A RECENT networking meeting of Macleay Valley bushcare groups could be a larger gathering in the future on the back of remarkable rehabilitation works on the banks of Nulla Creek by a Thunggutti group.
The Thunggutti group have become increasingly expert at plant identification - and the treatment needed to restore riparian habitat is showing pleasing results with the experienced guidance of Kosta Delimihalis.
Working three days a week, the group is in its fifth week of efforts to rehabilitate the creek banks but the job is not for the fainthearted. Years of weed growth have created a jungle on steep slopes that would daunt most bush regenerators - but there are one or two Thunggutti 'tigers' who literally leap at the maze of vegetation before them.
The only girl in the group, Breeanna, is mixing it with the lads and sets a great example that will hopefully inspire other women to join in.
Time seems to fly while working with the group as their enthusiasm and banter is a great distraction from the task at hand.
Arthur Bain, CEO of Thunggutti Land Council, worked closely with the board to develop the project which is funded by Local Land Services. He knows their enthusiasm well and said "it is just fantastic to turn up to work and have the team members already there and ready to go".
"Their insatiable desire for working on country is palpable and it increases as they witness the difference they are making," Arthur said.
The task ahead is formidable but a solid plan of removing woody weeds like lantana, privet and ochna, leaving appropriate cuttings to mulch down to prevent erosion, with subsequent plantings of native vegetation to stabilise the soil, should achieve the desired results.
'Follow up' in treated areas is always vital for good regeneration and the group seems intent on making sure this happens.
Lead hand, Kenneth Major, sits on the board and was pleased when he took some Elders into the cleared area with good views of the creek and they shared stories of days gone by, one concerning the waterhole that can now be accessed and another about railway tracks that had been uncovered, originally used as part of a water pumping scheme.
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