Council is responsible for managing:
- over 50 reserves and bushland areas
- over 280 roadsides
- unused road reserves
Management and maintenance responsibilities include:
- Weed and pest control
- Habitat enhancement and threatened species management
- Revegetation
- Vegetation control (safety and line of sight clearances)
Contact Council by phoning 5772 0333 or by email to customer@murrindindi.vic.gov.au for a copy of the annual Roadside Weed and Pest Animal Plan.
Council's roadsides are susceptible to invasion by pest plants and animals, encroachments of farming activities and urban development, firewood collection, road maintenance and construction works, inappropriate fire prevention activities and the installation and maintenance of utility services.
These activities, when managed inappropriately, have the potential to negatively impact roadside vegetation and reduce the quality of roadside environments.
Over 280 roadsides have been assessed for conservation value and have been separated into three broad categories:
- Highly Significant Roadsides - Roadsides rated as Very High or High
- Significant Area on a Roadside - Roadsides rated as Medium or Low that have areas or pockets of high or very high conservation value
- Lower Significance Roadsides - Roadsides rated as Medium or Low along ‘whole of roadside'
There are a number of rare and vulnerable plants on Murrindindi Shire roadsides including:
- Silky Golden Tip (Goodia lotifolia var. pubescens)
- Round-leaf Pomaderris (Pomaderris vaccinifolia)
- Slender Tick-trefoil (Desmodium varians)
- Highland Bush Pea (Putlenaea willamsonii)
Further information on these and other species is available from the Native Flora and Fauna page.
Council has adopted its Rural Roadside Management Plan(PDF, 1MB) to provide clearer guidance for works on roadsides such as fire prevention or asset maintenance activities.
The Plan also has a set of companion documents including a set of Rural Roadside Management Guidelines to assist the community and other agencies understand what can and cannot be done on rural roadsides, and a Rural Roadside Code of Practice (for Council operations only).
These plans help Council staff, contractors, utility service authorities, other government agencies and residents understand what needs to be considered when undertaking specific activities such as asset maintenance, weed control, revegetation, fire prevention works, firewood collection and livestock grazing. Management treatments for such activities will be undertaken based on an understanding of conservation significance.
A copy of the documents are provided in the links below:
If you would like a physical copy of any of these documents, please contact Council on 5772 0333.
Reserves are areas of open grassland, native vegetation, or waterways. The primary purpose of a Council reserve is for recreational use and/or biodiversity value. Many of Council reserves provide habitat for native flora and fauna, some of which are threatened species at national and state levels.
Often these reserves occur in fragmented landscapes, such as in residential or peri-urban areas of development. This increases their conservation significance, as many are the last remaining refuge for rare, threatened or endangered species.
Some of Council’s reserves are maintained by Friends of Groups, Landcare groups and/or Committees of Management.