Rail Fence

I've posted photos of these rail fences in other parts of Victoria before. This one protects an environmentally sensitive area that is being restored to its natural vegetation on Cattle Point. I quite like these fences when you consider the options often used by institutions - I'm thinking of that ghastly orange plastic netting used sometimes to block public access. Chain link fencing is equally ugly and these rail fences are actually quite attractive as well as being functional.

Rail Fence

Here's a feature of most of the parks in this area - rail fences. Sometimes they are used to provide a barrier such as on the edges of steep drop-offs but mostly they are used as in this photo, to protect areas that the groundskeepers are trying to restore to native vegetation. Most of the local parks' "wild areas" are overgrown with introduced "invasive" species of plants that compete with the indigenous species. Sometimes the introduced species such as English Ivy or Scotch Broom completely take over the environment and native species are in danger of extinction. Rail fences are used to protect areas where native plants are growing and where their health can be monitored and competing species removed. This particular rail fence protects such an area on Macaulay Point.