A Guide to SOUTH STREET MURDOCH MURDOCH Poolgarla UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY Walk Trail CAMPUS CAMPUS CAMPUS DRIVE BANKSIA WOODLAND RESERVE KENNEDY BAPTIST COLLEGE MURDOCH DRIVE MURDOCH UNIVERSITY CAMPUS VETERINARY FARM ENTRANCEG FARRINGTON ROAD Legend Koorloo (Wisteria) 1.2km return Poolgarla (Bull Banksia) 1km return Ngoolark (Carnaby’s Cockatoo) 1km return Trail entry via pedestrian gate Burnt area Welcome to the History of the Banksia Location Poolgarla Walk Trail Woodland Reserve The Banksia Woodland reserve is located at Murdoch University’s Murdoch campus. Access any of the three walk The Poolgarla (Bull Banksia) walk trail is one of three trails The lands now used for Murdoch University, Beeliar Regional trails through the Banksia Woodland reserve from Campus through the Banksia Woodland reserve. The reserve is located Park and the Banksia Woodland were first used by Nyoongar Drive, which comes off Farrington Road. An informal parking within Murdoch University’s Murdoch campus and is managed Whadjuk people to move between the freshwater lakes and area is available off Campus Drive adjacent to the Somerville by the University. It forms part of the Beeliar Regional Park. wetlands. Here they hunted and gathered a huge diversity Baptist College, but please do not park in the College’s of plants and animals to be used for food, medicine, shelter, grounds or on vegetation (see adjoining map). The Poolgarla Trail is 1km in length, with interpretive signage tools and utensils. More recently, much of this region was linking the six Nyoongar seasons to the flora. Enjoy a walk used for grazing horses, cattle and sheep, and was planted and discover what is flowering during these seasons and the with pine trees (Pinus pinaster) for timber. Acknowledgments Nyoongar uses for them. The Banksia Woodland is unique in the region because it Murdoch University stands on Whadjuk Nyoongar land. The trail can be enjoyed as a self-guided walk or by joining was logged for native timber (jarrah and marri), and used The University manages the Banksia Woodland reserve in one of the occasional guided walks by the Murdoch branch of for grazing, but it was never part of the pine plantations. conjunction with the Murdoch Environmental Restoration the Wildflower Society. Come experience and learn about the Therefore, the reserve has retained much of its precious soil Group (MERG) as part of the Beeliar Regional Park. These intricacies of the Banksia Woodland and its special place on structure and native plant diversity. A remnant of the old post information leaflets, and the interpretive signage along the Murdoch campus and in Nyoongar culture. and wire fence still stands near the Poolgarla walk trail’s the Koorlo walk trail, were developed with Environmental northern side. The walk trails were constructed by Murdoch Community Grant funding from the Department of This reserve is precious. Please help us protect this area from University in 1994 and the University conducts ongoing Environment and Conservation. Photos supplied by Keith the spread of dieback and other plant diseases by staying significant environmental restoration projects to protect the Lightbody, Leah Knapp, Neil Goldsborough, Tony Kirkby and on the paths and ensuring your footwear is clean before Woodland’s biodiversity values. Jiri Lochman. entering. Consider cleaning your shoes before leaving home with a brush or spraying with metholated spirits. Take only photographs; leave only footprints. Climate Watch The Banksia Woodland is a Climate Watch trail. Record your observations about selected flora and animals on the Climate Watch app, and help scientists understand how climate change is impacting on biodiversity all over Australia. Species of interest to Climate Watch are indicated on these brochures with a green and white dotted circle logo. Pine plantation in the early 1950s – South Street is the curved road at the top right hand corner. Chelodina Wetland, now at the centre of Murdoch University’s Campus, is centred in the photo, the edge of North Lake can be seen on the top left hand corner. CRICOS Provider Code 00125J MCO0003689 00125J Code Provider CRICOS For more information or to volunteer with Murdoch University’s environmental restoration projects, please contact the University’s Sustainability Officer on 9360 6361 or [email protected] To report any concerns about the reserve please contact the University’s Facilities Management help desk on 9360 2211. The Six Nyoongar Seasons BIRAK (the fruiting) BUNURU (the hot and dry) DJERAN (first rains - first dew) December to January February to March April to May This season is characterised by hot and dry easterlies with Bunuru’s hot easterly and northerly winds were a signal to Djeran’s cooler winds from the southwest bring night time afternoon sea breezes. Nyoongar people would be fishing on Nyoongar people that it was the best time for collecting kula dew and sometimes frosts. Nyoongar people would begin the coast or in the estuaries using kaili (fish traps) and spears. (native plum), kogain (zamia nuts) and parrot eggs, spear moving inland from the coast, stopping along the way at Birak was also the time of firing of the shrublands to open the fishing for jilgi (marron) and hunting for karta (monitor lizard). coastal lakes to hunt buyi (tortoise), meel (swans) and unana space up for hunting. This was done in a mosaic pattern to Various housekeeping activities were undertaken, such as (ducks). Kangaroo skin cloaks were worn with the fur facing provide areas of refuge for animals. making wandi dishes in preparation for the group’s autumn in to shed rain and stay warm. travels inland. Flora Flora Moodjar Flora Djiriji Nuytsia floribunda Marri Macrozamia riedlei Christmas tree Eucalyptus calophylla Zamia The Moodjar is a root Marri Nyoongars knew that the hemiparasite, which means it The common name ‘Marri, nuts from the Djirji (on the is photosynthetic and obtains is from the Nyoongar word male plants), which were water and mineral nutrients from for blood, which refers to the ready in Djeran, were edible its hosts. Nyoongars enjoyed reddish ‘kino’ gum that seeps if soaked and buried for a the sweet gum that exudes from through the trunk’s bark. long time first. European wounds on the trunk, which was The fruits, commonly called settlers tried to eat them raw, which resulted in cyanide collected and eaten raw. The Honkey nuts, carry large seeds poisoning. Djiriji are from an ancient genus of plants, tree is usually hard to spot, but that provide an important Macrozamia, which includes up to 40 species of cycads that during Birak the canopy is filled food source for some species are endemic to, or only found in, Australia. with a stunning mass of bright of parrots, including black orange flowers. cockatoos. The flowers, Fauna prevalent during Bunuru, also Buyi provide a nectar food source Chelodina oblonga for cockatoos and other birds. Long-neck or oblong turtle The Buyi‘s remarkable neck can be even longer Fauna than its body length. Buyis Bambi are members of a group Nyctinomus australis collectively known as ‘side- White-striped mastiff bat Fauna necked turtles’, due to the characteristic manner in Bambi are chocolate-brown to Karta which the neck is retracted sideways in front of the shell black with two white stripes at Varanus gouldii leaving the head exposed. Buyis are found in the Chelodina the junction of wings and body. Gould’s Monitor Wetland on Murdoch University’s Murdoch campus. They can They are the largest bat found The Gould’s monitor venture in to the Banksia Woodland to lay their eggs, which in the Perth region at 9cm and is a ground- hatch during Djeran. are the only bat in the region whose call is audible to humans. dwelling lizard that The “ting....ting....ting” sound can be heard at night. All bats excavates large burrows for shelter. It is diurnal, meaning are very active during Birak, feeding on an abundance of most of its activities take place during the day. If startled or insects above the tree canopy. Bat boxes have been installed threatened, this goanna stands on its rear legs and runs very within the Banksia Woodland to create additional bat quickly to climb to the highest point nearby. It is a relentless roosting habitat. forager, so look out for its foot and tail prints across the sandy tracks. It is also known as the sand goanna, the sand monitor, or racehorse goanna. MAKURU (the wet) DJILBA (time of flowering) KAMBARANG (the flowering) June to July August to September October to November During the season of soaking rains, Nyoongar people moved Nyoongar people began to move westward toward the coast Springtime in the Banksia Woodland is the height of the inland to the Darling Scarp to escape the cold coastal winds. as the weather warmed. Along their journeys they collected wildflower season. Groups of Nyoongars began returning This was the season for collecting meel (swan) and unana bird eggs such as gnowan (mallee hen), fungi and worin to the Swan Coastal Plain, taking advantage of this area (duck) eggs. They would gather edible fungi and the fruits of (yams), hunted quenda (bandicoot), onger (kangaroo), kumal to hunt wooda (bronzewing pigeons), dowerin (ringneck the gandala (Persoonia saccata or snottygobble). The new (possum) and speared fish. Stone axes and other tools were parrots) karta (monitor lizard), yorn (bobtail), ulart (blue season’s crop of djita (orchids), kulang (bloodroots) and kara also made during this season. tongue lizard) norna (tiger snake) and dugite, and collect (milkmaids) were also gathered. buyi (tortoise) eggs. Flora Flora Djara Flora Djita Eucalyptus marginata Balga Pterostylis vittata or Jarrah Xanthorrhoea preissii sanguinea Nyoongars used Jarrah to Balga Banded Greenhood create the boomerang and During Kambarang, the Pterostylis sanguinea is a wandi (dishes) because of female Balgas produce a brown, or sometimes green, its strength and durability.