The local native grasses of Mt Majura’s critically endangered Grassy Woodland protect the soil from erosion, keep weeds at bay by competition, provide important food and shelter habitat to wildlife including for insects such as the endangered Golden Sun Moth, and are outrageously beautiful. Click here to view some of Mt Majura’s native grasses.
Car racing in the 1970s left heavy marks in the area. Source of the aerial photo: ACTmapi 1978. Red encircled, the big conifer marked on above map, Federal Highway in the north with a double row of plantings and Antill Street on the west (left hand side of the photo)
The nature reserve east of The Fair residential estate (built in 2012) has a colourful history of use. Farming (19th and begin of 20th century), car racing in the 1970s, horse jumping, country riding and horse holding left marks in the landscape and impacted on the native biodiversity.
In 2012 the Friends of Mt Majura (FoMM) opened a new chapter. The volunteers began restoration work to improve the heavily degraded grassy woodland.
Weeds (woody and herbaceous), an almost total loss of the native ground-cover layer and tree clearing, soil erosion and compaction were the major issues that the volunteers encountered.
The grassy woodland east of The Fair with some plantings, 28th April 2013 (W.Pix).
Compacted soil prevents water being absorbed so plants can’t grow. Over the past decade, volunteers used mattocks and muscles to loosen the soil and spread many truckloads of mulch to ameliorate the soil and make it a receptive seed bed for native grasses and wildflowers.
Some patches still require assistance to improve the native ground-cover diversity.
For more information on how FoMM transformed the area visit Progress @ The Fair
The grassy woodland east of The Fair on the 21st June 2024 (W.Pix).
