Longlea & District Landcare Group together with Friends of the Bendigo Kilmore Rail Trail and the Junortoun Community Action Group hosted a National Tree Day activity on Sunday 30 July 2017. A great crowd on 80 people of all ages came along to lend a hand.

The site was a section of the O'Keefe Rail Trail accessed from LaValla Court in the new Lorient Park estate at Junortoun (opposite Rodilesa Nursery) in Junortoun. The event was strongly supported by the City of Greater Bendigo who provided up to 1,500 trees, shrubs and grasses for the community to plant. Local Axedale and Eppalock primary schools also took part in planting as part of Schools National Tree Day.

Through planting a variety of native plants alongside the rail trail, the event aims to increase biodiversity values that can also provide a habitat corridor for birds, mammals and reptiles.