Leading Australian diversified property group Stockland has partnered with Melbourne Water and Melton City Council to revitalise significant wetland areas in Melbourne’s fast-growing western corridor.
Stockland’s plans for the wetlands include massive planting of 160,000 indigenous plants at their Mt. Atkinson masterplanned community in Truganina. The plants have been specifically selected to encourage and support native wildlife. Planting is already underway at the Stockland development.
While the wetlands will act as a natural filter for stormwater before it enters Skeleton Creek, which then flows into Port Phillip Bay, mature trees have also been retained around the wetlands in coordination with the Stockland Mt. Atkinson community to preserve the natural habitat of local birds.
The revitalised wetlands will host over 330 bird species (roughly 40 per cent of Australia’s total bird population), ranging from the country's smallest bird, the Weebill to one of the largest, the Brolga.
According to Stockland project director Ed Krushka, Stockland Communities are designed for liveability, therefore, the wetlands revitalisation project will help futureproof the local environment for generations to come.
“We’ve worked closely with Melbourne Water and our local Indigenous community to ensure that we are not only revitalising the area but we’re also playing a role in educating the local community about the heritage and importance of the area. We look forward to welcoming the public into the wetlands in mid 2021,” he said.
Melbourne Water’s Ken O’Neill observed that the project will also contribute to the organisation’s Healthy Waterways Strategy, which aims to protect and improve waterways across the region.
“The work that we are undertaking in partnership with Stockland and Melton City Council is really important to the wider Victorian ecosystem. By incorporating wetland assets like this into the developing catchment means we are not only protecting the downstream waterways and bays from pollutants but also providing the new community with a natural feature they can enjoy,” O’Neill said.
