Friends of Glenfern Valley Bushlands

Friends of Glenfern Valley Bushlands Glenfern Valley Bushlands comprises 40 hectares or 100 acres, 35 km east of Melbourne.

Formed in late 2001 the FoGVB work to restore the natural bushland, improve visitor facilities and provide educational opportunities to students and the general public. It is bounded on the south by Glenfern Road, on the west by New Road, the north boundary is Ferny Creek and the eastern boundary is 'Depot Track'. The land falls gently from south to north, with Grassy Forest and Herb Rich Foothill

Forest on high ground to Riparian Forest at the creek line. It is in the Southern Fall Bioregion, and contains a large area of remnant vegetation. This land is now Crown Land under management by Department of Environment & Primary Industries and the Shire of Yarra Ranges. It is being rehabilitated by Friends of Glenfern Valley Bushlands - a volunteer group of interested local people who w**d and plant in the park on a monthly basis. This land is now used for passive recreation - walking, bird watching, etc.

Due to the cold, wet and windy weather, this morning's - Wednesday 3rd June - working bee has been cancelled.
02/06/2026

Due to the cold, wet and windy weather, this morning's - Wednesday 3rd June - working bee has been cancelled.

02/06/2026

This Wednesday 3 June we’ll hold our midweek Conservation & Conversation morning from 9am-11am, followed by morning tea.

We’ll meet at the central entrance with the rock wall, and check on the recovery in area 2, where the controlled burn took place in Dec 2024.

Some of us may head over to New Rd to clear overgrown vegetation.

We’ll provide you with tools, hand sanitiser, morning tea.

If we need to cancel because of rain, we'll post an update on Facebook. 🌿

We beat the predicted rains with our rescheduled Area 14 planting this morning. In fact it was a perfect day to be outsi...
16/05/2026

We beat the predicted rains with our rescheduled Area 14 planting this morning. In fact it was a perfect day to be outside. Thanks to all those to were able to make themselves available on what would normally take place on the third Sunday of the month.

Emily has been the architect of this planting and we look forward to seeing how it progresses over time. Speaking of time, in due course we will continue to remove exotic species from the embankment in Area 14 (along part of Ferndale Rd) and add more indigenous plants.

After planting 200 tube stock and stopping for morning tea, we pulled out onion w**d and tackled the jungle where Blackberries are entangled with Wonga Vine - the stuff dreams are made of! (Good on you, Mike.)

Join us for our next environmental adventure…our Midweek Conservation & Conversation, to be held on Wednesday 3 June, 9am-11am. 🌿

Photos by Linda & Daniel

13/05/2026

🌱 Change of plan for this weekend’s Planting Morning!

The plants are ready to go in, but with rain expected on Sunday, we’re moving the Planting Morning forward to Saturday16 May.

Same time, same place as outlined in our previous post — just one day earlier 🌿

UPDATE: We've moved this event to Saturday 16 May as rain is forecast for Sunday and we have tube-stock we want to get i...
11/05/2026

UPDATE: We've moved this event to Saturday 16 May as rain is forecast for Sunday and we have tube-stock we want to get in the ground this weekend.
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Our next bush restoration morning is on Sunday 17 May 2026, 9.30am - 12.30pm. We'll meet on Ferndale Road, UFTG. (Turn right off New Road.) The approximate Google Plus location is 38V6+JCR UFTG.

You are very welcome for all or part of the morning; or if you are unable to participate in the work, do feel free to join us at 11am, when we stop for morning tea and an informative talk about a plant, animal, or other aspect of the reserve.

Please bring sturdy shoes, long pants, garden gloves and drinking water. We'll provide you with tools and hand sanitiser.

We hope to see you there!

🌿

If it rains we will inform you via email & Facebook.

Our next midweek Conservation & Conversation will be held on Wednesday 3 June, 9am-11am

https://www.glenfernvalleybushlands.org.au

It was another very productive morning spent preparing Area 14 for planting. The team dug out Angled Onion and other w**...
06/05/2026

It was another very productive morning spent preparing Area 14 for planting. The team dug out Angled Onion and other w**ds then spread two large piles of mulch over the bank. Many hands do make light work as it only took one and half hours. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious morning tea and a chat.

This is a very challenging site to rehabilitate and will need lots of attention to tip the balance from w**ds to indigenous plants but we are up for it.

Sunday was a beautiful day to be in the reserve. We roamed through Area 2 (that was the site of an environmental burn in...
21/04/2026

Sunday was a beautiful day to be in the reserve. We roamed through Area 2 (that was the site of an environmental burn in December 2024) helping to protect the nascent growth of indigenous acacias, grasses and climbers, to name a few.

The fenced exclusion plots have been carefully w**ded by Council staff and contractors since the burn, and the fencing protects them from grazing by kangaroos and rabbits. It’s interesting to compare and contrast the vegetation inside the fencing to the outside areas.

We also welcomed some new faces to the bush restoration, and Jeff Marriott - Councillor for Streeton Ward spoke at our famous morning tea. Thanks to everyone who attended! It was an enjoyable morning.

Photos by Daniel

Yarra Ranges Council have told us they are planning a burn in Glenfern Valley Bushlands in the coming weeks. They will b...
16/04/2026

Yarra Ranges Council have told us they are planning a burn in Glenfern Valley Bushlands in the coming weeks. They will be posting information boards in the reserve.

This is a low intensity planned burn in the southeast corner of the reserve; the total area may not be treated in one day. (see map below).

This is an ecological burn, carried out by Council's Bushland Team. As such the main aim of the burn is to encourage biodiversity in the form of fresh regrowth and decrease the dry fuels available. A secondary objective is to reduce overall fuel loads and bushfire risk to local properties.

Planned burns are weather dependent. Council can't give us the exact date of the burn; only that they hope it will occur within the next month.

After the burn Council staff will patrol and monitor the area for several days, putting out or removing any smouldering material, until the burn is eventually declared safe.

You are all welcome at our Bushland Restoration morning to be held this coming Sunday 19 April, from 9:30 am - 12:30pm. ...
15/04/2026

You are all welcome at our Bushland Restoration morning to be held this coming Sunday 19 April, from 9:30 am - 12:30pm.
We'll meet at the central entrance, to check on area 2.

You are very welcome for all or part of the morning; or if you are unable to participate in the work, do feel free to join us at 11am, when we stop for morning tea and an informative talk about a plant, animal, or other aspect of the reserve.

Please bring sturdy shoes, gloves, drinking water. We'll provide you with morning tea, tools, and hand sanitiser.

Looking forward to seeing you then! 🌿

Area 14 received a bit more attention from our volunteers this morning and it is looking better and better. There is mor...
01/04/2026

Area 14 received a bit more attention from our volunteers this morning and it is looking better and better. There is more work to do but it is a lovely area to work in especially with such good people.

What we got up to:
* a large patch of ivy was cleared
* mulch spread
* blackberries removed
* angled onion and bridal veil creeper dug out
* steps finished off
* chatting while enjoying our delicious morning tea

Thank you all. Amazing the difference you are making.

Address

Glenfern Road
Upwey, VIC
3158

Website

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