By Tate Papworth
Kororoit Creek and its surrounds will soon be teeming with fresh plant life and colour.
The Friends of Kororoit Creek have unveiled a series of ambitious projects centred around improving the creek, following a river health grant from Melbourne Water.
FOKC president Jessica Gerger said one of the highlights is the Lizard Lounge – a hectare of full riparian woodland restoration in the depths of urban Sunshine.
“It’s an open woodland and grassland with occasional tree, which is what we think the landscape would’ve looked like before the land was developed,” Ms Gerger said.
“We’re basically trying to restore what it would’ve looked like thousands of years ago.”
The community group has had some help from some young hands along the way.
The group is working with six local schools, including Sunshine Primary and Mother of God in Ardeer, who have all received Melbourne Water grants to do revegetation planting with their pupils and to learn more about the creek.
FOKC has also linked up with corporate volunteers from Ford, Orica and other businesses to plant thousands of grasses, wildflowers and trees at various spots along the creek including Cairnlea, the “Stepping Stones” in West Sunshine and some disused Melbourne Water land in Fraser Street, Sunshine.
