‘Plantable postcards’ from the Mickleham Road upgrade are helping children learn about and improve the environment around Greenvale.
The postcards were recently distributed to students of Mary Queen of Heaven Primary School and Aitken College to celebrate National Biodiversity Month and the project’s commitment to ‘greening Greenvale’.
Each of the 800 postcards include seeds of the native lemon-scented tea tree and instructions for the students on how to plant and grow them at home.
The project team also asked students to share photos and video of them growing their trees using a QR code included on each postcard.
The team chose the lemon-scented tea tree species for its fast growth rate, drought tolerance and preference for sunny locations.
Major Road Projects Victoria program director Dipal Sorathia said the upgrade team wanted to work with the community on important environmental and sustainability initiatives.
“We were pleased that we could distribute the 800 plantable postcards to local students so they can help improve the environment while learning how native plants grow and thrive,” he said.
Greenvale MP Iwan Walters said the postcards would teach kids lifelong lessons about the environment and sustainability, while boosting the area with more native trees.
The Mickleham Road upgrade will result in extra lanes in each direction between Somerton Road and Dellamore Boulevard, Greenvale.
Originally slated for completion in mid-2025, the upgrade is set to be completed as early as January 2025 – six months ahead of schedule.
As part of stage one of the upgrade, the roundabout at Somerton and Mickleham roads will be replaced with a new traffic light intersection, including priority bus lanes, to better manage traffic flow.
Stage one also includes new sections of shared walking and cycling path to improve connectivity on Mickleham Road.
Planning and development work is under way to inform the potential Mickleham Road upgrade – stage two, between Dellamore Boulevard and Craigieburn Road.
The upgrade is jointly funded by the state and federal governments.
