Yearly Archives: 2012

Sea spurge – an invasive threat in the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park

Sea spurge, Euphorbia paralias, is an invasive beach weed that originated from Europe. Sea spurge was probably introduced to Australia in ships’ ballast water about 70 years ago. The plant first appeared in Western Australia and is now found throughout south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait. The weed is now in the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.

Sea spurge is a problem because each plant can produce up to 5000 salt-tolerant seeds. These seeds can survive for a number of years on ocean currents that spread them from beach to beach. Once established, a sea spurge colony can spread rapidly, displacing the native vegetation and changing the structure of the beach. This can disrupt many native species including the endangered shorebirds (hooded plovers, little terns and oystercatchers) that use open sand spits for nesting.

Sea spurge can grow anywhere on the beach front, from the high water mark to well into the dunes, and has also been found on rocky foreshores and rock shelves, on the steep back dunes and inside the mouths of coastal lakes and estuaries. It has now been observed at a number of locations inside the Gippsland Lakes, as well as along the coastal side of the Lakes.


Friends of the Parks and Reserves of the Gippsland Lakes (FoGL), in partnership with Parks Victoria (PV), is undertaking a weeding program at a number of locations within the Coastal Park. The first of these was held at Barrier Landing and Rigby Island on November 20^th. Six  FoGL members and three PV staff removed the weed from both sides of the coastal track at Barrier Landing, as well as along the lake shore. They were also able to clear a more remote area on Rigby Island.

Follow up weeding at these sites is planned for the autumn and it is hoped that regular twice yearly maintenance will keep Sea spurge under control, so that it does not become a problem weed in the Park.

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FoGL’s annual Boole Poole monitoring project

FoGL’s concern that introduced browsers, namely Hog Deer, have a negative impact on biodiversity in the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park has led to an annual monitoring project to record species and recruitment, survivability and growth rates of native plant species on Boole Poole.
Assistance has been provided by Bruce Macpherson, Conservation and Land Management, Forestec who has created the methodology and James Turner, renowned local botanist and FoGL member who has identified the species existing in the survey areas.

Go »here to read their reports for which FoGL are very grateful.

Thanks also to Parks Victoria for their assistance.
What is significant is the degree to which browsing has inhibited growth of seedlings and what species are missing entirely which normally would be expected to exist in the survey areas.

Spring comes to Macleod Morass

Friends of the Parks and Reserves of the Gippsland Lakes (FoGL) held a very well attended Springtime walk at Macleod Morass on Saturday October 13th. After the rejuvenation of Winter and Spring, the Morass is a hive of activity.
This 520 hectare fresh water marsh is part of a worldwide scheme to protect and enhance wetland habitat. Spring is probably the best time of year to appreciate the breadth of its wildlife.
The walk through the Morass was led by Jim Reside of Wildlife Unlimited, a professional environmental consultancy based in Bairnsdale which works internationally as well as throughout Australia.
The Morass has been under threat by the rampant growth of Cumbungi, which has made it difficult for birds to move through and nest. Birdlife EAST Gippsland has previously recorded 155 species in this area. Bairnsdale’s Head Ranger Jeremy Tscharke described how Parks Victoria had approached the management of this important area which is subject to the conditions of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.