Greenhill to Black Hill

Paul Foreman, Ecologist

Features of the Greenhill area

The Greenhill region, north of Kyneton on the Campaspe River, is largely a newer volcanic basalt lava flow that mostly erupted from Greenhill and flowed north along the ancient Campaspe River valley. The area is sandwiched in between the Harcourt/Metcalfe granites and the Pyalong/Baynton Granites. Historic maps show a large portion of the landscape along the Campaspe River was open grassland or grassy savannah characterised by scattered eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp.), Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and honeysuckle (Banksia marginata). These grasslands where dominated by kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) and in places codominated by root plants like Yam Daisy (Microseris spp.) and there is evidence this was a cultural landscape ‘created’ by frequent Aboriginal burning. This part of the Campaspe River still supports rich evidence the its Traditional Owners (the Nattarak balug clan of the Daung Wurrung people) that should be protected

Although the Blackwood and Honeysuckle is long gone, the region still retains some of the original eucalypts – today spectacular, graceful remnant large old Manna Gums, Red Gums and Swamp Gums (amongst others) are still hanging on. The Manna Gums of Green Hill are an especially significant feature of the area and the protection of these invaluable, irreplaceable landscape and ecological assets will be a priority for the project.

Closer examination also reveals some important remnant grasslands on both public and private land in the area. These places often support wildflowers, lilies and orchids in amongst the grass tussocks as well as threatened species like Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena). Identifying and protecting these often overlooked remnants will be another priority.

A further significant feature, often associated with the Campaspe and its tributaries, are the numerous natural springs/soaks (also called Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems) fed by aquifers in both the volcanic and granite rocks. These areas can still be seen with remnant Common Tussock Grass (Poa labillardierei), Tall Sedge (Carex appressa) and Rushes (Juncus spp.) and could still provide habitat for Burrowing Crayfish (Engaeus lyelli) and amphibians like Bibron’s Toadlet (Pseudophyryne bibroni) and even Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis). The Australian Platypus Conservancy has also recorded platypus in this part of the Campaspe River in recent decades.

Priority for the project will be identifying where these remnant Large Old Trees, springs and wetlands, grasslands and riparian habitats occur and working to protect them before they are lost, plus rolling out actions to build and strengthen connectivity throughout the landscape to buffer the area against Climate Change and turn around the current trend of decline in the ecological health.