Dear ,

If this email was forwarded to you from a friend, (Hi! Welcome!), you can sign up yourself to this newsletter here (it is easy to un-subscribe if, later, you change your mind)

Table of Contents:

• Community Grassland BushCare
• Bushcare Information
• Friends Committee opportunities.
• FoG Third Sunday BBQs
• Sophie's Patch Advice
• COOTS - Plant Propagation Workshops
• COOTS Plant Sale – Resumes on Sunday 1st March 2026.
• Tours of Glenthorne
• Friends of Kauwi-marnirla
• Acknowledgement of Country

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”. - Jane Goodall – Pioneering British primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist recognised as the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.

Did you miss a Newsletter? Catch up on all our previous eNewsletters on this webpage https://www.friendsofglenthorne.org.au/news-letter/

Several of our weekend group have decided to focus on the Glenthorne Community Grassland on each weekend Bushcare Day from 9.00am to 12.00 noon. For those that are not aware, this is the site on the hill, due south of the ranger station and west of Warhorse Way, just north of the desalination track, near the shipping container. It is the 5-hectare site which PhD student, Max McQuillan, has been working on for a couple of years, to turn weedy agricultural paddocks into a diverse native grassland, full of native wildflowers, grasses, forbs, saltbushes, and many other amazing native plants.

The site was scraped a couple of years ago to remove most weed seeds and direct seeded with various native seeds and now small native plants are germinating and growing through the remaining weeds. Our group has been using minimum disturbance bush care skills, to cut and swab and remove Mustard Weed, Scabiosa, thistles of various types and a few other weeds which threaten to out compete and smother our beautiful young native plants. If we can give these young natives a chance in the coming year, by restricting the spread of the weed species, the grassland meadow will begin to thrive. Already we are seeing Golden Everlastings as well as native grass species, Vittadinia species and saltbushes growing strongly.

If you would like to join us and help the grassland species by removing weeds, meet at the shed near the playground this Saturday at 9.00am and each other weekend Bushcare Day. We will work to about 12.00 noon. No experience is needed. We will advise you on what to do. Please bring gloves, secateurs, sun protection, drinking water and lunch and we will provide the rest. No expectations are put on volunteers. We all work at our own pace and together we can make a difference. The satisfaction of freeing young natives from overcrowding weeds is contagious and we will soon have an important and diverse grassland to admire, one which will begin to attract native insects, including native bee species, and native birds and reptiles.

We do hope that you can join us on Saturday and any other weekend Bushcare Day that suits.

The next BushCare Day to be held this year is Saturday, 7th of February.

As usual for Bush Care Days, we meet at Carpark One behind the Shearing Shed. (To get there, follow the Park Road down from the Ranger’s Station, then turn right into Carpark 1.)

If you need any help finding us, then please ring one of the following.

Martin:  0403 804 306
Alan:     0411 595 910
Bob:     0419 408 851

Bushcare Events at Glenthorne NP-IY:

• Each Wednesday - 9am to noon.
• 1st  & 2nd Saturday 10-4pm
• 3rd Sunday 10-4pm

BushCare At RDA (Riding for Disabled) 

• 4th Saturday:   9-12pm  (RDA Front Garden) Volunteers from the Riding For Disabled will be joining us for these Bush Care days at RDA.

Always be mindful of the forecast weather for O’Halloran Hill and our Hot Weather Policy. If the BOM forecast temperature for O’Halloran Hill is 34 degrees or higher, the Bushcare Day is cancelled. See the BOM O'Halloran Hill Forecast Information

If you are unwell, please do the right thing and stay at home.

Bushcare Mailing List

If you want to receive irregular Bushcare Notifications, subscribe to our BushCarers E-Mailing List. To do this, just send an email to BushCarers-Join@FriendsOfGlenthorne.org.au

Bushcare: It’s not Rocket Science, it’s much more difficult than that.

eNewsletter - Do you have anything that you would like to contribute and share in our next eNewsletter? If so, then please reply to this email with your contribution.

Committee - Are you interested in being a member of the Friends of Glenthorne committee, or know someone who is?

If so, then we have two vacancies.  Consider coming along to our monthly (2nd Tuesday, 6pm) meetings to listen and contribute as you wish.

Please reply to this email for further information.

Each month, on "The Third Sunday", the Friends of Glenthorne are hosting a BBQ.

We will start BushCare as normal, at 10am, and then break for lunch to host a BBQ.  Bring your family, invite your friends, or invite one of the Park Users to join us for a bit of social interaction.

GrassLand BushCare

Also, on the Third Sunday of each month, recent doctorate graduate of Adelaide Uni, Max, will continue BushCare on his Glenthorne research area, the Community Grassland. This Grassland BushCare will also start at 10am.

There is much to learn about Grasslands, and Max is willing to share his knowledge.

See the Glenthorne Grassland Website at: https://www.glenthornegrassland.com.

Do you enjoy ABC's "Gardening Australia", and our very own Sophie Thomson?

Sophie has her own website, SophiesPatch.com.au

Sophie has lots of wonderful advice, on lots of Gardening topics.

• Sheet Mulching (Something FoG are trying in the RDA Garden)
• When to plant tomatoes
• Cabbage White Butterflies
• Sheet Mulching (Something we are trying in the RDA Garden)
• Fun in the Garden - Projects for Kids
• Plus much more ....

The current series of COOTS Plant Propagation Workshops is fully subscribed. Please contact COOTS directly to book your place in a future series in Autumn.

COOTS Coordinator, Jeff Reid, Mob: 0447995777, or email: cootsgroup@gmail.com.

COOTS - (Conservation Of Our Threatened Species) is a sub-group of the Australian Plant Society Adelaide Group. They have Bush care sites at Cape Jervois, and Pine Point (YP)

The COOTS Plant Sales will resume on Sunday 1st March 2026”

On each First Sunday of the Month, the Australian Plant Society - COOTS(*) group host a Plant Sale at their Clubrooms in Goodwood.

Where: 1 Minute Walk North from the Goodwood Railway Station.  21a Richards Tce. Goodwood. (East/Hills Side)

There will be knowledgeable environmentalists attending so if you have any questions about native plants, birds, insects and other such matters, please come along and have a chat with the COOTS team.

The Friends of Glenthorne National Park will also be selling native plants to fund our activities in the national park and the Glenthorne History book will also be on sale for just $35. Cash and credit card facilities will be available.  Credit card facilities available.

* COOTS = Conservation Of Our Threatened Species.

David Speirs is still offering Tours of Glenthorne, covering the Past, Present, and Future of the Park.

David would love to see you.

To register for a tour, either:

• Click this link , or
• Point your phone camera to the QR Code below, and then go to the Webpage that the QR code identifies.

Are you interested in helping out along the Field River?  Below is the contents of an email sent out by Restoration Ecologist Angus Droogan-Turniski.  Send an email to Angus if you want to received further communications about this group and their activities.  His email address is: Angus.Droogan-Turniski@sa.gov.au

🎒 What to Bring

• A hat
• Drinking water
• Some snacks (We’ll break for morning tea halfway through the session)

🧤 What’s Provided

• Gloves, safety glasses, and tools
• A first aid kit, NPWS/Green Adelaide staff will be the designated first aid officers
• All relevant safety documents

📝 Sign-In & Safety

• All attendees must sign in on arrival
• A brief safety induction will take place before we begin

The Friends of Glenthorne acknowledge that Glenthorne National Park - Ityamaiitpinna Yarta is part of the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and we respect them and appreciate their innate and spiritual connection with the land and waters of Glenthorne.

We aspire to work alongside them in taking care of this land and community to restore Glenthorne to be once again, a healthy native habitat.