By Alexandra Laskie
Eastern barred bandicoots are extinct in the wild, but there are a number of the small, nocturnal marsupials in captivity … and one very large one, measuring some 20 metres in length, can be found in grassland at Cairnlea.
Friends of Iramoo, a group of volunteers, banded together about 20 years ago, starting a 30-year project aimed at restoring some 40 hectares of grassland at Cairnlea known as the Iramoo wildflower grassland reserve.
Their plan was unique … what they needed to do was eradicate the serrated tussock and Chilean needle grass that had infested these once bountiful volcanic plains and replant native wildflowers. They commissioned local artists to sculpt endangered marsupials using scrap tin – sourced sustainably from the Albion Eco-Living Centre, of course – and erected these on top of the piles of weeds.
The science was simple … the sculptures were left in place for two summers, during which time whatever lay underneath was smothered, baked and sterilised.
Friends of Iramoo secretary Amanda Dodd said once a metal marsupial was lifted and moved to another spot, the burnt soil beneath was planted with natives lemon beauty heads and common everlasting.
“This year, he’ll jump again,” she said, referring to the group’s giant tin bandicoot. “Every two years, we pick him up and move him … so, by the time the bandicoot reaches the other end, the reserve will be restored with wildflowers.”
The council worker and ecology graduate said their project was unusual in that it took such a long-term approach. “It’s taken 200-plus years of European colonisation to damage it, so it’s going to take us a long time to get it back.”
