Fernlea is a small (80-hectare) property near Lake Wellington in Gippsland, which has been in the hands of one family for over 130 years. Learn more about Fernlea’s history.
Over the years the property has been home to sheep and cattle. Native flora has been cleared and parts of the land have been cultivated.
Fernlea’s family now aim to undo the damage done to the land across generations and return it to its natural state.
The intention is to redevelop the entire property as a haven for native flora and fauna, while greatly increasing its capacity for carbon storage.
To this end, Gippsland-based company, Gondwanan Ecosystems Management, has been engaged to apply their expertise to drive change on the ground day to day. The owners and their wider family are also hands-on participants in the project, with Maffra and Districts Landcare Network and John Topp of Gippsland Indigenous Plants providing advice and assistance. Local Bairnsdale resident, Steve Dunning, also contributes significantly to the project, applying his skills and expertise in a variety of ways to support the work on Fernlea.
The project began in earnest in mid-2018, when a decision was made to de-stock the property, which had long been used for cattle agistment.
The Principal of Gondwanan Ecosystems Management, Hagan Brightman, notes that there are significant challenges involved.
“Historically, the property has been over-cleared and extensively grazed by cattle and this has favoured establishment of invasive weeds. We’re now seeking to eliminate the weeds and replace them with native vegetation that once typified the area”.
The presence of invasive weeds has been an ongoing problem, and a combination of measures, including manual removal, the targeted use of herbicides and ploughing have been employed to limit their spread. Experiments with direct seeding and cool burning have also yielded hopeful results.
During the past four years, about 4,000 seedlings have been planted on the property, with some of the earliest plantings having now become trees of more than 2 metres in height. In addition, since the de-stocking of the property, quite a few native plants have appeared spontaneously.
“We’re acting on a theory that the native plants will gradually modify the soil in ways that will make it less hospitable to invasive weeds”, explains Hagan Brightman.
To monitor the effects of the project, regular plant, bird and frog surveys are being conducted. So far, over 40 native plant species have been recorded, including the slender wire lily, which is rare in Victoria. Hagan Brightman says that, last spring, the display of wildflowers on the property was truly spectacular. Almost 50 bird species have been documented, along with 6 frog species, and there have been some interesting sightings of reptiles and insects. It is expected that species diversity will increase as the project progresses.
Eventually, the property could become a site for controlled re-introduction of locally extinct species.
There is still a long way to go. The long-term vision is to plant around 50,000 seedlings, ideally within the next 4-5 years. After the 2019-20 bushfires, tube stock became hard to get, because available supplies were needed for forest regeneration. This led to a move toward growing plants from seed, for later transport to the property. Several family members and friends of those involved in the project are now doing likewise, and we’re trying to recruit more people to help us in this way.
If you would like to help us grow seedlings or get involved in our project, please fill in the form below to receive information about how to get involved.
Fernlea 