Images throughout this story - Douglas Day Tourist Park
Turf Success in the Top End DOUGLAS DALY TOURIST PARK
Douglas Daly Tourist Park in the Northern Territory is alive with wildlife. Local bandicoots, wallabies, quolls, plus over 100 different bird species are regulars at the park, along with the guests and tourists.
Dan Thomson and Sarah Measey from Top End Turf were consulted by the owners of the park to find a solution to this troublesome area. Soft leaf buffalo and couch varieties were initially trialled in the area and neither was able to survive in the difficult conditions.
While this wildlife brings the park to life, it also presents its own set of challenges. One in particular relates to grassed areas of the park. In front of the office and around the outdoor barbeque area have been difficult areas to maintain consistent ground cover for many years. The wallabies and kangaroos regularly frequent the area and would continually eat the grass down to the dirt. Combine this with a considerable amount of shade in the area and the grass did not have much of a chance to establish and thrive.
“We had tried several varieties in that spot, and all had failed due to either shade, wear, drainage or wallabies.” Mr Thomson said. Enter Sir Grange Zoysia (Zoysia Matrella) “We put Sir Grange Zoysia there as a trial when we first got the grass. Its stated attributes made it a very strong candidate for an impossible location.” He continued.
“We had tried several varieties in that spot, and all had failed due to either shade, wear, drainage or wallabies.” - Dan Thomson, Top End Turf
“It turned out that it was everything we were hoping it would be, plus we found that it
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