Victorian Landcare Magazine - , Issue 89
For the last five years Bass Coast Landcare Network (BCLN) and The Hills Are Alive Group have worked with local farmers to revegetate hillsides around Almurta, Krowera, Ryanston, Glen Alvie and Glen Forbes in south Gippsland.
The project is an environmental sustainability initiative that aims to establish tens of thousands of indigenous plants by bringing together like-minded young people and offering them a unique planting experience followed by a relaxing night of food, drinks and music.
The Hills are Alive Group are a music and events company that describes itself as a community of music lovers with a passion for sharing compelling music, based in the Bass Coast.
The 2024 event was held in August at Tim Richards’ property at Ryanston. Tim is committed to improving biodiversity on the 72-hectare farm. He has been involved in establishing more than 18,000 plants at the property with three major planting events since 2022.
The plantings have connected multiple tributaries of Archies Creek through a series of wildlife corridors. By fencing off these sections of the creek and revegetating them with indigenous plants, Tim is protecting the waterway from erosion from cattle, improving the water quality as well as increasing habitat for biodiversity.
Above: An aerial view of the wildlife corridors being established along tributaries of Archies Creek.
According to Tim the aim of the planting projects is to create wildlife corridors.
“The proof is in the pudding because I have already seen a koala in one of the planting sites,” Tim said.
The indigenous species in this planting were a mix of lowland forest and damp forest Ecological Vegetation Classes including a mix of large eucalypts, medium flowering shrubs for small birds and grasses such as Carex appressa to filter the runoff.
The August 2024 planting was attended by more than 50 enthusiastic volunteers from around the state. The weather could not have been any more perfect and the crew made light work of getting the 4000 indigenous plants into the ground. After a glorious afternoon of planting, the hungry volunteers headed up to the New Year’s Eve On The Hill site, which is an amazing annual event ran by The Hills are Alive Group at their family farm on New Year’s Eve, where they enjoyed dinner, drinks and some live local music.
Lauren Effenberg is NRM Project Officer and Communications Assistant at Bass Coast Landcare Network. For more information
go to www.basscoastlandcare.org.au