National Tree Planting Day in Australia was on Sunday the 29th July. School’s tree planting day was on Friday the 27th of July. A local environment group called LINKS & BEN (Ballarat Environmental Network) asked the school along to a local tree planting in Buninyong. So 40 Buninyong Primary School students and 2 staff members walked up to Mount Innis which is about a 15 minute undulated walk to an area that overlook the township of Buninyong.
Students planted a variety of natives including silver wattles, native bushes and grasses. All these plants were once prolific in the area but due to the gold mining era in the 1850’s and subsequent population of the area they have diminished in their numbers. The students planted 300 plants in a two hour period. The ground was very rocky due to the site being close to a very old volcano. The trail where we planted the trees along is part of a wildlife corridor that provides shelter for Koalas that travel up and down Mount Buninyong, which is the largest Mountain that overlooks our township. The mountain is probably not as big as those in Europe.
The students had a wonderful time and speak fondly of their experience and the opportunity to do something very positive for the environment and its inhabitants. If anyone would like any other information about this project, then just email on the address below. There is a page of photos of the event below.
Mr Paul Wilson Grade 4 Teacher
Buninyong Primary School
Simpson Street
Buninyong
Victoria
Australia 3357
Email: Wilson.paul.j@edu.vic.gov.au
Mr Wilson hammering in stakes around the tree and then a plastic guard is placed on the outside of the stakes.
Another site lower down the mount planted with some trees and native grasses.
