Elsie Lange
Fifty years ago, in 1972, Organ Pipes National Park was proclaimed.
Its stunning and unique basalt columns were formed from ancient molten lava, and rise up in a rocky facade like an organ in a cathedral of Australian scrub.
With the park’s creation came the establishment of the Friends of Organ Pipes National Park (FOOPs), to protect and regenerate the area to its original glory, and they want more people to join them.
Celebrating their 50th year, FOOPs convener Loretta Beliniak said 15 to 20 people make their way down to a working bee on the fourth Saturday of every month to take part in caring for the land straddling Brimbank and Hume.
“We are preserving the national park, it’s the closest national park to Melbourne.
“We’re regenerating the area … it was completely farmed out and full of artichoke thistle, but to get involved, people are bringing back what used to be there,” Ms Beliniak said.
“Planting trees, planting understory, and now we’re going to be looking at revegetating along the Calder with beautiful grassland species.”
Ms Beliniak said it was “so nice to see” the return of native animals after FOOPs re-planted the area’s indigenous tree species.
“We get this great feeling when we’re doing our sugar glider monitoring and our bat monitoring that not only are we looking after the flora, but we’re actually bringing back the fauna and giving them habitat,” she said.
Their next working bee will be a joint event for Clean Up Australia Day. To be a part of it, head to the Organ Pipes National Park visitor centre at 9am on Saturday, March 26.
