‘Landcare is for everyone’ was the theme of this years Landcare Week and what better way to embody that than a pop-up-shop and mystery bus tour (or two) -yes, let’s take it very literally and show Landcare to everyone!

About the bus tours

We’ve been running catchment tours for local, regional and city based schools for many years,  but we don’t often we get to run tours for the general public. This Landcare Week we wanted to extend the invitation to our local community and take them to see some of our collective stories around the Cowra area.

A whistle-stop tour of two sites allowed us to show how strategic tree planting and management play vital roles in erosion control,  animal welfare & microclimate formation (via shelter belts) and  salinity management. We explained the geological features of our landscape and how Cowra came into being, our precious native Box Gum grassy woodland habitat and the role we play in its regeneration, plus sustainable grazing practices & farm management.

About the Pop-Up Store

Being centrally located and open all week meant we could reach a broader and more diverse audience.  Many people think of hard manual labor, tree planting and weeding when Landcare is mentioned and we wanted to expand that narrative to one that better reflects the diverse and interesting ways Landcare operates.  

Mid Lachlan’s projects have included eDNA testing (Saving our species project with Odonata),  Soil microbiome mapping (with the Microbiometer),  Citizen Science (Bioblitz),  Growing the Grazing Revolution, Box Gum Grassy Woodland Habitat on Farms and squirrel glider monitoring in the past in partnership with various organisations such as the CSIRO, Australian National University, the Biodiversity Conservation Trust, the Odonata Foundation and many more.

Our store was designed to bring the wonder and beauty of the Box Gum Grassy Woodland habitat we are surrounded by into the town. To make that as immersive as possible we distilled fresh Eucalyptus hydrosol all week, turning the store into an aromatic delight. Contributing to that were our displays of eucalypts and acacia’s from around the region plus six table displays showcasing different aspect of the work we do. Along with the curiosities and artefacts were a photo display plus a number of recent case studies from around the region to whett the apetite and highlight what’s possible when we work together.

Overall the week felt like a great success. The bus tours went well and the store was busy with drop-in visitors all week. We also managed to attract some press attention with the ABC’s Tim Fooks calling in and interviewing a number of our team members, plus a feature on Chanel 7 news.

You can listen to Tim Fooke’s interview’s here

Tracee & Amanda about Landcare Week.

David Wrenford about his Tree Change & The Water Monitoring Project he’s part of.

It was lovely to meet so many people and hear more about what Landcare means to them all and, more importantly, what they want to see from us (and be a part of) in the future.