We’re back in Black(‘s Walk) on the first day of February – tackling weeding in BW-32 and BW-31 depending on time and resources.

We plan to start in BW-32 (adjacent the playground) where a maintenance weed is needed.  Our mulching undertaken last year seems to be working quite well in the eastern side of the bed and the new plants seem to be going well.  There are a couple of patches of Panic Veldt and the fence vine that need attention, otherwise a general weed is required.

Panic Veldt is also the primary bad guy in BW-31 (Alan’s old patch) where it is coming up following the rains – but is obvious now – so a good time to deal with it.  There is a bad patch in the top north west corner where there was soil disturbance some time back – we’ll take the opportunity to assess it and report the preferred strategy for dealing with it going forwards.

Last Week

Last week we made great progress along the track headed from Main Street towards Gardenia on the northern side of the creek. We also readied a patch for further work by Council and identified the weed problem in the mulch used there. Council will also do a bit more weeding in the northern bed near Julie’s (FP-14) at its eastern end – when they’ll be doing something nearby in Kalang. We were also spoiled rotten with two lots of home-made morning tea – Marie’s blueberry muffins via Andy and Julie’s (or was it Peter’s?) fabulous cake. According to Margaret, we removed 320kg of weeds last week!

Conditions (last updated 07:00 1/2/2024)

Weather

Rain: There’s a 0% chance of rain on Thursday (1/2) morning.
Storms/Weather warnings: None that affect us.
Temperature: It should be a mild 15-20 degrees while we work.

Wind: very mild W becoming WSW winds.
UV: >8 rising to 12 later in the day.
EPA Air Quality: Good.
Thunderstorm Asthma Forecast: None.

Risks to highlight

• Please bring water to maintain your hydration – especially given the warmer weather.
• Don’t forget your sun protection (especially for the next few months!). We have some in the PPE kit if you forget.
• Mozzies are about in shaded spots and still-ish air – plenty around due to recent rain – best to have bare skin protected. We have repellent available in the PPE bag.
• Wear appropriate clothes for the conditions – including a hat, long sleeves and closed-toe shoes.
• Hi-vis clothes/vests are recommended – especially along the main track.
• There are stumps, branches, lumps and underground water courses etc that may present trip hazards and eye-hazards under twiggy shrubs etc. We have some safety glasses in the PPE bag if you feel you need them.
• COVID is around again in a big way.  Please don’t come if you have any symptoms.
• Bull-ant bites have been recorded BW-31 but not BW-32 – but ant tunnels/colonies can travel a long way… Please be extra vigilant given the warmer temperatures.