Another first for The New Springs Landcare group! April 18th 2026 will go down as a milestone day, when we held our first mass planting – and the weather was superb!

The project was in the heart of our Landcare area on a property belonging to the Selth siblings – Luke, Jasmine and Johanna. Their Dad, Ron Selth was the only person to lose his life in the Cudlee Creek bushfire, along with the his house and all the fencing at property on Bell Springs Road.

Our newest members Alex and Kirsty Pomery are living in a small stone cottage that Ron built on the property while they build a new home on their own land nearby. With the land around the cottage fairly bare, the Selths were keen to plant some trees for habitat and amenity, especially as it can get pretty windy there.

Planting hope on Bell Springs Road

Thanks to a Grassroots Grant from the Hills and Fleurieu Landscapes Board the group was able to buy 60 sheep/kangaroo mesh tree guards from Arbour Green in Mt Barker. A trip to State Flora in Belair saw 54 tube stock trees purchased – Red Gums to line the driveway, Blue Gums, Sheoaks, Candlebarks, Grey Box, Banksias and some Red Flowering Gums. We also bought half a dozen Crepe Myrtles as the owners thought they’d be nice close to the cottage.

Distributing droppers was a team effort.

It’s a bit daunting to organise a mass planting like this. We’ve all planted a few trees here and there but how do you organise about 15 volunteers and all the gear required?

All the gear and a lot of guesswork

It was a bit like the old saying “All hat and no cattle” meaning you’ve got all the gear but don’t know what to do. Steve Buchecker brought over his Bobcat and post hole digger, Warren Coombes brought over his tractor and flail mower, we had Steve Perkins’ ute and water tanker, mesh tree guards, galv droppers and an engine powered dropper knocker, a heap of volunteers and their kids and boxes full of trees BUT where do you plant them??? How far apart? How deep? Do you plant the same species together or mix them up randomly? What are better in the low land and what do best in the rocky high ground?

The bobcat and auger made digging a breeze!

Fortunately, with some deliberation, a lot of pointing, and Will Hannaford’s insightful guidance informed by his role at the Landscapes Board, consensus was reached.

Sixty trees and a job well done

Finally, 60 trees were planted, 120 droppers knocked in, 60 tree guards installed, 60 trees watered, and the project was completed. Everyone pitched in with tucker, from morning tea cakes to BBQ snags and salads for lunch and we were all satisfied with a job well done.

Here’s hoping we have good rains and favourable growing seasons for the next few years, and that you’ll see the transformation as you drive along Bell Springs Road in decades to come.