Knocklofty - Hobart's Back Yard

Residents of Hobart love walking through the tall trees of Knocklofty Reserve, visiting the Frog Ponds, spotting mopokes and wallabies, and admiring the wattle trees in bloom. But there’s a lot more to Knocklofty than its natural beauty.

In the early days of European settlement, its boundaries reached much further, and its history is intertwined with the modern suburbs of Sandy Bay, South Hobart, West Hobart, North Hobart, Mount Stuart and Lenah Valley. Once a refuge for absconded convicts and a venue for fistfights and other dubious pastimes, Knocklofty yielded a bounty of timber, stone and brick that helped to build the Hobart of today.


Suzanne will be launching her new book, "Knocklofty - Hobart's Back Yard" on Monday 10th December,at the Forest Road end lookout on Knocklofty, at 6pm.

Locals are invited along to meet the author and hear some of her stories about Knocklofty and what it has meant to West Hobart residents over the years.

All welcome!

The book is also available from Fullers Bookshop.

TFS Fuel Reduction Unit Forum at Fern Tree, 29 November

Want to know about burn-offs planned for 2016 for the Mount Wellington foothills? Yes? Then this is for you.

West Hobart residents are invited to a free public forum:
"Prescribed burning in the kunanyi/ Mount Wellington foothills"

You will hear about activities to date, and plans for 2016, for the Hobart Fire Management Area Committee and the TFS Fuel Reduction Program.


Fern Tree Community Centre
Stephenson Place, Fern Tree
10:30am Sunday 29 November, 2015

Please RSVP for catering purposes.  RSVP by 23 November to 1800 000 699 or fru@fire.tas.gov.au

And after that meeting it would be great to see you at the Rally for the Climate, 1pm, Parliament House lawns!

Knocklofty Open Day

 

Knocklofty Open Day will be held on Sunday 15th November from 10am - 2pm.

Activities include orienteering, a free picnic lunch and opportunities to explore with Friends of Knocklofty Reserve and Lansdowne Crescent Primary School.  You can even dig for the Knocklofty Dinosaur!

As well, the City of Hobart wants to find out about community connections with Knocklofty Reserve including its special features or places and any stories or memories that are associated with it. You are invited to come along and tell your stories to Heritage Consultants who will be attending.  So please come along if you can help identify the cultural values of this beautiful reserve.

Click here to view a flyer about the event.

There is no cost and bookings are not required.  Meet at the gravel car park at the top end of Forest Road, West Hobart.

For more information, or if you would like to participate in sharing your stories about Knocklofty but cannot attend on the day, please contact the City of Hobart Bushcare Coordinator on 6238 2884 or bushcare@hobartcity.com.au

Here's hoping you find a dinosaur!

Natureland in West Hobart!

Goulburn Street Primary School is inviting interested residents to the opening of the outdoor learning area:

                                                    NATURELAND

                         A place to learn and a place to explore for the whole community.

                          Saturday, 1^st November at 10 am.    RSVP:  Friday 17^th October

                                                       

                           to 62341884 or Goulburn.street.primary@education.tas.gov.au

The opening will be followed by a Village Green FAIR,    all welcome,   from 10.30 am till 2.30 pm.

Sounds fantastic!

Want to get into some Citizen Science?

A University of Tasmania Zoology researcher’s citizen science project wants to see how the public and scientists can work together to locate and provide wildlife refuges to prevent any further loss of species in Australia.

Dr Anke Frank said that, globally, Australia has the worst record for extinction of native mammals.

“In Australia and elsewhere, the natural environment is under threat from increasing urbanisation and people’s companion animals, primarily cats and dogs, which can cause additional stress and predation pressure on native species.”

Residents can participate in this citizen science project to help understand how important urban backyards are to wildlife, and the impacts of dogs and cats on backyard wildlife.

To participate, click here (it takes a max of 15 minutes).

For more information click here  or email anke.frank@utas.edu.au.

Earth on Fire - TV special tomorrow night

A special documentary produced by Catalyst will be broadcast on ABC TV tomorrow night (Tuesday 3 June) at 8.30pm.

In this Catalyst special, Anja Taylor and Mark Horstman travel to opposite sides of the planet to investigate mega-fires, large uncontrollable fires that are on the rise globally. #EarthOnFire

West Hobart residents who attended one of WHEN's Bushfire Preparedness tours in February will be most interested to see the latest research being conducted into the risks of major bushfires on the edges of our suburb. Dr David Bowman of the University of Tasmania expresses his concern about the impacts of climate change on the Tasmanian bush vegetation.

How prepared are you for the bushfire season?

As previously advertised, our Bushfire Preparedness Assessment exercise took place this morning.  Perfect timing - it was a day of Total Fire Ban, and a lovely sunny day.

We had a good turnout of 14 residents at first Anne's house, then Meg's, to hear Steve Bresnehan, the Hobart City Council's Fire Control Officer describe the risks to our West Hobart houses and some of the strategies for dealing with them.  Steve was a great speaker, full of good stories from his years of experience, and unfailingly good humoured about what residents are doing (nor NOT doing) to protect themselves in fire situations. His first message was that we should all start our preparations in the months BEFORE the fire season.  The TFS' "Bushfire Survival Plan" booklet is a good place to start.

The main risk we face in our suburb is from embers being blown over from a fire on Knocklofty or from further west.  And if a fire starts up below our properties it may run up the hill.  We had some animated discussions about problems we suddenly realised we had with our own homes and gardens.

From seeing the particular fire traps around these two upper West Hobart houses, we all took different messages away for our own houses and gardens.  Here are just a few examples:

• clear flammable growth from next to the house
• get the TFS' "Fire Resisting Garden Plants" pamphlet - and be prepared to remove some of your plants and trees 
• use a "low flammability" mulch such as wood chips of a large-ish size
• keep mulched beds away from directly beside the house
• have a water supply ready, such as a filled garbage can and have a cotton house mop in it, ready to take on little spot fires
• protect the wood heap with a fine mesh screen to stop embers entering
• on fire ban days, water garden beds near the house and cover with something to stop the mulch flying around
• make a bushfire plan (which should include a range of contingencies)
• have it written down on paper in case the electricity fails or your batteries run out
• watch for nooks of the garden where leaves tend to accumulate - this is where embers may land
• monitor TFS fire level predictions
• get a windup radio
• remove flammable "matchstick blind" privacy screens e.g.:

Some of our risks come from the practices of our neighbours and from the proximity of under maintained Crown land.  There is an important opportunity available to residents in the upper areas of West Hobart:  TFS is facilitating Bushfire Readiness Neighbourhood Groups to set up and work out neighbourhood wide solutions. Perhaps some of us will get together to form one of these groups.

Thanks Anne and Meg for being our guinea pigs today!

Bridge to City Tree Planting – 22 September 2013

                    

Join us for the first planting event at the "Bridge to City" Derwent foreshore site. Come celebrate this significant milestone by planting a few trees and then enjoying a friendly morning tea, as we kick off the first official working bee at this beautiful site. With breath-taking coastal views, the sound of lapping water and the occasional appearance of dolphins and other sea life, this site really is quite a special and satisfying site to be involved in restoring.

When:                  Sunday 22 September 10-12.30pm

Meet:                   At the Regatta Ground / Cenotaph car park near the beginning of the intercity cycleway

What to bring:  Sturdy, covered shoes, long-sleeved shirt, trousers, hat, water bottle

Further info:      Contact the Hobart City Council Bushcare Coordinator on 6238 2886 or bushcare@hobartcity.com.au

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Proudly supported by:   the Friends of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, the Southern Coastcare Association of Tasmania, Hobart City Council and the Australian Government (through the Caring for Country program)

Knocklofty a haven for rare plants

Prasophyllum perangustum

We count ourselves lucky in West Hobart to enjoy easy access to Knocklofty Reserve, where we can quickly escape the city and disappear into the bush along a number of well maintained tracks.  Did you know that the healthy, thriving native bushland you see in Knocklofty Reserve today is not an accident?  It has resulted from many years of tireless dedication from a small group of Bushcare volunteers: The Friends of Knocklofty Bushcare Group [FoKL].  

Botanical surveys commissioned by the Hobart City Council and Friends of Knocklofty have now identified that Knocklofty Reserve contains over 300 species of native plants growing in ten dry and wet sclerophyll forest communities. Nine rare and threatened plant species have been identified, including the Knocklofty Leek Orchid [Prasophyllum perangustum], which is unique to the reserve.

Much dedicated work by members of the group has resulted in descriptions and photos of the Flora of Knocklofty.  For example:

Prasophyllum perangustum, common name "Knocklofty leek orchid", is a very rare species, seldom found and last seen on Knocklofty summit in 2002.  The 7 to 15, narrow green to light reddish green flowers with a white to pink labellum appear in late spring to early summer above the 18 to 25cm dark green leaf.  This species is believed to only appear after a fire, yet a light burn since 2002 produced no flowers.

You can check out the individual flowers or get a complete list of the flora on Knocklofty Reserve here.


Hobart City Council and Friends of Knocklofty are working together to protect the reserve.  Plantings of over 30,000 plants have been designed to restore native plants to areas disturbed by quarrying, grazing and woody weed growth, and to provide habitat for the various fauna species living in the reserve. Friends of Knocklofty are always keen to have more helpers - find them on the web here.

Concerned about dogs in the bush?

The Hobart City Council's Dog Management Plan is open for review, closing 1 July. You may want to consider the impact dogs have on your patch of bush.

Here is where to find the current dog management plan:

http://www.hobartcity.com.au/Environment/Animal_Management

From the HCC website:

The City of Hobart encourages your feedback by close of business Monday 1 July 2013 which will be considered when drafting the new Dog Management Strategy 2014-2018. You can provide feedback by using the online form or alternatively, you are invited to submit feedback via:

Email - hcc@hobartcity.com.au - subject - Dog Management Strategy Review
Post - Addressed to the General Manager, Hobart City Council, GPO Box 503, Hobart 7001.  Envelope to be marked - Dog Management Strategy Review
Delivery - Hobart Council Centre, 16 Elizabeth Street, Hobart.  Envelope to be marked - Dog Management Strategy Review.

For further information please contact the Council's Acting Manager Customer Service, David Banks on 6238 2783 or email banksd@hobartcity.com.au

Your winter bush adventures are here!

Don’t miss the Hobart City Council's Bushadventures team's presentations on…

·            Winter on Mt Wellington with ecologist Fred Duncan

·            Migratory and Resident Shorebirds

·            Tasmanian Devils – Speak of the Devil: What’s Happening Right Now?

·            The Ecology of Wild Tasmanian Fungi

·            Botanical Drawing

·            Antarctica: Then and Now

The Winter Program full of all the details is attached!

Visit www.hobartcity.com.au/bushadventures to view this season’s calendar of events!

Bird Walk this Sunday (tomorrow)!

Just a quick reminder that there is a guided bird-walk with highly entertaining and knowledgeable bird expert, Don Knowler (who has a great passion for all things avian), in Waterworks Valley with the Waterworks Valley Landcare Group this Sunday 2 December (there is a type in the schedule).

So if you’re interested brushing up on your knowledge of your feathery friends then please contact Robert Rands on 6223  6116 for further information.

Have your say on Wellington Park

Hi all, the Wellington Park Management Trust has released the Wellington Park Management Plan Review seeking feedback from the community about how the park is managed.  West Hobart has a strong connection with the park, as it runs from the other side of Knocklofty right up to the mountain - so we have a big interest!    
You can fill in the response form and rank what you think of the suggested directions and add whatever other comments you wish to make.  Closing date for comments is  Dec 9th.