BUSHCARE

Bushcare is targeted removal of competitive weeds, allowing nature to thrive through natural regeneration. We aim to manage for best habitat value for our amazing biodiversity in one of Australia’s 15 biodiversity hotspots.

Unlike weeding in your garden, bushcare is throwing the shackles off, what are largely intact ecosystems, allowing them to thrive through the magic of nature and natural regeneration.

Returning to an area is like opening a gift, to see what native species have come up once released from the competition of weeds.

Get involved

Belair National Park (the Park) is 835 hectares of diverse habitats, supporting many threatened species. The Friends of Belair National Park play a critical role in the on-ground management of this incredible biodiversity. As a volunteer group, we simply don’t have the numbers to adequately cover the entirety of the Park, so every extra pair of hands really counts.

How you can help

Join us at one of our regular bushcare sessions:
- Tuesday and Friday morning: every week, 8:30 am to 10:30 am, meet at the Green Shed (near Main Oval) before 8:30 am
- Saturday morning: on the third Saturday of every month, from 9:00 am to 11.00 am, meet at the Green Shed at 9:00 am
- Thursday evening: alternate weeks during daylight saving periods, any time between 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, locations vary.
Adopt a block – work in your own area, in your own time. See below.
Help us in other ways. We’re always seeking more hands for non-bushcare tasks.

Everyone is welcome to come and try, you don’t need to make a regular commitment, and there are many benefits for the Park and for you. We provide all training and tools; you provide the enthusiasm.

Regular day bushcare sessions

Tuesday and Friday morning: every week, 8:30 am to 10:30 am, meet at the Green Shed (near Main Oval) before 8:30 am
Saturday morning: on the third Saturday of every month, from 9:00 am to 11.00 am, meet at the Green Shed at 9:00 am

Monthly morning tea at the Green Shed

We have morning tea at the Green Shed once a month, following the last Tuesday or Friday morning working bee of each month. We welcome you to come to morning tea for a little bit of socializing, even if you haven’t been to bush care that day. Included too are those of you who work in adopt a block.

Come at 10:30 am to the Green Shed, share a cuppa and chat with all of us caring for the native bush in Belair National Park.

Green Shed location

Evening bushcare 2023-2024

The evening bushcare has a flexible start and finish time, so if you can’t get there until 6, then come at 6. If you need to leave early, leave early!

If you’re new to bushcare and don’t know how it works that’s fine, we can help you find some easily identified weeds and show you how we remove them without causing damage to the native plants we are trying to protect.

All the usual bushcare requirements apply, including needing to become a member after 3 sessions, but also the benefits of receiving a Parks Pass.

We will meet at an easily accessible location, usually outside of the park (but not the Green Shed) and walk to the weeding area. We will work at sites that are close to carparks and tracks, so we’re easy to find, and there will be signs out to help show where we are. The start location will be publicised before each session on Friends of Belair NP facebook page, website and via email/SMS.

30 November 2023

This Thursday we will be removing mostly broom, heading west along Queen Jubilee Drive.

Make sure you wear long sleeves and gloves. Catherine will bring a few mattocks but if you have one please bring this and any other tools.

Where

Sheoak Road carpark, at the top of Saddle Hill Road.

There will be signs out to find us if we are away from the carpark.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ns3Pbg3ezaub5JSz6

Dates

16 November 2023
30 November 2023
14 December 2023
28 December 2023 NO BUSHCARE
11 January 2024
25 January 2024
8 February 2024
22 February 2024
7 March 2024
21 March 2024
4 April 2024

Cancellations

Sessions will be cancelled under any of these circumstances:

A total Fire Ban
a Severe Weather Warning for the Mount Lofty Ranges
if the forecast temperature for the day is 34 degrees or higher
if there is heavy rain.

You will need to check the conditions/forecast. We won’t be contacting everyone for cancellations.

Information brochure

Evening bushcare info 23-24

Contact

Evening bushcare coordinator

Catherine Miles
Phone: 0408 640 377

Adopt a block

Work in your own place, at your own pace, at times that suit you.

Another option for volunteers who either cannot make it to the regular bush care sessions, or want to take on more, is to ‘adopt’ a block in the Park.
Adopters can be individuals, families or groups, and a block can be all or part of a designated Vegetation Management Unit (VMU). Adopters work on their block at a time that suits them, but because they work on their own, they need to have a base level of knowledge about bush care.

As an Adopt-a-blocker, you’ll get all the required training, tools and support you need. We can even help with holding regular bushcare sessions, or with grant applications (for contractor works) for areas with high weed loads.

It’s an amazing experience to get to know ‘your patch’ in the Park, and seeing it change over seasons and time and as the weed load is replaced by native biodiversity.

Benefits of being a bushcare volunteer

There are many benefits to being a bushcare volunteer including:

Helping to look after the native animals and plants that provide their habitat in the Park.
Getting to explore new areas of the park, including off trails.
Learning about the amazing range of plants and animals and across the seasons.
Making an immediate difference on-ground to our local environment and its biodiversity.
Observing real change over time as the natural ecosystems recover and flourish.
Keeping active outdoors, is cheaper than a gym!
Meeting and spending time with other good people who also care for the Park.
Getting free entry to the Park for a year after you have completed 3 group bush care sessions.

Other ways you can help

There’s always plenty of other ways to help The Friends of Belair National Park. We are always looking for help with all sorts of things, such as:

Regular meetings at the Volunteer Centre, monthly meetings with interesting guest speakers.
Special events – like birthday celebrations, Walking SA season launch.
Belair Bush Buddies – working with kids, helping build the next generation of advocates.
Logistics and administration, including bookings for the Volunteer Centre.
Communications – website, social media, newsletter.
Office holders and committee members.