DIGHTS FALLS

Dights Falls is located in Melbourne, Victoria just downstream of the junction of the Yarra River with Merri Creek, about 2 km east of the City. At this point the river narrows and is constricted between 800,000 year old volcanic, basaltic lava flow and a much older steep, Silurian, sedimentary spur.

The area can be readily accessed from the Yarra River Trail. The rapids have been used many times for the Victorian Canoe Slalom Championships. The falls are a major obstacle to fish migration up the Yarra River. A fish ladder was installed in 1993, but subsequent research found it was not functioning adequately and would require modifications to improve its efficiency and effectiveness”.

Melbourne Water have undertaken works from the end of 2010 to replace the weir and construct a new fishway to address this issue. In 2024, although works have been completed, there are still issues left unaddressed and the area is partly closed off.

Nevertheless, we are lucky to have such a gem of conserved native parkland along the Yarra River in the midst of our City and accessible to so many people.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme,
and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

ON THE YARRA

At the Studley Park Boathouse in Kew, one may rent a rowboat and enjoy a leisurely boat ride on the quiet waters of the Yarra River. A serene spot of scenic beauty in suburban Melbourne. The many square kilometres of areas of conservation along the banks of the Yarra River provide a valuable environmental resource for Melburnians.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

NATURAL...

Walking along the Yarra River in Abbotsford, Melbourne, enjoying the vast areas of parklands and nature reserve along the river. This is amazing as these vast tracts of natural bushland are within a stone's throw of the bustling city centre.

Melbourne has a population of over five million people, so I consider myself very lucky to have such splendid conservation areas within walking distance of my home. Furthermore, to have for neighbours so much native flora and fauna in their natural environment!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

X for XEROPHILOUS

Xerophilous | zɪəˈrɒfɪləs, zɛˈrɒfɪləs | adjective Botany & Zoology
(of a plant or animal) adapted to a very dry climate or habitat, or to conditions where moisture is scarce.
ETYMOLOGY
from Greek, xēros, meaning 'dry', and philos, meaning 'loving'
DERIVATIVES
xerophile | ˈzɪərə(ʊ)fʌɪl | noun

The wooded area of Australia contains a large number of xerophilous trees and woody shrubs which thrive in regions receiving less than 25 cm of rain per annum. Country devoid of tree growth is rare, the conditions being due to lack of suitable soil rather than lack of rainfall. Sand dunes, rock exposures, and clay pans are the most common treeless areas.

The Darebin Parklands are in a typical dry sclerophyll (Greek: 'tough' + 'leaf') habitat. Dry Sclerophyll Forest (DrySF) is found on a range of clay-loam, sandy-loam and shallow rocky soils of exposed hillsides, mostly between 200 and 1000 m above sea level, with rainfall between 550 and 1000 mm a year. About half of the area once supporting DrySF in Victoria falls on public land while a little over one fifth is represented in conservation parks and reserves. About 45% of all DrySF has been permanently cleared for agriculture or urban development. In a dry sclerophyll forest, xerophilous species abound. Such habitats can withstand long periods of drought successfully, with regeneration when rain falls.

DrySF is an ecosystem with relatively small and often crooked, spreading trees, usually less than 25 m tall, over a normally sparse understory of wattles and small-leafed shrubs, and a dense and species-rich ground cover of grasses and small herbs. The tree canopy is usually a mixture of stringybarks (commonly Eucalyptus macrorhyncha - Red Stringybark, Eucalyptus obliqua - Messmate, Eucalyptus globoidea - White Stringybark), boxes (commonly Eucalyptus polyanthemos - Red Box, Eucalyptus goniocalyx - Long-leaf Box), peppermints (commonly Eucalyptus radiata - Narrow-leaf Peppermint, Eucalyptus dives - Broad-leaf Peppermint) and gum-barked species (commonly Eucalyptus viminalis - Mannah Gum, Eucalyptus cypellocarpa - Mountain Grey-gum, Eucalyptus melliodora - Yellow Box). The composition of the canopy varies from place to place and sometimes according to the history of forest use but in any area of forest there is seldom fewer than five eucalypt species.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

M for MAGPIE

The Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. Although once considered to be three separate species, it is now considered to be one, with nine recognised subspecies. A member of the Artamidae, the Australian magpie is placed in its own genus Gymnorhina and is most closely related to the black butcherbird (Melloria quoyi). It is not, however, closely related to the European magpie, which is a corvid.

The adult Australian magpie is a fairly robust bird ranging from 37 to 43 cm in length, with distinctive black and white plumage, gold brown eyes and a solid wedge-shaped bluish-white and black bill. The male and female are similar in appearance, and can be distinguished by differences in back markings. The male has pure white feathers on the back of the head and the female has white blending to grey feathers on the back of the head. With its long legs, the Australian magpie walks rather than waddles or hops and spends much time on the ground.

Described as one of Australia's most accomplished songbirds, the Australian magpie has an array of complex vocalisations. It is omnivorous, with the bulk of its varied diet made up of invertebrates. It is generally sedentary and territorial throughout its range. Common and widespread, it has adapted well to human habitation and is a familiar bird of parks, gardens and farmland in Australia and New Guinea. This species is commonly fed by households around the country, but in spring a small minority of breeding magpies (almost always males) become aggressive and swoop and attack those who approach their nests.

Over 1000 Australian magpies were introduced into New Zealand from 1864 to 1874 but have subsequently been accused of displacing native birds and are now treated as a pest species. Introductions also occurred in the Solomon Islands and Fiji, where the birds are not considered an invasive species. The Australian magpie is the mascot of several Australian sporting teams, most notably the Collingwood Magpies, the Western Suburbs Magpies and Port Adelaide Magpies.

The Darebin Parklands provide an ideal habitat for magpies so large numbers of these birds may be seen throughout this nature reserve. Their distinctive melodious song announces their presence and one may approach them quite closely before they walk or fly away.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

H for HABITAT

habitat | ˈhabɪtat | noun
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism: Wild chimps in their natural habitat.
• informal a person's usual or preferred surroundings.
ORIGIN
Late 18th century: from Latin, literally ‘it dwells’, from habitare

The Darebin Parklands provide a large variety of habitats for numerous native species of flora and fauna, as well as hosting some introduced and exotic species. The large area of natural woodland, wetland and pond environment as well as the Perennial Darebin Creek running through its midst are a valuable conservation resource for suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

TREES ARE LIFE

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

Question 1: "When is the best time to plant a tree?"
Answer 1: "Twenty years ago."
Question 2 "The second-best time?"
Answer 2: "Today..."

WATER TREATMENT POND

The Darebin Parklands has a sophisticated water treatment system that is used to clean leachate derived from the landfill areas of the old rubbish tip that used to be in the site. Leachate is the liquid that drains or 'leaches' from a landfill. Leachate can be generated from the precipitation of water into landfill sites via rainfall or other surface water sources and from underground aquifer activity.

The Darebin Parklands landfill has both sources of leachate generation with the majority of water coming into the landfill site via underground aquifer activity and the associated Alphington water table. Leachate is contained and prevented from seeping into the Darebin Creek. Secondly it is treated via aeration and bio-filtration using reed beds and bacteria. Then it is moved through a series of wetlands where it is polished with macrophytes (aquatic plants) through luxury uptake (nutrient removal). Evaporation from wetland areas and sub surface irrigation outside of the landfill site is the main method of disposal.

On average around 350,000 Litres of leachate a week is treated. The main constituent of the leachate is Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), with the most common chemical constituents being phosphates, nitrates, sodium, calcium, chloride and potassium. Heavy metals, tannins and dyes are mostly contaminants at lower levels. The water treatment pond is a great place to catch some stunning reflections, especially on a sunny Autumn's day, as is seen in these photos.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.