Some of Melbourne Zoo’s favourite animals are enjoying vegetation from the site of the new Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) station at Burwood.
Some of the foliage from the Burwood site is being used to feed the elephants, while some of the logs will be used for large cat scratching posts and rubbing posts for the giraffes so they can have a scratch in hard-to-reach places.
The elephants use logs as an important source of nutrition, stripping the bark and breaking them down to eat the wood. For the younger calves, it’s a life skill they learn from older members of the herd. The logs also provide a playground for the calves, as they like to push them around and climb over them.
Construction of Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East from Cheltenham to Box Hill is ramping up, with the first phase of works in Burwood underway to establish the launch site for the tunnel boring machines that will dig the twin tunnels from 2026.
Trains will be running by 2035, delivering a direct train line to Deakin University. SRL East will connect the university to Melbourne’s train network for the first time, delivering better transport access for thousands of staff and students.
With the site needing to be cleared for construction, trees from Burwood are being re-used and donated to a number of local organisations, including Melbourne Zoo.
More than 4000 trees will be planted during construction of SRL East - for every tree impacted by the construction, at least three will be planted in its place.
The project team will work closely with local councils to determine the best places to plant the new trees and help create greener communities.