Scrivener Hill

Scrivener Hill is a suburban reserve adjacent to the Mount Mugga Mugga Reserve which is part of Canberra Nature Park. It is largely cleared rocky hilltop with poor quality grass cover and an abundance of weeds.

A project commenced in 2009 by the Isaacs Ridge/ Mount Mugga Mugga Park Care Group (IRMMM) is designed to repair the environment of Scrivener Hill providing a native vegetation and habitat link between the Mount Mugga Mugga Reserve and reserves in adjacent suburbs and a wonderful lookout over much of western Canberra. This little known landmark was named after Charles Robert Scrivener (2 November 1855 – 26 September 1923), an Australian surveyor, and the person who surveyed numerous sites in New South Wales for the selection of a site for the Australian Capital Territory and Australia’s capital city, Canberra.

Southern ACT Catchment Group received a grant through Landcare Australia’s ‘MobileMuster’ (the official recycling program of the mobile phone industry) to enable IRMMM to plant 500 native tree and shrub seedlings. An ACT Environment Grant enabled the site preparation and planting. It is envisaged that as well as providing habitat, these trees and shrubs will eventually enhance biodiversity and shade out weeds. The Isaacs Ridge/ Mount Mugga Mugga Park Care Group will undertake the ongoing maintenance of seedlings on the site.

Global Land Repair supplied their Plant Pink Tree Planting System which included the digging of holes by tractor/auger, plant starter, fertiliser, stakes, mulch mats and tree protectors.

The vegetation of the upper slopes of the Mount Mugga Mugga Reserve and the Red Hill ridge is primarily a Scribbly Gum/Red Box (Eucalyptus rossii / E. polyanthemos) dry forest, with some Apple Box (E. bridgesiana and E. dives) and stands of She-Oak (Allocasuarina verticillata). The ridge provides a significant corridor leading woodland birds north into inner Canberra suburbs. The lower slopes of Mount Mugga Mugga are part of the large and otherwise unprotected Callum Brae and Mugga Lane woodlands, the largest area of the nationally endangered Yellow Box/Redgum (E. melliodora / E. blakelyi) woodland ecological community in Australia. Isaacs Ridge adjoins Mugga Mugga and provides a link to the south to Wanniassa Hills and to the west from Farrer Ridge to Mount Taylor and Cooleman Ridge.