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Grassland among the gravestones secure for the future
Kangaroo Grass amongst historic headstones at Camperdown Cemetary
Taking a closer look at the rare native grass
Another view of the cemetary
Sydney’s landscape was once dominated by Turpentine-Ironbark Forest rising above an understorey of diverse grasslands, but as settlers moved in, the dense vegetation quickly disappeared.
So when a small patch of Kangaroo Grass was found at Camperdown Cemetery, near Newtown - having survived through hundreds of years of development - the local community knew something had to be done to preserve it.
“The small area of grass had survived for so long because it happened to be among gravestones and hard to get to,” Marrickville Council’s Environmental Education Officer, Nell Graham, said.
“But its future was under threat from repeated mowing and competition from weeds.
“So we set up a steering committee made up of Marrickville Heritage Society, Camperdown Cemetery Trust, Greening Australia and Marrickville Council to help ensure its survival.”
Funding
To help with this endeavour, the Australian Government provided the Committee with more than $7,000 in grants.
The group has also received assistance and advice from the NSW Environmental Trust, National Trust Australia, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, University of Technology, and the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Activities
For the past six years the Friends of Camperdown Cemetery has met each month to help save this tiny pocket of Kangaroo Grass.
“The first thing we needed to do was protect the grass from further mowing, so the area was designated as a ‘no mow’ zone to allow the species to grow and flower,” Nell said.
“We enlisted the help of a bush regenerator to train the volunteers, and since then, slowly and methodically, the volunteers have learned about different weed species and targeted specific ones to open up areas for the grass to regenerate.”
Achievements
These years of dedication have not only seen the Kangaroo Grass thrive and the weed species decline, but a higher level of community awareness.
“When we first began the project, Kangaroo Grass covered about 10 per cent of the project area, and this has now grown to 35 per cent,” Nell said.
“Weeds have dramatically reduced and the heritage plantings have been restored and maintained, giving the graves a more tended look.
“We’ve also worked hard to promote the project to the community with talks and presentations, as well as an education brochure which highlights plants species along a self-guided walk within the cemetery.
“And now the project has been embedded in the Marrickville Council budget, which will fund continued supervision for the volunteer group, and that’s a fantastic outcome.”
More information
- Nell Graham, Marrickville Council: (02) 9335 2197 or enved2@marrickville.nsw.gov.au
- Judy Christie, Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority: (02) 9895 7753 or judy.christie@cma.nsw.gov.au
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