Southern Otway Landcare Network

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The Southern Otway Landcare Network (SOLN) is a grassroots community organisation dedicated to protecting and restoring our environment so that we can live, work and find joy in a healthy, productive and balanced environment.

09/06/2026

Songs have been used as storytelling for thousands of years, connecting people to place, heroes/heroines and each other. And once they’re in your head, they never leave it.

So we asked the very talented Bianca Kyriacou and Maximilian West to compose us a song about the Barham River for our community. Working together with the fabulous Apollo Bay Community Choir, this is what they came up with!

See the link in our bio to access the full beautiful recording.

“When initially approaching our Barham Song, we first considered the atmosphere we wished to create. As opposed to our exhibition soundscape, this was our opportunity to use words to dream our best dream for the Barham. Songs, specifically those with words, are like spells. With this piece being written specifically for the Apollo Bay Community Choir, we were keenly aware of the energetic power a large group of people can create.

In our dream for the Barham, there is an uplifting of community and a sense of hope as we collectively turn our focus to caring for the Barham and the Gadubanud land through which it runs. Uplifting. Hope. This was our key.” – B. Kyriacou & Max West

It was a skin-tingling performance by the choir on our exhibition opening night and we sincerely thank the 39 community members who contributed to this most wondrous song: Angelika Millar, Annick Choiniere, Barb Birkett, Bianca Kyriacou, Boo Carolyn Lalor, Danni Sandford, Dav Rees, Faye Rampal, Georgie Custance, Gordon Rennie, Heather Frost, Heather Kiley, Helen C***s, Helen Ponder, Jacinta Tobin, Jane Buckingham, Janice Livesey, Kim Jaskiewicz, Kim Kyriacou, Liz O’Carroll, Marg Lawson, Marg Lugg, Martin Scott, Maximilian West, Meg Tait, Meg Dietze, Melissa Webster, Mez Stewart, Michelle Fillmore, Pam Dodsworth ,Pam Keating, Phil Langdon, Phil Ponder, Rachel Jones ,Raelene Hyatt, Rod Natt, Tony Webber, Vicky Thursfield, Wayne Simmons & Yvonne Francis.

Reimagining the Barham was brought to you by and made possible by the Victorian Government via a grant, , , , and

We’re so thrilled that Barwon Water not only sponsored the Reimagining the Barham exhibition, but they also contributed ...
08/06/2026

We’re so thrilled that Barwon Water not only sponsored the Reimagining the Barham exhibition, but they also contributed this fun installation! A big thank you to Rachael Beecham for making this happen and bringing her creativity to important statistics – and her artistic talent to the Mech Hall (we adored her pencil drawings!) 💖

Their installation is called ‘Barham flows’ and Rachael reflects:
“The installation that we have developed aims to creatively show the fluctuation in the seasonal water flows down the Barham River and a representation of how many people are relying on the river during those seasons.

The Barham River is an isolated catchment that relies heavily on the high Winter and Spring flows to harvest enough water to supply the fluctuating population. When the population in Apollo Bay, Marengo and Skenes Creek is at its peak and demand is high in Summer and Autumn, the flows in the river are at their lowest and we often can’t harvest.

When the population decreases and demand drastically reduces over Winter and Spring, the rivers flows are at their highest.”

By seasonal quarter, the average flow in megalitres/day in the Barham River is:
Summer = 32 ML/day
Autumn = 27.5 ML/day
Winter = 132.6 ML/day
Spring = 94.1 ML/day

To represent the seasonal fluctuation in population and demand, Rachael placed Lego figurines around the outside of four vases. Apollo Bay has a permanent population of 1800, which swells to more than 15,000 during Summer.

You will have noticed that there are more Lego figurines around the Summer and Autumn vases, and these have significantly lower water levels. Did you also notice that there are fewer figurines around the Winter and Spring vases when the water levels are at their highest?

How will understanding the river’s rhythms and flows change the way we, as a community, use its water?

Reimagining the Barham was brought to you by and made possible by the Victorian Government via a grant, , , , and

Did you see this piece by Toby Bucek and Otways Bushcraft Company? The little people visiting our Reimagining the Barha...
08/06/2026

Did you see this piece by Toby Bucek and Otways Bushcraft Company? The little people visiting our Reimagining the Barham exhibition definitely loved exploring it from all angles, but the adults were fascinated too!

‘Old School Chemistry’ is a collaborative work by Otways Bushcraft Company passing on traditional and ancestral tanning techniques to young people. Believing deeply in the value of practicality in the aesthetic, their art utilises materials of the land to form functional works.

Toby reflects:
“This piece expresses reverence to the natural world by preservation of both the kindred animal’s hide and the praxis passed on inter-generationally. It acknowledges and bears witness to the living creatures that have been respectfully and ethically harvested for human sustenance. By accepting humanity’s place within ecosystems as custodians, we acknowledge the necessity of being involved in all aspects of the ecology - including predation by hunting.

From an environmental lens, in this particular location, the impact of the introduced species (deer) on the waterway suggests that as caretakers our role is to intervene and attempt to return this sensitive location to a more balanced ecosystem by removing the invasive species. But, in doing so, we should also be considerate to ensure that ‘the prey’ (the deer) does not go to waste: the carcass provides food and materials to support/embellish human life. The whole ecosystem benefits while the memory of the animal being is treated with reverence and respect.”

Reimagining the Barham was brought to you by and made possible by the Victorian Government via a grant, , , , and

06/06/2026

When we approached Apollo Bay Pottery Club about a collective artwork that could be produced for the Reimagining the Barham exhibition, their members were excited by the challenge to create a piece that spoke to a healthier future for the Barham River – if the community could come together to make choices that positively impacted its future.

What they came up with was a GIANT abacus! And they titled the piece:
Counting on the Barham

This reel shows show of the ‘beads’ that make up their abacus, as they were still being glazed and finalised. Most pottery club members had some idea of the issues impacting the health of the Barham River and enjoyed considering what symbols might represent those issues.

“This project has enhanced our knowledge and appreciation of the river as a living, responsive entity” – Apollo Bay Pottery Club

Have you seen it yet? Reimagining the Barham CLOSES TOMORROW, so be sure you get there!

Sunday 7th June, 10am - 2pm.
Apollo Bay Mechanics Hall, Apollo Bay.
(Contact Andrea dK for enquiries: [email protected])


This collaborative artwork was funded by a Colac Otway Shire Community grant. Reimagining the Barham is brought to you by and made possible by the Victorian Government via a grant, , , , and

Audio: Reflections of the Barham by Maximilian Peter West & Bianca Claire Elly Hudson Kyriacou
(commissioned for our exhibition; see previous post)

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