VOLUNTEERS from Tarwin Landcare Group (TLG) and the Walkerville Residents and Ratepayers Association (WRRA) joined forces with Parks Victoria staff last week to control pittosporum in the Cape Liptrap Coastal Park.
Sweet pittosporum, known as the ‘green rabbit’ due to its invasiveness, is becoming a major problem in many of South Gippsland’s parks and reserves, where it is smothering native vegetation.
Together, the participants poisoned or pulled out more than 400 pittosporum seedlings, saplings and mature trees over 2.3ha of parkland at Walkerville North. They then celebrated their two hours of weed control with burgers (subsidised by TLG) at the renowned Walky Kiosk at the Walkerville Caravan Park.
TLG committee member, Marg Carew, who organised the event in conjunction with Parks Victoria (PV) Ranger, Goyo Paniagua, was thrilled with both the turnout and the results. “It’s amazing how much you can get done in a couple of hours with a group of enthusiastic people,” she said. “Discounted burgers were a great incentive, too!”
Marg and Goyo organised the event via PV’s Parks Connect portal. They followed necessary health and safety protocols, ensured each adult volunteer had a valid Working with Children card and had first aid equipment on hand.
The Pittstop event was so enjoyable that TLG and WRRA plan to organise more in the future. Keep an eye on TLG’s Facebook page and local newspapers, or register on ParksConnect, to discover ways you can volunteer in nature.
