Ablaze in August
Freycinet National Park 7-11 August 2017
What’s in a name? Well, we had 8 eager participants all fired up and ready to go, we had the Hazards ablaze in the sun all week, and at the end of the day we had a cosy wood fire and a fiery red or two.
We had two main objectives. The first was to eradicate sea spurge from all the beaches south from 4 Mile Creek down to the Denison.
Jenny and Dave.
This took a team of 4 two days. Thankfully there was much less than in previous forays. We think this is due to a combination of our efforts over the last 7/8 years, a lack of rain this year, and severe storms last year which changed the structure of the beaches. Are they buried?
Jenny and Russell with Sea Spurge cache.
The other task involved preparation for the accommodation of volunteers prior to embarkation to Schouten Island and Cooks Beach for the summer caretaking programs. As PWS staff quarters are at a premium an area had been identified by Parks for the erection of a large 2 room canvas tent for four months each year.
Lucy, Greg and Brian.
Our members assisted in clearing and pegging out the area, digging holes and cementing in treated pine poles for the decking. It is a start and hopefully we can help to complete the task later in the year.
Ranger Dom and Greg.
As there will of course be a need for shower and toilet facilities the ablutions block (!) in the PWS workshop was given a complete makeover.
Brian’s careful patching.
A complete paint job (3 coats), new fittings installed, splashback, doors repaired and painted, a handy stool made, shower waterproofed, shower screen washed, etc. Result, a wonderful job!
Lucy’s 2 handed painting.
A small team spent one day clearing vegetation from the campsites and beach access points at Friendly beaches.
Russell looking for spurge.
We even had time to do a rubbish run through all the campsites at Richardsons Beach, and the tracks and parking areas at Cape Tourville and Sleepy Bay.
Russell and Dave at Sleepy Bay.
It was a great effort by all participants, Jenny Tudehope, Lucy Norton, Lorraine Cotter, Adrian Sullivan, Greg Kidd, Brian O’Byrne, Russell Fisk and Dave Harris.
We plan a week long working bee in October yet to be put on the calendar, whilst the Schouten Island working bee is on the calendar and is already fully booked out.
Adrian and Dave