MT ROGERS WINTER NEWSLETTER, JUNE 2015 - and LandcareACT announcement

Normally, according to a saying from my English vocabulary, “rain before 7, fine before 11” is a rule that usually rings true. Why hasn’t that happened today, 16^th June? Perhaps the weather came through to ensure I put pen to paper.

Both recent working-bees were on mornings of significant frost. That didn’t deter Angharad, Ann and Ted where their determined efforts involved collecting & bagging thousands of African Lovegrass seeds and digging out Serrated Tussock plants. We worked in the peninsular of Mt Rogers between Oster and Bird Places, Flynn and up and into the reserve from the notice box respectively. We put in 14 hours land-caring work between us with the aim of keeping the infestations of these two grasses to a minimum in spite of the constant likelihood of seeds being moved into the reserve as we walk, as paws run and as wheels turn. The other day there was an Orienteering event through the reserve: we must balance seeing others enjoying Mt Rogers with the need to vigilantly observe whether any transported seeds germinate in the months ahead.

On 10^th June I wasn’t quick enough with the binoculars to see what was the object of a commotion involving Crimson Rosellas, Wattlebirds and a host of equally vociferous Currawongs. I expect the objected presence was a raptor but perhaps it was a dis-oriented Tawny Frogmouth caught out in the daytime. Kevin & Megan and Chris & Margaret have each had a Crescent Honeyeater close to their homes which is a happy but unusual sighting for Mt Rogers. It’s wonderful & great citizen-science to share these observations.

The Scarlet Robin has been declared ‘vulnerable’ in the ACT. The species’ numbers generally have been declining but we’ve been lucky several times on Mt Rogers and been able to watch their un-shy feeding within a few metres of the paths. I was lucky on a (08.0615) walk to One Tree Hill on the from-Hall Centenary Trail, seeing a pair of Scarlet Robins feeding with at least two Diamond Firetails within a few metres of the One Tree Hill lookout. The Diamond Firetails are definitely rarer in recent years in the places where I might find them. Nearer home there has been constant daytime activity in a flowering Ironbark in the next street. The eucalypt’s pink flowers are nectar-pantries for Rainbow Lorikeets and the assertive Red Wattlebirds that can’t abide intruders in their territory.

The moral of these stories could be to be prepared for the unexpected and, if you have time, be prepared to closely check out flowering trees to see which birds might be present. We’re so fortunate on Mt Rogers that we commit time to being there, to being outside and to taking up conversations with others we meet. Overleaf there are two more instances of community engagement and capacity building in our region…proof that more & more people are finding ways to take back control of their lives as a shield against very worrying times and Federally-imposed policies.

I put some copies of the Belconnen Community Services April–July 2015 Newsletter in the Notice box. That is another organisation whose programs makes great contributions to the wellbeing of Belconnen residents. I also took the liberty of creating a laminated information sheet of businesses recommended by our family. If you’d like to add any other businesses to the next sheet please let me know. Maybe we can create a mini-services directory to guide our choices. There’s nothing like ‘word-of-mouth’ for growing communities.

During my cross-country wanders I’ve still come across Meadow Argus butterflies enjoying the sunshine after severe frosts. How can they find warm-enough shelter during the nights? Some may visit the Urn Heath shrubs whose pale cream flowers are heather-like bells. There are a few Bluebells and some dandelion-like Flatweed turning their blooms to the sun. The Guides planted several Acacia genistifolia not far from the Wickens Place car-park. They’re in flower, keeping up the wattle and eucalypt species’ tradition of having flowers ready to entice pollinators, in turn, throughout the year. 

(The photo shows Acacia genistifolia in the rain, but not at Mt Rogers. Photo by A. Zelnik.)

The next working-bees are on Sunday 28^th June and Monday 6^th July. Details later.

Rosemary, Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group, 6258 4724

LANDCARE-ACT ANNOUNCEMENT

I’m hoping that this LandcareACT initiative will morph into further evidence that people around our region are actively supporting ways for community activities to show governments and agencies success stories from working together for mutual benefit now and into the future.

Once you’ve read this try information on the Canberra Transition Town initiative. Transition Towns, universally, bring community groups and agencies together for the benefit of those that need informed help and support in their lives and in their volunteering. http://www.transitionnetwork.org/initiatives/canberra-transition-town

“Many hands – one voice”

Who is LandcareACT?

LandcareACT is a new ”peak body” which is being formed to represent and support the wide diversity of community landcarers in the ACT region.  There are over 60 Landcare groups in the ACT region including urban Landcare, Parkcare Groups, rural, junior and Aboriginal Landcare groups, Waterwatch and Frogwatch volunteers, rural landholders and Aboriginal traditional custodians.

LandcareACT was initiated by the ACT’s three catchment groups (Ginninderra, Molonglo and Southern ACT), who provide support for many landcare groups across the ACT and in surrounding NSW. It will be inclusive of rural landholders in the region and the local Aboriginal community.

Development of LandcareACT is being funded by the Australian Government. It will operate within the ACT and region and will also link to the National Landcare Network, which provides a community voice for landcare programs at the national level.

What will Landcare ACT do?

LandcareACT will work to sustain community efforts to look after their local bush in a number of ways. It will seek to build on government funding for landcare - by promoting the benefits of landcare to the wider community and seeking new partners and funding. It will encourage more people to get involved and try to build the capacity of existing groups. It will also be able to provide a “think tank” for regional innovation and collaboration as well as opportunities to share knowledge and experience across the region. Finally it will provide a forum for identifying and discussing issues important to community landcarers in the context of government policy and programs, which will benefit both landcarers and their government partners.

Who has been consulted about Landcare ACT?

The LandcareACT interim steering committee has consulted widely, including with the ACT government, rural landholders, members of the local Aboriginal community, the business community and other environmental organisations and NGOs. Discussions have been about future opportunities and about what organisation and membership structure will best support the community landcarers in the ACT. A constitution will be finalised in the near future.

To find out more about Landcare ACT you can contact:

Anne Duncan on 0466 108 432, or any of the Catchment Coordinators in the ACT (Molonglo: Bernie Bugden on 62992119; Ginninderra: Karissa Preuss on 62783309; Southern ACT: Martine Franco on 62966400)

Hi everyone,

This came in an email on May 9th.

"I thought you might like to include in your next Mt Rogers newsletter the fact that the Chief Minister has been approached about remedying the state of the Mt Rogers walking track. This came about after I slipped on some loose gravel last Sunday and injured a knee. I copied the email to Yvette Berry as a local member. So far  all I have received is an automated reply from her and silence from our Head of Government. I’ll keep you updated.

Regards Dennis"

Issues and incidents relating to Mt Rogers can be reported via Canberra Connect 13 22 81, Fix My Street online if it's nearby road issue and GInninderra Catchment Group 6278 3309.

Note from the blog putterupper. At last, Rosemary's April newsletter has been published on this blog and it's below. Do read it. I apologise for the delay.

ALSO Rosemary writes: Copies of the new edition of the Mt Rogers brochure have been placed in the Notice Box.  Ann M, Peter A, Margaret and 'the girls' made important contributions to the Brochure. Several other Mt Roger Landcare Group members advised on the text from time to time. Ginninderra Catchment Group provided significant in-kind help through Dave Wong who spent many hours on the design and the map.

The aim of this brochure is to entice people to visit our special place. I hope, eventually, to create an article 'The Natural History of Mt Rogers' in order to bring together our shared knowledge, observations and understandings of the history & heritage of the reserve. If you can't reach the Notice Box or need several copies to give to new neighbours please contact me.

The next working bees will be from 9 am on Sunday 24 May and Monday 1 June. We'll meet at the Notice box on the Sunday and the Wickens Place carpark on the Monday. We'll take different routes through the reserve seeking out weeds to dig out. This especially includes isolated African Lovegrass and Serrated tussock plants which affect the diversity of the reserve's native plants. Nerolie, Ted and Wolf were introduced to this task behind Woodger place where we were also able to find an array of local native species. Ivan, Lesley and Ted worked on isolated woody weeds on 26th April finishing near the extensive Tree of Heaven infestation.  Chris has adopted the project of buying new Perspex for 3 of the notice boards and already repaired the one that's not in use. Margaret & Chris have found a large, fertile Cotoneaster that they "will attend to".  Steve W saw Speckled Warblers today. Steve & Judy D had a Speckled warbler on their garden's fence on 30th April. Elsewhere this species is in decline. Mt Roger's SW numbers appear to remain steady. Scarlet Robins have also been reported. Local ornithologists are concerned about this species also but, again, Mt Rogers retains its luck in having them present during the winter months. Enjoy your walks and observations, Rosemary.

MOUNT ROGERS NEWSLETTER LATE APRIL 2015

MUSINGS :  After early ANZAC Day musings reflecting on the world we have now as a bewildering contrast to the future for which so many have sacrificed so much…I made a laminated notice to the repeat-offenders who use Mt Rogers as a rubbish dump. Condensed, this is the text:

FROM MT ROGERS TO DUMPERS

Please note that members of Mt Rogers Landcare community object to your dumping garden rubbish in the reserve.     THIS DUMPING IS ILLEGAL

Dumping is contributing to the destruction of the last remnant of intact, natural bush on Mt Rogers.

Unusual and rare birds use this area. There are unusual plant species including spring wildflowers which have survived 145 years of change in ‘Fraser’.

Dead shrubs, rank non-Australian grasses, prunings and weeds    DO NOT BELONG HERE.

Take them FREE to the green-waste recycling site at the west end of Parkwood Road, Macgregor between 07.30 & 16.45 daily.

Mt Rogers Landcare volunteers spend hours protecting the reserve from invasive species. Don’t make this work even harder by dumping weed seeds, diseased plants & other rubbish in a place we love.

 I then installed the notice near the decaying piles of the disrespectful gardener’s waste and continued a stroll through the wonderful nature ‘behind’ Woodger Place, Fraser. I took more photos of the Cranberry Heath Astroloma humifusum  that I found on 18^th. It’s delightful ground-hugging shrubby plant endemic to southern Australia and would probably be classified as widespread but uncommon. It’s possible I knew the plant was there but this is the first time it’s shown its  identifying crimson-scarlet flowers. I expect Eastern spinebills might take a quick dash to sip nectar from the flowers and perhaps the Common Bronzewing pigeons would later harvest the berries.

These pigeons are the ones that make the “ooming” calls around the reserve. They have only become more common in the last ten years…we’ve noticed their calls around the reserve where previously they kept closer to Wickens & Woodger places. Currawongs and Wattlebirds were active and later I checked out several flocks of small birds. Some were honeyeaters, gleaning insects as they moved through on their seasonal migration out of the ACT and towards warmer, winter feeding places. Peter C had brilliant bird-watcher’s luck 3-4 weeks ago, identifying a Regent Honeyeater moving through Mt Rogers with a migrating but feeding flock of Red Wattlebirds.

There’s nothing like a wander through the reserve for restoring equilibrium. Until the storm grumbled through it was a perfect autumn morning with people and dogs enjoying the sunshine.

This newsletter was really to be about the inspiring Wander and Wonder walk we had on 7^th April but writer’s block and Weed Swap intervened….so here’s a resumption:

RUBBISH:  Eight of us gathered at Wickens Place for Tuesday 7^th’s WANDER AND WONDER WALK. On arrival Anne and I noticed a pile of party left-overs near the burnt-out car that (like the one in Scullin) still awaits removal. We collected the bottles and cans into a bag. I found, later, that the two black plastic bags were also filled with similar recyclables. Let’s hope the NO DUMPING signs I’ve requested come soon.

The valiant Litter Patrol people are not directed to separate the rubbish they collect from recyclables so we thought it best to take away the lazies’ left-overs. At the sorting point, plastic bags are not opened by the operators as the bags’ contents could pose risks to their safety. This applies around the suburban collections as well as for the Litter Patrols’ finds in public open spaces.

LERPS & EUCALYPTS:  As we signed-on I dealt out some useful reference books. The Field Guides were no match for the first observations when we paused to examine eucalypts with pinkish leaves. On some trees near the car-park and around the region it’s hard to find any remaining green, functioning leaves. Searching for Number_6 Lerps_Insects leads to a South Australian Primary Industries article on lerps and the small to minute psyllid insects which make their marks on millions of hapless leaves. Under a hand-lens or a good microscope the lerps are seen to be shelters which the sap-sucking insects secrete to cover themselves. Some can seem like filigree, miniature palaces. Insectivorous birds forage for the lerps’ sugary secretions but the sheer density of the 2015 infestation seems to have overwhelmed the gleaning birds.

LICHENS:  After yesterday’s rain the lichens we found beside the narrow dirt track looked subtly colourful and almost lush. Like mosses they absorb water quickly. Here, as in the drier parts of the continent, lichens play a vital role by colonising bare soil and holding the soil’s particles together prior to vascular plants establishing themselves from seeds. Erosion of Australia’s soils has increased dramatically since hard-hooved stock were brought in to graze ancient land where soft-footed macropods didn’t break up the surface or displace lichens and mosses. Damage to lichens and surface-hugging alpine plants and the highly adapted Alpine flora is the main reason for keeping horses and cattle out of the High Country.

WATTLES & SHELTER:  We stopped to check the deep amber-coloured sap oozing from a wattle’s trunk. Tyronne said the Ngunawal people would heat the sap and use as glue for, for example binding shaped stones to wooden hafts for axes. Mixed with ash the sap made a sore-healing poultice. Maybe the 15ml rain had softened the sap as it was malleable but, as Rosalie & Tony noted, not sweet for those contemplating eating it.

Nearby there was a partly broken-down, dead wattle. It already looked like a ‘cubby’. This reminded us of the cubbies we’ve seen young people build on Mt Rogers. Usually they collect branches and arrange them tepee-like. Great to realise that the being-outdoors-adventure isn’t completely lacking in the current youngest generation.

Indigenous people knew, by ancient trial and error, which trees yielded bark for shelters. Pause to consider, as we reach for the central heating’s switches, how the people would have sheltered from the recent days’ stormy weather and sudden cold after the summer’s warmth. More details on plant-use are illustrated and explained in Ngunnawal Plant use: a traditional Aboriginal plant use guide for the ACT region.

MORE TREES :  Kirsty pointed out the tunnels laid bare on a bark-less, fallen branch. Borers had eaten their way under the bark, writing hieroglyphic messages until death took over the tree, its bark was shed and the ‘script’ was revealed in a range of subtle colours. Near some stumps, piles of powdered dust showed where beetles had attacked them and reduced their timber cells to rich nutrients for younger plants. Timber, which looks rotten and useless to us hosts a range of insects, beetles, larvae and bugs that are essential food for birds especially in winter.

Barbara related bird-calls to species we came across, sharing the messages about the distinguishing features and the honeyeaters’ migration. Tony found the Golden Whistler illustration as custodian of the McComas Taylor local bird Field Guide. On several occasions autumn colour drew our attention but, on Mt Rogers, this is for the wrong reasons. Usually the colourful leaves were found under a branch where bird’s droppings had left Chinese pistachio, Cotoneaster or Pyracantha berries’ seeds to develop into saplings. Fortunately Anne specialises in seeking out these environmental weeds and cutting & daubing them before they’re mature enough to have their own berries. Angharad, Ann and I found our first Chinese Rain Tree on Mt Rogers during our March 22^nd working-bee. Watch this space as the deciduous trees produce thousands of black, fertile, ball-shaped seeds! The seedlings form a mini-forest in gardens. Take care when buying invasives from nurseries!

GRASSES:  Olga has an artistic interest in native grasses. We were able to find a range of species, albeit rather autumny, near the Cryptandra Patch. Quite close by is a residual grouping of Barbed Wire Grass. The number of tussocks is increasing steadily. Mt Rogers probably has at least 20 different native grass species and some are scattered throughout the reserve in small patches and probably where the soil is shallowest. Chris D has worked on bagging Verbascum seeds and then cutting down the 1m tall flowering spikes. Often this also involves searching amongst the grasses for the newly germinated plants with their soft greeny-grey leaves.

OBSERVATIONS:  So many people help with the working-bees and with our monitoring of plant and animal activities on Mt Rogers. This all feeds into knowing where the next efforts are needed. And observations build into a valuable record of the natural world of Mt Rogers.

Rosemary, Mt Rogers Landcare….6258 4724……25.04.15.

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