The Field Trips on Wednesday 17 September are now available to book online. Places will be limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Please view the Progam page for a printable version.
To view the individual Field Trip Programs, select the Field Trip name.
Click here to view the Whiteman Street Bus Zone and Spencer Street Coach Terminal departure points.
Important Information:
Morning tea and lunch will be provided on all field trips. Please be sure to bring enough water for the day and suitable clothing for spring-time in Melbourne (whatever that may bring).
Warm waterproof outdoor clothing and enclosed outdoor shoes are recommended. Terrain on the field trips is a mix of paved road, track, grass and some rocky shore. Most tours will include casual walking, requiring low to average fitness levels.
Field Trip 1: A snapshot of the Bellarine Peninsula: from the farm to the coast
Cost $100 per person
This trip will showcase a snapshot of the many natural resource management projects taking place on the Bellarine Peninsula, which lies south-west of Melbourne and is surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and the Bass Strait. Visiting the farm and the coast in one day, projects covered include those focussing on coastal management, wetland restoration, community partnerships Indigenous plant propagation.
Field Trip 2: Innovative Landcare and sustainable argiculture in South Gippsland
Cost $100 per person
This field trip will cover the Gippsland dairy industries approach to sustainable farming systems, including a visit to a robotic dairy and farming enterprise which has worked with Melbourne Water to protect waterways. Other projects covered include outcomes from the Fert$mart program, the Community Weeds Task Force, Strzelecki Koalas and Giant Gippsland earth worms. This will include a presentation from Australia’s expert on the Giant Gippsland earth worm, Dr Beverly van Praagh, and a site visit..
Field Trip 3: Indigenous land management in an urban environment
Cost $60 per person
Visit an inner city community farm and sustainability hub, witness the regenerative work taking place in the inner northern Melbourne suburbs and meet members of the Friends of Merri Creek and Friends of Burke Road community groups. This tour also offers a hands-on insight into the Indigenous culture of the area through the eye of local guides, including scar trees, a talk on the only registered Aboriginal place on Wurundjeri country, and a Birrarung walk and talk past the MCG.
Field Trip 4: Landcare in the city: Urban regeneration highlights SOLD OUT
Cost $60 per person
Highlighting the best of urban regeneration in Melbourne’s inner west, both on inner city bush and coastal environments, this trip involves a number of local Friends of groups, a walk around Williamstown Sandy Point and Spit Bay’s coastal strip and hinterland, exploring the diverse habitats of lakes, forest, wetland and parkland in the suburban surprise which is Newport Lakes, and a visit to the iconic Westgate Park, which has been transformed into a beautiful, diverse bushland setting for locally indigenous species. This tour includes up to 35 minutes walking,
so an average level of fitness is required.
Field Trip 5: Allcare on the Mornington Peninsula Mornington Peninsula
Cost $100 per person
Located south-east of Melbourne, and a popular tourist region, the Mornington Peninsula field trip offers Landcare projects of all types ranging from sustainable agriculture across horticulture, dairy and viticulture, equine Landcare, and an overview of the creation of the community-led Manton & Stony Creeks Biolink..
Field Trip 6: Connectivity for Biodiversity in the Werribee Catchment
Cost: $100 per person
Covering the region west of Melbourne, this trip includes projects in Pentland Hills, Ballan and Bacchus Marsh, an area famed for its broad acre grazing and quality fresh fruit and vegetable production. Including presentations from Pentland Hills Landcare, Friends of Werribee Gorge, and Conservation Volunteers Australia, the day will cover farmer led rehabilitation projects, broadscale revegetation and an intensive horticulture enterprise.
Field Trip 7: Recovering and rebuilding after a bushfire
Cost: $100 per person
Focussing on fire and disaster recovery, both on the ground and in the community, this field trip will visit some of the sites effected by the infamous Black Saturday bushfires and some sites effected from the 2014 fires. As well as hearing from local Landcare groups about restoration efforts in the area, the trip will also cover the Nillumbik Conservation Corridors, a multi-group project focused on threatened species..
Field Trip 8: From koalas to carbon farming: Phillip Island and Bass Coast
Cost $100 per person
Carbon farming, koala conservation, innovative direct seeding techniques, rainforest restoration and an Indigenous nursery – this field trip covers a diverse range of projects across the Bass Coast and Phillip Island regions south of Melbourne, including an overview of the catchment from the Bass Coast Landcare Network and a history of the Island.
Field Trip 9: Showcasing Landcare over 25 years: From the plains to the sea
Cost $100 per person
This field trip will take you to see the challenges in managing serrated tussock within Victorian Volcanic Plains native grasslands, large scale biodiversity projects, holistic and self ustainable farming systems – from paddock to plate. The tour will then take us to the iconic coastline at Bells Beach, showcasing coastal management programs along the Surf Coast.
Field Trip 10: Sustainable farming and biodiversity in the Western Port Catchment
Cost $100 per person
An organic vegetable and a robotic dairy enterprise are just two of the highlights of this tour of the highly productive and biodiverse Western Port region. The full day trip will also cover a number of biodiversity projects from the top of the catchment all the way to Western Port Bay.
Field Trip 11: From speed planting to Yellingbo: A snapshot of the Yarra Ranges
Cost $100 per person
Touring the beautiful Yarra Ranges, birth place of the Landcare for Singles phenomenon, this tour is a diverse showcase of the natural resource management projects taking place in the region, including equine Landcare, the Yarra 4 Life program and the Puffing Billy Railway Green Tracks project.
Field Trip 12: By land and by water
Cost $60 per person
Be sure to bring your sea legs and your walking boots for this tour which begins with a boat trip up the Maribyrnong River to a community group led walking tour covering Indigenous and European history, Urban Landcare, wetlands and remnant flora, and connecting communities with nature, all within 4km from Melbourne CBD. Please note that a reasonable level of fitness and good walking shoes are required for this trip.
Field Trip 13: Herring Island in the afternoon SOLD OUT
Cost $20 per person
A great option for those who may not be in Melbourne early enough for a full-day trip, this short trip, departing at 3pm from Melbourne’s cultural arts precinct, and including afternoon tea, includes a boat trip up the Yarra River past Melbourne’s picturesque gardens, parklands and famous sporting arenas to Herring Island. An important ecological and recreational asset in Melbourne’s inner suburbs, the island is being restored from a legacy of land degradation and weed invasion by community group, Friends of Herring Island and Parks Victoria.