Buninyong's natural environment
Surrounded by a precious band of bush and farmlands with natural springs and creeks, Buninyong's natural environment is one of its greatest assets. Along with several public parks and gardens in the town, it provides shelter for wildlife in a beautiful setting. However it is also very vulnerable to destruction by over-development and various forms of degradation.
Several groups have been formed in the district to care for the natural environment and try to preserve the remaining parks and bushland areas, safeguarding their existence for future generations.
Our beautiful Gong reduced to just a muddy puddle, for the first time in living memory.
(April 2007)
Environment protection groups
Parks and Gardens
Friends of Buninyong Botanic Gardens
Enquiries: friends@vic.chariot.net.au
Friends of Royal Park
This group was set up to save Royal Park from threatened housing development. It is currently converting the old Football Oval to an area for environmental education with a community garden and extensive revegetation.
Many willing hands planted 500 indigenous shrubs and trees in banks around Royal Park on 21st June 2009.
You can see the results on the eastern and western sides of the old football ground and enjoy watching them grow into handsome garden areas.
See their website: Friends of Royal Park for more information
Friends of the Union Jack Reserve
Landcare
Leigh Catchment Landcare Office
407 Warrenheip Street, Buninyong ... 5341 2364
Enquiries: Andrea Mason andrealcg@ncable.net.au 0427 338 482
Jenny Sedgwick: leighcg@ncable.net.au 0429 008 330
Jenny Ryle: jrylelcg@ncable.net.au
Web: Leigh Catchment Group
"Leighway" - Landcare news: - Leighway newsletters
Williamsons Creek Landcare Group
Planting native seedlings on the N-E slopes of Mount Buninyong, National Tree Planting Day, 2007
Sustainable Living
Ballarat Renewable Energy And Zero Emissions Inc.
Based in Ballarat, BREAZE is a locally formed group of energetic, forward thinking people who believe that there are more sustainable ways of living on our patch of the planet.
See their website: BREAZE for more information about environmentally-friendly lifestyles and solar energy.
Local environmental resources
Buninyong's plants
An excellent inventory of native trees, shrubs and plants within a 10 mile radius around Buninyong, including their Aboriginal uses, has been compiled by Neil McCracken. It is available for viewing or downloading as an Excel spreadsheet. Click the link: Buninyong Plants
Lost Waters- A History of a Troubled Catchment
An historical study of the West Moorabool River catchment by local author, Erica Nathan. This insightful book may be purchased online from Melbourne University Press as a printed copy or as an e-book.
Erica's introduction to the book may be downloaded for free at: Lost Waters - Introduction. To read an outline of the book as a whole, or to purchase all or individual chapters, click: MUP catalogue - Lost Waters or MUP e-books - Lost Waters
Wind Power
WestWind Energy develops, constructs and operates local wind farms through its Buninyong Project Office. See WestWind Energy