22 March working bee; Notes, incl. recent activity on Mt Rogers; dates for Weed Swap (11-12 April)

THE NEXT WORKING-BEE IS ON SUNDAY 22ND MARCH FROM 9am. We'll meet at the Wickens Place Car-park and walk through the bush, SE towards the Notice box. Angharad and I found several woody weeds needing our attention. They have been hidden by the Cootamundra wattle thicket that spreads up almost from the gravel path. I'll supply gloves, gaiters, tools and volunteers will need sturdy footwear, to be dressed for the expected weather including long-sleeved top and long pants and sun-shading hat. Bring water to drink & possibly a snack.

Ivan and I worked up and west of Magrath Crescent on 22nd February and found quite a few bushes that had matured since we last weeded in that area...Viburnum tinus, privet, Chinese pistachio, pyracantha and there are some briar roses to return to in that general area. A pity we can't persuade someone to come up and collect the rose hips as I believe they are rich in pectin for jam making!

On 2nd March Angharad, Kathy and I walked east from the Wickens car-park. On the way we pulled some St Johns Wort (SJW) that was in flower and bagged any heads that had seed-capsules on. We moved towards the rocks where the mosses look so soft and stroke-able when rain's fallen. This time they and the Rock ferns looked sad & desiccated. We dribbled some water on one area and within 10–15 minutes the moss looked green & lush where the water had touched it. Some years ago Flemming & I planted 8 Dianella revoluta plants near the boulders and at least six seem to be well established. Wally mentioned the Dianellas (Flax lilies) on Saturday. We found one of the two original Mt Rogers clumps then. 

We were watched by two very tall kangaroos and their small mob as we added Skeleton weed into the bagged SJW. Skeleton weed, I recently found out, was the subject of another successful biological control program beginning in the 1960s. The weed had severely infested wheat growing areas in the eastern states and Western Australia. Research was carried out from Montpellier in France, as Skeleton weed came from the Mediterranean countries originally. CSIRO scientists were the diligent investigators then, but the Montpellier station has since closed as being too expensive to maintain ... a shame that present day governments don't believe in the value of scientific research to the extent needed.

Mowers have opened up some of the main tracks again. 

There have been hunting Kookaburras in mid Flynn and also a calling Grey Butcherbird. It's probably been through Mt Rogers recently too. Denise took photos of one on her patch close to the creek at Giralang Ponds. Barbara spotted and recorded Gang-Gang cockatoos not far from the Mildenhall–Spence playground I believe. This is an exciting sighting for Mt Rogers even if it happened a week before the official Gang-Gang Muster began. Anytime now we may see groups of honeyeaters gathering prior to moving out of the ACT to avoid the cooler weather. 

If you're interested in Australian native plants the Society has launched its magnificent new Australian plants for Canberra region gardens and other cold climate areas. 934 species are illustrated and described in detail. The photographs and the text have all been provided by the Society's members. There's an excellent introduction to gardening in our area preceding the plants' descriptions. 365 pages of value for $30 from the Botanic Gardens Bookshop now and possibly nurseries & bookstores later in April.

The Society's WEED SWAP is on 11th & 12th April, so take the murdered woody weeds from your gardens, plus Agapanthus heads, out to Canberra Sand & gravel and claim a free native plant or 3. 

If anyone needs help in their garden please contact me as I have names of several recommended horticulturalists who can do a range of tasks for reasonable cost.  6258 4724.

If any rain comes it might be easier to see some of the magnificent spider webs when misty-dew's on the threads. There are quite a few Leaf-curl spiders around also. Maybe we'll have toadstool displays again.

Try to track down European Wasps and have the nests treated. They are seeking water now and sweet foods or, maybe, drinks around BBQs. The number to phone is  6162 1914. 

I have written in about getting the signs we suggested installed at the main entry points. These would explain the dogs off-leash status of Mt Rogers to newcomers. It would be good to think that bins for bags of dog-poo would be provided, but I suspect more agitation for the bins will be needed. We may be able to have NO DUMPING signs installed. I've asked Jasmine from Parks and Conservation Service if we might have several of their WOOD IS GOOD signs also. They explain that fallen timber and small branches are essential for biodiversity and to healthy reserves and shouldn't be taken for firewood or kindling.

Wood-smoke doesn't help suburban fresh air and is a hazard to the health of some people ... as some of us have found out even with the recent official Hazard Reduction Burns.

I was thinking we might have a  Walk and Wonder on Tuesday 7th April as we'll miss the ‘official’ working-bee date on the first Monday, Easter Monday 6th. 

Please let me know if you're interested & we'll see what's changed in the reserve by then ... or go over the Indigenous walk route for those who missed it, perhaps.

MT ROGERS: RECONNECTING WITH LANDSCAPE & INDIGENOUS CULTURE. SATURDAY 14th MARCH 2015

The summer day was perfect. Mt Rogers was very dry but there was plenty of shade from the 26°C sunshine. Over 30 people, of all ages, assembled at the Wickens Place carpark. For newcomers there were copies of the Mt Rogers WELCOME which is about to be superseded by the new Mt Rogers colour brochure.

Karissa, Ginninderra Catchment Group co-ordinator, introduced the concept of Thunderstone and Buru Ngunawal Corporation’s series of walks around our area which aim to introduce present-day locals to the Indigenous heritage of the nearby reserves, creek-side open spaces and the properties that have been spreading over ancestral lands since the 1820s.

We moved into the shade of one of Mt Rogers’ 300-year-old eucalypts, where King Parrots had earlier been feasting on Mistletoe berries.

Wally & Tyronne Bell: Wally Bell introduced himself and his younger brother Tyronne, explaining that he came from Jerrawa and later the family moved to Yass. Tyronne was born in Yass. They both live locally and play active parts in their suburban communities. In recent years they have been surveying and consulting about Aboriginal sites threatened with adverse change due to development, and working with Greening Australia and Friends of Grasslands.

            Ngunawal: Wally explained that Ngunawal was more correctly pronounced ‘Noon-a-wool’ and that the name should only have two ‘n’s. Tyronne had recently returned from a conference in Hawaii where participants focussed on indigenous languages. Both combined their talents in order to ‘read the landscape’. They had always lived on Country and now were dedicated to sharing their findings, their knowledge and stories with other communities. A program bringing Indigenous culture to an eventual 15 schools was being planned for trial at Fraser Primary School. They and neighbouring clans, people and groups had been successful stewards of Country for 40,000 years ensuring survival in often-harsh places.

            The route: The walk took us to the Mt Rogers summit via the track ‘above’ the twin tanks, past the turn-off to the single tank’s gate, up to views over Belconnen at the summit, to the Second summit with its dead tree, down to the gully and up again to the Benchmark tree near the spreading infestation of Tree of Heaven suckers and back to the carpark. There Tyronne enthralled the crowd with his collection of artefacts as each had fascinating origins and stories ‘to tell’.

            Sap: A 4 m tall wattle was oozing sap from its trunk. It provided the opportunity to reinforce how Ngunawal people had no option other than to live off the land. The sap could be eaten, though a critical use was as a glue. When heated it could be applied to the fibrous material used to bind handles to stone axes, other tools and spears.

            She-oak, Casuarina trees: Although Casuarinas were part of Fraser Primary’s plantings 25–30 years ago, Tyronne used a Casuarina to explain that the species’ timber was used for handles and boomerangs. Seeds could be crushed into a paste and eaten. 

            Wattle seed & stones: Collecting wattles’ seeds was the women’s responsibility (along with other food-gathering). Seeds were crushed between stones to make a form of flour and subsequently bread which was cooked on special stones. Later we were shown a cooking stone. It and grinding stones were heavy in terms of being carried around. They would be left in specific places to be used when the groups next passed through. We also noted Cauliflower bushes whose seeds were also ground into flour. They’re finishing flowering now.

            Artefacts & tools: Volcanic rocks were prized for producing the finest edges on tools. For modern surgery some volcanic rocks provide superior edges on instruments. Two chips of rock (approximately the size of a 20 cent piece) found near graded edges served to illustrate that artefacts could still be found by knowledgeable searchers. It was likely these pieces were discarded during the work that produced other tools.

            Cherry Ballart: Mt Rogers has two of these cypress-like trees. The fruit is edible and sweet. The timber can be used for digging-sticks. A Hardenbergia growing near the summit illustrated that the twining stems could be made into rope. The Flax-lily or Dianella, found near the Second summit, has blue berries. These could be eaten and parts of the plant chewed as people journeyed. Curiously it’s classed as a toxic plant in a 2010 book, reinforcing Wally’s point that selecting bush foods to eat is based on aeons of experience and plants may have to be treated for toxins before being edible. Lomandra’s strappy leaves could be used like a whistle whose tone suggested ‘animal in distress’ to snakes. The fibrous leaves of both Dianella and Lomandra were used to make baskets.

            Journeys and pathways: At the summit Wally explained the journeys made by the creator-being, a water spirit named Budjabulya. These began after time resting near Lake Ngungara, now called Lake George. Budjabulya explored and scoured out the creek-lines, turning up the Pialligo valley towards Red Hill. From near the present Parliament House he journeyed towards Gungahlin before returning to Lake George to sleep. When he’s happy there’s water in Lake George, and drought and dryness signify displeasure.

            Camps were held on Black Mountain and an important ceremonial ground existed where the gates of the Botanic Gardens are now. (In those days Aboriginal Groups were not consulted about new buildings being violations of important sites.) Different groups met via three pathways at Red Hill. Mt Rogers was part of the minor pathway network. Its summit wasn’t as important as we’d like to imagine, as it lacked water.

            Bracket fungi on the Benchmark tree were among those used to keep mosquitoes away when tossed onto a fire to produce smoke. Below the huge landmark eucalypt tree were a few Bluebells, the roots of which could be used for food. Mistletoe berries are sweet and sought after by birds. There were several on the ground near where Tyronne had set up his artefacts collection.

Thanks to Karissa for organising this walk for the Mt Rogers community. At least 15 people attended from our community. Others attended as a result of publicity elsewhere and through the Bells’ Thunderstone and Buru networks.

Thank you Wally and Tyronne for giving us a broad and fascinating picture of how plants from Mt Rogers would have been used by Ngunawal people. It was a privilege to hear insights into cultural history, heritage and above all the millennia of stewardship of Country; the land that sustained them, through which they travelled and that each generation knew intimately.

I think we felt very glad to be able to continue to care for Mt Rogers through our diverse daily caring and monthly landcaring activities.

More information

www.ngunawal.com.au and the page ‘Ngunawal past, present and future’.

Thunderstone Aboriginal Cultural Land Management Services www.thunderstone.com.au

If you missed this walk or want to visit a different place there’s
another walk at Strathnairn, off Stockdill Drive, HOLT
on 19 April.

The book
Ngunnawal Plant Use: a traditional Aboriginal plant use guide for the ACT region, published by ACT Government, 2014 
is available from the Ginninderra Catchment Group (between the Kippax shopping centre and the playing-fields), ph 6278 3309
and from the Botanical Bookshop at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

Rosemary
Convenor Mt Rogers Landcare Group,   phone 6258 4724  
14.03.15.

Aboriginal heritage walk, 14 March, Mt Rogers: more detail

Here are more details about the Aboriginal heritage walk at Mt Rogers on
14 March, 10am-12pm.

The cultural landscape of Mt Rogers:
'Learn about the significance of Mt Rogers to the Ngunawal people. Find out about bush foods, cultural artefacts and the Aboriginal cultural landscape.'

Meet at Wickens Place, off Bingley Crescent, Fraser.
Rosemary (our Landcare coordinator) will be there before 10am, regardless of weather.

Please arrive in good time, to allow for sign-on details, etc.

To book, contact  Bronwyn  at  thunderstonemg@gmail.com, ph. 0488 389 509.
For more information,  Karissa Preuss,  landcare@ginninderralandcare.org.au, ph.(02) 6278 3309.

The walk is a combined arrangement by the Ginninderra Catchment Group, the Buru Ngunawal Aboriginal Corporation and Thunderstone, and is one of a series of events about Aboriginal Heritage in Ginninderra.
Other events are planned for Strathnairn and Mt Painter in the next few weeks.

According to the flier, 'Aboriginal Heritage in the Ginninderra area',
'The Ginninderra Creek which flows from Mulligan's Flat to the Murrumbidgee, was an ancient pathway for the Ngunawal people. Join Ngunawal custodians on a series of walks to learn more about Aboriginal Heritage in the Ginninderra area.'

For bookings (essential), or more information about this series of events, see the contact details above.

The project is supported by the ACT Government and the Australian Government.

Aboriginal heritage walk at Mt Rogers on 14 March

A note to alert you that Tyronne & Wally Bell will be introducing interested Mt Rogers folk to Ngunawal Aboriginal history and land use on Saturday 14th March, between 10 am and noon.

More details will become available soon, but this is the date at least, in case this special insight into Mt Rogers interests you.

Wally and Tyronne have been leading walks through several local areas in recent years, with the aim of explaining about their culture and local Aboriginal heritage.

General background is available through Tyronne's website, www.thunderstone.net.au

Rosemary