Crimson wattle

This is the crimson wattle M. planted about 6 months ago: it is over a metre high now and it has bloomed almost exactly a year from when we first moved in. We are looking forward to putting in even more of these.

Moving Rocky

[Arrow pointing to the tip of the boulder-iceberg]

These photos only tell part of the story. We started set to work on the terracing a few weekends back, and began the day by picking up the loose rocks. Two of the larger rocks didn't want to shift, so we dug down and discovered that they were not large rocks, but huge rocks. We kept digging and discovered that they were not huge rocks: they were freakin' boulders.

[Arrow pointing to the edge of dry part of the rock, which had been above-ground, and wet part of the rock, which had been below-ground. NB also the crowbar and the slight gap (visible at right) it has created between the stone and the earth]

At this point we would have buried them again except we discovered (by jamming the crowbar between them) that one of them moved a little, indicating that this was not bedrock we were excavating, but two enormous boulders. Since the boulders were located exactly where we want to plant a flowering gum (where the number 5 is on the planting scheme in my last post), we figured we'd try and dig them up. Foolish, foolish people.

After many hours slaving away, we managed to excavate the dirt, rocks and clay from around the first boulder, but were unable to get it out of the hole. We tried wobbling it back and forward, and trying to jam stones underneath to lift it up, but failed in this and everything else we could think of.** Until it occurred to me to drag the boulder out of its hole with a car, chains and rope.

The weight of the car and a little acceleration heading down hill was enough to shift the rock, but also enough to break four strands of rope (breaking strain ca. 1.2 metric tonnes!)—which sent me whizzing down the drive toward the Burwood Highway. Realising that we were going need a bigger boat stronger rope, we went and bought a 4WD rescue tether with a breaking strain of 4.5 metric tonnes.

[Out of the hole. All of the rocks in the fore-ground—and many more—were in the ground around the boulders, and had to be dug out of the hole]

The light having faded and the rain coming down, we had to wait until the next day to have a second go at the boulder. When we did, we managed to pull it free and most of the way along the lower terrace. At this point I switched positions and tried to drag our 350kg block up the slope, but the angle, the weight of the car and the boulder was too much for my little Civic: the clutch couldn't cope.††

[Along the terrace]

After a week of thought we decided to use simple and very old methods: we levered the rock from side to side, pushing one block of wood after another under it, wiggling it forward when we could, until we inched the rock up about two metres of 45 degree incline, so that it now rests on the edge of the drive. From here we can move it fairly easily—but we are content to leave it there while we consider what we use it for.

[half way up the slope]

Of course, we didn't move it in the first place without some idea of what we might use it for. My preferred option was to set it up as a standing stone in the middle of the herb garden we plan for behind the house, aligning it to North. Our 6hrs on the weekend, moving Rocky up a 2 metre slope showed me that there is no way we can get it up a 4 metres of curving steps into the herb garden, even if I can get it up the drive and along the path to the bottom of the steps on rollers.

[Almost completely up the slope]

The second option is to use it as a massive first step off the deck, above M.'s grey water feature—which also requires it to go up the drive along the path behind the house, along the path on the side garden (not built yet) and then lowered down the slope. Not easy, but do-able. A third option is to use it as a massive first step up from the turn around along the path that heads up to the deck. A fourth, is that we set set it up as a standing stone in the front garden aligning it to North, but we'd have to drag it up the drive and then slide it down through the garden, doubtless mashing a few new plants as we go.

Whatever we do, it is out of the way now and we can tackle the second boulder. And if that one proves difficult to dislodge we will bury it, even if we have to change our planting plans!

* * * * *

** This is a technique I recalled seeing in a landscaping book. Of course, the example was a perfect sphere: ours was a tombstone-shaped slab (80 x 50 x 30cms) which could only be rocked along its thinest edge.

†† It did occur to me that tethering my car to a boulder and then burning my clutch out trying to drag it up a steep drive was probably not covered by my insurance.