Rewilding the Hobart Rivulet

From the rivulet edge to top of the bank, a healthy riparian zone provides valuable wildlife habitat and bank stability, reducing soil erosion and improving water quality. It also builds resilience to minor flooding. 

To restore the riparian zone we plan to:

• Remove weeds of national significance, including blackberry, broom and gorse.
• Stabilise the rivulet banks.
• Replace the weeds with 32,000 local native plants, increasing the ecological health of the rivulet and its banks.

The local Hobart Rivulet Bushcare volunteers have done an incredible job removing weeds from the rivulet over the past five years.

However, weeds are relentless and the rivulet is home to some of Australia’s worse: blackberry, broom, gorse as well as ‘garden escapee’ species hemlock, arum lily, tutsan, elderberry and forget-me-not. 

For too long they have taken over our waterways, putting ecological pressure on native aquatic wildlife and threatening important stormwater infrastructure.

These weeds will be targeted throughout 2026 and 2027 by professional contractors who can work on the dangerous and steep areas that remain out of reach of our Bushcare volunteers.

Extensive treatment and removal of the weeds will be followed by planting back the riparian zone with local native grasses, shrubs and trees.

When it comes to the riparian zone, messy is good! Regenerating the waterside edge and embankment will involve planting a mosaic of grasses and shrubs on lower sections, and large shrubs and trees from mid-bank to top of bank. 

This replicates nature and creates habitat for our local much-loved wildlife including platypus, pademelons, wallabies, native hens, birds and rakali (native water rat). 

Repurposed timber from felled trees will be used to create terraces on steep slopes, stabilising the steep embankments. 

Local native plantings will establish a diverse native groundlayer, shrub understorey and tree canopy. Dense native vegetation will reduce weed re‑invasion and create a buffer zone that protects sensitive species such as platypus. 

Habitat for threatened species including eastern barred bandicoots, grey goshawks, eastern quolls, masked owls and Tasmanian devils will also benefit from this project.

Native plants to be used in this restoration project

• Common tussock grass, Poa labillardierei.
• Spiny-head mat-rush, Lomandra longifolia.
• Tall sedge, Carex appressa. Erosion control and bank binding; shelter belts for birds, frogs, small mammals; nectar for butterflies.
• Gahnia, Gahnia grandis.  Tolerates wet feet, moderate frost, sun or shade, bandicoot habitat.
• Blue flax lily, Dianella tasmanica. Prefers some shade but can grow in heavy shade.
• Mother shield fern, Polystichum proliferum. Frost hardy and favours cool, moist areas.
• Christmas bush, Blackthorn, sweet bursaria, Bursaria spinosa. Hardy, sunny to light shade, drained soil. Prickly & provides small bird habitat.
• Starry daisy-bush, Olearia stellulata. Well-drained, moist soils, full sun/ semi-shade.
• Christmas bush, Prostanthera lasianthos. Good drainage, damp soil.
• Hop goodenia, Goodenia ovata. Naturalising and underplanting, and wildlife gardens, butterfly habitat.
• Sunshine wattle, Acacia terminalis.
• Common dogwood, Pomaderris apetala. Frost hardy, tree or large shrub. main components in the canopy of wet sclerophyll forests.
• Woolly tea tree, Leptospermum lanigerum.
• Tasmanian blanketleaf, Bedfordia salicina. Wet gullies and wet sclerophyll forests.
• Tasmanian currajong, Asterotrichion discolor. Damp Eucalyptus gullies.
• Prickly moses, Acacia verticillata. Full sun or part shade, bird habitat.
• Silver banksia, Banksia marginata. Full sun or dappled shade.
• Sticky hop bush, Dodonaea viscosa. Tolerates at least moderate frosts and withstand extended dry conditions.
• Tasmanian blue gum, Eucalyptus globulus. Very tall forest tree which may reach 70 metres in ideal conditions but is more commonly 15-25 metres in height.
• Manna gum, E viminalis. White gum – 50m.
• Stringybark, E obliqua.
• Swamp gum or black gum, E ovata.
• Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon. Wet and dry sclerophyll forest and woodland, and in or near cooler rainforest.
• Silver wattle, Acacia dealbata.

The project is funded by the Australian Government through the Local Environmental Projects Program, delivered by the Department of Climate Change, Environment and Water.