There will be a Special General meeting at the August general meeting. The Committee has endorsed the following motion, and we are asking members to join us to vote. The constitution of the Bellarine Landcare Group Section 44.6 currently allows for the Committee to co-opt up to 2 additional members if it determines a need. The Committee recommends that this be changed to the Committee may co-opt up to 4 additional members if it determines a need.

We’ll also be running through the top 10 Bellarine Weeds - Know thy Weeds!

And there will be pizza! RSVP for pizza here: and please bring $15 to cover costs.

Join us to help landholders plant indigenous plants for wildlife habitat along a creek in Mollers Lane, Leopold. More information and register here

Let the wild fun begin! Kick off Geelong Nature Festival in spectacular style with our fun launch day celebration for the whole family at the Fyansford Paper Mill: 

• inspiring speakers to stir your imagination

• engaging performances (the Bandicoots from Born in a Taxi)

• close-up wildlife encounters (Wildlife Xposure and Roaming Reptiles)

• hands-on kids activities and nature play (Nurture in Nature & Kids in Nature Network)

• nature-based art, crafts and pottery making

• guided walks and native plantings

Bellarine Landcare will be present as part of these activities. If you would like to help out on the day please let us know.

Address: 100 Lower Paper Mills Road, Fyansford

We’ll be having a Winter holiday - no regular Landcare Monthly Gathering this month.

Marcus Hill Hall, cnr of Bellarine Highway and Banks Rd, Marcus Hill

The Nursery will open for the ‘Last Sunday of the Month Sale Day’.

Join us to help plant indigenous plants for wildlife habitat. More information and register here

Join the Friends for their third Sunday of the month working bee, caring for this World War 1 Memorial planted out as an indigenous garden.

For more information contact Sophie: facilitator@bellarinelandcare.org.au

640 Swan Bay Rd, Mannerim (next to the Bellarine Rail Trail).

Where do you find the ‘woodlands of the Bellarine’, those special bushland spots? We’ll give you a short overview of those ecologically significant spots and what makes them unique and important.

If you are an artist this is a chance to get more information and inspiration to create art work for ‘Woodlands of the Bellarine’ exhibition at Artisans of Australia gallery, 16 July - 11 August, a part of the Geelong Nature Festival.

Pizza & social catch up afterwards. Please bring $15 to cover pizza. RSVP here:

Marcus Hill Hall, cnr of Bellarine Highway and Banks Rd, Marcus Hill

The Nursery will open for the ‘Last Sunday of the Month Sale Day’.

You are invited to the Bellarine Landcare Group 2024 AGM, Wednesday May 14th, 2025, at 6.30pm in the Marcus Hill Hall, corner of Bellarine Highway and Banks Rd.

Stephen Murphy will talk about ‘Recreating biodiversity on the Bellarine guided by echoes from the past’. Steve will give us a glimpse into the landscape as it was under Wadawurrung management and discuss how we “recreate the country” in the 21st Century. His discussion contributes to our planning towards Bellarine Biolinks.

A brief AGM will be followed by Steve’s presentation and we’ll finish with finger food. The Annual General Report will be available on the night. Please find the 2023 AGM Minutes here.

An election will be held for five committee positions. We encourage and welcome new members onto the Committee, so if you are interested in bringing your ideas and contributing to the leadership of BLG, please consider nominating. A 2025 BLG Committee Nomination Form is here.

Nomination forms should be returned to the secretary@bellarinelandcare.org.au, or given to the Secretary, Alison Murphy, prior to the commencement of the meeting on 14th May.

All are welcome regardless of membership to BLG, however it must be noted that only current financial members of BLG are entitled to vote on any motions put to the meeting. You are welcome to email the Secretary on the above email address if you would like to check your membership status.

We look forward to seeing you there!

It’s time to feed the rabbits….

You are invited to a free Bellarine Rabbit Sweep Blitz on Saturday May 10. It will run from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm for activities and 12.00 - 2.00 pm for a picnic lunch/'Bunnings’ sausage. 

The aim of our free blitz is to help neighbours progress rabbit control activity.  We know from experience that working with neighbours is the only way sometimes and it can be fun!

Register now at the Rabbit Sweep website.

We would like you to come because: 

• you want to join one of the local groups, or 

• you would like to work with your neighbours to form a group, or even 

• because you are willing to volunteer to help others with their rabbit problem. 

We call new rabbit control groups 'cells'. Small groups of landholders will be assisted by experts who will have clearly defined rabbit control tasks. Participants can engage and try out some of the relevant processes. 

Things you can choose to learn about:

• identifying and assessing a rabbit problem; 

• habitat removal; rabbit-proof fencing; 

• planning action; details of necessary tasks; engaging experts, and 

• meeting contractors and volunteers. . 

We will have experienced people demonstrating the various activities.

Our experts will invite questions and discussions - not talk at you!

Our desire is to have you help someone to get help from themI help 3 so they will help me!

Securing our environment will take a few years so good initiation and maintenance events with neighbours will make a difference.

Our events are kid friendly but we do not welcome dogs.

The Nursery will open for the ‘Last Sunday of the Month Sale Day’.

The Nursery will be closed on Monday 21 April Easter Monday Public Holiday, and will reopen on Tuesday at 9am.

'Reading the Soil: A half day workshop' with Agricultural Scientist, Chris Alenson, followed by lunch

Chris will lead us on paddock walks on two Bellarine farms with different soil types and farming operations to dig up some soil, discuss the soil management, look at the visual indicators & discuss soil tests and how to read them. 

We'll start on the black volcanic "self-mulching" clay of Mt Bellarine, where we'll visit the Harpur's property running sheep for fat lambs. 

10am - 10:30 am     Gather, morning tea and welcome

10:30 – 11:30         Paddock walk & talk

11:30 – 12:00         Travel to our second property, featuring sandy soil. Address to be confirmed.

12 – 1 pm              Paddock walk and talk 

1pm                      Lunch in the paddock.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/reading-the-soil

Chris Alenson will join us to share his knowledge on soils and it’s impact on sustainable agriculture. Copies of his book ‘Deep Time and the Implications for a Sustainable Agriculture’ will be on sale.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/understanding-soils-with-chris-alenson

This talk will be followed by a paddock walk on the Thursday 10 April.

Marcus Hill Hall, cnr of Bellarine Highway and Banks Rd, Marcus Hill

The Nursery will open for the ‘Last Sunday of the Month Sale Day’.

A part of Taste the Bellarine event series, meet three local growers & tour their farms, harvesting as you go, to create a vegetable ferment with ferment connoisseur, Patrick Meaney - Farm to Ferment. with Patrick Meaney (Farm to Ferment) & growers, James McLennan (Farm My School), Riona Seehusen (Bellagreen Organics) & Cameron Matthews (Bellarine Fungi) Start in the vegetable beds at Farm My School, where James McLennan will share their work connecting the school community with local food production. From there Bellarine Landcare will guide you through the Basin Reserve, a precious patch of bush, and a significant site for Wadawurrung people. Then a short walk to Bellagreen & Bellarine Fungi. Riona Seehusen will guide you through this no-dig market garden & you can harvest more vegetables for your ferment. Cameron Matthews grows mushrooms here, and you’ll be blown away by the magic of fungi. And finally, Patrick Meaney will guide you through an hour long 'basics of fermenting' workshop, exploring the fundamentals of fruit & vegetable transformation. Spice up your ferment with Shire House Farm produce. Take home the jar of ferment you’ve prepared.

Address: Starting at Farm My School, Bellarine Secondary College, Peninsula Drive, Drysdale

There are two sessions starting at 11 am and 12 noon.

Bookings: Farm to Ferment Workshop

Find out about other Taste the Bellarine events at Belllarine Farm Gate website here

This workshop is part of our Landholder Stewardship Project funded through a Victorian Landcare Grant

Walk at 'Wirilda By The Lake' with the Spry family & Dr Paul Carnell.

Join the Sprys for a walk across their magnificent property on Lake Victoria, and hear from Dr Paul Carnell from Blue Carbon Lab, who will share the research findings about the importance of saltmarsh for carbon storage.

Address: 592 - 670 Shell Rd, Point Lonsdale

The Nursery will be closed on Monday 10 March for the Public Holiday, and will reopen on Tuesday at 9am.

BLG will have a display at the Bellarine Agricultural Show. If you are able to help out for an hour or two please contact us here

Portarlington Recreation Reserve, Boat Rd, Portarlington

We had to stay closed on the last Sunday of February due to total fire ban so the Nursery will open twice in March - on the first Sunday and last Sunday. See you there :)

Sustainable Farms will present a workshop near Colac on Farm Dams, how and why to enhance them through fencing them off and planting them out. Details to be confirmed.

The Nursery will open for the ‘Last Sunday of the Month Sale Day’.