What is the DPA?
The Darebin Parklands Association
(DPA) Inc is a local community
friends group. The group was
initially founded in 1973 as
the Rockbeare Park Conservation
Group, which was formed to preserve
and rehabilitate Rockbeare Park,
one of the earliest suburban
parks in Australia, dating back
to 1929. The group was instrumental
in establishing the current large
park through submissions to local,
state and federal governments
to purchase adjoining land on
the Darebin side of the creek.
The group later changed their
name to the Darebin Parklands
Association. The DPA continues
to play an important role in
maintaining and improving the
park.
DPA Objective and Goals
The objectives of the DPA are
to improve the environmental
and passive recreational amenity
of the Darebin Parklands and
to promote community awareness
of the natural and cultural values
of the park. The long-term goal
is to further encourage native
animal habitat so that animals
including platypus return to
live in the Darebin Creek and
its environs.
To work towards our long-term
goal the DPA is currently focused
on the following activities:
- Promoting a responsible
cat owner awareness campaign
- Setting
re-vegetation targets
- Establishing a plant nursery
The DPA works closely with the
DCMC and Rangers on all activities.
Getting
Involved
The DPA is mostly comprised of
local residents interested in
improving and learning more about
the parkland and creek. Throughout
the year, the DPA hold working
bees and events in the park.
The DPA meet quarterly on the
last Tuesday of February, May,
August, and November and are
usually held in the Darebin Creek
Environment Centre (at the Separation
St entrance). The meetings generally
include a guest speaker and visitors
are most welcome.
The DPA is always keen to accept
new members and actively encourages
members to contribute to our
plans for activities. As a member
you will receive a quarterly
newsletter. If you would like
to join the DPA or would like
to learn more about the group,
contact the Darebin.
History of the DPA
In 1973 a small group of citizens
undertook first steps in a scheme
to preserve and rehabilitate
twenty-six hectares of land lying
across the boundary between the
Melbourne suburbs of Alphington
and Ivanhoe, administered by
local councils of the City of
Northcote and the City of Heidelberg,
respectively. The area concerned
contained a small public park,
a municipal tip, a stretch of
industrially-zoned land and a
flood plain.
Forming themselves into the Rockbeare
Park Conservation Group, those
involved embarked on a program
of action to draw public attention
to the project and to enlist
the assistance that would become
necessary at various steps in
the overall plan for the parklands.
The scheme, which had the support
of both councils and envisaged
as an immediate objective the
retrieval of the entire area
to public ownership, and over
following years the City of Northcote
purchased the Alphington section
lying within the boundaries,
with assistance from State and
Federal Government funds. Negotiations
were continued for acquisition
of the rest.
Concurrent with these considerations,
a start was made on photographing
and recording the area. Plans
were formulated for weed eradication
and for planting, which in turn
required enlistment of volunteer
labour and arrangement for its
efficient direction if the work
was to proceed without delay.
A major problem was the spread
of noxious weeds which included
blackberry, boxthorn, artichoke
thistle and boneseed, among a
list of more than twenty different
varieties of noxious weeds recorded.
Following on-site inspections
by experts, experimental areas
were established and an eradication
program formulated. Prior to
1977, no funds were available
and all work was done by hand
with borrowed tools until Heidelberg
Council supplied suitable equipment.
The hand eradication program
was achieved largely through
the work of staff and boys of
the Ivanhoe Grammar School. The
school maintained a practice
of providing groups of up to
sixteen boys under the supervision
of two teachers to work in the
park each week, as a Community
Service Project. It has been
due to these efforts that boneseed
has virtually disappeared from
the area.
For further information on the DPA and their activities, visit:
www.dpa.org.au
The above history excerpt was
written in 1980 and has been
reproduced, with permission of
the author, Sue Course and the
Darebin Parklands Association.
