 | Red Hill Bush Regeneration Group |
ABOUT RED HILL
Red Hill is a part of the Canberra Nature Park system of urban and suburban reserves in the ACT. A map of the Red Hill Nature Park is shown here and a topographic map here. The Red Hill Nature Park is 375ha of nationally significant Yellow Box - Red Gum woodland with a very high plant diversity (more than 175 species), and a sigificant habitat for 12 threatened and 18 regionally uncommon plant, bird, lizard and grasshopper species.
Red Hill looking west towards Black Mountain
Red Hill, south Canberra's wooded ridgeline, provides a 360 degree panorama. Spectacular views of Parliament House and other national monuments are framed by the Hill's Red Gum - Yellow Box woodland. This type of woodland has been extensively cleared elsewhere and is now endangered. Red Hill is one of the few places where this woodland and its wildlife can be experienced today.
Parliament House and Canberra City from Red Hill
Red Hill looking north towards Mt Ainslie
The smooth barked Red Gum (Eucalyptus blakleyi) and Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) which has bark most of the way up the trunk, are the commonest trees on Red Hill. The Red Gum and Yellow Box trees are well spaced to form an open canopy under which flourishes a diverse grassland containing many wildflowers.
Yellow Box on Red Hill
Red Gum on Red Hill
Red Hill's bird population peaks in late Autumn when flocks of small birds including Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), Weebil (Smicronis brevirostris) and thornbills (Acanthiza pusilla, A. reguloides and A. chrysorrhoa) move through the area. The numerous old, hollow bearing trees provide nesting sites for the Galah (Cacatua galerita)
A Galah feeding on Red Hill
and Crimson and Eastern Rosellas (Platycercus elegans, P. eximius). Much smaller holes provide nests for the tiny Striated Pardalotes. Their cousins, the Spotted Pardalotes also nest on the hill. Look out for them in the springtime when they fly into their nest holes they have dug into the exposed banks of the drainage gullies.
Eastern Grey kangaroo males on Red Hill
About eighty Eastern Grey Kangaroos live on the hill. During the day groups rest in the shade or shelter of trees and shrubs and move out to graze on the cleared grasslands from late afternoon to early morning. The ridgeline has resisted erosion as it is composed of hornfels, sedimentary rocks hardened by heat of ancient volcanic activity. Weathering of the hornfels produced the rich red soil after which the hill is named. More... Silurian volcanic rocks outcrop over about a fifth of Red Hill Nature Reserve. Behind the suburb of Garran, these rocks support a woodland of Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus rossi), Broad-leaved Peppermint (E. dives) and Brittle Gum (E. mannifera) . Early photographs and maps of Red Hill show large areas cleared of trees for grazing. At the time of Canberra's selection as the nation's capital Red Hill formed a part of the "Duntroon" property. It was subsequently acquired by the fledgling Commonwealth. Walter Burley Griffin's vision for Canberra included the regeneration of native vegetation on its denuded hills. In accordance with the name, Walter Burley Griffin (Canberra's architect) instructed, in 1917, that red flowering natives should be planted on Red Hill. Some of these plants remain today. He also called for the cessation of grazing, but this did not happen until 1997. Despite the history of grazing a diverse native vegetation remains, including rare species. Unfortunately the grazing history and surrounding houses has meant that Red Hill has had a high weed invasion. In the later 1980s weeds covered more than a third of the hill and woody weeds formed massive thickets.
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