The Guriwal Trail is a dedicated bushland site in Centennial Park. It is a place or learning and sharing Aboriginal plant uses and culture. In 1998 the Guriwal Trail was first developed with the assistance of trainees from the Guriwal Aboriginal Corporation La Perouse to interpret the flora and fauna of the area. In 2000 a local Aboriginal woman, Debbie Lennis, was employed by the Parklands to further develop the trail and to create interpretation artworks.
History of the Guriwal Trail
Over the years it became overgrown with weeds and needed some much-needed attention. In March 2016 Centennial Parklands it was identified as a project that volunteers could work. With consultation with local Aboriginal community, Volunteer Programs staff and Brenden Moore, Aboriginal Educational Officer for Community Greening, it was identified as an important project to re-establish. This led to the development of a new community volunteer program to maintain this large 13,000 square metre site. The restoration has also become a popular activity for corporate volunteer groups.
Volunteers have been instrumental in refurbishing and reinvigorating this important cultural site. They have contributed over 6,000 hours of hard graft by removing loads of invasive plants, spread over 100 cubic metres of mulch across the site, improved the trail’s accessibility, and lovingly planted over 500 native plants. Many plants used in the Guriwal have been propagated by the Nursery Growing Group volunteers using local provenance plants where possible.
Enhancing our Aboriginal bush tucker arboretum
Work is undertaken in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The bushland site is an important bird habitat and corridor, we have ensured weed removal has been completed in incremental stages and a mosaic fashion ensuring food source and habitat is maintained whilst allowing regeneration of native plants.
The project has numerous opportunities. It is a now a regular space for Centennial Parklands educational activities, local community visits, and regular visits from rehabilitation residents from the Prince of Wales Hospital. Ideas and input from community will see Aboriginal plant use interpretation installed throughout the trail and the carving of a dead Eucalypt tree by an Aboriginal artist.
Benefits of volunteering on this unique project
The Guriwal Trail program has allowed volunteers to contribute to a worthy ongoing project with great health and social benefits. With all the work so far there has been an increase in diversity of native plant species and an improvement to the site aesthetics. Most importantly it is a space that will be a canvas for cultural knowledge that will be shared with Parklands visitors.
It's a fantastic way to connect with like-minded people and the natural environment while learning new skills and improving your knowledge in native plant, weed identification and control methods.
Next time you’re in the Parklands, keep your eye out for this evolving and exciting project which is located between Randwick Gate and Fernley Grounds next to the bike hire and Greenhouse at Centennial Park Café.
More information about this project below.
Habitat Restoration Volunteers are required to:
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Understand the goals and objectives of the overall project
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Work positively and cooperatively within a diverse group
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Work unsupervised and as part of a team depending upon the task
What do volunteers need?
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On the day you will need preferably long sleeves and long trousers, sturdy enclosed shoes, wide-brimmed hat, water and sunscreen.
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No experience is necessary.
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Good physical fitness is also required – bush revegetation can be hard work.
What to expect
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This hands-on project involves Bushcare like tasks, such as: removing invasive species, planting, installation of tree guards and important maintenance such as watering.
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We supply onsite training, all the tools, gloves and morning tea.
Dates
Every Wednesday from 9:30am to 12:30pm
Volunteer for the Guriwal Trail Refurbishment Project
Vacancies are currently available for this program. If you are keen on being involved on a regular basis please register here, or please email us with any enquiries.
This position requires a 6 month minimum commitment of at least 9 sessions. An induction is required to participate in this program. These take place twice a term. On registration we will contact you with the next available induction day.
Note: The Bird Habitat revegetation project works in conjunction with Guriwal Trail project under the title of Habitat Restoration program.