Over the last couple of months Mark and I have ventured down south to work on clearing Dad’s property. It was an emotional first visit back in December when we couldn’t even see the road, but slowly we are beating back the lantana and other weeds to reclaim the land.We want to keep the property as natural and organic as possible and had to make a difficult decision to start using poison. After speaking with several people that live on the Mountain and other people who have worked in conservation we have decided to start poisoning the weeds. The main reason for this is that introduced weeds such as Lantana spread rapidly and can prevent native species from growing. Additionally, any hard work we put into cutting the weeds back would be in vain because they would just grow back. In an attempt to minimise the impact of the poison on the environment we are using the “cut and paint” method. This involves cutting the weed and painting the poison directly onto the stump.

We have started inviting people to come and enjoy the property with us.  On Easter Weekend some of my Kiwi rellies (Uncle Biddy, Aunty Lyn and Cousins Abby and Bailey) decided to brave the Australian wildlife and come camping with us. It was a very wet weekend but we had a fun time doing Easter Egg hunts, taking walks in the rain and battling the leeches.

On Labour Day weekend some wonderful friends came down for a working bee. Sonja and Martin fitted right in with their Kombi and Jules and Geoff were more equipped than us with their Suburu and tools! It made such a difference to have six pairs of hands working instead of just two. The photos show the results.

Mark and I have started dreaming of building a little eco-cabin that we and our friends can go and stay in. Although we haven’t had much time to relax when we are down there, just being outdoors and seeing some of the beautiful native Australian animals is enough to make it worthwhile. This time we saw a Black Cockatoo and King Parrots.

Easter Weekend

Labour Day Weekend