Funding Sources: Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Program (Round 2)
Timeline: April 2022 – December 2023
Funding received: $69 300
Project Description
Four local Landcare Groups have come together to deliver this project to protect our local biodiversity and river health in the King River and 15 Mile Creek catchments in North East Victoria. This is a great collaborative effort to help deliver funding incentives to our communities.
The project area encompasses the King River and Fifteen Mile Creek catchments, including the main waterways and smaller tributaries and gullies, that fall within the Greta Valley, Edi Black Range, Carboor Bobinawarrah and King Basin Landcare Groups.
You will need to be a member of your local Group to received funding support. New members are welcome to join to take advantage of the funding offer. Contact details for the four groups are:
- Greta Valley Landcare Group – Contact Bre (Secretary) on secretary@gretalandcare.org.au
- Carboor Bobinawarrah Landcare Group – Contact Shelley (Secretary) on cblg.secretary@gmail.com
- Edi Black Range Catchment Group – Contact Kathy (Secretary) on ediblackrangesecretary@gmail.com
- King Basin Landcare Group – Contact Rosemary (Secretary) on kingbasinlandcare@gmail.com
This project will support members of our local community to improve their knowledge of riparian management and develop practical skills in the management of waterways and gullies.
Project aim
Our project aims to enhance the quality of the riparian habitat and reduce sedimentation by managing gully erosion on smaller tributaries through targeted fencing and revegetation. We will fence 5km of waterway and revegetate 5ha of riparian land in this project.
What funding is available for landholders?
Funding is available to assist with:
- Fencing to enable the establishment of native vegetation, develop a buffer zone to improve water quality and help maintain ground cover for erosion control. We have funding to support 5km of fencing along waterways with a fencing rebate of $6/m. The width of fencing will vary depending on the size of the waterways being fenced. A minimum width of 10m will apply to the King River, Boggy Creek, Meadow Creek, Fifteen Mile Creek and other similar sized waterways.
- Revegetation along waterways using native shrubs and trees. We have 6000 native tube stock available for planting on waterways. Cardboard guards will be supplied to protect plants. The landholder will be required to contribute $0.50/unit for the plants.
Application Process
Fencing and planting must be completed by the end of August 2022. Applications are now open until 30th April 2022. Please get your ideas for sites by this date to ensure you are considered in the first round of funding. If additional funding remains, we will offer a second round of applications.
Download an application form. Completed application forms can be emailed to Sally Day at sally.day@gretalandcare.org.au.
Depending on the level of interest, we may not be able to fund all sites. Proposed sites will be assessed and we will do what we can to help as many members as possible in a fair manner. We will advise you if we can’t fund your site. Read more about the grant application process.
Please call Sally Day (Project Officer) on 0437 136 162 or Penny Raleigh (Ovens Landcare Facilitator) on 0427 613 970 for more information or to have an application form posted to you.
Delivered Outcomes
Over the course of the last 18 months we have successfully engaged with landholders to deliver:
– 9 sites in the catchment protecting a total of 15.1 hectares of riparian vegetation on six properties
– Erected 5200 metres of riparian fencing
– Planted a total of 8540 indigenous trees and shrubs, revegetating an area of 14.4 hectares.
This year we have experimented with taking some drone footage of some of our larger sites to show the scale of our planting with help from one of our volunteer members. This site at Upper Lurg had over 5100 native trees and shrubs planted with the assistance of the Landmate Team from Beechworth Correctional Centre.
A selection of photos from the finalised site are included below, please hover over individual photos to read captions.
Stock exclusion fencing and revegetation on One Mile Creek, Wangaratta
Control of Hawthorn (spraying and then lopping), followed by fencing and revegetation on this tributary of Boggy Creek, Moyhu
Riparian fencing and planting on an ephemeral waterway at Moyhu
Creating a riparian corridor, extending on from sections of creek planted over the past three years at Moyhu
Planting on Back Creek, a tributary of the Fifteen Mile Creek, Greta South
Our project supported the landholder to construct two rock chutes to address instream erosion on a dam overflow adjacent to Back Creek, Greta South
Fencing and planting on this large site at Upper Lurg, to exclude stock from all tributaries
Fencing incorporated many scattered paddock trees and planting of midstorey species around existing 15 year old tree only shelterbelts
Thanks to the Landmate Team for their help in planting over 5100 plants between May-October 2023
We have used cardboard guards in waterway areas likely to flood, with corflute guards used higher on the banks
Backwaters of large dam containing the threatened native fish Southern Pygmy Perch, mid storey planting to provide food and habitat for threatened woodland birds
Aerial view of site, facing north-east, showing planting around the large dam and tributaries
Aerial view of large dam and downstream planting area facing north-east
Erection of riparian fencing and revegetation on Black Range Creek, Edi
Phased replacement of willow with native species on Black Range Creek, Edi
Aerial view of planting on Black Range Creek, Edi
The objective of the planting is to establish a consistent corridor of riparian vegetation to help address bank erosion.
Planting has been completed on the top of the bank to support river health and provide shelter for the adjacent paddock, and vegetation on the bank face to reduce erosion
This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Small Grants program