Old Weetangera Road
If you look into the bush here you can see a rough track. This is a remnant of the Old Weetangera Road which was used from the 1830s until replaced by Belconnen Way in the 1960s. It ran from the old Yass Road (near present day Lyneham) to the Murrumbidgee River in the west serving many rural properties. European settlers called this section of the road ahead of you 'Flea Bog Flat' due to its often muddy conditions. In the 1870s this site and surrounding land was subdivided into four rural landholdings, first purchased by the Brüning family and John Southwell. In 1911 these blocks and other landholdings in the ACT were resumed by the Commonwealth to establish the Federal Capital Territory. Many were leased out for grazing until required for suburban development.
Hollows are homes
Look for this tall tree and see how many hollows you can find. Hollows are homes for all sorts of animals including brushtail possums, parrots, bats and snakes, each species having a preference for hollows of a certain size, position or shape. Hollows form naturally as a tree ages, and can result from a branch breaking off, lightning, fire or insect attack. It takes more than 100 years for trees to form hollows so it’s vital that older eucalypts are kept in the landscape to provide habitat for our native animals.
Woodlands and meadows
On Flea Bog Flat you’ll find several common woodland tree species, with an understorey of native shrubs and grasses. Eucalypts can be hard to identify but looking at their bark can be a good start. Some have rough bark like Apple box (Eucalyptus bridgesiana) and Red stringybark (E. macroryncha), some have smooth bark like Blakely’s red gum (E. blakelyi) and some have both! Yellow box (E. melliodora) has rough bark on its trunk and lower limbs, with smooth branches. See if you can guess some of the tree species as you walk through here.Indigenous people have many uses for woodland plants – tree bark can be used to make coolamons, rope and string, and for shelter, tubers can be roasted and eaten, and seeds from wattles and grasses can be ground to make flour.In spring, look for native wildflowers – they can be small and delicate so tread softly. Kangaroos can often be found sheltering amongst the trees here, and sometimes you might see a very large hare.
Bogs and frogs
Here you can often hear frogs calling. This low-lying area was probably always boggy, collecting run-off from surrounding ridges and drainage lines. European settlers reported on Flea Bog Flat’s notorious mud making travel difficult.Frogs don’t need a permanent water source to survive and this damp wetland can provide a great habitat. Listen out for the distinctive 'crick crick crick' of the Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera). ** audio by Jeremy HeggeIn our region the Frogwatch program mobilises members of the community to undertake frog monitoring and protect frog habitats. Frog species are good indicators of environmental health and monitoring their numbers can help identify healthy waterways. Want to be involved? click Frogwatch
Weeds, weeds and more weeds
In case you hadn't noticed, Flea Bog Flat has a weed problem. Along the Old Weetangera Road here you will see large thickets of blackberries. Introduced from Europe in the 1840s for their fruit and for hedges, blackberries now represent a significant weed problem in Australia. Blackberries are easily spread by birds and foxes, growing to form dense thickets that restrict access to water and out-compete native plants. The blackberries thrive on the boggy areas of Flea Bog Flat and especially over the man-made ditches you can see here that were dug to drain water from the old roadway.Flea Bog Flat also has widespread honeysuckle which smothers native vegetation, alongside a wide variety of woody and herbaceous weeds which will take years to manage. Although invasive weeds are a major environmental and economic problem, sometimes they can provide much-needed habitat and shelter for native animals and are not removed until native plants have been planted to take their place.
How old is this tree?
We think this large Apple box tree is the oldest living tree on Flea Bog Flat. The circumference of its trunk is 3.95m which means it's probably around 300 years old. Apple Box trees have rough bark, short trunks and gnarled branches. Like many eucalypts, their juvenile leaves are quite different from their adult leaves, changing from heart-shaped grey leaves to lance-shaped green leaves.Next to this Apple Box are a few Native cherry trees (Exocarpus cupressiformis). Native cherry trees are semi-parasitic on the roots of neighbouring trees. Their red berries which ripen in summer are an indigenous bush food.
Lone Scribbly gum
This lonely Scribbly Gum (E. rossii) is the only one we can find on Flea Bog Flat. These smooth barked gum trees have distinctive wrinkles where the branches meet the trunk, as well as 'scribbles' on the bark. These scribbles are made by larvae of the Scribbly Gum moth - the female moth lays eggs between layers of old and new bark and the scribbles are the feeding trails of the larvae as they burrow their way out.
A tree species that needs our help
This old Blakely's red gum is probably at the end of its life. Even though the tree is not in great condition, it continues to provide homes for wildlife with several hollows. Blakely's Red Gum is one of the major Yellow Box-Red Gum woodland tree species and is experiencing dieback in the ACT. Dieback means a slow deterioration in health of the tree with its leaves and branches slowly dying. Research is being undertaken about dieback in this important woodland species looking at factors such as disease, insect attack, and the impact of drought - click here for more information Blakely's.The endangered Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) has a preference for nesting in the hollows of Blakely's red gums but have to compete with other birds. Keep an eye out for nesting birds in spring!
An army of young eucalypts
Have you noticed that you’re surrounded by eucalypt saplings here? Many factors can impact on successful tree regrowth – young seeds and seedlings might die in parched soil, fail to grow in the shade, or be eaten by animals. It looks like the soil and the availability of water on Flea Bog Flat might be working well for these young trees. These saplings will compete for nutrients in the soil and access to the sun with only a few growing to become mature trees.
Leave dead wood on the ground
It might look messy to us, but logs, branches and leaves on the ground are an important part of a healthy woodland ecosystem. Echidnas and snakes might live inside an old log. Beetles, lizards, and spiders might also make their homes amongst the fallen branches, attracting birds and other predators looking for a meal. The wood and leaves help retain moisture, and are broken down by fungi, bacteria and other microbes, returning nutrients to the soil.
Small bird and wildlife haven
Look out and listen for small birds here - they often flit through the shrubs and young eucalypts looking for small insects to eat. With its well-developed understorey, Flea Bog Flat provides lots of safe habitat for small birds such as the Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii) and Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus). It also provides shelter and a water source for other native animals such as kangaroos, wallabies and echidnas, and is a corridor for wildlife connecting neighbouring bushland areas and reserves.Did you know that birds often have different calls or songs depending on where they live? Watch the video above of Australia's smallest bird,the Weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris). Can you see or hear any Weebills in the bush around you? Do they sound different?
Land clearing and our endangered woodlands
These stumps would have been tall trees when they were cut down. When these blocks of land were purchased in the late 1800s owners were required to make improvements to their landholdings. This often meant the removal of trees for farming with the timber used for fenceposts, firewood and construction.Woodlands were once widespread in Australia although land clearing for agriculture means that now only remnants remain, with some types of woodlands listed as critically endangered. Many woodland animal and plants species are also threatened because of the fragmentation and degradation of their habitat.You can leave Flea Bog Flat on the gravel path or continue to the start.We hope you've enjoyed our walking tour - we can thank the South Bruce Residents Association for successfully lobbying the ACT Government to save this block from development.** Friends of Flea Bog Flat is a TCCS landcare group and a member of the Ginninderra Catchment Group, find out about landcare volunteering opportunities here. ** Find us on Facebook @fleabogflat
