Because sending two groups to Schouten Island for the working bee proved to be effective in 2024, we did it again in December 2025. This allows us some flexibility in the event of unfavourable weather conditions. Whilst the weather was generally good, high winds did cause the transfer of Group 1 to the island to be delayed by one day.

The first duty when we arrive on the island is establishing camp for ourselves and for the caretakers who take over for the summer after we finish our working bee.

At the end of 2024 working bee, a large gorse patch was found, and during this working bee, Group 1 went back to finish clearing the adult plants and tidying up the area. The thousands of seedlings that sprouted from the previous year’s disturbance were sprayed due to the density of plants. It will take several years for us to make progress with the seedlings in this area.

Regretfully, we did discover a few additional mature gorse spots, which we addressed. It constantly amazes us how we missed them even though some of these spots are only a few meters from routes we frequently walk.

Removing Gorse Seedlings in the Gully Reduced

Overall, our tally for the two weeks was 21042 juveniles and 761 mature gorse plants.

A huge thank you to all participants and hopefully we will see some of you back for this year’s December working bee.

Expressions of interest for this year’s Schouten Island working bee will be emailed to Friends of Freycinet members towards the end of August. This working bee is open to all Wildcare members. No special skills required. If you wish to be emailed the EOI forms please contact Friends of Freycinet on friendsoffreycinet@gmail.com and we can add you to the mailing list, or join Friends of Freycinet on the Wildcare website.

The dates for Schouten Island working bee for this coming December will be Group 1 - 30/11 – 8/12; and Group 2 - 7/12 – 15/12/2026.

And why is there gorse on Schouten Island? From 1850s to the 1960s sheep and cattle were grazed on the island and it is most likely the gorse seed was carried in with these farming activities. The two pictures below show what the farmed area was like in the 1920s and what it looks like today.

1920s View to Moreys Hut N S3258 1 45 Reduced

News Archive