Royal Australian Air Force at Wagga Wagga

Tumbleweeds occur in many parts of the world. One species, Panicum effusum or "Hairy Panic", grows predominantly in New South Wales and South Australia, thriving on bare ground and requiring little water until its seeds ripen. At this point, the plant weakens its own stem until the seed head, which is the length of a football, snaps off in the wind and goes rolling and bouncing away. At each “bounce” seeds break off and begin growing where they land.

This occurs every year but does not usually pose a significant problem. However, ongoing conditions and drought through 2006 - 2007 had been perfect for tumbleweed growth, and with strong winds the plants had finally matured and rolled on their way. ISS Grounds Maintenance crews at the RAAF base in Wagga Wagga were inundated with massive piles of tumbleweed.

Clogging manicured gardens, car parks, alleys and foot paths, blowing into hallways and warehouses, and snagging on to uniforms of the RAAF service personnel, the mass of tumbleweeds were beyond a nuisance; they had become a hazard.

“Grounds Maintenance Staff are doing their best to maintain a tidy appearance, together with avoiding fire hazards being created due to build up of tumbleweed. This combined with their daily tasks has increased the workload dramatically. With current winds it is becoming almost impossible…Parade areas and entrances to buildings and surrounds have been given first priority so that the Customers are not too inconvenienced,” John Binney, Garrison Services Officer, said at the time.

Gavin Garvie, ISS Contracts Manager, explained that, “Burning it wasn’t an option as the winds could pick up a single spark and create a significant fire hazard.  We used street sweepers, blowers and plywood sheets to push it into confined areas so we could pick up more than just a couple of seed heads at a time. The most effective method was to push it into a confined piece of lawn and drive over it with a ride on mower fitted with a catcher”.

In some places enough tumbleweed had accumulated that it stood over 4 metres high. Entire lane-ways and walkways were filled; door ways and windows were obscured. However, with much perseverance and determination, the ISS team on site worked to make sure that the parade ground was ready for the scheduled Parade in the morning. 

ISS has held the RAAF contract at Wagga Wagga for 8 years, and has been providing grounds maintenance, street sweeping and noxious weed suppression throughout the Riverina Murray Region for the Department of Defence and several other organisations. 

For further information on grounds maintenance services, please visit ISS' Grounds Maintenance page.