GeckoEd’s plans to make the grounds around Gecko House into a ‘learnscape’ garden have moved several steps closer to becoming a reality. With the enthusiastic assistance of Brett Rowland from Jacob’s Well Environment Centre and six hard working Year 9 students from Coomera Anglican College, we were able to clear away a large area of grass and replace this with local native plants. The results are amazing and it’s now possible to see how the whole garden will be transformed once all the work has been completed.
GeckoEd aims to use the learnscape to deliver curriculum based education to local children. It will enable us to demonstrate how creatures and plants support each other, and how each has evolved to play an important role in its particular ecosystem.
It will also encourage awareness of our own role in an ecosystem and teach children about how plants have always been useful to humans.
The plan for the garden involves several elements, including bush tucker plants, an interpretive trail and a frog pond. Work has already begun on the pond, which will soon delight the young EcoDiscoverers who attend our Fabulous Frogs program.
A necessary part of the landscaping work will be the removal of two termite infested Camphor laurel trees, which are dropping dead branches and causing a potential safety hazard. This exotic and invasive species is a declared Class 3 pest plant under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002. Once Council has removed the existing trees, they will be replaced with native Tuckeroo trees.
