In conjunction with the second stage of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade project, Major Road Projects Victoria and BildGroup have been busy working with students from Pakenham Springs Primary School to plant a new plant garden.
Transforming unused and uninspiring vacant land on the school grounds, the Pakenham Roads Upgrade team got the shovels out recently with the school’s Grade 5 students to create a new 200 square metre native plant garden.
Students started their day with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by Bunurong Elder Mark Brown, before learning about local ecology, the significance of native plants and the differences they can make to preserve threatened species that live in Pakenham.
Students then got to business planting more 10 different native plant species, including Black-anther Flax-lily, Cut-Leaf Daisy, and Kangaroo Grass to populate their new garden.
To cap off the day, the Pakenham Rotary Club fired up the barbecues to provide everyone with a sausage sizzle as thanks for their hard work.
The native plant garden will be a lasting legacy for the project, serving the students of Pakenham Springs Primary School for years to come and contributing to wildlife corridors for Pakenham’s flora and fauna.
The Pakenham Roads Upgrade’s Stage 1 and Stage 2 sections are running ahead of schedule, with major works on the Princes Freeway and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road slated to finish six months ahead of schedule.
Major works on McGregor Road north of the intersection are now complete, with an upgraded McGregor Road/Henry Road/Webster Way intersection and two lanes now open on McGregor Road between the intersection and the freeway.
The final layer of asphalt will be laid across the newly built roads in November, when the weather is warmer.
Works on Stage 2 of the project have now turned to widening the McGregor Road citybound freeway entry ramp, scheduled for completion in early 2025.
For more information, visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/roads/pakenham-roads-upgrade
