28th July 2014
Wedgies observing courting & mating on Mt Cottrell by Frances Overmars & Daryl Akers while planting in the crater of Mt Cottrell. A magnificent panorama but it was very cold & windy!
About a dozen Kangaroos were beside the track, a little way in from the front gate, out of the wind. They ignored us as we drove past them up the track. There were another 16 or so just beside the crater. They took off as we came close.
Koalas can still be seen in the woodland remnants around Melton.
Koalas appear to have made a tentative return to Pinkerton Forest. Quarterly bird surveys by Birdlife Australia and Pinkerton Landcare & Environment group have observed Koalas on three occasions in the twelve months.
| European Heritage, Pinkerton Family | ||
| The area has an important historical significance for Melton and District. | ||
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| A Headstone erected by the descendants of the Pinkertons on the grave of Margaret, wife of James Pinkerton, and 4 grandchildren. | A wooden feeding trough, still survives | A Plaque describing the Pinkerton Family history. |
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Historical Note: James and Margaret Pinkerton & Family left Glasgow, Scotland on 8 July 1839 - sailing from Greenock on the Barque "Superb". They arrived at Port Phillip on 4 December 1839. In 1840 they settled in the Keilor District on a property called "Chamois Ponds". In 1848 the property was burnt-out and the family moved to the Werribee River, settling on the new property "Yaloke". In 1855 Margaret Pinkerton died & was buried in Pinkerton Forest. Between 1857 & 1860 4 grandchildren died (aged 9,8,1 & 2 years) and were also buried in the forest. A cairn was erected over the graves in 1931. After adverse times W J Clarke ("Big Clarke") acquired the property in 1862 and James Pinkerton retired to Bacchus Marsh where he died in 1869. |
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Descendants of Note: |
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Archibald James Campbell -Expertise in Australian Birds & Native flowers, particularly Wattles. A J Campbell was one of the founders of Wattle Day, and he planted wattles around the original cairn in the forest. |
Yellow Wattle the weeping wattle for grief. The happy may rejoice |
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James Pinkerton Campbell Founder of Film Australia & Official Australian War Photographer in Egypt in WW1. |
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Descendants photo, taken at the 'Celebration of the new extension of Pinkerton Forest on Friday 6 October 2006. Names are L to R - Noel Fethers, Bryan Campbell, Don Nardella MP, Dorothy Campbell (wife of John) and John Campbell' |
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15/10/2006
Pinkerton Forest (50ha) and Bush’s Paddock (45 ha) are located in the Shire of Melton on the western slope of Mt. Cotterell. They form part of the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion and contains the ecological vegetation classes of plains grassland, plains grassy woodland, plains grassy wetland and plains sedgy wetland.
The average rainfall is 450mm focusing on Mt. Cotterell (height 204 metres).
These basalt plains grasslands are of State significance and are important as there remains just 0.01percent of native grasslands in Victoria today.
Pinkerton Landcare and Environment Group co-jointly manages the restoration of the grasslands in association with Western Water (Pinkerton Forest) and the Shire of Melton (Bush’s Paddock)
Restoration planting and propagation
Restoration planting has been undertaken using seeds from local provenance in the Mt. Cottrell/Exford region. Some of these have been propagated by members of the group. The species selection and composition for Pinkerton Forest has been modelled on the nearby Eynesbury woodland, of national significance, these being Sweet bursaria (Bursaria spinosa), Fragrant salt bush (Rhagodia parabolica), Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), and Gold dust wattle (Acacia acinacea). The planting of the regionally significant Turkey-bush (Eremophila deserti), propagated by a member of the group has been undertaken.
The result is that the grey box seedlings started growing, and gradually the understory, the previously unnoticed shrubs such as Turkey bush (Eremophilia deserti), Sweet bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) and Tree violet (Hymenanthera dentata) started to reappear. Lightwood and Gold-dust wattle (Acacias implexa and acinacea) have sprung up from nowhere, certainly not in the trial area which was burnt a few years ago, rare fungi have popped up, the native stipa grasses have set seed, and wild flowers such as Tufted blue bell (Wahlenbergia communis), White Lobe-seed daisies (Brachyscome dentata), New Holland daisy (Vittadinia cuneata), and Pussy tails (Ptilotus spathulatus) have flowered and set seed.
The grasslands are seen at their best in spring and summer when the wildflowers are flourishing and the native grasses are setting seed.
After six years of restoration work the wildlife has started to return to the woodland, using it as part of the Exford network of grassy grey box woodlands linked to the Werribee River.
January 2014
A pair of White-bellied Sea-eagles was observed in a tree beside the nest tree in which they had successfully nested in 2009 and 2010, raising a total of three chicks. Everyone had high hopes that the sea-eagles would once again nest in Pinkerton Forest. In January we had positive confirmation of Wedge-tailed Eagles nesting at Western Water.
In February of 2014 the juvenile eagle was seen at several sites at Western Water. It was immediately recognisable in its juvenile plumage, with golden shoulders and head, with the rest of the body a dark chocolate colour. It was usually disturbed while perched on the ground.