This is the site of the wetland before work commenced. It stretches fairly much the full width of the picture and about one third of the depth. Click on the image for a bigger view. (44K)

Introduction to the Evolving Wetland Project This introduction was written before work had started. The construction of the wetland was completed in January 2001 but I've left the introduction as it was to give a better sense of the overall process we went through. In October 1995, Di, Ian, Meg and Ella purchased a twenty acre property near Snake Valley, 40 kilometres west of the regional city of Ballarat in Victoria. Our goal in purchasing it was to have our own little bit of peace in the countryside. Having been sympathetic to environmental issues for many years, we also saw this as a great opportunity to do our tiny little bit to reverse the impact of European settlement on Australia. Our block had been used for cattle grazing for at least ten years prior to our taking it over and with the exception of a small pocket of indigenous vegetation in the South East corner, was essentially grassland. The property does not have a house on it although there is a barn. To this point our endeavours have mainly been focussed on propagating trees from local seed and planting these on the property. In the relatively short period of time that we have had the property we have made a number of interesting observations. Animals There are numerous indigenous birds on the property and a variety of other animals. Plants Plants identified on the property include trees, grasses and native orchids. Check our Diary As the project evolves, you can keep track of developments by reading our diary. Our Photo Gallery An evolving series of images covering the construction of the wetland and its recovery after the earthworks. The Construction Process An outline of the stages we went through in developing the wetland. Why have a Website? In the relatively short period of time that we have had custodianship of our land we have been amazed at how quickly it has rebounded from the impact of the last 80 or so years of agricultural activity. Perhaps we have been fortunate, but the discovery of such an abundance of native orchids, native grasses and of course, native birds has been really exciting. As we find ourselves planning the introduction of a wetland, we think that the lessons that we learn, our observations and our discoveries as it evolves may well inspire others to undertake similar projects. Finally, developing this website at the very beginning of the project gives you the chance to come along for the ride as we set out for a destination still unknown! So, please explore our site at your leisure. We welcome feedback, suggestions and certainly advice from others much further down this path, as this site will only serve its purpose if the information we provide is useful to others.