Hannah Hammoud
Passengers flying into Melbourne Airport will be welcomed by a large painting of a bandicoot on recycled tin sheeting, that will be visible from the sky,
The innovative project has been painted by students and artists from Essendon Grammar School and Greenvale Secondary College.
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School teacher Alex Scott says that the project has invited students to discover more about conservation and looking after nature.
“After the lesson in the classroom, the kids couldn’t wait to get out on site and scale up the painting,” Mr Scott said.
“The idea of being involved over a number of years and seeing the change over time is exciting, too.”
The tin bandicoot will help kill off an invasive weed known as Serrated Tussock, which will then allow the native grasslands in Woodlands Historic Park to be revegetated with indigenous plants.
Through a process called ‘solarisation’, the invasive weed will be covered by the tin for several months, heating up the soil underneath and killing the weeds and their seed bank.
This method is a sustainable and cost-effective way to control weeds covering a large area and minimise their growth long-term.
Parks Victoria ranger Tim Liddell said the project will show how community-powered initiatives can help support nature’s future.
“Once these grasslands are gone, then that’s it,” he said
“If we can try to get as many different people engaged by using art and science, then we can really spread the word on the importance of this native grassland.”
The tin bandicoot salutes to the fenced Eastern Barred Bandicoot Sanctuary located in the Woodlands Historic Park, which works to support the endangered species to recover and populate away from the threat of predators.
