[pitoufsd]

Anyway.. creds .. these are good ideas.. but re-snag these root balls with rocks, gal weldmesh and maybe some long steel pegs.

Have to find out what's allowed by whoever the body is who ends up paying the $$$. Apparently Fisheries aren't keen on the use of rock. Section of lake is actually part of the Marine Park, so need to follow their guidelines...

At least I've got a couple of people from CMA on-board who see the need for the work and are happy to put in a good effort (I guess that's what they get paid for!).

[Wvq9InTM]

so what is wrong with the rocks that normally wash into the sea?
some of what is.. may protect what exists?









by the way.. in my mind a good effort.. most usually comes from a 'volunteer'.

[pitoufsd]

so what is wrong with the rocks that normally wash into the sea?
some of what is.. may protect what exists?

There aren't any natural wash-awayable rocks there There is a carpark compacted from fill and topped with blue metal, idea is to stop that ending up in the lake. All that's there ATM is a battered bank of sand, next lot of big tides will see further erosion. The log/root-ball idea seems a good one, should give a more 'natural' look than a heap of rocks (and a lot cheaper too, transport of root-balls being the major cost).

[fygESytT]

What is behind the place that has washed out, woollybutt?
Is it going to be a case of (in 10 years' time) knowing it should have been left to find / make its own (new) coastline by any chance?
these things happen (but I'm sure you know that).


*just asking*

(wasn't married to an engineer all those years for nothing ... was sometimes seriously frustrated at peoples' insistence on fighting the force of the ocean, especially once it breached a line of dunes etc. That they chouldn't have been breached long ago with "developments" was out of his control and yeah, I know this probably doesn't apply to what you are looking at.)

[Wvq9InTM]

There aren't any natural wash-awayable rocks there There is a carpark compacted from fill and topped with blue metal, idea is to stop that ending up in the lake. All that's there ATM is a battered bank of sand, next lot of big tides will see further erosion. The log/root-ball idea seems a good one, should give a more 'natural' look than a heap of rocks (and a lot cheaper too, transport of root-balls being the major cost).

so in effect what you have is a land-filled flood plain.. When to think you had removed root balls to replace.. and the council didn't apply science to re-filling land topography.

[pitoufsd]

What is behind the place that has washed out, woollybutt?
Is it going to be a case of (in 10 years' time) knowing it should have been left to find / make its own (new) coastline by any chance?
these things happen (but I'm sure you know that).


*just asking*

All the bits that have washed out are pictured up there ^

There's nothing much behind a lot of the damage except for a carpark (this is the southernmost point of our Coastcare site). A couple of the early pics show a heap of vegetation, but that got taken out for some reason. After the retaining wall work is done, we plan to plant the area out and re-install a few BBQs etc 'coz it's one part of the site used a lot by the public.

[fygESytT]

yeah, I was familiar with the pics ... it's partly waht prompted me to wonder ... I guess I was wondering if the whole public space might be better moved back .. still I don't know the area.

[pitoufsd]

so in effect what you have is a land-filled flood plain.. When to think you had removed root balls to replace.. and the council didn't apply science to re-filling land topography.

That's what we've got, She-oak Swamp Forest area on a little tiny point near the mouth of lake. Trouble is we (humans) didn't take out root-balls ('cept for one small patch of Acacia that council ripped out while doing work to the bank), the wattle all got undermined by the tide and the entire bank it was growing on collapsed into the lake.

The area of land has never been inundated with massive seas/tides to this extent in mine or others living memory, bigger beach erosion event than 1974.

[Wvq9InTM]

All the bits that have washed out are pictured up there ^

There's nothing much behind a lot of the damage except for a carpark (this is the southernmost point of our Coastcare site). A couple of the early pics show a heap of vegetation, but that got taken out for some reason. After the retaining wall work is done, we plan to plant the area out and re-install a few BBQs etc 'coz it's one part of the site used a lot by the public.

to my small mind..

you should reverse that to..

There's nothing much behind a lot of the damage except for a carpark (this is the southernmost point of our Coastcare site). A couple of the early pics show a heap of vegetation, but that got taken out for some reason.
After replanting the area, considerations will be made concerning future use.

[pitoufsd]

I guess I was wondering if the whole public space might be better moved back .. still I don't know the area.

That's not a silly idea, there is more than enough space. We have to move one of the picnic tables already, topple backwards with a few sherbets in you and you'd prolly break your neck.

*makes note to raise matter with council*

Only problem now is the erosion has started to extend enough that the crap that runs off into lake isn't natural. The last retaining wall lasted 20+ years, and was 'orrible treated pine. The idea of a few root-balls and a short section of trunk placed along the bank seems a winner. Might not be natural, but neither is a rock wall.

[Wvq9InTM]

That's not a silly idea, there is more than enough space. We have to move one of the picnic tables already, topple backwards with a few sherbets in you and you'd prolly break your neck.

*makes note to raise matter with council*

Only problem now is the erosion has started to extend enough that the crap that runs off into lake isn't natural. The last retaining wall lasted 20+ years, and was 'orrible treated pine. The idea of a few root-balls and a short section of trunk placed along the bank seems a winner. Might not be natural, but neither is a rock wall.

Yes all this may have been in my earlier comments(i don't remember but they should have been).

[pitoufsd]

to my small mind..

you should reverse that to..

There's nothing much behind a lot of the damage except for a carpark (this is the southernmost point of our Coastcare site). A couple of the early pics show a heap of vegetation, but that got taken out for some reason.
After replanting the area, considerations will be made concerning future use.

The future use is already the current use, a really nice spot enjoyed by locals and visitors a lot (holidays it's packed with tourists 'coz it is a great place for little kids to swim, rest of the year it's used heaps by locals because the beach is one of our dog-friendly ones).

Only area we are doing any planting is around the edge of this car-park, the rest of the bush is simply being alleviated of surplus weeds and left to (hopefully) regenerate. Major aim/mission statement is to make the place look like no work has happened as much as practical, and make the bits we do have to stuff about with look attractive.

[Wvq9InTM]

The future use is already the current use, a really nice spot enjoyed by locals and visitors a lot (holidays it's packed with tourists 'coz it is a great place for little kids to swim, rest of the year it's used heaps by locals because the beach is one of our dog-friendly ones).

Only area we are doing any planting is around the edge of this car-park, the rest of the bush is simply being alleviated of surplus weeds and left to (hopefully) regenerate. Major aim/mission statement is to make the place look like no work has happened as much as practical, and make the bits we do have to stuff about with look attractive.

all good.. but pushing tourists further back in real time make the future more promising.

nobody could call me a market economist.. or could they?

[pitoufsd]

all good.. but pushing tourists further back in real time make the future more promising.

nobody could call me a market economist.. or could they?

hang on RB, you're losing me

*reaches for Encyclopaedia of Marxist Quotes*

[Wvq9InTM]

hang on RB, you're losing me

*reaches for Encyclopaedia of Marxist Quotes*

thanks for the giggle of the day.

[pitoufsd]

thanks for the giggle of the day.

Not really a joke, promise you Spocky gave me a copy of said volume!!!

[Wvq9InTM]

No probs this end..

[pitoufsd]

In the past couple of months I've started become involved with introducing Landcare stuff to school kids. Been eye-opening and thought-provoking so far, especially since I have no kids of my own and don't really understand how education operates now, when compared with my school days of 30+ years ago. I sort of backed myself into a corner where others were able to request some of my time and I couldn't really decline to help out

All came bout from a generalised comment (thought bubble) of mine a while back. At the time I'd heard about one school in the shire (private college) starting their own Landcare group with a lot of support from local council et al. Figured that since our high school is pretty much next door to here, mad not to get free volunteer labour. Others saw the opportunity too and went with it, apparently getting kids involved in Landcare at a school level is starting to be seen as a legitimate part of education these days and resources are being made available. There's even a website* devoted to Junior Landcare and there's some good info contained therein. I'm currently reading the teachers' guide so I can figure out what activities I can plan that won't bore the proverbial out of the kids. From what I've seen myself so far, "chopping shit down" is probably the most popular pass-time (young kids get right into it for some reason, it's just a matter or pointing them at the right stuff to be waging war on. )

* not really sure about the design of the site, doesn't seemed aimed directly at young folk or contain any content that would inspire them to read/look around. It's just tweaking of the generic Landcare web template.

[pitoufsd]

. I'm currently reading the teachers' guide so I can figure out what activities I can plan that won't bore the proverbial out of the kids.

This is a top resource IMHO, very comprehensive when you keep in mind it's aimed at high school level teaching. To be truthful, some of the questions asked of students in some of the assignments are as or more detailed than anything I've encountered in my tertiary studies to date. I am going to try and complete it myself (seriously, might even see if I can get a high school teacher to 'mark' it for me )
.
I really wish this type of stuff was available at my school thirty years ago, I know now what path I would have followed if it had been.

Not sure what the story is with our local high school, Landcare seems to be an on and off again proposition with them. Was supposedly going to happen as a part of sporting/out-door education, but despite a lot of work from a couple of teachers, council and our CMA Landcare Support Officer nothing has happened in that direction. I've not really had a great deal to do with the process, other than to volunteer to help out teaching Landcare related stuff, and to undergo the necessary police checks/paperwork etcetera.

Despite the school not taking on Landcare as part of the main-stream curriculum, they have just begun to allow a small class of kids to get involved. This is apparently allowable because these are the students who the system has already given up on* and put into a system which keeps/forces them to be in school, but segregated from the rest of their classmates.

I'm glad the school has at least let these kids participate (because they're 'special', there are funds made available to the school to run this program). Three days spent with them helping out on site here, as good a bunch as any IMHO.

Going to slowly weasel my way into the education system I think, younger generations are prolly the best natural, renewable resource we have. Worth investing in.

[fygESytT]

I'm glad the school has at least let these kids participate (because they're 'special', there are funds made available to the school to run this program). Three days spent with them helping out on site here, as good a bunch as any IMHO.

Going to slowly weasel my way into the education system I think, younger generations are prolly the best natural, renewable resource we have. Worth investing in.

I am so glad you are giving this a go Woollybutt and yes, secondary texts are still a major source of help for me, the only trouble being the ones I have are so old ... but still ... each one explains things a little differently and by reading each I get a better idea .

What I am guessing is that an individual teacher comes along who is really committed to it and gets into it while they are there, but then they move (are moved) on.

It then flounders, for want of another similarly interested person, but the NEXT person who is committed to doing stuff with the local community loves sport, or music or fencing or .. something ... even stamp collecting .. and they do a great job with that while they are there ... and so it goes.

The school can't require anyone to do these things BUT will generally be happy to support an individual who is willing to get stuck in.

I'm not sure if this is so where you are, but it (community projects) was one of the things that suffered most of all when shorter term contracts were introduced in the region I was in ... it was incredibly difficult for people to get to know the community in a one year contract, much less feel like it was worth starting something.


It will be a person like you who might make all the difference.

And it will be students like our H who will benefit beyond words.

He is a fantastic worker IF it is hands-on ... good luck (for you but even more so for the students)