plant has been adopted
by a Friend, planted, mulched,
watered and named. Most have
been named after a beloved pet,
(as a lot of our trees are) but one
is called Bill. These trees receive
extra visits from their special
Friend, mainly to receive a good
drink or two between working-
bees.
Earlier in the year we had thought
that the drought was breaking.
The difficulties caused by this
ongoing drought have made us
all more aware of the struggle to
survive for the plants in our own
gardens as well as those in our
care at the beach. It may sound
fanciful but they have almost
assumed pet status.
However it is interesting to
observe how tough some frontline
beach and dune species are,
such as the cushion bushes and
the saltbushes. We wonder if they
could be planted at any time of
the year other than autumn
and winter.
As mentioned in the autumn
Banksia Bulletin we were
delighted by the return of superb
fairy-wrens (blue wrens) to Ricketts
Point in January 2007. Currently
there are two pairs both using
areas that we have re-generated.
One pair has a chick and the
other pair sounds as if though they
have two chicks. They are very
shy and stay concealed most of
the time, probably because there
has been a pied currawong in
the area. These birds are known
predators of small birds, chicks
and eggs.
A very generous thing occurred in
September. The Beaumaris Branch
of the Bendigo Community Bank
offered financial support to
community groups.
We do not need much money
as we mostly supply labour;
however carting seaweed and
cans of water is a problem for us
because we are not young. We
applied for and received $300 to
buy a stout four-wheeled wagon
for this purpose as well as some
gardening gloves and small hand
tools. We are delighted with this
support and thank the Bendigo
Beaumaris Community Bank for
their generosity to us as well as to
other groups.
As always our thanks to Jo, Clare
and all the Bushland Crew for their
excellent support.
Moira LongdenCoordinator Friends of Watkins Bay
banksia bulletin - summer 20088
Street Tree StrategyIn February 2007, Council resolved
to review the Street Tree Planting
Strategy (1997). Councillor
Michael Norris and Councillor
Derek Wilson were appointed to
the review committee.
The previous Strategy dealt
exclusively with the evaluation
of the current street trees, the
proposed planting species in
selected streets and species lists
for the remainder of locations.
At our initial meetings the review
committee realised there were
many more issues regarding street
tree management that were not
covered in a document relating
to planting only, or currently only
covered at a policy level within
Council. As a result we decided
to prepare a new document titled
the Street Tree Strategy that will
incorporate reviewed information
from the previous Strategy and
also other strategic issues relating
to street tree management.
The proposed Street Tree Strategy
will incorporate issues such as:
• Programmed and reactive
pruning
• Species selection
• Street tree stocking
• Tree valuation
• Inappropriate trees
• Trees and development
• Whole street replacement
• Trees and infrastructure
• Tree and open space/
bushland
• Pest and disease management
• Resident communication
The proposed Street Tree Strategy
is currently available for public
comment. Comments will be
received until the end of
February 2008.
To see a copy and for more
information on how to provide
feedback, please visit our website
at www.bayside.vic.gov.au/
streettreestrategy/
Photograph by David Williams
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 9
Carp removal at Elsternwick Park lakeOver the past few months, Bayside City Council had been receiving a number of calls from concerned residents regarding the presence of the introduced fish species, the European carp (Cyprinus carpio) at Elsternwick Park lake.
Many residents were concerned
that carp may be responsible
for the disappearance of baby
ducklings. The fish size has
also raised comment from the
community with many large fish
being reported to Council.
Since the construction of the
lake at Elsternwick Park in 1998,
carp have found their way into
the lake. This is despite native fish
being introduced into the lake and
unfortunately, the number of carp
in Elsternwick Park lake have been
growing steadily.
Carp are reported to grow to
over one metre in length, and 60
kilograms in weight. In Australia, this
species may reach ten kilograms,
but four to five kilograms is more
usual. Carp are omnivorous,
sucking and straining mud from the
bottom and sucking insects and
plants from the surface. Juvenile
carp feed mainly on microscopic
algae, rotifers and crustaceans. It is
this feeding habit that has negative
impacts on the water body, as the
lake substrate is disturbed during
this feeding process, causing
sediment to float in the water
column, effecting light penetration
and ultimately, water quality. The
suspension of material in the water
increases what is known as turbity.
Turbidity favours the undesirable
algae species known as blue
/green algae over desirable and
more favoured algal species
favouring light.
The impact these introduced fish
have on Elsternwick Park lake could
be seen, as much of the lake was
often cloudy and brown coloured
due to carp feeding behaviour.
On 20 December 2007, K & C
Fisheries were contracted to
undertake carp removal. K & C
Fisheries are highly experienced
and one of the recommended
companies utilised by Department
of Primary Industries (DPI) for both
carp removal and the capture of
native fish for relocation.
Carp removal was conducted
using an 18-foot aluminum boat.
Citywide Parkcare staff were also
present to ensure safety during
the launching and retrieval of the
boat and to answer questions
from the public. This activity drew
considerable interest from people
of all ages and the most frequent
question was “what is going to
happen to the fish – will they be
processed for food or fertilizer”?
Many of the removed carp were
in the three kilograms to five
kilograms range. It was explained
that unfortunately the quantity of
banksia bulletin - summer 200810
fish in this lake did not allow for
food processing but that the fish
would probably end up as fertilizer.
Discussions with DPI staff and the
contractors confirmed that there
are no documented cases of carp
taking small water birds as was
suggested by many park visitors to
Elsternwick Park.
Section by section the lake was
cleared of fish, herding the bulk of
fish to the shallow end of the lake
where a large drag net was used
to remove the remaining fish from
the water. In total one hundred
and twenty fish and two tortoise
(which were returned to the lake)
were collected.
The release of carp into water
bodies is illegal. Anyone observing
such behaviour can report this
activity to DPI on 136 186.
Although it is unlikely that carp can
ever be totally eradicated from
Elsternwick Park lake, for now at
least – the lake vegetation has a
chance to re-establish.
References: http://www.amonline.
net.au/FISHES/fishfacts/fish/
ccarpio.htm
Geoff SmithInfrastructure Team LeaderCitywide Parkcare
Photographs courtesy of Geoff Smith
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 11
This belief is common among
those non-indigenous Australians
who regards ourselves as
‘environmentalists’ (or ‘greenies).
I’ve been involved in discussions
with other ‘environmentalists’ in
Bayside (the suburbs of Brighton,
Hampton, Sandringham,
Beaumaris, Black Rock and parts
of Highett and Cheltenham) who
point to certain plants and animals
(including Australian ones) and
object to their presence because
they are not indigenous to this part
of Australia. My reply to this is ‘But
we are not indigenous’. One of
them acknowledged ‘Oh! I can’t
answer that’.
This hasn’t altered their passion,
nor has it led to them recognising
that when our ancestors (under
the command of Governor Phillip)
started occupying Australia in
1788 it was inhabited by the
fully developed human beings
whom we now call ‘Aborigines’,
or Indigenes). We celebrate our
occupation every year on 26
January and have a holiday
called ‘Australia Day’. Aboriginal
people call it ‘Invasion Day’.
Our dictionaries express our lack
of recognition in their definitions
of ‘wilderness’. For example, the
1981 ‘Macquarie Dictionary’ says
that a ‘wilderness’ is ‘a wild region
as of forest or desert; a waste; a
tract of land inhabited only by wild
animals; any desolate tracts, as of
water; a part of a garden set apart
for plants growing with unchecked
luxuriance…’.
And so when most of we ‘environmentalists’ talk of ‘wilderness’ areas in Aboriginal Australia, including Aboriginal Tasmania, we exclude Aboriginal people from our thoughts – and actions.One example of our ‘exclusion
habits’ was given about fifteen
years ago when Wurundjeri/
Woiwurrung Elder, Norman Hunter
(Wonga) complained to me
that his people were unable to
provide themselves with Kangaroo
meat (‘bush-tucker’) because
‘greenies’ had got the Victorian
Government to make it unlawful.
As for possums…well, you can
imagine! And so Wurundjeri/
Woiwurrung people had to import
‘lawful’ kangaroo meat from New
South Wales. (It was in New South
Wales that I had my first taste of
kangaroo meat). This was about
the time that ‘bush-tucker’ was
becoming fashionable among
some gourmands. (In May each
year Bayside City Council provides
bush-tucker at the annual flag-
raising ceremony at which
Council repeats its ‘Statement
of Commitment to Indigenous
Australians’.
Another example of our ‘exclusion
habits’ was provided by Mark
Dymiotis in his article ‘Global
Environmental Sustainability’
printed in the 2007 winter edition
of Banksia Bulletin. Mark wrote
‘Policies and actions must be
scrutinised for effectiveness in:
reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions, protection, enlargement
and restoration of wilderness (my
emphasis) areas where natural
(my emphasis) and evolving
biodiversity takes place, reduction
in the overall use of water – not just
in gardens and showers’.
Compare what Mark says with
what Clement Hodgkinson
said at the Vegetable Products
Royal Commission in 1887 ‘I
especially noticed that in the
Dandenong State Forest Reserve
(Boonerwurrung/Wurundjeri
country), the southern portion of
the land, which was included by
me in the forest, has been taken
off, and that in the southern
portion the finest trees (water
providers) in the forest existed. The
largest trees in the forest…were in
the portion cut off’.
The implication is that this
magnificent water producing
and conserving forest in the
Dandenong Ranges was the result
of thousands of years of skilled
Our Wilderness IllusionThe idea that wilderness is natural implies that human beings are separate from what we call ‘nature’ and therefore that we are ‘unnatural’.
banksia bulletin - summer 200812
management by Boonerwurrung
and Woiwurrung/Wurundjeri
people. The trees would have been
home to possums and koalas - an
important source of food and furs
for the people who home it was
– at the right time of year.
Mark did not mention that our Earth
(Mother Earth) is overpopulated,
that our population is increasing
– just like cancer cells – and we
are searching for ways to make
our endless growth and forest
destruction safe or ‘sustainable’.
When I read Mark’s article, I was
busy with my own article “Climate
change was predicted 120 years
ago”. I expected comments
about Mark’s sustainability goals
from others in the next issue of the
Banksia Bulletin and assumed that
further discussion was unnecessary.
One way to explore our wilderness/natural mistake is to examine the situation in Aboriginal Victoria.One example comes from
Lieutenant JH Tuckey, the First
Lieutenant of “His Majesty’s Ship
Calcutta”, which brought the
expedition commanded by Lt
Colonel David Collins, to “Port
Phillip Bay” (Nerm), in 1803. A
convict settlement was established
in Boonerwrung country near
Sorrento and Arthur’s Seat (Wonga)
in October 1803, but it was not
sustainable. Collins had already
experienced the desperate
struggle for survival of Governor
Phillip and the First Fleet in Sydney
1788 – 1791 and so he shifted from
Nerm/Port Phillip to Aboriginal Van
Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in April/
May 1804.
Lt Tuckey wrote a book about the
expedition. It is called “An account
of a voyage to establish a colony
at Port Phillip in Bass’s Strait, on the
south coast of New South Wales, in
His Majesty’s ship Calcutta, in the
years 1802-3-4”. He wrote of the
head of the Bay (Nerm) near the
Yarra and Saltwater/Maribyrnong
rivers (Woiwurrung/Wurundjeri
and Boonerwrung Country) ‘The
face of the country bordering on
the port is beautifully picturesque,
swelling into gentle elevations of
the brightest verdure and dotted
with trees as if planted by the hand
of taste (guess whose hands they
were) while the ground is covered
with a profusion of flowers of every
colour...’ (p. 73).
Tuckey said of the soil ‘Its blackness
proceeds from the ashes of the
burnt grass which everywhere has
been set fire to by the natives’. This
was a foretaste of the: - ‘controlled
burns’ conducted by the ‘Bushland
Teams’ employed by Bayside City
Council, and reported in Banksia
Bulletin.
Rhys Jones discussed the Australia-
wide use of fire by Indigenous
people to cultivate their country
and maintain sustainability in 1969
in the journal ‘Australian Natural
History’. Rhys Jones coined the
phrase ‘Fire Stick Farming’ to
describe Aboriginal methods.
Aboriginal use of fire as a tool to
make their home safe and fruitful
was also discussed by Sylvia Hallam
in her book: ‘Fire And Hearth – A
Study of Aboriginal usage and
European Usurpation in South
Western Australia’. Hallam wrote
‘The land the English settled (on the
Swan River, Perth) was not as “God
made it”, it was as Aborigines had
made it’.
An eyewitness account of the
use of fire by Indigenous people is
given by Mary Gilmore in her book
‘Old Days Old Ways’. The relevant
chapter is ‘Fire and The Planted
Seed’. All Bayside libraries have a
copy of Mary Gilmore’s book.
In 2004 the Federal Government established a national enquiry on bushfire mitigation and management.The enquiry report said ‘There is
widespread acknowledgement
that Indigenous Australian’s burning
over more than 40,000 years has
played a central role in shaping the
biodiversity of Australia.
In recent decades there have
been major advances in
understanding the ways Indigenous
Australians use fire.
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 13
For example: to hunt, to promote
new grass which attracts game, to
make the country easier to travel
through, to clear the country of
spiritual pollution after death, to
create fire breaks for late in the
dry season, and for a variety of
other reasons’. By 2004, the total
of Australia’s Indigenous and non-
Indigenous population was more
than 20 million. Pity help our fabled
wilderness areas!
Lt. Tuckey’s description of Port Phillip
Bay (Nerm) shows that it was not a
wilderness. But what about the rest
of the ‘Port Phillip District of New
South Wales’. Was there room for a
‘wilderness’ somewhere else?
Fortunately, in 1990 the Monash
University Department of Geography
and Environmental Science
published a book written by Ian D.
Clark entitled ‘Aboriginal Languages
and Clans: An Historical Atlas of
Western and Central Victoria,
1800-1990’.
Dr Clark’s book includes 16 maps
which cover all of (Aboriginal)
Victoria. Not a ‘wilderness’ anywhere
to be seen, but plenty of forests with
big evergreen trees!
It is impractical to include all of
Clark’s 16 maps in the Banksia
Bulletin. Only the map which
includes the areas that we now
call ‘Port Phillip Bay’ (Nerm) and
‘Westernport Bay’ (Warn-mor-in) has
been included. Ian Clark shows the
‘Bun Wurrung’, ‘Woi Wurrung’ and
‘Wada Wurrung’ as the people who
prevented these areas from being
‘wilderness’s and ‘natural’.
Once you see the tables you will
understand how this map will appeal
to Bayside residents because we are
familiar with places it covers.
Brenn Barcan Local Resident
Our Wilderness Illusion (cont.)
banksia bulletin - summer 200814
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banksia bulletin - summer 2008 17
The family group stayed together
for a few months roosting next
door in a beautiful Agonis
flexuose, Willow Myrtle, in the
Pearce garden. Eventually the
young birds dispersed however
we did not know to where.
When spring came in 2007 we
wondered if the birds would
return to my garden to nest again
the Eucalyptus nicholli.
All year the parent birds had
roosted together during the
day in their favourite tree in the
Pearce garden, then early in
September one bird was missing
and did not return. The 2006 nest
tree in my garden was deserted,
possibly because the canopy
is very thin this year. Drought or
hungry possums, or both may
cause this. The primary school
is nearby, as well as some lovely
gardens, so Ted and I hunted
around and eventually found the
other Frogmouth making a nest
in a Liquidamber a few houses
away in the beautiful Morris
garden in Beaumaris. It was very
high up in a fork, just a collection
of a few sticks.
Sitting commenced about 20
September. About one month
later the parents appeared to be
carrying food to the nest and by
19 November two well-feathered
young were observed hopping
along the bough beside the nest
preening and vigorously flapping
their small wings.
On 24 November the Pearce’s
awoke to a lovely sight. There
was the little family in their
favourite daytime roost, the
beautiful Willow Myrtle, outside
their kitchen window.
Most days they are there but
sometimes they come back to
my Eucalyptus nicholli where their
plumage blends perfectly with
the bark.
Moira Longden Local resident
Frogmouth Diary sequelIn 2006 a pair of Tawny Frogmouths nested in my back garden and raised two young.
Photograph by Frank
banksia bulletin - summer 200818
Banksia Bulletin – postal copy or electronic copy?This summer edition of the Banksia Bulletin completes the first full complement of seasons with our ‘new look’.
We have received some very
positive feedback regarding
the new layout, and especially
regarding the amazing array of
colour photographs.
As part of our ongoing
commitment to keeping the
Banksia Bulletin a publication you
continue to enjoy and receive,
we are currently updating our
mailing list and transferring
this into a new and improved
database.
We have attached a tear-out slip
on the following page asking you
to confirm your contact details. As
some of you may be aware, we
make each edition of the Banksia
Bulletin available on the Bayside
City Council website at www.
bayside.vic.gov.au We have also
had some requests to receive the
Banksia Bulletin electronically as a
PDF document.
We would now like to hear from
you to let us know how you would
like to receive the Banksia Bulletin
in the future.
I encourage all of our readers to
return the tear-out slip to us so
that we can confirm your contact
details, and so that we will know
if you would like to receive the
Banksia Bulletin via email instead
of receiving a hard copy posted
to you in the mail. We have
ensured that this is a separate
page in this edition so you do not
have to worry about tearing out
part of an article.
This will ensure we have your most
recent contact details and also
enable us to determine our print
numbers for hard copy and set up
an electronic email subscription
list for the Banksia Bulletin.
Thank you for your continued
support of the Banksia Bulletin and
I look forward to receiving your
feedback.
Amy Weir Editor
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 19
Banksia Bulletin mailbag.Editors Note:
Occasionally an article in the Banksia Bulletin creates some discussion amongst our readers and I received the following email from Mr Donn Pattenden in relation to an article that appeared on page four of the winter edition of the Banksia Bulletin. I have reproduced it here with Mr Pattenden’s permission as it raised some interesting points of view I thought our readers would be interested in.
‘Dear Ms Weir,
I read with interest the article by Jenny Talbot and Elizabeth McQuire. Although I agree with
almost everything they say, I have a couple of points to make about their opposition to the
growing of rice and cotton in Victoria. The authors suggest that these most water-intensive of
crops should only be grown in high-rainfall areas such as Indonesia.
I find it interesting that so many Victorian environmentalists tend to single out rice as the one
food product that should be discontinued here. Surely the production of beef and dairy takes
far more water and generates far more pollution than rice.
Could it be that these environmentalists lose sight of scientific objectivity where their stomachs
are concerned? Australians relate to beef and dairy products as necessities. Most do not feel
that way about rice. No doubt most would even suggest that beer is more important than rice.
Australians consume too much beef, dairy and beer. Many do not get enough whole grains.
Objectively speaking, which would be better for Victorians and their environment: a reduction
in the production and consumption of beef, dairy and beer, or the eradication of the rice
industry? Cotton is also a problematic crop in terms of water usage and pollution. Most of the
cotton products sold in Australia are made in China and India. These countries also suffer from
drought, the effects of which are unimaginable to those of us fortunate enough to live in a
place as comfortable as Victoria.
Ideally, most Australian clothing would be made from locally grown organic hemp. But the
abolition of the cotton industry would not bring this about. I would prefer to buy Australian
cotton products than Asian ones, because environmental standards are higher here.
I agree that it is time to seriously re-consider what we choose to grow and produce in this
state. But if we are to do this, it must be done with objectivity and rigour. In an age of climate
change and peak oil, we must truly think globally about the environmental costs of the things
we produce and consume.
Unlike most Victorians, I have a diet based on organic, locally grown brown rice. Although I
would be disappointed if I could no longer consume this product, I would be happy to do so if
an alternative could be suggested: a gluten-free grain more suitable to Australia’s dry climate.
Most Australians baulk at the notion of changing their animal-product-based diets in the
interests of sustainability.
It is not enough to outsource the production of problematic crops. If Australia was not made
for rice, then it was not made for cows either.
Best regards,
Donn Pattenden
banksia bulletin - summer 200820
Banksia Bulletin mailing list form
We are currently in the process of updating our Banksia Bulletin database.
We would appreciate it if you could please take a few moments to confirm your details.
Name:
Postal address:
Email:
Would you prefer to receive your Banksia Bulletin by post or email?
Post
We thank you for your assistance and look forward to provide you with future editions of
the Banksia Bulletin.
Please fill in and return to:
Ms Marian Nicholls
Banksia Bulletin mailing list
REPLY PAID 27
SANDRINGHAM VIC 3191
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 21
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Time/Day MAR APR MAY
Balcombe Park Last Sunday 10am - noon
30th 27th 25th
Bay Rd 2nd Saturday 10am - noon
8th 12th 10th
BRASCA Contact Janet Ablitt ph 9589 6646
Brighton Dunes 2nd Sunday 9am - 11am
9th 13th 11th
Tuesdays 8am - 10am 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
Cheltenham Park 1st Sunday 10am - noon
2nd 6th 4th
Cheltenham Primary 2nd Friday 9.30am - noon
14th 11th 9th
Donald MacDonald 1st Sunday 10am - noon
2nd 6th 4th
George St 3rd Sunday 10am - noon
16th 20th 18th
Gramatan 1st Sunday 1 - 3pm
2nd 6th 4th
Long Hollow Last Sunday 1pm - 3pm
30th 27th 25th
Friends of Merindah Park and the Urban Forest
2nd Sunday 10am - 12pm
9th 13th 11th
Friends of Native Wildlife - Contact M. Norris*
1st Saturday 9.30am
Ricketts Point Landside 3rd Tuesday 1pm - 3pm
18th 15th 20th
Table Rock Last Tuesday 12.30pm - 2.30pm
25th 29th 27th
Watkins Bay Last Wednesday 1pm - 3pm
26th 30th 28th
Friends of BaysideWorking Bee times for March to May 2008
*Contact Michael Norris for site details on (03) 9521 0804
banksia bulletin - summer 2008 23
www.bayside.vic.gov.au