January 2nd week

Flanagans Creek  

Bushies,
Yes, we have been officially authorised to begin work at Flanagans Creek & I have the documents to prove it, plus a Planning & Inspection Tour with Greg, the head Bushie. 

We are part of the New Imperialist Zeitgeist imperilling the Old World Order, and we start tomorrow.

Where Are We? 
by foot, trudge north along Cliff & The Esplanade, past the Surf Club & on to the creek at the far end of the park.
by car/bike use the same route or drive along LHD through Thirroul & turn right at The Esplanade & park in that first stretch or in the northern Surf Club carpark.

I will have the Official Bushcare Sign Board. There is some chance locals will want to know what's happening. We are "weeding Invasive species" & hopefully "regenerating local native vegetation".
We are NOT "clearing"!!!    I will have the document authorising our work.

We will start at the creek end of the area. Expect Morning Glory, Asparagus Fern, Turkey Rhubarb, Lantana, Moth Vine et al. 

Please bring your white bags as much of our early "winnings" will need to be left for WCC crews to pick up. Choppers will have Lantana & big Asparagus to enjoy. Secateurists will have curtains of Morning Glory runners to sever & then roll up the ground runners. Turkey fanciers will not know where to start their forensic pursuit.
I suggest full Bushcare gear because its pretty thick in places.

There is Wildlife to consider; at least 7 native bird species, slightly venomous Marsh Snake, Ring Tailed Possum dreys* in some native trees, so watch where you tread & look around & up before you cut/chop. 

There are well established native trees & shrubs in there so ask for identity confirmation whenever you find something new or unfamiliar. 

* A ringtail possum's nest, called a drey, is a spherical ball made of sticks, branches, bark, leaves, and grass that they sleep in during the day. Dreys are usually located in the forks of trees, at least 4 meters above the ground, and are often shared by multiple possums.

2024 A list of weedy sites

The top 5 are:


A plastic picker-upper (with an interest in Geology) could be gainfully employed along the back of the beach, while a Lily Specialist could ferret forever in the Kikuyu, east of the Cycleway.

2023 The full suite of weediness

It is blooming, from 3 metre Scotch Thistles & flaunting Fleabane to conspicuous flowering Cassia. It's mostly weeding tomorrow except for some opportunities to destroy Cassia for choppers /poisoners.

2022 A pandemic of weeds

A full pandemic of weeds has arisen over the past three weeks but at least watering isn't an issue.

We need to prioritise Lisa's Site, hacking into the reeds (see below) to see what lies beneath. 

Less bug-infested work is needed in Andrew's area & the creek bank, to halt the Morning Glory & Cape Ivy. 

If numbers allow, the Blady Grass zone has resurgent Purpletop, Fleabane, Lily & Cottonbush.

Should a 4th worker group be available, the Stone Road/Boge Massacre sites offer the full range of weediness, including the lovely flowering Montbretia.

Reeds

 
These are Cumbungi reeds, there are some growing in Woodlands Creek.
What we have in the boggy areas of Hewitts Creek is likely to be Phragmites Australis:




 

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