Toodyay Friends of the River

22/02/2026

It’s been a little while, and we hope you are all doing well. Our team has had a heavy start to the year, navigating personal tragedies alongside work commitments, but our dedication to Julimar State Forest remains as strong as ever.

We recently held our annual planning meeting and are more determined than ever to see Julimar State Forest managed as a National Park. Here is some of what’s on the horizon for 2026:

🦋 Seasonal mini-bioblitzes
Want to help us document the incredible biodiversity of the forest? Save these dates (subject to change):
🗓️ March 28th | June 20th | Sept 25th | Dec 12th

Interested in participating or leading a small survey? Comment below or send us a DM! We haven't locked down any details as yet, but if we can get an idea of interest that would be fantastic.

Also, a quick note on the September 2025 BioBlitz report - it's coming. Kelly is pulling it together as we speak. She is only one person with a lot of other projects on her plate - we appreciate your patience 🙏

🔥 Fire management concerns
We are continuing our conversation with DBCA about the upcoming prescribed burn and meeting with them next week. One of our focused discussion points is the significant community concerns following the devastating fires in Fitzgerald River National Park and Cocanarup areas.

With Bindoon and Julimar acting as strongholds for Black Cockatoo breeding, we cannot afford more habitat loss. We are formally requesting a precautionary pause on northern burns until the full extent of the southern damage is assessed.
📢 Please consider contacting the DBCA to voice your own concerns about protecting these critical breeding corridors.

🤝 We need you!
We are a small, passionate team, but we can’t do it alone. We’ll be calling on the community more this year to help spread the workload. Whether it’s sharing a post or helping on the ground, your hands-on support is what keeps us moving.

📸 Support our projects
Although we do get support from local fundraising and in-kind donations, a lot of the time we find ourselves dipping into our own wallets for things like batteries/chargers and petrol money for our trail camera project, as well as posters and marketing material etc . This year, we’ll be launching some fundraising efforts to keep this vital work going. Any support -no matter how small- makes a massive difference.
👉 https://julimarcafa.org.au/donate/

Together, we can continue to fight for nature in 2026. Thank you for standing with us. 🖤

22/02/2026

Please give generously to fund audio recording units, trail cameras, revegetation, other surveying equipment, artificial hollows (if required post-survey), satellite tracking, specialist advice and general recovery project support after the tragic bush fire of 22nd to 24th January 2026

07/11/2025

02/11/2025

19/09/2025

We've found critical inaccuracies and significant concerns in the proposed prescribed burn plans for Julimar State Forest. The two planned burns, PHS260 and PHS195, cover a massive 7,528 hectares and must not proceed until DBCA addresses these issues.

15/09/2025

Join us at the Julimar State Forest Bioblitz on the weekend of 5–7 September 2025! This Bioblitz will bring us closer to understanding and protecting Julimar State Forest, much of which remains unexplored. Documenting native wildlife and plant species helps build the case to upgrade the forest’s...

15/09/2025

Did you know?

DUDJABUP (Toodyay) – our home town – is known for its DUDJA - its winter mist during MAKURU, the coldest season, and into DJILBA.

Toodyay means “Place of Mist.”

View from Pelham Reserve Lookout over Dudjabup this morning. Dudja following the flow of GUGULJA, the Avon River.

With Djilba season well underway there won’t be much more Dudja this year.

29/08/2025

The BioBlitz in Julimar Forest is next weekend. Even if you can't make the BioBlitz, the Friday night talks will be worth attending! Register below:

Join us in Toodyay on the evening of Friday, September 5, for a special event kicking off the 2025 Julimar Bioblitz. Held in the heart of Julimar country, in partnership with the Julimar Conservation Alliance, this two-hour forum will bring together scientists, conservationists, and community member...

26/07/2025

, see you there!

We're thrilled to announce the upcoming Bioblitz in Julimar State Forest on the weekend of September 5, 2025. This vital event, in conjunction with the Julimar Conservation Alliance, will bring us closer to understanding and protecting an invaluable natural treasure, much of which remains unexplored...

15/07/2025

24/06/2025

Ancestor Camp near Boyagerring Brook (Toodyay)

Noongar moort (family) have lived and cared for boodja (country) in the Toodyay valley for over 45,000 years, maintaining a deep relationship with land, water, seasons, and each other.

This art represents Noongar moort life on boodja, reflecting the strong connection between moort and country.

It was inspired by yarns with Elders as we sat near the junction of Gugulja (Avon River) and Boyagerring Brook back in March this year, after holding a sacred river blessing.

The area was once a thriving karlerl (family camp) - rich in resources and sustained by cultural knowledge, family ties, and seasonal rhythms. Here, an extended family lived closely with nature, sharing responsibilities and maintaining a strong connection to boodja.

Moort lived within defined ‘family lands,’ with rights to specific waterholes essential for survival. Every family member held roles and responsibilities, ensuring sustainability and harmony across generations.

At the heart of the camp, the kaarla (campfire) was kept burning day and night. Around it, the family gathered to share food, reflect on their day, strengthen bonds, and pass down knowledge.

Mungart (Jam Tree), Kwell (Sheoak), Bibool (Swamp Paperbark), and Mangatj (Banksia) surround the bush landscape, offering shelter, shade, materials for tools, and food — all essential to daily life.

Koornt (shelters), made from branches, bark, and grass, were carefully lined with Kwell (Sheoak) needles and yonga (kangaroo) skins for comfort. Inside one, a kabarli (older woman) cares for a baby, showing the nurturing role of grandmothers.

Nearby, yorga (women) sit at the fire grinding kwolak (grain) with a muller, preparing food, as a young girl listens and learns. A boordiya (Elder) draws symbols in the sand while telling stories to the kulunga (children) - teaching through observation, experience, and connection to place. At the edge of the camp, maaman (men) return from a successful hunt, carrying datj (meat) to share.

Daily tools - gidgie (spear), wanna (digging stick), yandi (carrying dish), and booka (skin cloak) - are placed around the camp, and dillybags (woven storage bags, with grains collected in an earlier season) hang from a branch… reminders of the skill, care, and resourcefulness passed down through generations.

The nearby waterway flows gently through the landscape, lined with Yanget (bullrush - its bulbs were roasted, and leaves used in weaving), and teeming with yarkan (turtle), djiljit (fish), and yerderap (duck) - reaffirming the lifeblood that connects people, water, and country.

While this scene captures only a glimpse of daily camp life, much more activity unfolded with the changing seasons. Noongar society was supported by many vital roles - food gatherers, fishers, tool makers, fire-keepers, weavers, healers, midwives, trackers, and ceremonial leaders. People prepared animal hides and medicines, and passed on stories through song, sand drawings, and dance.

Each person played a part in keeping families strong and culture alive, with knowledge shared through practice, observation, and deep listening on Country.

This scene reminds us of the resilience of ancestors and the continuing spirit of Noongar culture today.











Art created by Chelle of Artitood & Helen of NKAC

If you share this artwork seperate from this Facebook post, please ensure to credit the Noongar Kaartdijin Aboriginal Corporation as the commissioning body and Chelle Ellery as the artist.