Hobsons Bay is home to some of the last big patches of good quality grassland in Melbourne, and some great smaller grasslands too. This tour we are going to start in the east, at Doreen's Grassland near Cherry Lake, and bike our way across to Emu Foot Grassland on Skeleton Creek. On the way, we are going to visit Maidstone Street Grassland, Ajax Road Grassland and Burns Road Grassland.

Doreen's Grassland is named after Doreen Eddison, who collected, pressed and painted wildflowers from the local grasslands near her home in Altona. it comes with a great story but has been a little neglected.

Maidstone Street Grassland is just next door and is a great example of what a well-looked after grassland can look like, it gets regularly burnt, and there'll be a good range of flowering plants to see.

Ajax Road Grassland is a big, special place just next to Truganina Swamp. We are going to use stepping stones to cross Laverton Creek and see what we hope will become a future conservation area.

Burns Road Grassland is big too, and just further up Laverton Creek from Ajax Road Grassland.

Emu Foot Grassland is a small grassland getting lots of love from Friends of Skeleton Creek. They are having a planting day, and will show us around.

Itinerary

1. Meet at Doreen's Grassland, at the end of Grieve Parade, Altona (search 168 Grieve Parade, Altona on your GPS), for an introductory talk starting 11:00 am. Leave for Maidstone Street Grassland at 11:30

2. Walk to Maidstone Street Grassland and explore: Arrive at Maidstone Street at 11:40 am, leave Maidstone St at 12:15 pm

3. Bike to Ajax Road Grassland, leave the bikes, cross the Laverton Creek ford, and check out the future conservation zone. Arrive at Ajax Road at 12:45 pm, leave at 1:15 pm.

4. Get back on the bikes and go look at Burns Road Grassland. Arrive at Burns Road at 1:45 pm, leave Burns Road at 2:00 pm

5. Bike to Emu Foot Grassland, arrive at 2:30 pm, just in time for a talk and some snacks!

What to bring

Something to drink

Closed shoes (the ground gets rocky and uneven)

Be prepared for the weather!

Camera!

The Grassy Plains Network represents land managers, academics, ecologists and community concerned about the decline of our native grasslands, especially in and around Melbourne. We advocate for grasslands.