Weeds which may be encroaching on the World Heritage Area include Foxgloves, Holly, Spanish Heath, Sycamore, Elisha’s tear (Himalayan honeysuckle), Ragwort and Californian thistle. One aim of the Wildcare Friends of the Great Western Tiers group is to work with Parks and Wildlife staff to treat weeds in the World Heritage area.

Spurge laurel

Spurge laurel (Daphne Laureola) is a newly emergent weed discovered recently not far from the World Heritage Area at Western Creek and Lorinna. We have been working actively on this weed on private land at Western Creek. A flyer describing the plant can be downloaded here.

You can read our 2025 report on the work to eradicate Spurge laurel at Western Creek here and our 2026 report here. It is important to keep this weed out of native bushland especially the nearby World Heritage Area.

Wildcare Tasmania Grants for Spurge laurel at Western Creek

We have received two grants from Wildcare’s Tasmanian Nature Conservation Fund to assist with the work to eradicate Spurge laurel at Western Creek. These grants are to employ professional weed contractors to work in a particular portion of the overall Spurge laurel control area at Western Creek. This particular area has blackberry understory which makes it quite difficult to move through while searching for Spurge laurel. It has been thickly infested with Hollies, which bear ripe fruit at the same as the Spurge laurel thus attracting birds. It is thought that the Spurge laurel is spread by birds and perhaps native animals.

The first grant was for $12,500 (inc GST)  for work in Spring/Summer 2025/26. This work is described in our 2026 report mentioned above. About 120 hours of volunteer effort went in to assisting the contractors. Numerous Spurge laurel plants were found and dealt with in the course of the contractor work. Over the same time period, a further 80 hours of volunteer effort went in to surveying the remaining areas of Spurge laurel and removing all found plants. (Prior to Spring/Summer 2025/26 many volunteer hours were expended controlling the Spurge laurel outbreak over its whole extent at Western Creek, after its dicovery in late 2023.)

The second grant is for $8,550 (exc GST), for work in Spring 2026.   The work financed by this grant will complete the removal of Hollies while searching for Spurge laurel.

Weeds Action Fund

The Weeds Action Fund Stage 3 Project 6 deals with emerging priority weed threats. It is being administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania and the Spurge laurel project at Western Creek is being supported.

Project 5 is about Foxglove education and awareness and it is hoped that this project will encourage landowners in the vicinity of the World Heritage Area to fulfill their obligation to control this weed.