Truganina South NCR

Public engagement potential:
For discussion

Summary
Truganina South is a major grassland in Wyndham City that has a strong residential context and a population that, for various historical reasons, has particularly negative attitudes to the grassland. Improvements to the presentation of the grassland are desperately needed, as are efforts to engage the surrounding community.

Showcase plantings that demonstrate the beauty of grasslands are important for the greater grassland conservation effort because otherwise all people see are poor degraded examples of grassland. We have to change the perception of grasslands. We can aim to leverage positive experiences to then further engage people with grasslands that may not immediately present with strong engagement qualities such as floral display.

If done well, a multi-year engagement process at Truganina South NCR using a range of actions would provide a good case study for what can be achieved. The learnings from such a project would have direct application across most of the grasslands in Melbourne’s north and west.

Conservation values
Truganina South NCR is is managed by Parks Victoria with funding from DEECA, and primarily reserved as part of the Melbourne Strategic Assessment for the conservation of Golden sun moth (Synemon plana) and Striped legless lizard (Delma impar).

As a grassland, it is generally not species-rich, though its population of Grassland candles (Stackhousia subterranea) puts on a good show. Parts have been previously cropped. Stony rises have the best floristic values.

It is the site for two experiments: one on Serrated tussock control, the other with plantings of Button wrinklewort (Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides) as an investigation into their genetics.