Biodiversity Blitz 2024

Join the Cardinia Shire Biodiversity Blitz 2024 this September and be a part of a thrilling competition to discover and document our local flora and fauna!  

Whether you're an avid naturalist or a curious beginner, your contribution is vital. Just venture into nature, capture the beauty of our local species with your phone or camera, and share your findings on iNaturalist. Not only will you help advance citizen science, but you'll also showcase the rich biodiversity of our shire.  

Cardinia Shire Council has partnered with several neighbouring councils to hold a friendly competition, head here for the leaderboard! Let's celebrate Biodiversity Month together and see which council can record the most species! 

 How to join: 

1. Download the free iNaturalist App or on the website  
2. Join the Biodiversity Blitz 2024 – Cardinia Shire project 
3. From Sunday 1 September start recording 

iNaturalist community champions - free webinar

In the lead up to the blitz, join us for an informative session about using iNaturalist. We will hear from people who are using the app, sharing their experiences and passion for capturing local biodiversity.

The webinar will be held at 7pm on Tuesday 27 August.

National water week poster competition

Calling all creative minds of Cardinia Shire!  

The National Water Week Kinder and Primary School Poster Competition facilitated by South East Water is your chance to make a splash with your artistic talents. This year’s poster theme is “Water for all, inspiring action”. 

Dive into your imagination and create a poster that showcases water in your local area. Whether it's the rippling rivers, the wonderous wetlands, or the importance of conservation, let your ideas flow. Your artwork could inspire others to act during National Water Week, so channel your inner artist, and let's create a brighter future! 

 Submissions close Friday 5pm on 6 September 2024 

Check out the information about the school water efficiency program under the water section of this newsletter. 

Get excited for this free clothing swap event! 

Refresh your wardrobe for FREE at the upcoming Clothing Swap event! 

Australians buy more clothes per person than any other country. This event provides a fun way to get a fresh new look whilst saving money. 

It is also an environmentally friendly way to 'shop’ during October’s Buy Nothing New Month 

• Simply bring up to 6 good-quality, pre-washed items of clothing and/or accessories to the event. These can be your items, or from other friends and family.  
• These items are then traded in for tokens to use as ‘currency’ for other clothing and accessories on the day.  

Event details  
Date: Sunday 13 October 
Time: 11am – 1pm  
Location: Hills Hub (400A Belgrave-Gembrook Rd, Emerald) 
This event is for people 18+.

This event is delivered in partnership with The Clothing Exchange. 

Species spotlight: Platypus

This edition we are focusing on the unique platypus to celebrate Platypus Month in August! 

The platypus is a vital indicator of the health of our waterways. By documenting sightings on iNaturalist, you're contributing to valuable research that aids in their conservation and helps Council prioritise our environmental work, as outlined in the Cardinia Shire Biolink plan. 

Using iNaturalist is a breeze and a fantastic way to connect with nature. Simply download the app, sign up, and you're ready to start documenting the biodiversity around you. Snap a photo of a platypus, upload it, and share your findings with the community of enthusiasts.  

Are you a little wildlife explorer? Try iNaturalist's Seek app which is specially designed for our younger budding citizen scientists. 

These elusive creatures are worth the wait. Happy snapping! 

Thank you to those of you who took part in our first species spotlight, the swamp wallaby. Here is a snap by jjmunn of a swamp wallaby in Menzies Creek Reserve.

Story time wrap up

The Pakenham Library event during the July school holidays was a resounding success! In collaboration with Myli, Council hosted an engaging story time featuring 'The Perfect Hollow' by Cate Storey.  

With over 70 attendees, children were captivated learning about local wildlife and the importance of protecting and creating habitats. It's heartwarming to see such enthusiasm and engagement in our community's efforts to care for nature.  

Our next story time will be during the summer school holidays... keep an eye on the skies, is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a dragon! 

New solar system for Bunyip

A 20kW solar electricity system has been installed on the Bunyip netball and tennis pavilion. The installation of solar will assist to reduce energy costs and environmental impacts. The system was funded through Council’s community capital works grants program.  

The application was submitted by the Bunyip Tennis Club with the support of the Bunyip Renewables Action Group (BRAG) who advocate for the switch to renewable energy to reduce energy costs and environmental impacts in Bunyip.

Energy resilience project

As part of the Victorian Government’s Energy Resilience Systems Program, three  back-up power systems have been installed in our Hills community, including these locations:  

• Gembrook Community Centre,   
• Cockatoo Community Complex (with a connection to the Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre)
• Worrell Reserve Pavilion in Emerald.     

The systems will provide back-up power for the community during prolonged power outages through solar panels, batteries, and generators.  

The back-up power systems will benefit these community facilities every day, not just during an outage. The systems will limit the dependence of the buildings on the grid which will reduce energy costs and environmental impacts. 

Places of the past: Pakenham Cemetery

The site for the Pakenham Cemetery was gazetted on 13 February 1865, however, people were being buried much earlier than the land was gazetted.  Laid to rest at the cemetery are a range of well-recognised early pioneers who helped pave the way forward for the shire.   

• David Joseph Bourke (1859-1921) owned the land previously used as the Pakenham Racecourse (now the Ascot development) and offered the paddock up for use after the racing club was formed in 1875. 
• Kitty Bourke established the Latrobe Inn along Toomuc Creek (1850) and run the post office for 30 years with her husband.  
• William Henry Rothwell Bloomfield (1865-1917) helped make Koo Wee Rup a liveable town by leading workers who spent years excavating one of the main drainage areas by hand.  
• James Thewlis, (1852-1921) a Methodist preacher and prominent local citizen.  

The names may seem familiar to many as most of these pioneers have roads named after them in Pakenham. 

If you take a visit to the Pakenham Cemetery, be sure to stop at the granite monument located close to the front gate that marks the burial place of about 60 individuals who worked at the Salvation Army Home for Men. The men used a sawmill to provide sawn timber, posts and firewood to Pakenham and state-wide railways. 

You can read more about the Pakenham Cemetery via these links:

• Casey Cardinia - links to our past: Pakenham Cemetery tour
• Lively history for dead centre | Pakenham Gazette (starcommunity.com.au) 

Weed spotlight: bridal creeper

Bridal Creeper (Asparagus asparagoides) is a rampant, highly invasive climber, initiating from an underground rhizome. 

Bridal creeper can be spread by birds and animals eating the berries, by seeds spread via creeks, streams and drains. It can also be spread by dumped garden rubbish or illegal sales of the plant. 

Plants can be removed manually by digging around roots or be treated with registered chemicals.  Rhizomes should be bagged and binned (into your rubbish bin), while the rest of the plant can be composted or put into your green bin. 

As an indigenous alternative, consider planting Austral clematis (Clematis aristata)

How our weed grant can help you

Kay and Adam have lived at their beautiful property at Pakenham Upper for 40 years, building their own home, and carefully nurturing the precious natural environment that surrounds them.  The block contains a diverse range of plants, including rare orchids which bloom every spring.

In recent years, Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum) has begun to overtake sections of the property.  Sweet Pittosporum is classified as an environmental weed in Cardinia Shire.  Plants readily colonise shaded areas of bush, and out compete indigenous plants which cannot survive. 

Last year, Kay and Adam applied for Council’s weed control grant, to help them engage a contractor to control the sweet pittosporum on their property.  

Council’s weed control grant is now open with eligible landholders reimbursed up to 50% of the cost of a contractor (75% for pensioners and health care card holders), to a total value of $1500.  If undertaking works themselves, residents can purchase up to $750 of approved chemicals. 

Book a FREE hard waste collection

Want to get a head of the spring clean? Book your FREE hard waste collection! 

Each Cardinia Shire household gets 2 free hard waste collections per year.  

Just in March this year we collected 348.06 tonnes worth of hard waste collections. This included about 686 mattress and 228 tyres that were recycled and saved from landfill.  

Before you decide to put something out for hard rubbish, consider whether the item could be repurposed or donated. Please remember to make a booking BEFORE putting any waste out.  

Additional collections can be booked at a cost. 

Get Summer ready with Council’s FREE green waste drop-off events! 

Council’s free green waste drop-off events are a great way to clean up your yard and reduce your fire fuel load throughout the year.   

Our June event at Future Recycling, Pakenham had 412 vehicles drop off nearly 90 tonnes of green waste. That is nearly the same weight as 65 Toyota Corollas! 

Lysterfield – Monday 7 to Sunday 13 October  
Cleanaway Resource Recovery Centre 
840 Wellington Rd, Lysterfield     
Monday to Friday: 8am – 3:30pm 
Saturday: 8:30am - 11:30am 

Pakenham – Monday 9 to Saturday 14 December 
Future Recycling Transfer Station 
30-32 Exchange Drive, Pakenham    
Monday to Friday: 7:30am - 4pm  
Saturday: 8am – 2:30pm 

The journey of batteries and e-waste

What happens to your batteries and e-waste after you take them to a drop-off point? 

After you drop off your electronics and batteries (good on you!), they are taken to a specialised facility where they are sorted by type. Certain e-waste is taken apart manually before being shredded by machines and sorted into material types. 

Then a variety of machines use magnets, water, lasers, x-ray and other technology to sort and separate the metals, glass, plastic and other components.  

Once sorted, up to 95% of the materials found in your e-waste are recycled and repurposed: 

• Plastic can be turned into plastic fence posts, pallets, toys or computer accessories.  
• Batteries are recycled back into new batteries. 
• Precious metals are reused in appliances, new electronics and even jewellery. 
• Glass can be used in screens for TVs and monitors, homewares or building materials. 
• Other metals can be reused in new electronics, devices, or cabling. 

This process begins with you! Recycling of e-waste and batteries can only happen if they are taken to a drop-off point and correctly disposed of. 

Encourage your friends and family to keep batteries and e-waste out of their kerbside bins and help turn them into something new by: 

• Booking a hard waste collection. 
• Taking small household items such as batteries, laptops and mobile phones to any Council drop-off locations, major supermarkets or Officeworks.  
• Dropping items off at a local transfer station. 

For more info on what happens to your e-waste, check out the Sustainability Victoria’s Where your e-waste goes webpage   

For more info on how to dispose of your e-waste correctly, check out Council’s e-waste webpage 

Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP)

Is your school registered for the Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP)? 

SWEP is an initiative by South East Water that helps schools in identifying water leaks and monitoring water usage. This program empowers staff and students to detect leaks and faulty appliances, leading to water and financial savings.  

It's a sustainable approach that encourages schools to be proactive about their water use, making a significant environmental impact.  

SWEP has been successful in saving a substantial amount of water, equating to millions of litres, which translates to considerable cost savings for the schools involved. Register here. 

Experience 'Grow': a sustainable farming story told through art

‘Grow’ – an innovative art exhibition planting the seed for the future of farming in Cardinia Shire – is coming to Cardinia Cultural Centre this August! 

The exhibition will be on show at Cardinia Cultural Centre (40 Lakeside Boulevard, Pakenham) from 2 August to 22 September 2024. Admission to the exhibition is free, and no booking is required. 

Featuring powerful photographs, complemented by imaginative artworks and props, the exhibition depicts the rewards and dreams for sustainable agriculture and local farmers in Cardinia Shire. Collectively, the display offers a visually compelling narrative that bridges the present and future of this vital industry. 

More information 

• For more information about ‘Grow’ or other exhibitions at Cardinia Cultural Centre, visit www.cardiniaculturalcentre.com.au/exhibitions or call 1300 887 624. 
• For more information or enquiries about the Futureproofing Farming in Cardinia Shire project, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/futureproofingfarming, email livinghealthy@cardinia.vic.gov.au or call Council’s Customer Support team on 1300 787 624.