Sporting ovals, cemeteries and favourite holiday spots across the Macleay are set for their annual dose of herbicide, as Kempsey Shire Council rolls out its yearly spray to banish bindiis and clovers from Monday, 27 July.
Bindiis are the scourge of bare feet on sporting fields and parks, their sharp burrs a familiar hazard for kids, dog walkers and footy players alike. Council’s Civic Services team carries out the spray every year to help manage weeds across the shire, with this time of year chosen to get public spaces ready ahead of the spring and summer rush, when ovals, cemeteries and parks see the heaviest use.
Sporting fields, cemeteries and select parks and reserve areas across the Kempsey Shire will be targeted. The five council managed holiday parks at Crescent Head, Hat Head, South West Rocks, Stuarts Point and Grassy will also be sprayed at the same time, using the same chemical to target the same weeds, ahead of the busier holiday season.
Spraying will run from Monday 27 July to Friday 7 August, weather permitting. The herbicide being used is Stadium Turf Selective, which targets broadleaf weeds including bindiis and clovers.
Signage will go up wherever spraying is underway, and those areas will be closed off for a short time while crews work. Staff will remain on site until the chemical dries before the fields reopen for normal use, so locals should not be locked out for long.
The spray is a routine part of council’s annual maintenance calendar, timed each year to clear bindiis and clovers before they take hold over the warmer months.
Council says staff will work around community events booked into open spaces and any burials planned in cemeteries, and there will be no intensive spraying in bad weather or on weekends.
Anyone with questions or concerns can call council on 6566 3200 or email ksc@kempsey.nsw.gov.au.
Something going on in your part of the North Coast people should know about? Let us know by emailing newsdesk@nctimes.com.au