Restoration and Monitoring of Clyde Grasslands along the Disused Rail Line

The Restoration and Monitoring of Clyde Grasslands along the Disused Rail Line project is a VicTrack-funded initiative aimed at managing and restoring a six kilometre link of indigenous vegetation in Clyde (South-east of Melbourne). The site is a significant link of remnant vegetation, due to its proximity to both the Westernport Ramsar wetland and the former Westernport Swamp. It contains a number of endangered vegetation communities and threatened species and is especially important for the provision of habitat for the EPBC Act listed Southern Brown Bandicoot.

Revegetation works have been sympathetic to the surrounding environments, focussing on creating habitat for Southern Brown Bandicoots and protecting the Maroon Leek Orchid.

Four treatments to control weeds were undertaken in a systematic manner across the entire six kilometres of the project site.

The community was involved in a planting day and there has been significant interest amongst the local Landcare groups regarding this project, with some of the groups wanting to do projects further along the line. As the site soils are highly modified, it needs a lot of rain before the soil is suitable for planting. Revegetation works completed have taken really well, providing habitat suitable for the Southern Brown Bandicoot.