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Community Conservation Network

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Several community groups exist in Bunbury and have been helping the City to manage its reserves for many years. These volunteer groups are collectively called the Community Conservation Network.

As well as looking to strengthen and continue supporting these existing groups, the City is always on the lookout for volunteers keen on establishing new groups.

Activities that our ‘Friends of’ groups are involved with include seedling planting and tree guarding, native seeding, photography, propagating plants, water monitoring, surveying local flora and fauna, protecting threatened flora and ecological communities, and most importantly of all – weeding.

Current ‘Friends Of’ groups established in Bunbury include:

  • Friends of Big Swamp
  • Stewards of Katherine Chauhan Reserve
  • Friends of Hartley Anderson Reserve
  • Friends of Manea Park
  • Friends of Irwin street

If you are interested in joining or starting your own ‘Friends of’ group, please contact the City’s Environmental Team on 9792 7000.


Big Swamp mound

The mound west of the swamp has been mulched this winter as a ‘capping’ strategy to prevent public interaction with contaminated landfill in the area. Timing and consistency of the mulch has been prioritised to minimise effects on the local Snake Neck Turtle population and to enable the area to be broadcast with local native seeds. Species to be included in the native seed mix have been collected locally in Bunbury during Summer 2022/23.

Friends of Big Swamp

FoBS has undertaken planting along the edges of the swamp, continuing their tireless efforts to enhance biodiversity and environmental value. Big Swamp wouldn’t be the awesome place it is today without the FoBS volunteer team. If you are keen to get involved, contact friendsofbigswamp@mail.com or the City’s Environmental Team on 9792 7000.

City staff planting day

Nineteen City of Bunbury of Bunbury staff got their hands (and knees) dirty in June to plant 400 native seedlings and broadcast native seeds. This was an awesome team-building and educational experience for our colleagues. We certainly enjoyed cracking the whip!

Irwin Street Reserve

Manea Senior College students were roped in to assist the Environmental Team plant and tree guard 400 native seedlings in early June. The students involved were fantastic and their teachers - Lynette Hillier and Susanne Williams - continue to engage their students in the natural world, seeking out experiences that will serve them well into the future.

Coastal dune species planted include:

  • Rigid wattle
  • Panjang wattle
  • Peppermint tree
  • Prickly conostylis
  • Knotted club rush
  • Costal daisy bush
  • Berry Saltbush
  • Cockie’s Tongue
  • Basket Bush

Soccer Club Reserve

As the City looks to adopt more sustainable practises into our revegetation projects, this area was planted without tree guards and direct seeded by local school students. A bamboo cane was popped in next to each seedling to allow for seasonal monitoring to assess whether reducing our reliance on materials (and the labour involved in installing tree guards) is feasible going forward.

It is important to point out that the neighbouring bushland is dieback infested and clean down in/out of the area is required to prevent the spread of this soil-borne organism. Katherine Chauhan reserve, which is across Parade Road, is dieback free and our Friends of Katherine Chauhan group would like to keep it that way.

Winthrop Avenue

South West Regional College of TAFE Conservation and Ecosystem management students got stuck in at the Winthrop Avenue bushland to restore a degraded area with native seedlings and seed. This area is representative of the beautiful Banksia Woodland Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) with the following species utilised in the project:

  • Coojong wattle
  • Peppermint tree
  • Candlestick banksia
  • Bull Banksia
  • Marri
  • Jarrah
  • Native honey myrtle
  • Morning flag
  • Kunzea glabrescens

North Loughton

About 30 or so local legends planted 800 native seedlings and broadcast seeds on Sunday 30 July at our community planting day at North Loughton Reserve, Carey Park.

We are so lucky to have such enthusiastic and knowledgeable residents keen to get their hands and knees dirty for the environment.

A big thank you also to the South West Women's Health and Information Centre and their Dragonfly coffee van for ensuring everyone stayed caffeinated.