A year-round vegetation work calendar for Central Victoria

There is no fixed clearing season that makes every property safe to work. Rainfall, access, growth, approvals and fire restrictions decide the window. Use this calendar to set inspection and planning tasks, then assess the actual ground before booking machinery.

Autumn: record what the summer changed

Inspect regrowth, access routes, fence lines and any firebreaks once it is safe. Compare dated photos and identify work that needs more than grass cutting. Review what the notice or management plan required and whether it was maintained. Fire Danger Period restrictions may still apply; do not assume March means they have ended.

Plan larger clearing and reclamation stages early enough for approvals and specialist advice. If weeds need follow-up, identify them and ask a suitable adviser about the species and treatment stage. Ironbark's role right now is mechanical clearing; commercial weed spraying starts once its Commercial Operator Licence (COL) is in hand.

Winter: resolve the checks

Download a current VicPlan report, check permits and endorsed plans, and confirm any waterway or road-reserve approvals. Map retained vegetation, private services and access constraints. Winter ground can be saturated; a planning visit does not guarantee a machine can work there yet.

Assess stumps and roots against the next land use rather than adding subsoil work to every clearing job. Planting, pasture establishment, engineering, grading and drainage construction need separate advice or contractors.

Spring: monitor growth and do the priority work

Inspect grass around assets, the marked firebreaks and access routes, then assess slashing while a safe window remains. Dense woody regrowth may require mulching first. Watch actual grass growth and curing rather than booking the same date used last year.

Read any council notice in full and provide the document to the contractor. Check defendable space against the endorsed plan. Allow for rain-driven regrowth; another inspection may show a further cut is needed, but a fixed number of visits cannot be promised for every property.

Summer: restrictions decide each machinery day

Check CFA's current Fire Danger Period and Total Fire Ban information, activity restrictions and the forecast before work. Legally permitted activity can still be unsafe on the particular site. Ironbark does not work on Total Fire Ban days and may postpone other unsafe work.

Inspect after regrowth, rain or fallen material. Maintain the requirements in your notice or approved plan; do not substitute a short grass cut for required shrub separation, material handling or access work.

Keep a record that the next visit can use

A marked map, dated repeat photos and a record of completed and excluded areas are more useful than an annual reminder saying tidy the property. Review the next job from that evidence. See seasonal work by industry for farms, vineyards, utilities, councils and managed grounds, and the effect of delaying work when deciding priorities.

• CFA — activity restrictions
• VicPlan — zones and overlays