Time to share some fantastic news for wetland restoration in western Victoria

A series of recent grant funding announcements are providing NGT with a welcome boost to our wetland restoration activities in western Victoria!

Firstly, the Australian Government has now confirmed the recipients of ‘National Landcare Program – Environment Small Grants’ around the country – you can see the full list here.

• Nature Glenelg Trust is grateful to have been awarded a grant that will enable us to properly establish the facilities required at Walker Swamp for the community to assist us with bird monitoring in response to this major new restoration project as it unfolds. As well properly setting up the observation tower as the focal location for day visitation associated with bird watching, the grant will also help us to kick start a series of associated educational programs, which our staff Greg Kerr and Nicole Mojonnier now have underway.

The donated tower that will now be properly set up as a permanent bird monitoring station at Walker Swamp (Photo Rod Bird).

Secondly, the Victorian Government’s investment in Biodiversity Response Planning has resulted in a wide range of on-ground action projects being funded around Victoria for the next three years. You can see the full list of projects here.

As a result, NGT is very grateful to have been funded to:

• Permanently restore Long Swamp, in Discovery Bay Coastal Park, by re-instating a natural sand dune around the trial restoration structure at Nobles Rocks. This is the final stage in what has been a major project over the past 5 years, as NGT has worked closely with Nelson Coast Care, Parks Victoria, Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owner Corporation, Glenelg Hopkins CMA, DELWP and the local community.

Example of wetland restoration on private land in 2018 – in reverse chronological order: top – spring, middle – winter, bottom – autumn. This could be your drained wetland next!

• Restore wetlands on private land in the Glenelg Plain, Grampians and Victorian Volcanic Plain bio-regions, which will enable us to continue to work with private landholders across much of western Victoria to reverse decades of wetland loss as a result of artificial drainage. We’ll be liaising closely with Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Corangamite CMA and DELWP in particular on these new projects, as we look to continue to work closely with people on the land.

So, if you own private property with a previously drained or degraded wetland in south western Victoria that you would like to see restored and encourage the wildlife to return – please get in touch – we may be able to help you turn your vision into reality!

To find out more, you can get in touch by emailing:  or by calling Lachlan Farrington on 0401 208 717.

More information on all these projects will be shared in future blog updates.