For many years, walkers on the Mitta Mitta section of the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) have been redirected onto a road to avoid an area heavily infested with English Broom. Parks Victoria agreed that reopening that 7km of track would significantly enhance the AAWT experience, allowing spectacular views of the Mitta Mitta River. Twenty Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation (BTAC) volunteers contributed 500 man hours to achieve the track reinstatement. Many of the volunteers were AAWT end-to-end walkers who wished to give something back to the track and the environment.
BTAC, one of the two operational arms of Bushwalking Victoria, has a pool of volunteers who carry out track maintenance and conservation projects in association with Parks Victoria and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Their general philosophy is to offer support in the more remote areas of Victoria, where the local volunteer pool is often limited (or in some cases, non-existent).
You can see further photos and read BTAC project manager Joe van Beek’s full report of the volunteers’ brilliant efforts HERE, along with his suggestions to avoid further spread of English Broom.