Anzac Day Weekend
25 - 27 April 1997
by Peter Ackroyd, 9th May 1997 & 6th June 1997
Phase two of the Potholes revegetation project is now well under way with
the planting of around 500 trees over the Anzac Day long weekend earlier this
year (Friday 25th to Sunday 27th April 1997. Twenty-five people attended the
working bee in perfect weather to be involved in the successful planting of
endemic species in the extension to the original trial plot making a total
revegetated area of 3.5 Hectares.
On Friday, with the assistance of Ranger, Dale Calnin, 800 trees grown from
seed which had been collected from the area by Peter Ackroyd over the past six
months, were carried up to the Potholes along with planting tools, fertiliser
and plastic mesh tree guards.
A planting plan prepared by Peter was passed out and three teams set out to
plant as many trees up the slopes of the southern hillside as possible.
Planting was carried out in the area enclosed by an electric fence erected by
three of us in September 1996. The Friends then carefully weeded this area over
the following months to prepare it for this day.
When planting trees you get close to the ground and notice things that may
be missed otherwise - like small, deep holes. Two new caves were found on the
first day of planting.
After a good night's sleep the three teams were back at it on the Saturday.
We were joined on this day by two people who'd noticed our activities while
they were driving past and had stopped to help us. Dale and others carted water
up to the newly planted trees to help them get a head start. Dale was helped at
one stage by the head ranger, Alan Oldroyd. On this day two more new caves were
found and explored.
By the third day the number of teams was reduced to two but a significant
number of trees were still able to be planted. The ground being rocky made for
difficulties in finding a suitable location for each tree to have enough soil
depth to give it a good chance of survival and so planting was slow but steady.
The trees planted on this occasion consisted mainly of Yellow Box, Manna Gum
and Candelbark Gum - all grown from seed I have collected from trees within a
kilometre or less of the Potholes. Dale Calnin has performed a fantastic job to
keep the 300 new trees watered - no mean feat on the steep, rocky hillside -
until the arrival of the first good rains almost three weeks following planting.
A visit to the area on 1st June 1997 showed that the success rate to date is
98%. Some of the trees have shown enormous growth in the six weeks since they
were planted. All trees checked (over 100) showed at least some new growth
apart from two which hadn't made it.
The next working bee will be on 19-20 July 1997. There will be more planting
to extend the areas already covered and to replace losses that are inevitable
from the first planting. The 300 trees not yet planted will be able to be used
for this replacement and augmentation program. (They are currently being cared
for by Dale at the Buchan Caves Reserve.)
Ultimately it is intended to get 1,200 trees in this revegetation area to
ensure a good mix of species (Acacia species will be planted during the Spring
working bee) and to create a good coverage for this corner of the Potholes.
The presence of the trees will reduce silting problems in the caves,
stabilise the entrances of many caves and improve the rainfall runoff
characteristics so that they more closely match the original conditions as
found before settlement of the area. All these changes will enhance the karst
of the Potholes area.
Those who attended the Anzac Day weekend working bee were:
