​Yarram Yarram Landcare Network

WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
AND THE ENVIRONMENT?
You don't have to be young, fit, own land or be knowledgeable about flora and fauna to join in. 
​All you need is a sense of fun and a willingness to contribute to a better environmental future.
For more information contact
Anna Feely, YYLN Landcare Facilitator,
M: 0417 536 873, E: [email protected]
W: www.yarramlandcare.org

BRINGING COMMUNITY TOGETHER ​
​TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE OUR ENVIRONMENT

OUR GROUPS

YYLN Membership Renewals due now!

The Yarram Yarram Landcare Network acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners on whose lands we live and work -
the Gunaikurnai people. We recognise your historic and ongoing care of the diverse landscapes that we call home.
​As the original land-carers, your guidance is important to us as we protect this unique land, together. 
Always was, always will be, Gunaikurnai Country.

EVENTS (UPCOMING)

Managing Rabbits as a Pest in Victoria
​(Webinar, 20 Nov)

Rabbits remain one of the most damaging invasive pests in Victoria, impacting biodiversity, agriculture, and community efforts to restore the land. This webinar brings together leading experts and practical case studies to share strategies, tools, and lessons for effective rabbit management.
Speakers include: Heidi Kleinert, National Feral Rabbit Management Coordinator, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, with the latest national insights.  CSIRO researchers, explaining how to optimise biological control tools and clarifying the difference between biological controls and biocides.  Agriculture Victoria representatives, providing practical guidance on integrated management, compliance, and support available for landholders. Case studies from Landcare members, showcasing real-world techniques and community-led successes that others can learn from.
Designed for Landcare groups, volunteers, and land managers, this session will provide practical knowledge, proven approaches, and inspiration to strengthen rabbit control efforts across Victoria.

Enhance your Farm Dam (26 Nov 25)

Funding Trees and Biodiversity
​(Webinar, 27 Nov 25)

​Trees and biodiversity can increase your on-farm productivity, but it’s not free to put trees in the ground. Carbon and biodiversity markets are opening up new possibilities for planting and protecting our native environments. This webinar will look at different options to fund sustainability on your farm. It will also provide an overview of the power sustainable and low emission products have on the market. Nationally and internationally supply chains are looking for low emissions products, so understanding market drivers can help ensure farming operations are profitable and sustainable for years to come. Experts to be announced soon. This webinar is being delivered by Landcare Victoria's Carbon Farming Outreach Program.

Controlling Foxes and other Ferals (29 Nov 25)

South Gippsland Landcare Network invite you to come and learn about best practice fox control at Leongatha Hall. BCLN's Aaron Stephens will dive into the full suite of control methods for foxes, feral cats, rabbits, and deer. Dr Alex Maisey will share fascinating insights into Superb Lyrebird behaviour, their vulnerability to introduced predators, and the positive outcomes of fox control for lyrebird populations. Attendees will have the opportunity to borrow SGLN camera traps to monitor pest activity or capture images of the amazing native species that call your property home.

Plant Health Pyramid and IPDM (Webinar, 1 Dec 25)

Empower Your Crops, Reduce Your Footprint. Practical strategies to boost plant resilience, cut chemical use, slash emissions and use climate-smart farming practices. This lunch time webinar will focus on Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) and holistic plant health. Learn how soil biology, nutrition and ecological redesign can minimise inputs like fuel and fertilisers—leading to lower greenhouse gas emissions, healthier soils and more profitable operations. This event is organised by Karen Thomas, Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator, Melbourne Water.

Ute Drive - Winnindoo: Deep ripping & double cropping - worth the effort or a waste of time? (2 Dec 25)

Beef Cattle Workshop (2 Dec 25)

Shelterbelts for Livestock Field Day (2 Dec 25)

The WGCMA invites you to a farm field day to discover how shelter belts can increase farm production, improve biodiversity, reduce your carbon footprint and diversify income through agroforestry.

Date: Tuesday 2nd December
Time: 10:00 – 12:30pm
Venue: 224 Lees Rd, Bushy Park, 3860
Cost: Free. Lunch provided.
Register at www.trybooking.com/DHCDA
Contact: Sam Shannon 0409 944 114

Trees on Farm Workshop
​(4 Dec 25)

Join Western Port Catchment Landcare Network for an inspiring farm walk and discussion exploring Trees on Farms. Listen to Clinton Tepper and Wally Notman on integrating trees into farming systems for productivity, profit, and planet. After presentations and lunch at Rokeby Hall, we will travel to Camary farm for a walk and talk.

Bass Coast Bioferts Field Day and Training Workshop (11 Dec 25)

This is a great opportunity for you to participate in this one-day Bioferts field day and training workshop facilitated by Bioferts expert, Daniel Hodges from Soil, Water and Plants. A Biofert is a fertiliser that you can make on farm from several different bases. It is a brewed product and can be scaled from 20 litres to 20,000 litres and has a really stable shelf life. Bioferts use bacteria to aid in the chelation of minerals. At this workshop you will actively participate in making a cow manure based Biofert and will get to take home your own small batches. After the workshop is over you will also be invited into the WhatsApp Bioferts mentoring support group chat.  

River Garden Blitz - Summer Veggies and Waterwise Gardening
​(13 Dec 25)

For our next River Garden Blitz on Saturday 13th of December from 930-1230 we will welcome back Permaculture Guru Rick Coleman from Southern Cross Permaculture Institute (our November session was cancelled due to the weather and no power so we are running this in December instead). This session will be for new and experienced gardeners alike, with tips on timing for growing different plants, space considerations for sowing our hotter summer veggies. Every session with Rick you learn something new as he is always happy to share his over 30 years of experience. Our own Lisa Wangman, Education Training and Communications Manager will do a short presentation on waterwise gardening to get us through the summer. This workshop is proudly presented by BCLN with funding from the BCLN Public Fund.

EVENTS (RECENT)

YYLN AGM (18 OCT 25)

What a terrific way to celebrate our 30th Anniversary!!   Bill Gammage AM, award-winning author of The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia (2011) talked to a capacity audience about first nations land management across Australia, and particularly about the use of fire.  So much to learn from the traditional owners in our region.

Frankie McLennan talked about the history of the YYLN and the many achievements of the Network in it's 30+ years.  

We are all looking forward to making a difference in the next 30 years!!

National Landcare Conference (21-24 Sept 25)

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The National Landcare Conference was held on Sunday 21 September - Wednesday 24 September 2025 at the Gold Coast Conventions and Exhibition Centre, Queensland.  The theme of this year's conference was 'Landcare: Nature, Agriculture, Land and People Positive'.  The Conference included a field trip program, First National Landcare Gathering, the NextGen Landcare Summit, world-class speakers, exhibition hall and poster competition, and National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner.  Costa held together over 650 landcarers as MC again.  For a full report, read the Facilitator's report in the October Newsletter.
You can now watch all the speaker presentation videos from the 2025 National Landcare Conference, and the 2025 National Landcare Awards event online. Landcare Australia has also published over 50 poster presentations that were on display at the conference. If you missed the recent National Landcare Conference, or if you want to listen to the speakers again, accessing this content online means you can share the content with others in your landcare network and community. 
​
The posters and speaker presentations are hosted on Landcare Australia's Landcarer platform, this is a user generate website that allows you publish your own content and join online conversations about landcare, agriculture and natural resource management.

SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE (17, 25 SEPT 25)

YYLN hosted two field days exploring the benefits of direct seeding shelter belts.  Further information will be included in the November Newsletter.  Contact: Ben Layton Mob. 0423 800 477.

YYLN Community Nursery Open Day (6 Sept 25)

YYLN volunteers, community members and special guests celebrated 30 years of YYLN and one year of our Nursery at our Open Day on 6 September.  Wellington Shire Councillors Garry Stephens and Catherine Bannerman joined in the celebration and gave special thanks to Bronwyn Teesdale, Anna Feely and their fabulous team of volunteers who have contributed so much to the success of the Nursery.  If you want to join the Nursery team, pop in on Tuesday mornings from 10am - 12noon and say hello.  Plants are for sale on Tuesdays and orders are currently being received for the upcoming season.

Yarram Secondary lends a hand!!

Students from Yarram Secondary helped out at a recent planting and guarding day - amazing job by all!!  These Year 9 and 10 community students have been assisting throughout Term 3 and have done an amazing job in Nursery and in the field!!

Rail Trail Planting with Wellington Shire Council

Gippsland Primary Health Network - Volunteering Day (20 Aug 25)

On Wednesday August the 20th Gippsland Primary Health Network’s (PHN), Communication and Primary Health Initiatives and Response Teams spent the day volunteering with Yarram Yarram Landcare. They enjoyed planting sunflower seeds at the nursery and planting natives along the Rail Trail, learning that “Landcare is about people and community”.
Gippsland PHN’s vision and strategic purpose is for a measurably healthier Gippsland. They recognise we must think beyond health to achieve this vision and strategic purpose and have an impact at a population health level. They do this by Coordinating, Capacity Strengthening and Commissioning of Health and Primary Care Services across the Gippsland Region. To read more about their work visit: Gippsland PHN - Gippsland Primary Health Network
​

Gorse Control Demonstration Day
(Friday, 23 May)

On Friday, 23 May 2025, the Albert River Landcare Group and the Victorian Gorse Taskforce held a successful demonstration day on Brinker's property at Alberton.  Over 20 landholders, contractors and representatives from government agencies attended.

Gorse infests valuable pastoral land and significantly reduces land values. It is a haven for rabbits, foxes and feral cats.  Gorse is a regionally-controlled weed and landholders, both public and private, are responsible for preventing its growth and spread. Tackling gorse takes effort but doing nothing means it just gets worse.  So we need to keep on keeping on.  

A variety of approaches were demonstrated. Dylan Rash (Yarram) mulched an area almost to saw dust, John Kosta (Wonyip Landcare Group) showed hand spraying from his truck spray unit, Mitch Henderson (Gippsland Spray Drones) showed how drones can spray herbicide particularly successfully on steep inaccessible land.  Peter Sporle (Victorian Gorse Taskforce) demonstrated hand cutting and painting which kills plants and is particularly effective on outlying small plants which are the "Super Spreaders “of a new spread of gorse. The importance of follow up treatment of new plants was stressed as seed can stay viable in the soil for at least 25 years.

Participants were encouraged to access the excellent VGT website which has a virtual field officer to help plan landholders' management. Participants came away with a sample bag of information and a hand "dabber", a sponge applicator for hand-cutting and painting. More of these can be obtained from the YYLN Office on request.
​
Jenny Davies
Contact Officer
Albert River Landcare Group​

Visit to Bass Coast Nursery (May 25)

​On Friday, 9 May 2025 a group of YYLN Nursery enthusiasts visited the Bass Coast Community Nursery and the Wonthaggi Seed Bank and Nursery.  There was much to learn about how our Nursery might grow in the future.  The Bass Coast Landcare Nursery team were most complementary about our amazing Bronwyn Teesdale who established the Bass Coast Nursery some years ago, and is now leading the establishment and growth of our YYLN Community Nursery!!  Well done Bronwyn!
This year's National Landcare Conference will be held in Queensland from 21 - 24 September 2025.  So if you want to get inspired, share experiences from your patch, and get to know your national landcare community, here's a great opportunity!!

Get involved in your local Native Nursery!! 

Our new Native Nursery at the Yarram Showgrounds is shaping as a buzzing community hub, with volunteers helping every Tuesday morning.  If you are interested in getting involved, the Nursery is open from 10am -12noon every Tuesday - do something amazing for your local environment and your local community!!  Contact: Anna Feely 0417 536 873

Take Home Propagation Kit

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With help from Wellington Shire Council, YYLN is launching an exciting new propagation project!  YYLN is creating propagation kits (tubes, racks, potting mix, fertiliser and seed) and offering regular workshops on how to grow plants at home for your own use and/or Landcare projects.  The propagation process takes around 6 months.  There will be a small cost for those growing plants for their own projects ~ 20c/plant.  (Note: Nursery-bought plants are around $1.20 - $1.50 each!)

So if you would like to be part of this exciting new initiative, text Bronwyn Teesdale on
​M. 0428 559 582.

NEWS

Farm Drought Support Grants Program

The Farm Drought Support Grants (formerly On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants) program is available to assist primary production businesses to implement on-farm infrastructure improvements and undertake essential business activities that improve drought. Eligible farmers will receive up to $5,000 (ex-GST) as a co-contribution grant that will support activities including water infrastructure upgrades (such as pipes, tanks, troughs and dams), stock containment areas, and grain and fodder storage. New eligible activities have been added to the program, including water carting and pasture re-establishment in recognition of the broad pressures farmers are managing. See the program guidelines for the full list of eligible activities.

So we were in the News!

Our nursery champions have starred in the news.  VLG grants have now closed but our Landcare volunteers are forever famous!

Network Notes 

Check out the latest Network Notes from our YYLN Facilitator and the Board:

LATEST GRANTS AVAILABLE

Looking to fund your Project?

Visit our Project Funding page for more information about these and other opportunities for funding.

Trees on Farms Program 

The Victorian Trees on Farms Program (VToF) provides grants to rural landowners seeking to integrate trees into their land.  The program acknowledges the differing motivations of landowners and is therefore flexible in its approach to species selection and spatial arrangement.  VToF encourages the management of trees for timber production but also allows for integration of environmental plantings to provide shade, shelter and other on-farm benefits.

The amount of funding available is determined by the number of hectares planted. Successful landowners will receive grant funding in instalments provided upon completion of project milestones.
  • Integrated environmental plantings are eligible to receive $2,000 per hectare (excl. GST) up to a total of $40,000 (excl. GST).
  • Farm forestry plantings are eligible to receive up to $4,000 per hectare (excl. GST) up to a total of $80,000 (excl. GST).

​Round 1 of the Victorian Trees on Farms Program is open until 30 June 2026.
For further information visit: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/crops-and-horticulture/farm-forestry/trees-on-farms/victorian-trees-on-farms-program​

Wettenhall Environment Trust - Small Grants

The Wettenhall Environment Trust (WET) has a Small Environmental Grant Scheme that opens for applications every three months.  "We are looking for projects about flora and fauna conservation around Australia. These projects should involve any of the following: monitoring, recording and sharing data; delivering community education; providing community capacity building (e.g. training); research and science."
For more detail: 
https://wettenhall.org.au/grants/small-environmental-grants/

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

    CONTACT US

YARRAM YARRAM LANDCARE NETWORK
2 Livingston Road, Yarram, VIC 3971
T: (03) 1300 094 262/ (03) 5613 5902

​Anna Feely
YYLN Landcare Facilitator
M: 0417 536 873
E: [email protected]
W: www.yarramlandcare.org
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Field Workshop
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Yarram Secondary College tree planting team

Related websites...

Follow the links below to learn more about YYLN's Jack and Albert River (JARR) Project, and the good oil on all things 'revegetation'...

2025 YYLN Annual Report

The 2025 Annual Report was adopted at the October AGM.  Check out the Report for details on our projects and financials.

Yarram Yarram Landcare Network - Connecting Community and Landscapes

A DONATION THAT REALLY MATTERS
​

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO LANDCARE?
​Yarram Yarram Landcare Network is now registered with Landcare Victoria Inc as an eligible recipient of tax-deductible donations. 
Contribute financially to the Network and we will make sure your money makes a real difference to the environment.  ​
So what are you waiting for?

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
​WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

© 2023 Yarram Yarram Landcare Network