Project Platypus Upper Wimmera Landcare

18/06/2026

Rabbits causing damage on your property? Timing is everything when it comes to effective control.

The Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN) has developed a Best Practice Rabbit Management approach backed by more than 20 years of research from long-term monitoring sites across Victoria.

The key? Applying the right methods in the right sequence at the right time of year:

🌱 Spring — Peak breeding season. Plan and prepare, engage your neighbours, map warrens and remove harbour
☀️ Summer — Bait to reduce rabbit populations by 90–98%, followed by warren modification (ripping/implosion)
🍂 Autumn — Continue warren modification, fumigation and mapping of new warrens
❄️ Winter — Fumigation after warren modification and evaluation of your control program

The five core steps of Best Practice Rabbit Management are: assessing the problem, baiting, warren modification, follow-up and maintenance, and ongoing monitoring.

Working together with your neighbours across boundaries will maximise the impact of your efforts. Rabbits don't respect fences!

⚠️ Remember to check your legal obligations before using machinery near waterways or cultural heritage sites.

🔗 Visit the Project Platypus website at the link in our bio to download VRAN resources.

17/06/2026

We recently facilitated a night survey with Horsham Youth at the old Police Paddock in Horsham. It was a great turn out with many fresh faces eager to learn about the wildlife in the area.

15/06/2026

Feral deer are a growing problem across Australia, and land managers have a key role to play in tackling them.

Six species of feral deer have established free-ranging populations across the country. While they might look harmless, the damage they cause is real: trampling and consuming crops, degrading native vegetation, damaging fences, creating wallows in waterways, and even contributing to vehicle collisions.

The good news? There's a practical, step-by-step resource to help. The Glovebox Guide to Managing Feral Deer, published by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, walks us through everything we need to know:

🔍 How to identify the six deer species found in Australia
📋 How to plan a cost-effective deer management program
🛠️ Control options including ground shooting, aerial shooting, exclusion fencing and trapping
📊 How to monitor and evaluate outcomes

Remember, the problem isn't the presence of deer, it's the damage they cause. Understanding that damage is the first step to managing it effectively.

🔗 Visit the link in our bio to download the free guide at the Project Platypus website!

IPA priorities of the Upper Wimmera

08/06/2026

Thinking back to our Squirrel Glider Community Information Day in March and what a special time it was.

We were joined by an incredible turnout of locals, families and wildlife enthusiasts all coming together around one very special species: the squirrel glider. The Northern Grampians is home to the last remaining population of squirrel gliders in western Victoria, and the enthusiasm in the room that day was a powerful reminder of how much our community cares about their future.

Guests had the chance to learn about squirrel gliders and the threats they face, meet a real-life squirrel glider, and get up close with other native wildlife. It was wonderful to see so many young faces getting curious about the animals in their own backyard.

If you're curious about these incredible marsupials and our Tail of the Squirrel Glider project, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Head to the link in our bio to learn more about habitat surveys, community planting days, and citizen science workshops and join us in supporting squirrel gliders to thrive.

04/06/2026

Join us for our Winter Plant Out!

Come spend the day getting your hands dirty and connecting with community in the beautiful Fyans Creek area.

📅 Saturday 27 June 2026
⏰ 9:30am – 2:00pm
📍 Fyans Creek (address provided upon registration)

We'll be planting trees together and doing our bit for the local landscape, all while sharing good company on a winter's day. Whether you're a seasoned greenie or just looking for a meaningful way to spend a Saturday, everyone is welcome!

👉 Register here to receive the location details: https://winter-plantout.raiselysite.com/

Bring warm layers, gloves, sturdy shoes, and a friend (but please leave your dogs at home). We'd love to see you there!

Join for a day of tree planting and connecting with community in Fyans Creek.

04/06/2026

What a day in Moyston last weekend.

As part of our Fire Recovery Project, we teamed up with Trust for Nature for a hands-on tree hollow workshop. From learning why hollows are so critical for native wildlife post-fire, to watching climbing arborist Nils Karlsson from Calypto Hollows carve and install hollows high up in the canopy using his innovative 'Hollow Hog' technique, participants walked away with real skills and a whole new appreciation for these vital habitat features.

The afternoon field session at a fire-affected conservation property made it all feel very real. Seeing restoration in action in a landscape still recovering from the 2025 Grampians bushfires was a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to Trust for Nature and Calypto Hollows for making it such a special day.

Thanks as well to Aiden Banfield for taking these photos for us.

This workshop was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victoria under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement.

22/05/2026

We recently helped the Pyrenees Shire Council develop a guide to firewise gardening with a focus on locally native plant species. An online version is coming soon, and print copies will be launched at an upcoming bus tour of firewise gardens with the Pyrenees Community House.

Saturday 30 May 2026.
For more information and to book call 5349 3150 or visit the link below.

The Safer Together Bushfire Resilience Project will help strengthen community resilience and improve long-term disaster preparedness and recovery through a Fire Wise landscaping approach

19/05/2026

Keep sending those iNaturalist identifications in and you could find a new species like Judy!

There were no known photographs taken in the wild of the Myrmeleon houstoni until a regional Victorian woman snapped a photo of one while on a bushwalk.

15/05/2026

We’re teaming up with Trust for Nature for a hands-on workshop exploring tree hollows and the wildlife that depend on them.

Booking link: https://habitat-hollows-and-homes-for-wildlife.raiselysite.com/

Hear from arborist and hollow expert Calypto Hollows, who will showcase innovative hollow restoration techniques in action, before getting involved in building log boxes to support native species recovery.

The workshop also includes a field visit to a conservation property impacted by the 2025 Grampians bushfires, where we’ll demonstrate techniques for monitoring and assessing tree hollows after fire, before installing our newly built log boxes to provide important habitat for wildlife. Tickets are limited, so make sure you book your tickets below to confirm your spot!

📍 Moyston Recreation Reserve, Moyston

📅 Saturday 30th May, 10am–2pm

Image credit: Kat Rast - An owlet nightjar in a restored hollow

11/05/2026

🐿️ Say hello to one of our Squirrel Gliders!

This little one was captured on a trail camera between Deeplead and Dadswells Bridge, an area where our team had previously confirmed the presence of Squirrel Gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis).

After locating them, we got to work installing five nest boxes and a trail camera to provide habitat support and monitor activity in the area.

Squirrel Gliders are endangered in Victoria, and much of the existing data on local populations is over 20 years old. That's why our Tail of the Squirrel Glider project matters so much. In just the last two years, we've located 15 individuals, helping build a much clearer picture of where these beautiful animals are living and thriving.

📬 Have a Landcare story or event to share? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out to [email protected]