U3A GIG LaGerche Walk and Seedbank visit 7th February 2023.

 

La Gerche Gully Circuit Walk, Saw Pit Road, Creswick.  Morning Visit

The La Gerche Gully Circuit Walk takes you on a journey through time.  Sawpit Gully Plantation reveals the story of John La Gerche, Creswick’s first forester and one of Victoria’s first Landcarers.

Using his own initiative, La Gerche created a large and unique experimental plantation with a diverse range of conifers and deciduous trees.

John La Gerche’s vision for the future and enduring efforts were formally recognised when Sawpit Gully Nursery and Plantation area was listed as a Heritage Place in the Victorian Heritage Register, 14th November 2014.  



A BYO lunch was enjoyed by the group at Calembeen Park, Creswick.  The two beautiful lakes there are home to birdlife and waterlily displays.  Chinese miners first mined here for shallow alluvial gold between 1850s and 1860s.  Many walked the lakes, enjoying locals fishing, birdwatching and walking the local tracks.

Seeding Victoria Creswick Visit, Saw Pit Road, Creswick.  7th February afternoon visit.

The afternoon was spent at Seeding Victoria, Creswick, which is a not for profit organisation.  Elle is the manager of the former Ballarat Regional Seed Bank (BRSB) which was established in 1994 at the Victorian Landcare Centre, Creswick.  With its many years’ experience in the seed industry the seed bank has consistently demonstrated its ability to deliver appropriately sourced indigenous seed revegetation works through the state.  In February 2009 the organisation changed its name to Seeding Victoria Inc. to reflect the changing focus of the organisation.

Elle covered the history of Seeding Victoria then taking us on a tour of the dry house, the plantings, as well as the cool room that house all the seeds.  What an eye opener to many of our group understanding the painstaking work involved in the collection, processing and holding of seeds ready for sale to local councils, VicRoads, large private acreages and catchments.  Thanks so much to Elle for her knowledge and enthusiasm. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 U3A Gardening Group 2023 State Rose Garden Werribee Mansion Werribee Mansion Garden. Setting off from Selkirk's carpark, after I had dutifully fetched our leader's coffee, we drove through the rain hoping this would not be a repeat of the Tesselar trip! However, on reaching Bacchus Marsh the rain had stopped, so we were much happier. Els had organised the day so we were two groups, one for the gardens and one for the mansion, then swap over. After refreshments at the cafe, we met David, our Volunteer Guide for the garden, and set off on a wonderful discovery tour of the amazing trees in the Mansion Gardens,  including the Grotto, a lake, and many bats. Canary Island Pine Weeping Nootka Cypress Variegated Elm Grevillea Robusta-Silky Oak The lake from the Grotto Lemon-scented Gums Moreton Bay Fig with John and Evelyn Algerian Oak Querus Canariensis What a wealth of knowledge David had about all the trees. On to the State Rose Garden! Here David knew intimately the roses, names,...
Read more
Image
 Colac Excursio n 24th October 2023 After meeting at the Buninyong Tennis Courts, an intrepid group set off to the epicentre of the latest earthquake recently in Victoria! How brave were we? However the effects of the earthquake was superceded by the potholes in the roads we travelled. We arrived at Colac Botanic Gardens [laid out in 1868] in plenty of time to avail ourselves of refreshments in the Gardens Cafe, which offered a great variety of foods and beverages efficiently served. After which we met Anne Mercer and Helen Paatsch, our guides for the morning. Terry had thoughtfully brought a portable loudspeaker so all we oldies could hear easily, but our guide refused to use it. So we strained to hear anything and the frustration on Terry's face was clear to all! As a result we tended to scatter and explore at our own pace.  Lots to see: The Oak Drive: a 100 year old variety of oaks. Children's Playground  National Trust Significant Tree Register: five trees in the gard...
Read more

Event 3, 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Image
  Event Report by Rita Holt It was perfect autumn weather on the Tuesday after Easter when sixteen of the U3A Gardening Interest Group travelled into Melbourne to join a private walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens.  We split into three groups so had ample opportunity to query our very knowledgeable guides.  First query - difference between 'botanic' and 'botanical' - it's all got to do with whether there's an herbarium within the gardens (it becomes a  botanic  garden if there is one).  Thanks guide David! The Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne covers 38 hectares near the Shrine of Remembrance and houses a collection of some 8,500 plant species from around the world, including diverse plant collections such as camellias, rainforest flora, cacti and succulents, Californian species, the great perennial wall, cycads and a Rare and Threatened Species Collection. There are sweeping visas, an ornamental lake and towering forest giants - including the 150-year...
Read more