The first tree planting was held on the cool but sunny Saturday 27 May. Twenty-one volunteers turned up to help plant over 400 tubestock across two sites along the creek. Some attendees traveled from as far as Queanbeyan, but it was wonderful to see so many Araluen and Bombay locals pitch in on the day.

The second event, on Tuesday 30 May, invited parents and kids from the Braidwood home-school group to come down for a day of outdoor learning along the creek. Led by Araluen locals Cath Harrison, Helen Waddell and Local Landcare Coordinator Erin Brinkley, twenty-two participants, including eleven kids ranging from under 2 -14 years old, dug in and got their hands dirty planting an impressive 150 trees, shrubs and sedges.

Throughout the day the group learnt about the geology and gold-mining history of the Valley and why it contributes to high levels of erosion along the creek. The key message was the importance of ground cover and vegetation to help secure sediments and prevent them from being lost downstream. After a busy day’s planting and a quick splash in the creek for the kids, each family got a couple of native plants to take home to grow and remember their reveg day in Araluen.

These community tree plantings were some of the final activities in Upper Deua Catchment Landcare’s Araluen Creek Restoration Project. The group embarked on the Project almost three years ago, acquiring an Australian Government Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience grant to undertake large-scale erosion control across 13 sites along the Araluen Creek. Log sills, root balls, rock banks, livestock fencing and troughs have been installed, with last week’s plantings finishing off some of sites along the creek and its tributaries.

A big thank you to the members of Upper Deua Catchment Landcare and the Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council for all their support in delivering both events. We’d also like to acknowledge the Foundation of National Parks and Wildlife Bushfire Recovery Grant Program for kindly funding the great spread of sandwiches from Braidwood’s Concept’s Café to feed all our hungry volunteers on Tuesday and Saturday.