February 2025

From the Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator

Welcome to the latest newsletter from the Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator and the Merri Creek Management Committee. Please find below information on local initiatives, opportunities and funding.

To subscribe see link below.

If you would like to share photos, events, updates and projects through the Upper Merri Landcare News. Please email through your submissions to: chriscobern@mcmc.org.au

Recent Events

Friends of Malcolm Creek and Grasslands litter clean up

The Friends of Malcolm Creek and Grasslands held a litter clean up on Saturday 1st February at the Golden Sun Moth Park in Craigieburn. The volunteers did a great job collecting 60kg of litter and two huge piles of dumped rubbish in less than two hours! What an fantastic effort.

Their next clean up activity will be on Sunday 30th March at 10am. The meeting point is the picnic area at Golden Sun Moth Park, Craigieburn.

See their Facebook page for more information: Friends of Malcolm Creek.

Dry Creek Restoration Project

The Dry Creek Restoration Project is a project of the Upper Plenty Merri Catchments Landcare Group. This area was initially chosen by the group to restore due to its neglect and accesability. The creek is nestled between farmland and the Wallan-Whittlesea Road.

The site was covered in gorse and thick blackberry. Hawthorn, prunus and other environmental weeds were also found throughout the site. The group battled all weather conditions and put in some hard yards with the help of both grant funded contractors, volunteers and family members to remove the difficult weeds. This site required the use of a variety of weed removal techniques including spraying herbicides, drill and fill, cut and paint and the physical removal of woody weeds.

After months of work and waiting for the right time and conditions, Dry Creek was finally ready to be planted. Some great guidance was provided from Chris Cobern, the Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator, with regards to what native vegetation to plant. The group was removing prickly noxious weeds, so similar plants needed to be planted for the wildlife already living in the area, such as wrens and finches that nest in prickly shrubs, similar to the blackberries bushes.
To date, approximately 300 plants have been planted as part of the project. These have ranged from Swamp Gums, Hedge Wattle, Tree Violet and Woolly Tea-Tree just to name a few.

The site has ongoing monitoring and trail cams have also been installed. These cameras have recorded a number of inhabitants including wallabies, kangaroos, an array of small birdlife, and even a wombat affected with mange that the group was able to seek treatment for. Nest boxes have also been installed for the reserves arborial wildlife.

The project has been supported with funding from Melbourne Water's Liveable Communities Program.

Providing homes for wildlife while natural hollows mature

In 2024 the Upper Plenty Merri Catchment Landcare Group launched a project to install nesting boxes at Dry Creek Reserve. With donated timber and detailed design instructions specifying box and entrance dimensions for a range of species, an enthusiastic group of Landcare volunteers turned out to build the boxes for Kreffts Gliders, as well as other wildlife like treecreepers, nightjars, parrots and possums.
Read more here.

Coming up

Merri Creek BirdWatch surveys

The Merri Creek BirdWatch surveys are coming up soon - on Sunday 16 February and Sunday 23 February from 8:45 – 10:30am.

There are ten sites to choose from. Information (including maps of the survey routes) on the FoMC website. Choose a site near you to learn more about your local birds, or explore a different part of the Merri. Beginner-birders are welcome to our surveys, as well as experienced birders.

Bring binoculars if you have them, and closed-in footwear, sun hat or raingear if necessary, and drinking water. No dogs, please. Keep an eye out for snakes, especially if walking through grass near water.

This Sunday 16th February - galgi ngarrk (Craigieburn Grasslands): Meet at the O'Herns Road gate off Hume Highway, Somerton. Please contact the survey leader to register beforehand, and receive important information about galgi ngarrk and any last-minute changes: Bridget Gardner: 0417 519 251 or bridget@hpcsolutions.com.au

Photos by Daniel Cobern.

February After Dark with Growling Grass Frogs Torch lit tours

When: Thursday 20th February, 7:30pm - 9pm 
Where: meet at the end of Companion place, Epping, off Cooper Street

When: Wednesday 5th March, 7:30pm - 9pm
Where: meet at the end of Companion place, Epping, off Cooper Street

At these free events you will learn to recognise different frog calls and which frogs live in this area; how to use the Melbourne Water Frog Census app to collect important frog population and species data; and learn more about the threatened Growling Grass Frog. There will be a presentation and some walking.

What to bring: Participants to please bring drinking water, hat, mobile phone, sturdy walking shoes, long sleeves and long pants, wet weather gear (if needed), gumboots are handy if raining.
Bookings essential here.

This is suited to ages 15 years and above. Please don't attend if you are not feeling well.

Beveridge Residents Environmental Group - call for interest

The Beveridge area has some special and significant natural vegetation and areas of public open space, such as Beveridge Recreation Reserve and The Crest Conservation Reserve.

A community meeting will be held in Beveridge sometime in Autumn 2025 to gauge what interest there is in the community to form an environmental volunteer group for the residents of Beveridge.

In the meantime, we’d like to get an idea of what natural environmental activities interest you, and or what local environment issues concern you.
Environmental activities and issues include things such as community tree planting events, gardens for wildlife, nature walks, litter clean-up, bird watching walks, frog nights and spotlighting for native wildlife.

The group could have a focus on community environmental education and enhancing the environmental values of public land areas in Beveridge. The group may also want to engage residents in Beveridge in environmental programs such as gardens for wildlife.

The name and the focus of the new group will be decided by the residents of Beveridge who want to be involved in this new group, and they will drive its focus.

How Do I Get Involved? To register your interest, contact the Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator, Chris Cobern on 0413 855 490 or email chriscobern@mcmc.org.au

Funding Opportunities

Melbourne Water Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways Program 

These grants, open all-year around, fund projects and longer term partnerships that provide value to Melbourne Water and the community by aligning with at least one of the following themes:

• Connected habitat and catchments
• Integrated water management (IWM) enablers
• Science, innovation and technology
• Liveable cities

Eligible activities include weed removal, revegetation, erosion control, signage, habitat creation, stormwater management, fencing, irrigation plans, farm layout design and more.

Individual landholders encouraged to find out more here.