Managing grass lengths in the City of Whittlesea

Friday, October 18, 2019

Council is working hard to ensure all grass and gardens are maintained to a high standard, particularly as summer is approaching.

We have a detailed schedule for mowing, maintenance and clean-up in place, which has been enhanced over the past month.

Our provider, GLG, has responded to recent spring growth in the City of Whittlesea by boosting the number of crews to attend to the 2000 sites Council maintains across our fast-growing municipality.

Our roadside slashing program of 120 urban roads is almost complete – 4 weeks ahead of schedule.

These extra efforts have already seen cutting and maintenance of around 90% of the City’s priority areas completed. We will remain at this pace over the coming weeks, ahead of the official start to summer.

Below is a list of frequently asked questions to provide more information about managing grass in the City of Whittlesea.

Who manages grass in the City of Whittlesea?

Council cuts and takes care of grass at:

sportsfields
parks
reserves
road verges and median strips
undeveloped council land
conservation areas.

Property owners are responsible for cutting and taking care of grass on:

privately owned land
naturestrips.

What does Council do to manage grass lengths?

Council cuts the grass in areas it manages every:

7-14 days for sportsfields and recreation reserves
14 days for main roads (like Plenty Rd, High Street and Cooper Street)
21-28 days for other areas like parks and reserves, and local road verges and medians.

Council has put on extra crews to respond to this year’s challenges. These extra crews are already working in our municipality, enhancing our regular grass cutting program.

When will the grass in my area be cut?

A detailed schedule is in place. To find out when your area will be cut, call Council on 9217 2170.

Will all areas be cut at the same time?

No. Some areas may have grass that is part of our regular mowing program as well as some that forms part of roadside slashing. These are running to different schedules and require different equipment which means areas are cut at different times.

Will the area be cleaned as well as cut?

Cutting and maintenance is carried out in stages by different crews. Once mowing has occurred, a second clean-up crew will be on site within a day or so to finish whipper snipping, using a blower and picking up debris.

How is grass on roadsides managed?

Council uses a slashing machine to cut spring/summer grass on roadsides. This is part of fire preparation work and is done in rural and urban fringe areas three times during this season.

The first slash will be done as close to the start of the fire danger period (usually late spring or early summer) as possible. It is normal that grass is longer in the lead up to the first slashing. Then it will be slashed during summer as the grass grows again to manage fire risk.

Is spring grass a fire risk?

Changeable spring weather, with more rain more often, warmer and longer days means grass grows faster. However, the fire risk is greatest when the grass dries out. The time when this occurs varies from year to year. In early spring, the fire danger is minimal. We time our slashing program to ensure that by the start of the fire season, usually late November, the grass is short.

Are there snakes around?

Snakes are a common part of the landscape in the City Whittlesea. Snakes are most active in warm weather and are more likely to be disturbed by freshly mown grass.

If you see a snake:

keep calm and try to move away from the snake
stay well away from the snake and ensure children and pets also keep their distance
never try to touch, capture or kill the snake
apply first aid and seek medical help immediately, if anyone is bitten
call 136 186 if you need advice or a trained snake-catcher to remove a snake.