Welcome to Tumbi Wetlands

Beginnings at Tumbi Wetlands Bushcare
Towards the end of 2004 a beginning was made when John Eaton visited the site with Ian Robb and plans were made to establish a WyCare group. John gave some advice about how to manage the site and helped set some realistic targets for a group of one working in an area which is really quite extensive.
Assessment of Site - 2005 Problems encountered
1.	Council storm-water drain will flood severely in heavy rain: more than 50 mm per day. A lot of sediment is deposited and council may want maintenance access to clear channel.
2.	A fire in December 2004 burnt out a large proportion of the site. A large number of seedlings are germinating throughout 2005. Some can be relocated.
3.	Loss of canopy around the drain results in excessive weed growth.
4.	Obvious exotic weeds include willow camphor laurel blackberry privet crofton weed Brazilian fire weed Fireweed	This is the site as it was in June 2005: notice the overhanging willow, the dying typha rushes and the extensive area of mown exotic grass surrounding the prominent Angophora costata.
What could be achieved in the long term?
A.	Remove enough weeds to allow planting canopy plants
B.	Collect some seedlings from burnt-out area to replant above area
C.	Construct a levee and diversion channel to protect plantings from heavy rain
D.	Monitor storm water drain and remove any large excess of sediment
E.	Identify as many plants as possible

Site Assessment Review 2007

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In December, 2004 a fire burnt out a significant part of the reserve. Recovery came during 2005 as the following series of photos shows:


Seedling Acacia longifolias competing savagely for survival.	Gahnia recovered very quickly after the fire.	Lomandras were doing well too.

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The above photos were taken in June 2005.

Again in December 2005, on Christmas eve the fires came again but much closer to our plantings.


Swamp mahogany explodes into flame	Morning after the fire	After the early January rain in 2006

Harvesting Seedlings
After the fires of 2004 and 2005, the regeneration was so extensive that many clusters of plants were available, growing so densely that small seedling plants could easily be harvested for potting and replacement at other locations on the site. The clayey nature of the soil makes it relatively easy to cut out a small plant especially after rain, for placing in a tube.

What's news at Tumbi Wetlands

This page is an attempt to make news of the plant events taking place month by month.
In it we will try to show		.
	what changes are occurring by way of planting and what weeding we need to do as well as new plants we have found recently. the plants that are in flower for the month.

Novenber 19, 2009 Heavy rains since the improvements to the storm water drain have shown that some modifications are needed. In heavy storms as it spills over the into the wetland much debris is still washed into the wetland. We decided a small log dam might help spread the water out of its narrow course and trap the debris earlier. We are now waiting on main to test it. December 29, 2009 The test came in December when there was 10 minute storm that rained 10 mm over the 6 hectare catchment. It almost washed away one of our logs. Some securing work has been done and the water is being diverted quite effectively in the more gentle rain showers.
Logs about 3 m. long had their ends buried on each side of the water course.
3 logs raise the height of water so that it can more easily flow sideways past levees that have built up.

August 19, 2009 The long awaited improvements to the storm water drain have begun. The constructed trap for pollutants should also slow down the water in heavy storms as it spills over the into the wetland. The construction workers are treating all the nearby plants with great respect and everything is going well.
The small truck loaded by the digger took away about 10 load of fill from the hole and returned about six poads of rock.
The hole into which rocks are later dumped is about 2 metres deep.
After the first shower of rain, less than 6 mm, the scour pond was full. It is hoped that the broad expanse of quite deep water will slow the storm water torrent, allowing its burden of rubbish to be trapped.
Downstream from the pond the area has been covered with a weed mat and planted with sedges around the mature Carex fascicularis that was saved during the work.