Tree of the Month: Claoxylon australe (Brittleweed)

Claoxylon australe (Brittleweed)

This tree is common throughout the whole Illawarra area, and can be found in rainforest, sometimes in Eucalyptus forest and on the coastal plain. It can be a small bush shrub or 6m tree.
The leaves are spiral along the stalk with two small stipules at the base of the leaf. This tree is particularly susceptible to deer damage. They eat the leaves, and, in more mature trees, they will ringbark them. These trees should be protected by cages or deer fences.

Banksia Bushcare News: The Return of the Backpackers

The extensive bush care work improvement in the Stanwell Avenue Reserve could never have been done without the assistance of overseas backpackers.

They come through an online organisation called Workaway (www.workaway.info/en/hostlist/oceania/au). It works along the same lines as Woofers, but is not limited to farming. You can register as a host where you provide free food and accommodation for a couple of weeks in return for a couple of hours’ work a day.

During the Covid lockdowns, they stopped coming, but they are now returning.

The backpackers are provided with tools and gloves, have onsite training and sign up as volunteers with Wollongong Council. Many of those who have worked with me have become enthusiastic bush carers in their own countries.