Bellbird Park - part 2

The Baw Baw Shire has produced a draft plan for the upgrade of Bellbird Park, both east and west of Settlement Rd.

Click to enlarge - The proposed planned upgrade for Bellbird Park

East of Settlement Rd, where the soccer and hockey fields are, there are proposals to provide a new multi-use pavilion and social rooms in a location to yet to be determined – options are provided.

This small but valuable bush reserve, Bellbird Park east, will be vulnerable under one of the proposed options in the upgrade

West of Settlement Rd, where the sports stadium and the oval are, there are proposals to establish well defined walking tracks, some with boardwalks, bird viewing platforms and to revegetate some areas with indigenous species, among other recommendations.

Bellbird Park lake and bush will have viewing platforms, boardwalks, interpretive signs, etc

The draft plan is available for viewing in full on the shire’s website, where the public is invited to provide feedback – LINK

Friends of Drouin’s Trees respectfully encourages all residents of our town who respect its environmental assets and appreciates their benefits, to visit the link and provide the shire with their feedback.

Red-browed Finches and Superb Fairy-wrens are easily spotted at Bellbird Park west

A Letter to The Wrens …

Dear little blue-capped daddy wren,

So dear to me is your trust,

Daily you show me your loveliness,

So, write of you I must.

Gay is your plumage and gaily you dance,

Your tall tail all aflutter,

Skipping around to gather the crumbs

I leave from my bread and butter.

Now comes your lady in neat brown dress,

Dainty and sweet as a queen.

I watch her awhile and away goes my heart,

As she runs to me over the green.

Dear little Mr and Mrs wren,

You stole my heart from me,

But you kindled a lamp

That will light my way,

Through the mists of eternity.

-        Will Rumble, Bushland Thoughts, circa 1950.

(Will Rumble was the owner of the farmland that is now Bellbird Park)

Bellbird Park - part 1

Bellbird Park is about 1km west of Drouin railway station

 My Friends the Birds…

I found the place where Bellbirds call,

From early morn, ‘till sun’s last rays,

Fall on the earth, and another page,

Is turned forever in The Book of Days.

I found a spot where Robins play,

And gracious trees cast their shadows ‘round.

Where a Jackass swoops from the topmost bough,

To pluck a morsel from the ground.

And in this nook the dainty Wrens,

Those tiny sweet hearts of the dell,

Gave me their friendship, stole my heart,

And near we played ‘till twilight fell.

Then in the dark I stood alone,

In the cathedral of trees,

And earnestly I asked my God,

“Oh give me always friends like these”.

-        Will Rumble, Bushland Thoughts, circa 1950.

Bell Miner, Flame Robin and Kookaburra

Will Rumble sold the land now known as ‘Bellbird Park’, to Buln Buln Shire in 1964. It is believed the above poem and others similar by Mr Rumble, were inspired by his observations made in the area. Whether true or not, Bellbird Park today is certainly a prime location for bird watching and for just getting in touch with nature.

Fern gully - Bellbird Park

With the inspiration of Leo Boeyen, the Superintendent of Buln Buln Shire’s Parks and Gardens, and the perspiration of Jack Cuthbertson, a very generous Drouin contractor, the wetland and bushland area on the western side of Settlement Rd is to this day one of Drouin’s most prized and valuable environmental assets.

To be continued - shortly

Eucalyptus strzeleckii - McGlone Rd

(Click on images to enlarge)

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment
 

“Eucalyptus strzeleckii (Strzelecki gum) is listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999(Cwlth) (EPBC Act). The species is eligible for listing as prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as Vulnerable under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth).The main factors that are the cause of the species being eligible for listing in the Vulnerable category are its limited geographic distribution, fragmentation and continuing decline due to a number of ongoing threats. Eucalyptus strzeleckii (Strzelecki gum) is listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988and as Vulnerable under the non-statutory Advisory list of rare or threatened plants in Victoria.”

Action Statement Victoria Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act:

“Strzelecki Gum has been listed as threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

It is considered vulnerable in Victoria according to DSE’s Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Vascular Plants in Victoria – 2005 (DSE 2005).

Potentially threatening processes include:

Deliberate damage - Tree removal during road works or for firewood is an ongoing threat, particularly in relation to roadside populations and isolated paddock trees.

Reservation status - Lack of reserved sites provides inadequate protection for this taxon.

Lack of recruitment - There is no recent recruitment in most populations.  Conditions for seed germination may only occur rarely (e.g. > 40 years), such as during large flood events or following (probably infrequent) fires.”

McGlone Rd May 2019

Citation – Baw Baw Shire Council Significant Tree Register:
 

“McGlone Road, roadside gums north end Botanical: Mainly Eucalyptus strzeleckii with some E. radiata and E. obliqua. Address: Northern end of McGlone Road, from Fairway Drive, Drouin Description: Large indigenous gums forming corridor on both sides of McGlone Road north. Mainly Strzelecki Gums some 25m+ high with young trees growing as well. Most are under 3m trunk girth but one is 4.8m. These trees would be 150 years old perhaps, although not as old nor as large as the trees to the southern end of Mc Glone Road. Also a few Narrow-leafed Peppermints and Messmates. Fallen vegetation provides rich habitat for birds, small animals and insects. This was described: “It doesn’t get any better than this”

McGlone Rd May 2020

Offset Management Plan, RRV, Road Alignment Koonwarra, 2016:
 

“The loss of 181 E. strzeleckii required offsetting by RRV of 235 replacement trees of same species plus 850 further indigenous species.”

In regard to what is happening / has happened in McGlone Rd at present, 'mortifying' probably best describes the feeling in the community.

Further Reading:

BBS Significant Tree Citation (Contains interesting notes on history of McGloon Rd) LINK

EPBC Act citation Eucalyptus strzeleckii LINK

National Recovery Plan E. strzeleckii LINK

Conservation advice Eucalyptus strzeleckii EPBC Act LINK

EPBC Act Penalties/Compliance LINK

Action Statement Victoria Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act Strzelecki Gum LINK

Indigenous Design Strzelecki Gum Offset Management Plan Koonwarra LINK