Seasonal Sandy Creek, Barjarg

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Sandy Creek flows northwards into Lake Nillahcootie, supporting farming, domestic use and native flora and fauna near Mt Samaria State Park. Despite severe erosion from decades of land clearing and grazing, the creek maintains potential to support endangered native vegetation and wildlife, including the iconic Silver Banksia and Phascogale. Through Victorian State Government funding, local landholders are collaborating to revitalise the creek banks, enhance biodiversity and control erosion while extending Mt Samaria's habitat to the lake's edge.

SOLUTION

'Silver Banksia are beautiful small trees with large dark serrated green leaves and distinctive bright yellow flowers in large, cylindrical spikes – their nectar feeds many native birds,' explains Kim Magnay, Sandy Creek Project Coordinator for Up2Us Landcare. 'While they once thrived around Lake Nillahcootie, they're now endangered due to habitat loss, similar to the threatened Brush-Tailed Phascogale.'

Through government funding, landholders are restoring habitat by increasing understorey species and native groundcover. Works include indigenous revegetation, controlling woody weeds like blackberry and willow, fencing, and stock removal to promote groundcover and prevent erosion. Mansfield Men's Shed members are building phascogale nest boxes to expand habitat.

A local landholder hosted a tree planting and education day where 20 Grade Six students from Mansfield Steiner School planted approximately 500 plants, connecting with their environment while learning about indigenous species.

IMPACT

The restoration has seen roughly 1,000 indigenous plants established, extending Mt Samaria State Park's habitat to the lake while stabilising erosive soils. Silver Banksia plantings complement previous Goulburn Broken region works to re-establish the species. Phascogale nest boxes will extend their habitat from Mt Samaria to private land.

'The next 12 months will bring more planting, weed management and erosion control, plus community education days,' says Kim, reflecting on this two-year project's first year.

This initiative exemplifies local landholders collaborating to protect ecosystems while helping return Banksia and Phascogale to Mansfield.