Walking not weeding
We keep very busy hand weeding at our project sites in the springtime. Again this year I organised a bush walk for Cottesloe Coastcare volunteers as a fun change from getting together only to toil among the weeds!
On Friday 5th September nineteen of us (plus a couple of babes and a budding young botanist), met our guide Ethel Lucas near the Saw Avenue picnic area in Kings Park. Ethel was a foundation member of Kings Park Volunteer Master Gardeners in 1997 and has been a guide at Kings Park for seventeen years, after retiring from her career in education. Ethel has been walking in Kings Park all her life and her knowledge of the natural, human and built history of the Park is amazing. We all enjoyed a glorious walk along a bush track in the sunshine. While we walked we learned lots from Ethel – about some of Kings Park’s Aboriginal and early European history, about flora and fauna, weed issues and also about the Memorials that are such an important part of the Park. After our walk, Mike Ewing, CCA’s Chairman presented Ethel with a card of thanks and a small gift of garden gloves.
Ethel teaching about pollination
Mike photographing fringe lilies
Thank you Ethel
Picnic after our walk
Some of us shared a picnic lunch afterwards at the Saw Avenue Picnic area. In 2012 CCA members had hosted a walk through some of our project sites in Cottesloe for Ethel and other Kings Park Volunteer Master Gardeners. Ethel said she was happy to take Coastcarers on a ‘reciprocal walk’ in Kings Park. The photos will tell you the story of our lovely morning.
I also took the opportunity to spend some time at the wonderful new ‘Variety Place’, a nature based play area with a new fort, a climbing bridge, tunnels and climbing logs – beautifully designed for kids and with children who have disabilities in mind. This fabulous new nature adventure space was sponsored by the WA Children’s charity ‘Variety WA’. I think it would be wonderful to have a small ‘adventure in nature’ space in Cottesloe – perhaps it might even be considered as part of the proposed John Black Dune Park development?
Robyn Benken
Cottesloe Coastcare volunteer
Diuris corymbosa (Donkey orchid)
At our picnic
Thysanotus manglesianus (Mangles’fringed lily)
For gardening advice on native plants you can always ring Volunteer Master Gardeners at Kings Park on (08) 94803672 or email gardening.advisory.service@bgpa.wa.gov.au
Variety Place
Nature based play area
A place to play in ‘nature’
