The Scoop
Alpha First Aid Grants
Alpha First Aid Grants 2026 To enable community centres, clubs, and not-for-profit organisations, no matter the size, to acquire your own Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Promoting the accessibility of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in community... read more
Birdlife Australia Grants
Birdlife Australia Grants 2026 Two grant streams support bird conservation by empowering passionate Australian groups to act for birds, with up to $10,000 in funding for projects that align with Birdlife Australia’s Bird Conservation Strategy. Grant Streams In 2026,... read more
Local Land Services On Farm Bush Regenerators’ Guides
Local Land Services have two excellent guides for budding farm bush regenerators. Land Managers Training Manual: bush regen techniques on farm Property Plan Template: bush regen weed control read more
Hollow Logs for Habitat Giveaway
Photo: Broke-Bulga Landcare group have great plans for their logs which will be used on private properties. A number of excited Landcare groups turned up with empty trailers and utes for the Hollow Log Giveaway this March. Many logs are already in place and waiting... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Which weed first?
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your Landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, There are so many weeds! How do I know which ones I should prioritize? Where can I find quality information about these weeds for their identification and treatment? Yours,... read more
Plant of the Month: Rainforest Pop-Ups
Plant of the Month – Rainforest Pop Ups Regular readers of “The Scoop” will be familiar with the Hunter Rainforest Revival Project and the great work that’s being done to restore some of the lower Hunter’s Rainforest. Most will also be familiar with rainforests... read more
Meet the Hunter’s newest Landcare group
The Fletcher and Maryland wetlands margins are getting some serious tlc from this dynamic new group of Landcarers. Zoe, Bill, Wendy and Ing have kick-started the working bees this week by tracking through the bioswale and chasing down Tobacco Bush, Chinese Elms,... read more
The Big Bush Clean-Up 2026
Hosting a Clean Up Australia Day event has proved a great way for Landcare groups to get their community outdoors and involved in caring for the local environment. This is how many Landcare groups first got started in the ‘80s and ‘90s. This year a number of... read more
NAB Community Grants 2026
NAB Community Grants The NAB Foundation Community Grants program will run across two rounds in 2026. Round 1: opens from 16 February to 16 March, with funding awarded in June 2026. Round 2: opens from 17 August to 14 September, with funding awarded in December 2026.... read more
Awesome Foundation Grants 2026
The Awesome Foundation Grants Program These grants are for projects benefitting the Lake Macquarie and Lower Hunter communities. Each month, Awesome Lake Mac and the Lower Hunter provide $1,000 in grants to people with great ideas that can make these areas even more... read more
Creating the rainforests of the future
Creating the rainforests of the future, students from St Patrick’s Primary School Lochinvar have been helping repair and restore Country in the Maitland region. They have also written a book about it to guide and inspire other children and adults to do the same. ... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Bush Regen like a pro
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your Landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, I’m leading our working bees, but not trained in ecology or anything like that. Where do I find out the best ways to do bush regen? Yours, Curious in Claro Dear Reader, Firstly,... read more
Plant of the Month: Not the Landcare Weed!
Plant of the Month – Not the Landcare Weed! Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was at TAFE doing Certificate 2 in Bush Regeneration* the instructor, a well known environmental consultant in the region, would refer to Lomandra longifolia as “the... read more
Good Neighbours for the RAMSAR Wetlands
We all need good neighbours and the Hunter Wetlands are no exception. This amazing habitat supports a vast number of plants, animals and migratory shorebirds, as well as being a nursery ground for fish and their food. The wetlands provide a buffer against sea level... read more
Wine Country Landcare growing strong
Founded in late 2021, Hunter Valley Wine Country Landcare (HVWCL) is a small, community-driven group dedicated to protecting and enhancing native biodiversity across the Lower Hunter Valley Wine Country region. Operating within Singleton and Cessnock LGAs, our core... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Wetland Warrior
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your Landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, Our Landcare group has a beautiful wetland on our work site. Last year we noticed a pretty, yellow flowering plant along its margins and along the banks. It looked like a native... read more
Love Water Grants 2026
Hunter Water offers one-off payments of up to $10,000 to support community projects in the areas of water conservation, sustainability, wastewater and water education in the Lower Hunter. Applications open annually on 14th February and close on 14th March. Check this... read more
Indigenous Protected Areas Grants
Australian Bushland Program – New Indigenous Protected Areas Grants Closes 11th March 2026 The Australian Government is inviting applications via a targeted process to apply to deliver services under Program 2.1 Conserve, protect and sustainably manage... read more
Plant of the Month: Time to Give a Fig
Plant of the Month – Time to Give a Fig But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid; Micah 4:4 I’m generally more for “random musical references” kinda bloke but every now and then I’ll drag... read more
Turtle Tracking
Did you know the Hunter River Turtle is only found in our very own Hunter River system? You might have guessed from its name. 77 eggs were laid this summer in the Aussie Ark breeding program, which aims to prevent extinction of this unique animal. This rare and... read more
Biodiversity Conservation Trust e-learning
Study Conservation Land Management online with BCT. Free modules are available on strategies and practices to care for your land. There are no prior learning or eligibility requirements. Anyone interested in conservation can access the materials. Study conservation... read more
Scouts to the Rescue
Over 130 Scouts from across the Hunter and Central Coast joined Landcare to tackle weeds and rubbish along Myall Creek in Dungog this month. Sam and the team from ‘Sustaining the Williams Valley Landcare’ led students on a riparian adventure, discovering which plants... read more
Relocated Fauna
Landcare sites can be the recipients of suprise arrivals when people relocate animals from their backyards into “a bit of bush”. Some of these animals may get attacked by other fauna defending territories. They may also be in the wrong habitat type. A reminder that if... read more
Ausgrid Grants for Good
Ausgrid Grassroots Grants – Up to $5,000 These grants are in support of causes and organisations Ausgrid area communities care about. Who can apply? Charities, volunteer groups, local sports teams and organisations in the Ausgrid network area can apply for support... read more
Local Legends Grants
For 80+ years, Australians have been enjoying National Pies – at pie nights, at social clubs, and at footy matches big and small. To say thanks for your support, National Pies for Local Legends launched a grants program. Any registered Australian community group,... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Hesitant in the Hunter
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, On my recent travels across our picturesque Hunter Valley, everywhere I look, I’ve noticed an evergreen plant. It dominates roadsides and creek-lines and ventures out into... read more
5 Ways Drones are Helping Landcarers
If you are interested in how drones could help your property management or Landcare group, we have collated some examples from the Hunter and beyond that could work for your site. 1. Drones are mapping weeds in ‘hard to get’ places. Friends of Tomaree NP... read more
A Koala Corridor for Raymond Terrace
A Koala Corridor for Raymond Terrace (written by Raymond Terrace Landcare group) Raymond Terrace Landcare Group started over twenty years ago as a volunteer Group with Port Stephens Council called Raymond Terrace Parks, Reserves and Tidy Towns. Working with the... read more
A Year of Landcare in the Hunter
Christmas Greetings from our President As we approach the end of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reach out to you all on behalf of the Hunter Region Landcare Network Committee. Reflecting on the past 12 months, it has been a year of both significant challenges and... read more
Drought Resilience Grants on Country
Applications are now open for the Future Drought Fund Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country Grant Program. The Australian Government has committed $12 million to this inaugural grant program under the Future Drought Fund that supports place-based, First... read more
Environmental Education Grants – Environmental Trust
The Environmental Trust’s Environmental Education program aims to: drive change in people’s behaviour and practices to improve on-ground environmental outcomes and build people’s skills to deliver environmental outcomes. The program funds projects that:... read more
Rural Landholder Grants – East Coast Disaster Relief 2025
The NSW and Australian governments have announced $10,000 Rural Landholder Grants to assist communities impacted by the NSW East Coast Severe Weather event that began on 18 May 2025 (AGRN 1212). Provided as part of the jointly funded Australian Government-State... read more
7 ideas for attracting younger volunteers
Think of the specific tasks you need younger volunteers to help with. Then be realistic about who the ideal people who could help with these tasks are. What skills and availability would they need? Understand the needs of the specific age bracket you hope to... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Unhygienic in Underbank
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, I have great neighbours – we support each other though many ways and I enjoy our afternoon teas at the end of a long day, BUT… their paddocks are full of Scotch Thistle and... read more
Plant of the Month: I heard it through the grapevine
To my mind, there’s three kinds of people who read “The Scoop”. There’s those who would have read the title of this month’s Plant of the Month and immediately thought of the late, great Marvin Gaye, there’s those who would have thought of the original version by... read more
Les’ Landcare Legacy
It was wonderful to catch up with Les Pearson at our regional Landcare Muster last month. Les made a huge contribution to Hunter Region Landcare Network between 2011 and 2024, and his skills and good humour are still greatly missed. Les joined HRLN by a different... read more
Get to know Chilean Needle Grass
The invasive Chilean Needle Grass (Nassella neesiana) from South America, although a ‘Weed of National Significance’ and commonly found along the east coast of Australia, is currently rarely found in the Hunter Valley and is isolated to a few small sections in the... read more
Woody Weeds at McCully’s Gap Landcare
On Thursday 23rd October, Hunter Local Land Services (HLLS) held a Woody Weeds Management Workshop at McCullys Gap, Muswellbrook. The day was well-attended by locals and those further up in the Hunter, with various talks on weed management strategies from numerous... read more
North Rothbury Bushcare
North Rothbury Bushcare group commenced back in early 2021. The group started with only a few local residents from North Rothbury village – all with the passion and vision to regenerate and restore remnant pockets of native vegetation. These pockets provide... read more
Ian Potter Foundation Grants
Through its Environment program, the Ian Potter Foundation is committed to investing in efforts to better manage our natural resources and preserve threatened biodiversity and ecosystems in the face of challenges such as land degradation, limited water resources,... read more
Aurizon Grants
Are you a charity with a project in the areas of health and wellbeing, community safety, environment or education? If you are looking for funding to complete a project or have a project in mind that you can’t achieve without assistance, we’re here to help. Aurizon... read more
Landcare Australia Volunteer Recruitment Guide
Check out this comprehensive guide from Landcare Australia. From gaining confidence with social media to holding conversations to let people know about your group, this guide is packed with useful tips to increase people’s awareness of your group and help you connect... read more
Birds of Prey Guides
Australian Raptor Care and Conservation Inc. have a suite of resources to educate the community about birds of prey. They aim to have a positive impact on raptor rehabilitation in Australia by improving the techniques employed by wildlife carers, boosting successful... read more
Hunter Landcare Muster 2025
🎉2025 Landcare Muster – Wild about Weeds! The biennial Hunter Landcare Muster welcomed over 100 people to the beautiful bush setting of Earthcare Park in Tenambit on 13th September, where we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Park and the achievements of... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Heated in the Hunter
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, I’d like to start a Landcare group but I’m worried about what to do if people don’t get on. I want to make a difference for my local environment but I don’t want any more stress... read more
Vine, vine, everywhere a vine
“Climbing over the scenery, breaking my mind…”. Having had a haircut a couple of weeks ago I don’t currently fit the category of “long haired freaky people” (or person) but I am reasonably good at reading the vines. Ok Paul, cut it with the random 70’s musical... read more
Happy Bees at Bolwarra
We were very happy to have a beautiful sunny day for our Native Bee Hotel Workshop at Bolwarra Landcare last Sunday morning. The day was supported by Slow Food Hunter Valley and Maitland City Council. On the day twenty-five of us listened to Sophie and Lynda from... read more
Youth caring for Pebble Creek
🌿 At the recent Maitland Youth Forum, Stacy, Miranda and Marg undertook a ‘Rapid Appraisal of Riparian Condition’ (RARC) with students at Pebble Creek, Gillieston Heights. Developed by the Australian River Restoration Centre (www.arrc.com.au), the RARC index is a good... read more
ReGen Alliance: Youth in Landcare Pilot Program
Since April 2025, ReGen Alliance has been working alongside Hunter Region Landcare Network to deliver the Youth in Landcare Pilot Program with Alesco Secondary College, Elermore Vale. This eight-month project is connecting young people who face barriers to mainstream... read more
Bat Society Grants
The Paddy Pallin Foundation provides annual Australasian Bat Society (ABS) Grants of up to $3000 to support ABS members to provide research that promotes the conservation and knowledge of bats in Australasia. There will be two grants on offer, with an application... read more
Terry and the Garden Escapees
Have you heard of Terry Inkson? Terry is a bit of a local celebrity in the weeds world, being a passionate advocate for the environment through his knowledge, experience and expertise on weed identification and treatment. With over 40 years in the horticultural... read more
No worries with Weeds!
Not sure what the name of that weed is? No worries! Did you know that the Weedwise website has the option to Search by Plant Characteristics where a series of drop down boxes allow you to select options regarding what the plant looks like. For example: Plant type:... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Miffed About Myrtle Rust
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, I think we have Myrtle Rust on the Melaleuca quinquinervia trees on our Landcare site. This is very worrying. What do we do? from Miffed about Myrtle Rust Dear Reader, Good... read more
Plant of the Month – By Gum, That’s It!
Finally, the column you’ve all been waiting for, the last of the Eucalypt keys. Now all I have to do is put them all together, rewrite them so it’s all a fairly standard format and get more photos. Sigh! Obviously I’ll have made a few errors and things may not be... read more
Botany with a Twist at Broke Bulga Landcare
On a crisp August morning the HRLN committee and staff gathered from all corners of the Hunter to visit Broke Bulga Landcare. After our meeting and an excellent lunch of wood-fired pizzas made by Tricia Hogbin and friends, Tricia took us on a tour of local Landcare... read more
NAB Foundation Community Grants
Australian communities are being hit harder by natural disasters more often. It takes many hands to get communities back up and running after a disaster and to build resilience for the next one. The NAB Foundation Community Grants program provides funding of up to... read more
Eucalypt Australia Grants
Eucalypt Australia Eucalypt Australia is delighted to announce the release of two new grant rounds: Eucalypt Australia Research grants valued at $25,000 per annum for up to two years; and Eucalypt Australia Community Based Grants valued at $5,000 each Applications... read more
Healthy Cities Landcare Australia Grants
Applications are now open for the Healthy Cities Landcare Grants Program. Landcare Australia and Bupa have partnered to deliver the Healthy Cities Landcare Grants, as part of Bupa’s Healthy Cities Challenge. This funding will support environmental community groups... read more
IFAW Wildlife Rescue App
If you have found a sick, injured or displaced animal, this app connects you with the closest licensed wildlife rescue group at the touch of a button. It also helps identify roadkill hotspots to inform preventative measures. This free app is available nationally in... read more