The Scoop
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
Landcare Agony Aunt – Fireweed Fields of Gold
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, Everywhere I look across the paddocks of my farm, there are clumps of yellow flowers. They’re creating a far-reaching, golden horizon that is rapidly multiplying and... read more
Get Your Hands on Weeds Workshops
These training events were run by HRLN this winter with sponsorship from Local Land Services Hunter Catchment Contributions. We focused on riparian weeds and upskilling Landcarers to identify and tackle them efficiently and effectively. Why waste your efforts?!... read more
Stringybarks, Part 2. The madness continues!
So, did you manage to survive the last Plant of the Month? Slightly more manageable this time, still working on the full barks but the adult leaves are discolorous, that is, they’re different colours, or at least distinctly different shades, on each side. Eucalyptus... read more
Culturally-Informed Cool Burn Demo at Mallabula
Interested members of the community and Landcarers from across several groups including Tilligerry Landcare, Dungog Commoners Landcare and Shortland to Wallsend Landcare attended the Culturally-Informed Cool Burn Demonstration at Mallabula Community Centre at Tanilba... read more
Erosion Control
We have had some enquiries about managing riparian erosion caused by the May flooding. Local Land Services has produced some great resources to help you get started. Managing erosion before and after floods – Local Land Services It is important to note that... read more
Hamer Sprout Fund Grants
The closing date for Hamer Sprout Fund Grant applications is 30th September each year. The mission of the Hamer Family Sprout Fund is “to build communities inspired to take action for a sustainable future”. Our aim is to support projects and organisations that:... read more
Strengthening Rural Communities Grants
Strengthening Rural Communities Grants — Small & Vital | FRRR These grants are offered by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR). This is a national foundation specifically focused on the social and economic strength of Australia’s remote,... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Rabbits: the Return
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, We have had problems with rabbits on our property in the past but since 2020 the numbers have declined. Recently we noticed some scratchings towards the creek that seem fresh.... read more
It’s here, finally! Keys to the Stringybarks (Part 1)
Ok, first off I apologise for how long this has taken, if I’d known just how epic an undertaking developing a key to the Region’s stringybarks was I’d never have attempted it, and secondly apologies for the lack of pics, that will be an even more epic task getting... read more
Milestone for Martindale Creek Catchment Landcare
Martindale Creek Catchment Landcare is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. We were officially Incorporated in January 2015 after six months of research by a community steering committee and preparation of a Constitution for formalising the group. Our focus is... read more
Regent Bowerbird likes new Rainforest
🌿 Rainforest Revivalists were astonished to witness a giant Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) checking out the new rainforest planted at Oakhampton last Saturday. The bird (male) was in full, regal plumage and good health. He also seemed pleased with the... read more
Flood Assistance Grants
In response to the devastating floods and storms that have impacted communities in May 2025, the Federal Government is stepping up support for those affected. Two key financial assistance programs—the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) and the... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Madeira Vine Madness
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, I have recently purchased a new property and there is a vine smothering the garden fence. It has fleshy, heart-shaped leaves and warty potato-like, aerial tubers. There are small... read more
Plant of the Month: Bolwarra
Plant of the Month: Not Just a Suburb in Maitland We’ve previously discussed plants named after locations but there’s also plenty of locations named after plants, there’s Geebung in Bris-Vegas, Glossodia in Sydney, Bungwahl up on Myall Lake and locally we have... read more
Community-building Inspiration: Jenny’s Landcare Legacy
Landcarers tend to think about long-term goals for nature and community connection. A Landcare Legend who was doing that thirty years ago is Jenny Castles. Jenny is a tireless community organiser who has led and championed many transformative projects for Landcare... read more
Environment Trust Grants
The Environment Trust has an Environmental Restoration and Rehabilitation grants program that supports community and government organisations to achieve lasting, positive impacts for the NSW environment. The objectives of the program are to: improve and protect the... read more
Wettenhall Environment Trust – Small Environmental Grant Scheme
These grants are for projects about flora and fauna conservation around Australia. Grants are issued four times a year, every year – February, May, August and November. These projects should involve any of the following: monitoring, recording and sharing data... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Potting Up Perils
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, I can’t get my native seedlings to thrive once I pot them up. I’ve tried a commercial mix for native plants. Do you think that’s the problem? What do you recommend? from... read more
Plant of the Month: Great Uncle Blue
Looking through the back issues so I’m not repeating myself, I can only find one short mention of Red Cedar. Given its role in the European colonisation of the east coast it’s a fairly major miss by me, so here goes. My first introduction to Red Cedar was around half... read more
A New Landcare Group for the Friends of Tomaree National Park
David Moore and Sue Olsson from Friends of Tomaree National Park, comparing the differences between Dianella and Buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) with Lower Hunter Landcare Coordinator Stacy Mail last week. Who are the Landcare group the Friends of... read more
Resilience-building in Upper Yango
The Upper Yango Valley is on the eastern boundary of Yengo National Park, near Wollombi. It is occupied by 22 private landholdings on the traditional land of the Darkinjung people. Its rich meadows were important pathways to culturally significant sites at Big Yengo,... read more
Birdlife Australia Volunteer Programs
“Regent Honeyeater 2” by Mark Gillow is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Landcarers with an interest in birds may be interested in the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) Guardians project. For this citizen science project volunteers carry out health checks of key areas... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Balloon Vine Gone Ballistic
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Image credit: “Cardiospermum grandiflorum plant NC1” by Macleay Grass Man is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Dear Agony Aunt, I recently moved to a new property. I am dealing with mountains... read more
Time to Outsmart Weeds
When is the best time for Bitou bashing or Boneseed bombardment? If you haven’t already got one, outsmart weeds by making a weed action calendar for your property or Landcare site. You could also add the best times to do frog, invertebrate, creek health, bird or... read more
Plant of the Month: Call me Ishmael
“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off... read more
Landcare Agony Aunt – Volunteer Shortage
Landcare Agony Aunt: some seasonal advice for your landcaring questions Dear Agony Aunt, We used to have big working bees, now there are only three of us doing all the work. How can we attract more volunteers to our group? Does anybody care? from Melancholy in... read more
Plant of the Month: Not those blueberries?!
For those of you waiting for the thrilling conclusion of the key to the Eucalypts of the Hunter Region you’ll just have to wait a little longer as I wade through the stringybarks, but I’ll get there, eventually, probably. You may have seen some stories on the Hunter... read more
Soaring with the Sea Eagles
Congratulations to Carmel Brown, Team Leader of Catherine Hill Bay Landcare and HRLN committee member, who was the recent recipient of the John Hughson ‘Soaring with the Eagles’ Award. This is the highest honour in the Lake Macquarie Landcare Network Environmental... read more
Lambs Valley Landcare Housing Crisis Eased
Lambs Valley Landcare eases the housing crisis for native fauna Lambs Valley Landcare held a nest box workshop for their members on the 29th January with 12 families attending, and another 5 interested, making 17 families who will have new nesting boxes on their... read more
Healing Country: A Landcare and Cultural Immersion Experience
Despite the blustery weather on Friday 17th January, this workshop was fully booked out, with Landcarers gathering at 4pm at Minimbah Teaching Place Bulga, to access Cultural Knowledge. HRLN partnered with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT), Allison Warry and... read more
Plant of the Month: The Littlest Aliens!
There are times I, and many others, question my sanity, deciding to write up a key to the Eucalypts of the Hunter has been one of those times. It was all going well till I got to the Stringybarks and Mahoganies. I’ve been wading my way through it for the past couple... read more
Hunter Rainforest Revival
Stacy Mail is heading up a team to deliver a 5-year education and training program to revive the Lower Hunter Dry Rainforest thanks to funding from the NSW Environmental Trust, with partners Hunter Local Land Services and Maitland City Council. The project aims are... read more
Obelisk Hill-Arcadia Park Landcare Report 2024
Have you ever walked along the Newcastle foreshore and explored the bushland reserves and parks along the way? There are quite a number of Landcare groups along the coast and they work alongside each other making a larger Super Group to help each other out, share... read more
A Native Botanic Garden in Newcastle: Explore Arcadia Park
Have you visited Arcadia Park recently? This beautiful reserve in the heart of Newcastle offers a serene escape, perfect for a hot summer’s day. Wander through bushland trails shaded by native trees, discover grassy picnic spots, and immerse yourself in the... read more
Happy 100th Birthday to Church Walk Park!
The Friends of Church Walk Park Landcare group is located in The Hill, Newcastle. They recently celebrated 100 years since the Park was established by the City of Newcastle Council. An art deco themed community open day attracted over 120 people. Activities included... read more
Wollombi Valley – The Inside Story!
The famous Wollombi Landcare group has recently held a very successful Wollombi Valley – The Inside Story! landholder workshop, courtesy of the Biodiversity Conservation Trust and HRLN. The day was jam-packed full of riveting guest speakers, leaving the 50 +... read more
Biodiversity Boost for Rutherford Landcare
Rutherford Landcare’s biodiversity boost project worth $12200 is auspiced by Hunter Region Landcare Network. Rutherford Landcare site is Lower Hunter Spotted Gum Ironbark, an Endangered Ecological Community under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act.... read more
Habitat Haven in the Park Funded
Earthcare Park Landcare’s ‘Habitat Haven in the Park’ project has received funding of $14,150, enabling vital conservation efforts in the area. This initiative focuses on planting 4,000 locally indigenous tubestock, with an emphasis on restoring native grass and... read more