June 2025 working bee

With last week’s generous rainfall, the Bega River reached a low flood level—just enough to cause some bank erosion in places, but thankfully not enough to damage our plantings. Phew! The upside? The soil profile is now moist and the groundwater nicely recharged, creating ideal conditions for our plantings to thrive through the winter.

We had originally planned to shift our efforts to Spenco Lagoon for this working bee, but due to the elevated water levels, the site is currently too inundated to work effectively. Instead, we’ll be redirecting our focus back to Site 4.

Recently, we’ve been concentrating on Sites 4 and 5—you might remember these as the newly opened areas between the Old Bega Racecourse and the anabranch/causeway on Jacksonia Grove. These sites were heavily dominated by mature privets, so it’s no surprise that privet seedlings and suckers are still popping up. For our June working bee, we’ll be tackling weed control in Site 4, with a particular focus on managing privet regrowth.

But it’s not all weeds! We’re starting to see signs of natural regeneration, specifically from native acacias. This is a big win for the Bega River. Over a century of clearing, farming, excavation, rubbish dumping, and invasive weeds have severely limited native plant regeneration. Now, thanks to the removal of weedy overstorey, revegetation with native plants, ongoing weed control, and a partial absence of the smothering Wandering Trad, we’re finally seeing native seedlings emerge on their own. This is exactly the kind of ecological recovery we’re working toward.

It’s still early days, but the signs are promising. Natural recruitment means the ecosystem can begin to sustain itself—an exciting step in the right direction.

Join us this Monday to help give our existing plantings—and these new native recruits—the best possible chance to thrive!

Here are the details:

When: Monday 2nd June, 9.30-12.30pm
What: Planting maintenance, weeding – focus on privet.
Where: Meet at the top of Site 4 (approx 100m west of the Old Bega Racecourse carpark on Jacksonia Grove – look for the BRAWL flag).
Bring: Drink bottle, Garden gloves, secateurs, weed bags, weeding tools (some tools will be provided)
Wear: Enclosed sturdy footwear, sun hat and sun-smart clothing.
Morning tea: is at 11am, please bring something to share or to enjoy yourself.

I hope to see you there. (Erin)

PS Sign up for our email updates to stay informed about upcoming events by emailing us at begariverandwetlandslandcare@gmail.com. 🌎✨