Bangalee Bushcare is a group of dedicated volunteers working under the auspices of Shoalhaven City Council towards the eventual rehabilitation of Bangalee Reserve.
Located on the northern side of the Shoalhaven River, approximately 8km upsteam of Nowra, NSW, Bangalee Reserve is a 130 hectare public park. It encompasses many different types of habitat ranging from dry eucalypt forest high on the ridges, to rainforest and riparian habitats closer to the River. Since its formation in the early 2000's, Bangalee Bushcare has successfully regenerated 17 hectares of bushland in some of the most degraded parts of the Reserve.
What's Happening this Month?
(June/July) It's been a long time but I have finally got to updating this site! The work onsite has been progressing at a fantastic rate (which is part of the reason I haven't updated this page!).
Bushcare is still happening every Sunday from 8am until lunch. We have spent the past month alternating between weeding and watering in the eastern planting area, and pulling lantana and burning in the western clearing area. Overall, it looks like about 80-90% of our original eastern plantings have survived the summer which is simply a fantastic result. Ironically some of the rainforest species fared particularly well!
The western end is where all the action has been. After reaching the far western fence on the riverside of the track, we have been working back from the fence on the top side of the track. Lots of the lantana on that side has already been sprayed so progress is fast. We will start pile burning again from next week to tidy the whole place up. In total, we are now maintaining over 19ha of weed free/regeneration areas.
The next big project will be the construction of a mangrove nursery on the western beach. We have already started collecting iron sheeting and hardwood timbers for the enclosure and aim to put it together in early spring. Our initial estimates are that it will be able to hold over 2000 four inch pots for growing a variety of Grey and River Mangroves. Downer/Seymore Whyte from Berry to Bomaderry have donated over 70sqm of geofabric which now means we have all the materials needed to go ahead with the nursery construction. Many thanks to them as it would not have been possible without their timely donation.
The Shoalhaven River
Bangalee Reserve has nearly 2.3km of frontage along the Shoalhaven River. As a result, the River plays a major role in the biodiversity of the Reserve and is a main focus of Bangalee Bushcare. Because much of the riverflats are severely weed infested and degraded, we spend most of our time working towards rehabilitating that vital zone.
The video below shows some of the wildlife in the River as well as the extent of the erosion and weed infestation. (music: www.scottbuckley.com.au)
Our Work
Bangalee Bushcare works on bush regeneration activities throughout the Reserve. Although we mostly focus on the riverflats due to the extent of degradation in that area, we do also maintain significant sections of rainforest higher up the ridges.
On the riverflats, the main weeds we control are lantana, wild tobacco and several different types of vine. Once these are cleared, we revegetate with native trees and maintain the cleared areas to prevent weeds from returning. Not all the work is done onsite however. We also have a significant plant propagation operation spread between our various personal residences.
The video below shows a time lapse of lantana clearing along the riverflats (music: www.scottbuckley.com.au). Apologies for the slightly blurred rendering. It will be fixed at some point if possible.
