I just came across two tigers - one in Bruce's and one near Burke. I rode the rest on the bike path
Bloody hell mate, it's an end of days snake plague out there...
wow...you wouldnt expect that! they (tigers) definitely havent been shy or timid this year...seem to be around in abundance too
Franco, dunno if it was a tiger for sure, it was strippy and flattened it's head right out so most likely. But it was grumpy as fuck which isn't like the others I have seen..
Rant incoming..
I have been thinking about this for many many years but yesterday really brought it home.. The yarra from burke to bonds on the (Banyule side) is a weed infested vermin pit (this includes visitors near Banksia st) Whoever is in control have just let it go to shit. The area shouldn't be like a jungle, it should be like the worsterfolds river trails, odessey loop and near bonds rd. Minimal groundcover in summer and native grasses during winter..
Having a snake rear up, centemetres off the edge of the main yarra trail, protected by weed shrub is just a bullshit situation.
Atm the trails are infested with snakes over summer and a slosh pit during winter. Clearing out all the weeds would allow more light to the soil to dry it out over winter. Replanting with native grasses/sedges/trees that grow in wetter months spring/winter/autumn help draw water out of the soil and die back over summer. Atm all the growth is spring/summer active and goes dormant over winter. Taking back the land to it's natural ecology will make for better trails.
Basically the area needs revegetation..
Yes there will be snakes, it's only natural. But if re-veg'd or the weeds cleaned out, at least the users of the trails can adequately look out for snakes and avoid them as we do elsewhere on the network..
Few of you on here know a fair bit about the area so it would be interesting to get your take on it.. I am willingly to make some noise about this (i have a horticulture background) to the relevant bodies but the last thing I want is to lose the trails like what happened over near the chris cross landscape joint and yarra when they re veg'd that area.
Thoughts?