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Modelled extent of Pre-European and contemporary grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plain. Enlarge Image.
GPN is conducting an audit of the grasslands of Melbourne, with the aim of recording their extent and quality and making that information publicly available through the map above. This is an ongoing project, and the maps in our map library will be regularly updated.
Incredibly, no thorough map of Melbourne’s grasslands exists. This gap shows just how under-resourced Melbourne’s grasslands are.
Grasslands are managed by a multitude of organisations, including 15 local councils, a couple of rail authorities, VicRoads, various utility companies, other government departments such as DELWP and Parks Victoria, federal authorities, as well as many private landholders.
Ajax Road Grassland
Nationally significant grassland with Critically Endangered Spiny Rice-flower and rare salt-tolerant Kangaroo Grass. Adjacent to state-significant Truganina Swamp and linked to Ramsar wetlands. Privately owned and poorly managed. GPN and local council blocked attempts to develop and clear the grassland. Part of a proposed Hobsons Bay Coast to Grassland biolink.
Main photo: Looking east, over the edge of Truganina Swamp, and rare salt-tolerate Kangaroo Grass
2: A vast sea of Kangaroo Grass
3: Embedded rock, never ploughed
4: Expanse of Kangaroo Grass less obvious now after several years of La Nina
5: Looking north from a management track on the southern edge
6: Looking west
7: Occasionally waterlogged
8: On a residential street, passive recreation could provide a positive buffer
9: The grassland interface is unsightly here, with dumping and rampant weeds