Published on Tuesday, 24 June 2025 at 8:09:22 AM
Now that cooler weather is with us, native seedlings are actively growing, the soil is moist and follow-up rain is likely – all this means revegetation planting season is here! The Shire’s Environmental Services team are working full steam ahead in planting mode, ably helped by Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) Ranger Teams and students from across our region.
In the last two weeks they have planted revegetation sites around Pink Lake to repair damage from 4WD vehicles pushing through vegetation onto the lake, at Hammer Head East on closed tracks where rogue four wheel drivers crushed and killed previous revegetation efforts, destroying protective fences in the process, and a conservation offset site to compensate for recent road upgrades was completed at Circle Valley Road.
Tuesday 10 June saw 30 students from Condingup Primary, from years 2 to 6, slogging through sand at Orleans Bay Beach, eager to get plants in the ground. Assisted by the Shire Environmental Services and Parks & Reserves team, the students were instrumental in planting over 600 seedlings along the Orleans Bay Beach sand dunes.
This planting program is part of the Coastwest Funded Project “Protecting Tjaltjraak Boodja Park Stage 3 Coastal Restoration”. The Shire is proud of the partnership with ETNTAC on multiple stages of this project, aiming to repair environmental degradation and vegetation destruction, reduce the spread of dieback, address coastal erosion, and protect cultural sites from damage.
The students did a fantastic job out at Orleans Bay Beach! The native seedlings, planted into the sand of eroded and recently closed off access tracks, will protect the sensitive primary dune systems – the dunes formed by sand blown directly from the beach. The kids had so much fun getting seedlings into the ground and learning about the dune environment, many of them wanted to stay out there for the rest of the day!
This was the first of several school planting days scheduled for this winter. Another three were planned as part of the Goldfields Voluntary Regional Organisation of Councils (GVROC) Lotteries Funded Urban Greening Project, expected to plant more than 30,000 seedlings and street trees across the wider Goldfields and Esperance region. The tree planting efforts will be concentrated in parks near schools and central town areas with high pedestrian traffic, and will aim to enhance the urban canopy, increase biodiversity, bolster economic, environmental, and social resilience, while also improving community health. Castletown Primary School students will get involved at St Germain Park, kids from Nulsen Primary will help transform Victoria Street with their efforts, and 37 students from Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary had an impact at the Walker Street playground recently, planting out 200 seedlings.
The Shire’s Environmental Services team are leading the way in this revegetation work, which supports several objectives from the Shire’s Council Plan – objectives our community have identified as important. From sustainably caring for, preserving and enhancing natural habitats, to increasing participation in sport and recreation activities and addressing the needs of children and youth - across all our initiatives, the Shire is committed to meeting the needs of current residents and future generations.
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