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Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary

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Australia
Victor Harbor, SA
Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary

A friendly group interested in the health & well-being of the much-loved Hindmarsh River Estuary ecology/habitat.

Meetings: Wednesday Mornings and 3rd Sunday of each month

26/10/2026

🌱 Xanthorrhoea: 100% Survival Rate! 🌱

For the past two years, our group has been experimenting with propagating Xanthorrhoea (grass trees), trialling different potting mixes, planting times and climate conditions.
After plenty of patience and learning, we’re thrilled to say we’ve cracked the formula!

In our first year, 80% of our seedlings survived. This year? A fantastic 100%! 🎉

We usually sow two or three seeds per pot, hoping at least one will germinate. This season, every seed sprouted!
That meant we could carefully transplant the extra seedlings into their own pots, giving them room to grow.

We’ve also discovered that these precious plants need two to three years in the nursery before they’re ready for planting out. With limited space and the cost of long-term watering, our FoHRE nursery has found another solution: sharing seedlings with members to grow in their own gardens.

Interestingly, Xanthorrhoea seem to love being tucked beneath overgrown bushes, enjoying the dappled shade while settling into the garden’s natural watering cycle.

Every seedling we nurture brings us one step closer to our long-term goal: reintroducing these beautiful native plants to the Hindmarsh River Estuary and restoring the natural character of our reserves. 🌿

Small seeds, big dreams, and a growing future for our local environment!

21/10/2026

🌱 Can We Grow 1,000 Wattles for HRR? 🌱

It’s an ambitious goal, but we’re giving it our best shot! 💚

Throughout the year, the Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary (FoHRE) have been busy gathering, collecting, trading and purchasing the seeds needed for this year’s propagation efforts, with the aim of planting our seedlings in the Hindmarsh River Reserves in 2027.

Over the past six years, our dedicated propagation team has gained valuable experience and confidence, refining tried-and-true methods to grow as many healthy seedlings as possible.

It’s been a real delight to watch our team working together, carefully tending to each task while trying out little experiments along the way. There’s always something new to learn when you’re working with nature! 🌿

Just this month, we’ve come together again to begin the next important stage: transferring our growing seedlings from trays into individual tubes. This is a big job, and it will take several weeks to complete!

🎯 Our goal? To grow 1,000 wattles!

The Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary are aiming to have 1,000 wattle seedlings ready to plant throughout the Hindmarsh River Reserves next year, helping to nurture and restore our precious local environment.

It’s certainly an ambitious target, but with teamwork, patience and a whole lot of care, we’re giving it our best shot!

🌱 We’ll share our final numbers once the potting-up is complete, so stay tuned to see how close we get to our goal!

Every seed counts, and every seedling is a step towards a greener future for the Hindmarsh River. 💚🌿

17/10/2026

🦔 Creating a food spot for the echidna! 🌿

Our Pearson Wall Garden is growing beautifully, with grasses now setting seed for future propagation across Hindmarsh River Reserves.

But we’ve had an unexpected visitor! 🐜
A young echidna has discovered our garden and is digging in for a feast of ants.

A beautiful bonus — our garden is not only looking good and growing the next generation of grasses, it’s also providing food for local wildlife! 💚🌱

10/10/2026

Another 600!
Just when we thought planting season was finished, along came Second Nature Conservancy with the Healthy Urban Waterways – Mount Barker and Fleurieu Coast Project!

More than 600 local seedlings, carefully selected to reflect the local plant communities of the area, are now planted throughout the Hindmarsh River Estuary, with a further 2,000 seedlings destined for the Inman River.

This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust through the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, with the support of Second Nature Conservancy.

With Aaron Cheesman, Ross Oke and Ben Simon leading the charge, FOHRE members were excited to get involved and lend a hand.

After constructing tree guards and learning about their planting methods, we headed to our first planting site around the stormwater drain outlet at Cudmore Reserve.
Our second site focused on the stormwater drain outlet at Wattle Reserve, before finishing up at the river-side slope opposite Adare Camping.

Every plant received its own tree guard and, most importantly, a good drink of water to help it get established.

It was a fantastic experience for our group. We had the opportunity to see a range of different species being reintroduced into these areas, gain valuable insight into new planting techniques, and look towards the future to harvest seeds and cuttings for ongoing revegetation efforts.

A huge effort from everyone involved, and a special thank you to Second Nature Conservancy for inviting FOHRE to be part of this fantastic project.

We’re looking forward to watching these little plants grow and seeing the positive impact they have on our waterways and local environment.

02/10/2026

🌱 3,000 seedlings. One estuary. Countless lives to benefit. 🐦💚

FoHRE Focus!

We’re incredibly proud to share 3,000 native seedlings have been planted by FoHRE this season! 🌿
That’s 3,000 little plants now beginning their journey towards becoming food, shelter, habitat and protection for the wildlife of our Hindmarsh River Estuary.

And it’s about so much more than simply planting trees...

🌳 Up high, our River Red Gums and Pink Gums are growing towards the existing canopy, creating future habitat for the birds that love life in the treetops.
🌿 Down lower, we’re extending our shrub plantations with species such as Kangaroo Thorn and Hakeas, providing protection and shelter for smaller birds.
🌾 And closer to the ground, a diverse mix of grasses is creating habitat for those tiny birds and creatures that prefer to keep their feet firmly planted!

🌼 At the same time, we’re increasing the supply of nectar and seeds — helping create a landscape where wildlife can find both shelter and food.

But here’s the really exciting part...
When we plant for the birds, we don’t just get birds. 🐦
These growing plant communities are bringing life at every level.
🐢 Turtles
🦔 Echidnas
🦎 Reptiles
🦋 Butterflies
🐜 Ants
🐸 Frogs
🐝 Insects
And so much more!

Walk through the reserves now and you can see that something special is happening.

What were once small plantings are beginning to become living communities, buzzing, crawling, hopping, flying and growing.

They will become part of the bigger picture
🌱 3,000 seedlings planted.
🐦 Countless creatures to benefit.
🌿 A healthier estuary for generations to come.

And we’re only getting started!

Address

Cudmore Reserve
Victor Harbor, SA
5211

Website

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