Upcoming events:

– Monthly bird survey on Wednesday 12 August

– Community working bee on Sunday 16 August

Welcome to the July edition of our Blackburn Creeklands newsletter.

The days are slowly getting longer which is a welcome treat, but the weather is still quite cool, grey and fresh at times, so we welcome the sunshine with open arms. Spring is just around the corner so come down to the Creeklands to see what’s flowering (Wattles, Eucalypts, Banksia’s and Correas etc.) and try to spot some birds (Wood ducks, Galahs, Kookaburras and Magpies etc.) collecting nest material or looking for potential nest sites.

In this edition, we have:

SRL Funding
Blackburn Activity Centre update
Community Working Bee
Nature Stewards course
Discovering new orchids
Bird flu
Celebrating an Octogenarian
Sightings – lots of photos!

SRL Funding

NATURE’S PLAYGROUND FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES

Great news indeed!

In partnership with the Whitehorse City Council, we are delighted to be a recipient from the Suburban Rail Loop Community Projects Fund.

The funding offered will help us fast track the installation of 10 new seats to support community members of all ages and abilities to better enjoy the Blackburn Creeklands and to plant more than 2,000 indigenous plants that will enhance the native habitat for our wildlife.

This exciting new project will enrich the visitor experience while strengthening the Creeklands’ role as a vital wildlife corridor and biodiversity hub that will benefit local residents and visitors now and into the future.

We are proud to be a recipient of funding from the Victorian Government through the Suburban Rail Loop East Community Projects Fund. You can find out more about the fund and other successful local projects at suburbanrailloop.vic.gov.au/communityfund

Stay tuned for more information on this project and how you can contribute to its success.

Blackburn Activity Centre update

Meanwhile, on the Activity Centre front, Phase 2 decisions on the Blackburn to Mitcham Activity Centres were released by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) in late June.

These decisions followed a second round of community consultation and included some height reductions and other changes to improve height transitions and sun access. The heights and boundaries are shown in the map excerpt below:xxx

**Excepted from DTP map accessed 30/6/2026**

There are some improvements over the Phase 1 version which we wrote about in February:

The northern and southern boundaries of the Activity Centre have been softened by conversion of some of the northern and southern boundary “Inner Catchment” areas to “Outer Catchment” status. Overall, this should result in a more gradual transition in height to the central sky-scrapers.
There has been a height reduction on the northern side of Whitehorse Road which will reduce the amenity burden on the “Outer Catchment” area it abuts.
Height limits along the South Parade strip have also been reduced.

No new impacts on the park

The latest version confirms that the “SLO” areas, which include the creek’s corridor, continue to be excluded from the Activity Centre.

We are very grateful for the degree of community advocacy which has been listened to by the department. It has resulted in our park and the broader KooyongKoot (Gardiners) Creek corridor and its biodiversity remaining protected for nature (and for us) in the challenging future that lies ahead.

Opportunities for the future

Speaking of the future, opportunities to improve the liveability of target areas in future were also identified during the process. Levies on new building are intended to fund infrastructure improvements.

In Blackburn, the opportunities identified were:

Public space opportunities in the existing Elmhurst Basin Reserve and Morton Park sports precinct.
Community infrastructure in the existing precinct to the west of Morton Park containing the library, senior citizens centre and tennis club.
Active transport and public transport infrastructure activities mainly in the north-south orientation.

Most of these changes appear to be in the category of “redevelopment of existing”– eg no new spaces are proposed.

Community working bee

Greg giving his half time motivational speech and thank-you to the dedicated volunteers at morning teatime.

On Sunday the 19th of July, over 23 volunteers of various ages joined forces at 9AM to plant 270 native tube stock and carry out weeding duties on the northern side of Furness Park near Main St. The enthusiastic team, embraced the cool start to the morning by carefully working their way through the bushland digging holes, planting tube stock, re-mulching and watering (see photos below).

It was nice to be working as one with nature and to hear the musical notes from all the birds in the trees above. I think our avian friends approved of our hard work, none more so than this cheeky Mudlark (male) who took advantage of us disturbing the leaf litter prior to planting, so he could feast on some insects and small bugs in the soil!

A big thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers who took time out of their busy schedule to contribute to weeding and revegetating our Creeklands. Thanks also to Anthea and Evelyn for hosting morning tea. Keep up the great work ladies 😉

We look forward to seeing you at our next Community Working Bee on Sunday 16th August at the Waratah wetlands in Kalang Park.

Nature Stewards course

Some of the Nature Stewards graduating from the Inner East course on Saturday 27 June 2026. Our two enthusiastic facilitators were Helen (3rd from the left) and Milo (right).

The Nature Stewards program aims to build a vibrant community of informed and active environmental volunteers across Victoria. Developed by the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) in partnership with local councils and environmental organisations, the program promotes environmental literacy through discovery, practical learning and community action.

In Autumn, approximately 30 participants from east of Melbourne completed up to 46 hours of training over 10 weeks that combined classroom sessions on topics such as First Nations culture and place, looking after nature, ecosystems, geology and soils, plants, fungi and animals, water and waterways, seasons, climate and fire. In five field trips we visited Enterprize Park, Glen Iris wetlands, 100 Acres/Tyndals Road reserve, Blackburn Lake and Scotchman’s Creek/Valley reserve to learn about the history of indigenous peoples, revegetation, fauna/flora and fungi identification (see photo gallery below). We had some great presenters that were enthusiastic, thought provoking and very knowledgeable in their field of expertise which made the learning a lot more enjoyable and rewarding. On top of this, we were encouraged to pre-read the course material (20 to 50 pages) that contained detailed notes, videos and links to external websites prior to each class.

At the end of the course, Nature Stewards were invited to present a ‘topic of interest’ to the group. Greg embraced nature by discussing his involvement with advising residents about their gardens as part of his volunteer work with ‘Gardens for wildlife’. Glenn’s presentation on Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos was inspired when he observed a small flock flying overhead in Furness Park during the monthly bird survey in May. All participants received a certificate and an indigenous plant on completion (see photo above). We are now proud members of the Nature Stewards Facebook – alumni group 😉

The course is predominantly designed for adults (and to a lesser extent teenagers) with little or no formal environmental education hence the program encourages participants to become involved in local conservation and environmental volunteering to help create lasting benefits for both the community and nature. It is also a great opportunity to network with like-minded people who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with them to the course. The primary reason why I joined the group was to learn more about local fauna and flora including fungi and soils so that I could then share it with all our readers.

Some more photos for inside the course and our field trips:

Dean describing what Birrarung looked like in 1835

Thanks to the Whitehorse City Council for sponsoring three of our committee members (Jenna, Greg and Glenn) to attend the course. We learnt lots and made some new and valuable connections.

For more information on the Nature Stewards program and to see when the next course starts, please visit Home – Victorian National Parks AssociationVictorian National Parks Association

As a reminder, the monthly bird survey is held in the Blackburn Creeklands on the second Wednesday of each month. For anyone interested in participating, please email blackburncreeklands@gmail.com to find out more information including the meeting time and location at least 48 hours prior to the survey.

Discovering new orchids

A hobby that began during Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns has led Frankston resident and beer microbiologist Robert Mitchell to make an extraordinary contribution to orchid conservation.

Fascinated by Victoria’s native orchids, Robert began photographing flowering plants and uploading his observations to the citizen science platform iNaturalist to ‘see where your curiosity contributes to science’! When several orchids could not be identified, he collaborated with the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, using permits and DNA analysis to investigate further.

His work resulted in the discovery and formal description of three previously unrecognised orchid species. The achievement highlights the vital role citizen scientists play in conservation. Victoria is home to more than 400 native orchid species, yet around half of its terrestrial orchids are threatened with extinction due to their specialised habitat requirements.

By regularly surveying local reserves, recording observations and sharing data, volunteers can help scientists monitor biodiversity and protect vulnerable species. Robert’s story is a powerful reminder that curiosity, persistence and careful observation can make a lasting contribution to understanding and conserving our natural world.

What will you discover???

See full article here: Frankston beer microbiologist’s orchid hobby is helping document rare species – ABC News

Bird flu

For more information, please see fact sheet from Birdlife Australia: Fact sheet: Watching for H5N1 Avian Influenza in Australia

Celebrating an Octogenarian!

Peter, one of our regular Thursday weeders for many years, turned 80 during the month. Our picture below shows part of the team toasting his health:

**Thursday working bee team members celebrating our newest Octogenarian (Photo: Anne)**.

One of our team is noting the Old Oak tree in the background – very apt given that the oak tree is considered in some quarters to be a traditional symbol for an 80th birthday – representing deep strength, endurance, and wisdom.

Before his fairly recent retirement, Peter was a professional gardener working for himself after he was “Jeffed” when working as a municipal gardener for Prahran Council. After migrating from England, he worked in a variety of interesting jobs around Australia including, for example, being the gardener for an iron ore mining camp on one of the Kimberley Islands off the remote NW coast of WA. Besides sharing a lot of interesting stories from his working life, he is also a fountain of knowledge on all things about current affairs and so is great company for his workmates!

Peter is a highly valued member of the Thursday weeding team. One amazing thing is that he started volunteering with us over 5 years ago when living in the family home in Box Hill. He still participates in the Thursday working bees despite having downsized to Eltham a couple of years ago. That is dedication and loyalty!

He is such a great advertisement for the benefits of healthy exercise in the outdoors:

Peter with his grandsons ready to assist in candle extinguishment duties (left).

We are unreliably informed that the Eltham CFA would not issue a permit for a cake supporting 80 individual candles due to the extreme fire risk – so he had to settle for one per decade.

Our community owes Peter a great debt for his untiring service!

Congratulations Peter and a big ‘thank you’ from all us here at BCAC, volunteers and friends of the Creeklands!

Sightings

We thank our wonderful photographers for sharing their amazing images with us. If you would like to contribute, please email your photos to: blackburncreeklands@gmail.com