Where the Murnong Bloom, once more Traditional Cache

Murnong or Yam Daisies (Microseris lanceolata) were once abundant in Victoria and have been replanted here to reintroduce Indigenous plants to the area.

The location of this cache is the beautiful surrounds of Gardiners Creek, near Deakin University. It is a popular reserve for jogging, cycling and off-lead dog walking.

Gardiners Creek Reserve
This reserve offers visitors the choice of numerous tracks around the northern section of Gardiners Creek. If travelling close to the billabong, you are likely to see a multitude of open woodland and wetland birds including the Purple Swamphen and the Little Pied Cormorant. Please refrain from allowing dogs to splash through these areas as they are precious habitat.

Park highlights
• Gardiners Creek
• Naturalistic surroundings
• Historical sites
• Billabong

If walking, check out the newish pedestrian bridge about 600m to the South (listed as a waypoint). More info at Burwood Link pedestrian bridge.

Best point of access to the park is via the Bennettswood Bowling Club car park, located in Station Street, Box Hill South.

Significance of Murnong
Please do not interfere with or attempt to harvest any plants within the reserve, as they are protected. Microseris lanceolata seedlings are readily available from Native Nurseries, and are well worthwhile purchasing to try to grow yourself.

Murnong is the standout in Victorian edible Indigenous plants.  The dandelion-like flowers and signature nodding buds are seen from August to November. The flowers and leaves die right back over summer. The tubers (round, or like a carrot with a texture similar to potato or sweet potato) were probably the most relied-upon staple food for the Aborigines of Victoria, and early settlers reported seeing fields full of the yellow-flowered perennial herb being harvested by Koorie women and children. Broken pieces of Murnong were put back into the holes to ensure propagation of further plants. There were typically 3 tubers per plant: the mother and grandmother were returned to the ground and the baby was harvested. Seeds were also collected and were dormant over Summer, germinating from Autumn onwards. When raw, the tubers tasted crisp and bland. They were mostly cooked in rush baskets in ground ovens overnight; cooked this way they were sweet with the flavour of coconut and were very good to eat.

Murnong can now only be found in small isolated patches.  When sheep were introduced, they dug up the tubers with their noses and trampled and hardened the soil so that it no longer allowed regrowth. After 1859 rabbits further reduced the stock. The loss of such a vital staple was akin to the Irish potato famine in the immensity of its impact on the Indigenous population. Even more tragically, Koorie women harvesting the Murnong were often assumed to be hunting sheep and hence many conflicts followed.

Cache Location Advice
The cache is a bottle cap tube, BYO pen. It is NOT located within the planted beds and if you stay within 2 metres of the track you should be successful.