A Nature walk to pay respect and appreciation to healthy bushland before it is lost.

As a teenager 'Melros' was the best place on Earth.

Driving south, out of Mandurah on Old Coast Rd. leaving the old suburbs of Falcon behind. We would turn off on a track towards the coast, on the road with bush either side always keeping an eye out for roos or boobooks on the road. Melros was a little coastal surfing/ fishing enclave with old beach shacks on the northern boundary of Yalgorup National Park.

We would always see roos but quite often you would get emus out the back of the shack. It was paradise. During the last mining boom things started to change and there where only a few more streets added. In the last 15 years there is now two schools, and petrol station, multiple housing developments and very soon a shopping centre, car park and probably a few junk food places, and maybe the first set of lights south of the Dawesville Cut.

Perth is growing and the loss of flora and fauna on the Swan Coastal Plain continues. About 80% to 90% of the original vegetation is now gone. The authorities come up with the great terms like "Threatened Ecological Community" or "Critically Endangered". But do these terms actually mean anything?

The rate of clearing seems to be only increasing.

The Lakeland tuarts, Madora sand dunes, jarrah, tuart, banksia and marri trees at Fraser's Landing and Lake Clifton/Herron are being destroyed. All this year and all within the City of Mandurah.

Driving past Melros makes me feel for the land, for the beautiful place it was and is. The bush has shrunk, the last place there still standing with healthy bush now has a fence around it, we have learnt that is a site for a new High School.

Healthy bush with good natural ground cover, minimal weeds, and plenty of life with roo tracks, quenda diggings, evidence of the Critically Endangered Western Ring Possum and a place frequented by red tail and white tail black cockatoos.

Join us on a walk to take in the place before "the glaciation of urbanisation" changes it forever.

This is not a protest it is just to reflect and acknowledge the loss of more of our precious bushland.

We can discuss these points:

Will fauna be relocated ethically to safe area? Will the relocation be monitored at sites free of prescribed burn offs? Will seeds be collected? Can plants be transplanted? Will there be offsets for this loss and habitat?

Come see for yourself.

Bring a camera/phone to document the species there.

We can do a mini bio-blitz.

Watch the banksia's flower for the last time.

Sincerely,

Base and Jamie