Victorian Landcare Magazine - Spring 2024, Issue 88
When the 2020 COVID crisis hit and many Melburnians packed up and fled to Victoria’s regions, there was little sense of what the future might hold. Would they be welcomed by the local community? Would they stay once lockdowns lifted? Would the great regional migration actually stick?
More than three years on and the answer to each of the above all appear to be: Yes. And as the seachangers and treechangers began integrating into their growing communities, it became clear that they could be harnessed for the greater good of the environment.
Sophie Small, Landcare Facilitator of the Bellarine Landcare Group (BLG), said the Bellarine Peninsula had experienced something of a post-pandemic population explosion and that many of the new arrivals had come to realise the mental health benefits of connecting with nature – something they’d missed during the metropolitan lockdowns.
And this, according to Sophie, is where Landcare can step in.
“All of a sudden, we have this groundswell of people wanting to engage with nature. They want to be outdoors, they want to connect with each other and the environment, and they want to contribute to their new community.
“So, we tried to come up with some new activities which we thought would appeal to the new people from Melbourne. First, we held an art show, which was a great success.”
The group soon found that many newcomers were keen to learn more about indigenous plants.
“We have this fantastic indigenous plant nursery, which is a partnership with Bellarine Secondary College. Together we propagate around 50,000 plants a year for local revegetation, and we have about 40 volunteers doing this with us. Promoting the nursery has really brought the newcomers to us,” Sophie said.
One of the BLG’s newer volunteers is Fern Smith, who arrived during the pandemic. Fern is now busy each Monday in the nursery’s propagation room growing seedlings and feeling a sense of community connection.
“What I like about Landcare is you are part of a bigger program. You know that there’s a lot of people out there planting local plants in the local area, and that really makes my heart sing. And knowing that I’m helping just a little bit in that process is great,” Fern said.
BLG received $33,039 funding for two Project Grants through the 2023 Victorian Landcare Grants.
Sophie Small is the Landcare Facilitator for Bellarine Landcare Group. Her position is funded through the Government’s Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program.
For more information email sophie@bcn.org.au or go to bellarinelandcare.org.au
