New grass trees for Pensioners Hill in Gunnedah

New mature grass trees at Pensioners Hill in Gunnedah are set to complement mural artwork also planned for the site.

Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group (GULG) was recently awarded $7500 under the Australia Government’s Stronger Communities Programme to build a new native garden at Pensioners Hill.

GULG will use the funding to help purchase and install six grass trees – two trees two metres in height and four trees which are each one-and-a-half metres in height. Each tree could weight up to 500kg.

GULG executive member and grants officer, Owen Hasler, said the tree plantings will bring the community closer to local flora present but seldom seen in the Gunnedah area.

“The project reflects there are many natural grass tree sites around Gunnedah but very few people will see them unless they are prepared to walk and climb some of the mountains in the district,” Mr Hasler said.

He said grass trees have been observed in areas such as Tambar Mountain, Mount Nombi, Mullaley Mountain, Kaidmoor Pinnacle or above Yyddirie (Nobby’s Rock) but emphasised that tree removal is not permitted without appropriate approvals from National Parks and Wildlife.

“Having seen grass trees planted in a number of parks in Inverell, which look very impressive, I suggested to GULG that we apply for a grant in order to obtain six grass trees to re-establish on Pensioners to complement the other native plantings we have at that site,” Mr Hasler said.

Four grass trees will be placed in a garden bed created from large rocks located on the site. This garden is located on the western side of the site where the landcare group is creating a new entrance for walkers.

This entrance will lead to the new mural artwork depicting the site’s indigenous and historical heritage. The murals will be painted on the former railway water reservoir at the base of Pensioners Hill. The artwork will be undertaken by Ron Long and Heesco Khosnaran starting on September 8 and should be finished by the end of September.

Heesco is renown for his award-winning silo mural in Gunnedah which features poet, Dorothea Mackellar.

Unfortunately, a separate grant application by GULG to install a concrete path to the murals, as well as a picnic shelter and new toilet, was not successful but more applications will be pursued in the future.

Meanwhile, the other two grass trees will be placed in already established garden beds on site – on the northern side near the eagle sculpture and one in a garden near the children’s playground.

The landcare group has approached Ian Duncan, a grass tree supplier based between Inverell and Delungra, to both supply and deliver the trees. The supplier will also assist in their replanting to ensure the survival of the trees.

Work on the new native garden and the murals is scheduled to be undertaken during September, hopefully enabling GULG to open both projects simultaneously by the month’s end.

“We are very pleased to be adding two more attractions to the Pensioners Hill site,” Mr Hasler said.

He said the murals will have two focusses: recognising Gomeroi culture and indigenous people of the area, several of whom were residents of the shanties that were built for many people lasting from the Depression until the last was moved in 1977, and the history of Pensioners Hill as a place of residence for many people.

“The grass trees reflect the natural history of the area and the connection with the Aboriginal people who have lived in Australia for some 80,000 years and very amply fit the theme of native plantings that we have developed on Pensioners for the last 30 years.”