Creating art to protect our parks

The Friends of Periwinkle Bushland have successfully inspired many members of the community to appreciate nature in a bit of an unconventional way – through art.

The Friends of Periwinkle Bushland were established in 2002 by a group of incredibly passionate locals inspired to protect and respect their beloved bushland. More than 20 years later, the group is still doing brilliant work to preserve the beautiful patch of Periwinkle Park bushland in the heart of Mullaloo and inspire the enjoyment of our natural areas.

Meet the Friends of Periwinkle Bushland

The Friends of Periwinkle Bushland have been consistently weeding Periwinkle Park over the last 20 years, which has allowed the park’s natural vegetation to regenerate and thrive.

Amazing volunteers like Dorothy Lullfitz have done some great work restoring and preserving Periwinkle Park since the group’s establishment.

Dorothy often has locals walk by and compliment her fantastic efforts. Yet, she feels like weeding and revegetation “doesn’t feel like work” when she gets to experience the joy of finding a new native orchid and is able to free the Yellow Leschenaultia (Lechenaultia linarioides) to expose their showstopping flowers.

What also sparks pure joy for Dorothy is watching the increasing diversity and populations of birds each year. Her favourite visitors, while she restores the bushland, are the families of Splendid Fairywrens that twitter in the under-storey, and the Rainbow Bee-eaters that trill on a warm summer morning.

Dorothy has many favourite species she loves to see while at Periwinkle Bushland, with each season showcasing different flowers and plants to enjoy. In the summer, Dorothy enjoys the bright yellow wattle that paints the bushland, and the Hardenbergia seed pods which begin to spring out their seeds. The Yellow Leschenaultia seems to produce a few flowers year-round, displaying their bright yellow and pink colours. There is never a dull moment in the bushland for Dorothy, and the beautiful sites around her inspire her to continue the amazing work she does for our community.

Inspiring the next generation of land carers

The Friends of Periwinkle Bushland have presented to schools, such as Mullaloo Heights Primary School, who have been involved in the bushland revegetation process since the beginning. This activity has been a valuable part of the school’s curriculum, with students learning about the importance of native plants and preserving natural areas for wildlife and ecological health.

The children have helped plant native flora species across Periwinkle bushland, which has considerably improved the flora condition of the park and provided habitat for small songbirds such as the Splendid Fairywren.

The Art Park

Community involvement was initially high when the Friends of Periwinkle Bushland was first established, however many of the group’s original members have moved away or have been blessed with old age. The group is now struggling to find new volunteers to keep their group going.

A younger member, Elena, joined Friends of Periwinkle Bushland, and hit the ground running with new ideas to attract new group members. As an art enthusiast herself, she knew how influential and educational art could be. From there, the Periwinkle ‘Art Park’ was born!

Members of Friends of Periwinkle Bushland get involved by running children’s art classes and creating art to be donated or sold for the group’s fundraising. Rubbish dumped in the park, such as old shovels, are found, cut and sold by the members as rustic garden art.

The Art Park is not only for group members, younger members of the community can get involved too, with families gathering to participate in art activities organized by the Friends of Periwinkle Bushland. Activities include drawing bush scenes, rock painting, botanical hammer printing and photography sessions.

All art sessions begin with a walk through the bushland and a visit to the ‘Hug tree.’ The children’s art classes and activities at Periwinkle Park are teaching future generations to enjoy and protect native flora and fauna, in a fun and educational way.

Visitors of Periwinkle Bushland can enjoy the painted wooden seats around the ‘Art Park.’ The wooden seats are painted in incredible detail by local artists, and they showcase some of the beautiful fauna and flora that live in Periwinkle Park. These bench seats create the perfect opportunity to sit and relax and enjoy the wonders of the bushland.

Nothing compares to the peace and relaxation of being in nature. In the City of Joondalup, we are incredibly lucky to have so many pristine natural parks and reserves that are full of significant flora and fauna. The continuation of our Friends Groups is needed to help maintain the biodiversity in our beautiful natural areas.

Periwinkle Park needs you!

The Friends of Periwinkle Bushland are doing amazing work, but they desperately need more members to keep the group’s efforts going. Without more people joining and continuing the work of those who can no longer participate, the group will unfortunately have no choice but to discontinue.

There are so many benefits to joining a Friends Group, including:

• Meet like-minded people in your local area, and the opportunity to form life-long friendships.
• Keep your brain and body active and healthy.
• Learn new skills in gardening.
• Experience the rewarding feeling of doing good for the community and preserving nature.
• Access to training and workshops.
• Work experience and networking in natural area management.

Whether you are a student, a worker or a retiree looking to keep busy, Friends Groups are an opportunity to conserve bushland  and contribute to your local community, all while enjoying nature.

Contact Barry on 0407 989 287 or Dorothy on 0498 806 182 for more information and to join the Friends of Periwinkle Bushland.

Dorothy's tips for protecting our bushland:

• Report or ‘Snap Send Solve’ any anti-social behaviour, such as rubbish dumping, pruning native vegetation and off-lead dogs to the City of Joondalup.
• Pick up rubbish as you enjoy our natural areas.
• Don’t fertilise the weeds! Pick up after your dog and be a responsible pet owner.
• Control weeds in your garden before they seed and spread into our natural areas.
• Join your local Friends Group to help preserve native bushland so we can continue to enjoy them!