Bootlace Reserve (SOLD)
"Why would you buy a block of woody weed that can't be cleared and turned into a valuable piece of 'productive' land?" - Kate Ravich reflects on her reasons for purchasing a property through the TLC's revolving fund.
For us the answer is simple and two-fold; the first involving the maintenance and protection of biodiversity and the second the maintenance of personal sanity. What joy to be able to combine them; contributing significantly to the long term preservation of biodiversity through custodianship of endangered ecological systems, while having a place of personal refuge Ð away from the hustle and madness of a large metropolitan city.
This combination is enough for us, but we also see other values.
From a financial point of view we see the value of the land only increasing as the appreciation of in-tact ecological systems becomes more widely understood.
Being part of a rolling fund, where the money we have spent on this property is used again to buy another, has to be seen as true value for money while the preservation of biodiversity can be compared to savings in a bank.
Then there is its educational value. I believe that reserves have a major part to play in education, including private reserves; community involvement in ongoing research and monitoring regimes is just one example of this.
And how did we come to be the TLCs first revolving fund property purchasers? I grew up in a wild and remote area of New Zealand and have always had a need for large spaces and isolation, though I now live in the middle of Sydney. I have been an active conservationist for most of my adult life and am currently coordinating Birds Australia's Birds in Backyards program, which is essentially a community education program targeting urban dwellers. Bob has never lived in the bush but has always loved it and we have often spoken of buying land someday. In May he sold his business and reduced his working week from 6 to 3 days. Coincidentally, in June the TLC newsletter carried the ad for the property on King Island, a place we had previously holidayed and loved.
It just seemed like an opportunity too good to miss.
Bordering the Martha Lavinia Nature Reserve on the east coast of King Island and only 10 minutes from beaches and sea elephant estuary, lies this 500 acres of really important vegetation.
The majority of the block is densely vegetated with large stands of King Island Blue gum, Brookers gum, White gum, Melaleuca forest and lots of King Island scrub. A covenant protects these areas of the block while allowing for the construction of a walking track.
A 2 bedroom house and dam are located on the remaining 10 hectares of cleared paddock. The house, which is in need of a little attention, overlooks the coast and is only 20 minutes drive from the world famous cheese factory.