Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) forest with a grassy understorey (Fig 1). In mid-2008 when the project commenced, the understorey of the forest was virtually entirely dominated by the exotic grass Green Panic ( Megathyrsus maximus var. pubiglumis ) due to past clearing and the sowing of pasture grasses for grazing.   However, as there were some native grasses still evident, we wondered whether the site might respond to an assisted natural regeneration approach that has worked on other sites.   Out of curiosity, we cleared Green Panic by hand around a patch of native grasses to give them space to expand. In the process we found that, under the cover of the Green Panic, were struggling native grasses, sedges and wisps of herbs (Fig 2). This then became a test patch, which in turn became a stand of Pitted Bluegrass ( Bothriochloa decipiens ). The outstanding results energised us to continue. Fig 2 (a) Much of the site started with very small native germinants which would have been inadvertently killed had the site been sprayed with herbicide. Photo (a) shows how few natives were sometimes initially revealed -- in this case Whisker Sedge ( Cyperus gracilis ), Common Bindweed ( Polymeria calycina ) and native Glycine sp. Our treatments. We further cleared the  Green Panic using mattocks. With the weed cover much reduced, rains brought a massive annual weed response.  We considered spot spraying but while the seedbank response was still being discovered, every native plant was important, so the enthusiasm was there