Trentham Public Purpose Reserves Committee of Management

Have you wondered what Committees of Management are about?

This Committee recently held their triennial public meeting, the main purpose being to elect locals to the Committee of Management for the next three years. All Committee members are local volunteers. The Committee is assisted on each Reserve by a specific volunteer group, Friends of Trentham Creeks and Reserves, which is affiliated with the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network.

This committee manages three Crown Land Reserves; Stoney Creek, Trent Creek and Old Trentham Racecourse Reserves, reporting annually to Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action of Victoria (DEECA). There are approximately 1,000 Crown Land Reserves in Victoria, all with Committees of Management, with a total of over 7000 volunteer committee members. The other Crown Land park reserve in Trentham is Quarry Street Reserve with its own Committee of Management.

There was a great turn-up at the meeting demonstrating support for the work being overseen by the Committee. At the meeting; Mark Reid, Gael Elliott, Lisa Croatto, Andy Robertson and Ray Alexander were elected to the Committee. Such a meeting provides an opportunity to increase our knowledge in relation to each Reserve. This time, Jeremy Neale spoke about plants of riparian areas in the Wombat Forest and the range of different plants in various contexts. The creeks and gullies of the Forest are a source of much wonder and wondering.

History of the Old Racecourse Reserves

There’s a long history to the Old Racecourse Reserves, dating back to 1879 with a request from Trentham residents to the Minister for Lands to create a recreation reserve for a racecourse and cricket ground.

The Racecourse was gazetted as a one mile track on an 80 acre reserve in 1880, and in 1890 an official Committee of Management was appointed. Races were held until 1907 and subsequently to that was “only used for training a few horses”.

In 1966 the land was permanently reserved and in 2012 management of the reserve was taken over by the Trentham Public Purpose Reserves Committee of Management.

The Wombat Trail takes in part of Stoney Creek Reserve and was established by a community-based initiative in early 2010 and subsequent presentations to Hepburn Shire Council led to funding for the development of the Trail. The nine kilometre long Trail links the four major public Reserves in Trentham – Quarry Street / Stoney Creek / Old Trentham Racecourse and Trent Creek.

Stage 1 was officially opened in 2015 and is much-used by visitors and locals.

More recently, volunteers have been out on the Stoney Creek Reserve removing holly. Smaller holly plants growing amongst the native grasses have been pulled out, or cut and dabbed with chemical. Some heavier work has also been undertaken along the fence line of a neighbouring property. Holly and Sycamore maple, amongst cypress pines, have created a dense thicket in this area to the exclusion of native vegetation. More work will be done to remove these invasive plants from the Reserve, a timely reminder for what local residents can do, to keep particularly the holly source out of our own gardens.

The Bath Street section of Trent Creek has also been part of the Bright-eyed Brown Butterfly Project for A Healthy Coliban Catchment. With direction from North Central Catchment Management Authority and Project support from Hepburn Shire Council, a significant section of the wetland near High Street has been cleared of weeds and plantings completed in the jute matting. More work will happen in this area in the forthcoming months.

To join in this valuable local activity, contact Mark Reid: 0408 726 832