Drouin Bird Count

FoDT recently conducted their October Bird Count.

Some highlights included ...

• Total of 50 species, (11 sites in and around Drouin were visited).

• Sacred Kingfishers at Bellbird Park, (above).

• Nesting White-faced Herons at Crystal Waters and Picnic Point, (below).

• A large, (raptor?) stick nest part way up the communications tower at Bellbird Park, (above).

• Red-browed Finches nesting at Thornell's Reserve and Bellbird Park.

• Pink-eared Ducks on McNeilly Wetlands.

• Spotted Harrier in Pryor Rd.

The urban avifauna of Drouin is doing quite well. How lucky are we?

On Which Side of the Street ...

… Would You Rather Live?

Wood St

Armstrong Ave

Drouin at present is undergoing a street-tree pruning program. The trees that grow under powerlines are being 'reduced in height' for safety reasons – understandably. There is some debate in the community however, about how excessive or how sensitive the pruning has been in some cases. 

While developers of new estates in Victoria are required to put new infrastructure underground, most older or longer established residential areas are still supplied electricity by, in some cases, an ageing overhead power line system.

I had a haircut like this once, when I fell asleep in the barbers chair!

Same species, same age, different side of the street

In 1997, a report to the Parliament of Australia suggested that to put all existing overhead power lines in the country underground would conservatively cost $50 billion! It's just not going to happen in 2017, despite advances in directional drilling techniques, etc.

The above report also highlighted the improved property values that are achieved when overhead power lines are replaced with underground cables.

Energex, the South-east Queensland electricity distributor, has produced an interesting cost/benefit analysis of putting cables underground versus overhead on poles – can you guess which side of the argument they come down on – "Most of our high voltage transmission lines are built overhead due to costs, ease of repairs and environmental considerations".

Undergrounding Power lines in the Dandenong Ranges, 2014.

The debate continues.

Drouin's Elms

By Judy

It’s early spring and Baw Baw Shire’s elms are beginning to burst into blossom. The short-lived  blossoms, are followed by the arrival of pale green, winged seeds and then the veined, pointy, oval shaped leaves which characterise elms.

Yellow-lime Elm blossom

The vibrant yellow-lime of the blossoms of the Golden Elm tree is perhaps the most spectacular.

Elms have been grown in Australia since the early 1800s when British settlers brought species from their homeland. In Drouin, which was not settled by Europeans until the 1880s, the old elms we see today were planted in the early 1900s.

Judy's Elm

Elm at BBS Young St. Planted in 1974 when Buln Buln Shire offices were built

We are blessed to have these superb trees in our town. Take the time to look up into their canopy and enjoy their blossom while you can over the next week. 

Heritage listed Elms in Main South Rd (c 1920)

All that remains of a line of Elms in the main street (c 1910)

'Kinder Oaks' in Porter Pl

Warragul also has some really splendid elms. Have a look at the flowering avenue in Queen Street.