Castlemaine - Kaweka Wildflower Reserve
Kaweka Wildflower Reserve is a small reserve of approximately 8ha and has an accessible network of paths through the reserve for an easy 30-60 minute walk. You'll spot an array of native and local wildflowers (some labelled), and birds. You can have a picnic at the picnic tables.
The land in Kaweka was originally taken up by Miners' Right by Mr E Leviny. The property was sold to Mr David Thompson of the Foundry. The property was named Kaweka, believed to be a Maori word meaning "House on the Hill". The house was built about 1880, north of the present reserve. In 1914 the property was bought by Mr F.S. Newell, a solicitor, who subdivided it. The southern part was bought by Mr Don Macrae who presented it to the town to be kept as a wildflower reserve in memory of his mother, who had been an enthusiastic grower and preserver of native plants.
In 1966 a public meeting was called and a committee of management formed. Local and non-local native plants have been planted in the reserve. The policy of the committee now is to plant only local species.
Kaweka is situated north on Hargraves Street near Turner Street in Castlemaine. From the Castlemaine Post Office, drive north (towards Bendigo) and turn right along Turner Street to the park entrance.
Kaweka through the seasons
The appearance of Kaweka changes from season to season
EARLY SPRING. Wattles are prominent. Hardenbergia, hovea, greenhood and leopard orchids, pink fingers, scented sundew and fairy wax-flower are also in flower.
MID SPRING. The bush is at its showiest. Many of the plants of early spring are still in flower, and others are coming into full bloom. The flowers include waxlip orchid, primrose goodenia, parrot-peas, sticky boronia, daisy bushes, candles, mint-bush, pink bells and grevilleas.
LATE SPRING. Lilies are in flower. They include trigger plants, milkmaids, flax, bulbine and chocolate lilies. Sun orchids, everlasting and button daisies are all conspicuous. Other flowers include peas, blue pincushion and diggers' speedwell.
EARLY SUMMER Grasses are in flower. Three tall grasses are red-anther wallaby-grass, spear grass and tussock grass (Poa). They look best in the early morning or late evening with the sunlight slanting through them. Magenta stork's-bill, sweet bursaria and wirilda (an acacia) are also in flower. Many of the everlasting daisies are still flowering, and bluebells are common.
LATE-SUMMER - AUTUMN. The range of brown tones is a feature of the bushland. There are some flowers. Coffee bush has colours to match autumn. The pale flowers of spreading wattle are also prominent. The summer and autumn orchids are in flower. Keen eyesight is needed to find them. The beautiful box mistletoe and cranberry heath are also flowering.
WINTER. Mt Morgan, Flinder's Range, bent-leaf, woolly wattle and the local spreading wattle are some of the acacias that light up the winter scene. Pincushion hakea and bushy needlewood are also flowering.
Kaweka Wildflower Reserve Walk
A walk through Kaweka Wildflower Reserve along formed tracks. Allow 30 to 60 minutes for the walk.
The walk starts at the Turner Street entrance. Turn downhill towards Hargraves Street. Arrows show the path.
A. Hargraves St fence. The tall smooth-barked trees near the fence are yellow gums (Eucalyptus leucoxylon). Gums have deciduous bark, most of which peels off each year. Many shed their bark in autumn, when the colour difference between the new bark and the old bark makes an attractive contrast. Some of the trees have clumps of box mistletoe (Amyema miquelii). The leaves, flowers and fruit of mistletoe are an important food source for many native animals.
A creek through the corner of the reserve was filled, and under-ground pipes installed many years ago. The deeper soil and extra moisture favours weeds. The outline of a small pond can be seen. It was filled with soil for safety reasons.
Willow Hakea (Hakea salicina) is a shrub native to WA. Several were Willow Hakea planted in the corner. The original plants have died, and those now present are self-sown. Other planted species include wattles, bottle brushes, eucalypts and paperbarks.
B. Granite bird bath. Many shrubs grow on the shallower, less fertile soil. These include grevilleas, wattles, bitter-peas, hakea, bursaria and coffee bush.
Several kinds of rough-barked eucalypts grow in the reserve. Eucalypts produce new bark each year. Unlike the smooth-barked gums, rough-barked eucalypts retain their old bark.
The boxes have finely-fibrous bark. Red box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos) has wide, almost round leaves. Grey box (E. microcarpa) is an erect, often Y-shaped tree with smooth upper branches. Long-leaf box (E. goniocalyx) is usually a spreading tree. Its blue-grey sucker leaves are round and in stalkless pairs.
Red stringbark (E. macrorhyncha) has bark with long stringy fibres.
Nesting boxes have been placed in some of the trees to provide hollows for hollow-dwelling birds and possums.
C. Spring wildflowers. Local and non-local natives line the path. They make a fine show in Spring.
Although ironbarks do not occur naturally in the reserve, Kaweka is an example of a box-ironbark forest. The box-ironbark forests are very variable. The kinds of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses vary from place to place, and box-ironbarks have a high biodiversity. The most common eucalypts in the Victorian box-ironbark forests are ironbarks, red stringybark, grey, yellow, red and long-leaf box, and yellow gum.
D. The east end. This patch of Kaweka has such shallow soil that most weed species find it difficult to become established. Shrubs along this stretch of track include wattles, grevilleas, bush-peas, daisies and cypress pine.
During the gold rush, most of the trees in the goldfields were cut down. Suckers grew from the stumps, so that many of the eucalypts in Kaweka now have a multi-trunked habit.
E. Gate. The Kalimna Reserve is to the east. The golf course occupies part of the reserve. The Kalimna Tourist Road is along the ridge in the distance. The junior campus of the Secondary College is in Milkmaids Flat to the north-east.
F. Another bird bath. The plaque beside the bath explains the origin of the bath. Native violets can sometimes be found beside the bath. They are common in the wetter forests to the south.
G. Rock Outcrop. This rock is more resistant to erosion than the neighbouring rock, and now is exposed as a ridge. Lichen is colonising the exposed rock. Other kinds of lichen also grow on the soil and help to bind the soil particles. Often the soil lichen has a dark colour.
H. Life and death in the bushland. This section of the reserve has few planted species, and is mostly weed free.
Red-anther wallaby-grass (Joycea pallida) is the most conspicuous of the native tussock Grasses. Bushy needlewood (Hakea decurrens) is prominent. Over most seasons, dead shrubs can be seen. This is part of the normal cycle of life and death. When a needlewood dies, the woody seed cases open to release the seed. New plants germinate to replace the dead plants. Spreading wattle, which also grows here, and bushy needlewood are similar when not in flower. The seed cases differ - wattles have pods and needlewood has woody seed cases.
I. Creek. The path descends to the small creek where the soil is more fertile and moister, and many weeds compete with the native species. Trees and shrubs have been planted to help reduce the number of weeds.
J. Coffee bush is one of the commonest shrubs in the local bushland. It flowers in Autumn when the coffee-coloured flowers are conspicuous. It is a pioneer species and one of the first to come up when land is cleared.
K. Gate at eastern end of Turner St. Several Oyster-Bay cypress-pines have been planted near near the gate. The smooth barked eucalypts are yellow gums. Part of the reserve east of the gate was accidentally burned in March 1996. The extent and type of regeneration can be seen.
L. The seat. Several fairy wax (Philotheca verrucosus) grow nearby. When in flower fairy wax is a showy shrub with starry white to pink flowers. The leaves are warty. It is also known as Bendigo wax.
Most of the trees in the vicinity are red box. Dead branches and twigs show that the trees are under stress.
Location
16 Turner Street, Castlemaine 3450 Map
