Six adults and one child came to our Bushcare working bee at McKenzie Falls and Zumsteins. We were very pleased to be met by ranger Mark Whyte with gloves, bags and superior pick up tongs which proved most efficient. We managed to collect quite a bit, despite the initial impression being that the site was fairly clean. Mostly cigarette butts and tissues, with a few drink cans and bottles. None of the toilet paper and nappies we had found earlier in the year in Wonderland. And very little indeed on the track down to Zumsteins.
One of the benefits of doing this in such a popular spot on a beautiful day in school holidays is that we were so visibly reminding people that volunteers care for the Park and that dropping rubbish is just not on. We had many expressions of thanks.
It was good to see some regrowth after last year’s fire, particularly some lovely running postman, but on a somewhat depressing note, the weeds are doing well too. Sallow wattle, thistles, daffodils and other bulbs. As we drove down to Zumsteins there were so many freesias on the roadside.
At Zumsteins we checked out the plantings. Near the road they were looking good, but along the creekside most of the protective milk cartons and plastic sleeves had come adrift and were scattered untidily for metres around. Fortunately the plants themselves seemed to have survived quite well, so we tidied up, re-protecting the most vulnerable ones and just putting marker sticks beside the others, and deposited the soggy damaged cardboard in the recycle bin back at Parks. We also did a little weeding, digging up some bulbs.