Myrtle Rust is an introduced plant fungal disease that can be spread in bushland containing plants from the Myrtaceae family. Rust spores can travel many kilometres, by wind and bees, but is also spread by people moving infected plant material, dirty equipment including containers and tools, contaminated clothing and vehicles. NSW has declared a Quarantine Area on the Gosford and Wyong Local Government Areas (LGAs) effective Friday 23 July 2010 on account of the presence of Myrtle Rust within these LGAs.

Bushland workers such as bushland regenerator groups, bush care groups, Landcare, forestry workers, and National Parks & Wildlife Services staff should take reasonable measures to prevent the spread of Myrtle Rust between and within areas of bushland. Other regular bushland visitors could also apply the following measures.

Measures to prevent spread

• Leave vehicles in areas not surrounded by Myrtaceae plants in a designated car park and wash vehicles between site visits inside and out.
• Workers should shower and change into clean clothes before moving to another site with Myrtaceae plants.
• Minimise the amount of personal items you carry as all items (for example, watches, wallets and items in pockets) will need to be cleaned between bushland sites.
• Launder clothing including hats and work gloves before re-use.
• Protective equipment such as chainsaw chaps and reflective vests also require laundering. Hard hats, visors, protective eyewear, and glasses should be washed in detergent/soap or sprayed with 70% w/v ethanol or methylated spirits.
• Footwear should be appropriate to the task and terrain and be easily cleaned. Cleaning footwear should start with the removal of gross contamination (soil, mud), followed by disinfection using detergent such as truck wash or spraying the bottom of footwear with 70% w/v ethanol/methylated spirits.
• Equipment such as secateurs, shovels and chainsaws should be cleaned between sites.
• Plant waste should be disposed of by burial on site if possible.

Entering the site

• Designate and mark safe access point(s) to the site, avoiding Myrtaceae plants where possible, particularly high risk known susceptible hosts.
• Have only the necessary people and equipment on site.
• Set up a ‘wash down’ area to enable people to wash their face and hands and clean their footwear when leaving the site.
• Where there are multiple sites in an area, limit movement of people and equipment between these sites.

Reporting suspect Myrtle Rust

Stop work and report any plants that are suspected of being infected with Myrtle Rust. Contact the Exotic Plant Pest Hot Line on 1800 084 881. Provide the following details (where possible):

1. name and contact details
2. site details – GPS points, access route
3. species affected
4. approximate number of plants
5. number of people on site

Leaving the site

• Remove gross contamination from equipment and footwear and disinfect using detergent or 70% ethanol/methylated spirits before leaving the site.
• Wash hands, arms and face.
• Place all personal rubbish in a bag, seal, disinfect outside of bag before removal from site and dispose of responsibly.
• Dispose of detergent from footbaths or other containers from the ‘wash down’ area in an area where it will be dispersed without impact on the environment. If this is not possible, empty into a waste container and remove from site.
• After leaving the site, do not go near Myrtaceae plants until the following steps are taken: (i) Wash the car – inside and out. (ii) Shower and launder clothes. (iii) Dispose of any rubbish responsibly.

Updated: 05 Dec 2011