Our four-year project to transform the Dandenong Creek corridor into a world-class urban Living Link is now on the home strait, finishing up by the end of June. Together with our six partner councils (Maroondah, Knox, Whitehorse, Monash, Greater Dandenong and Casey), Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water we’ve been working at 40 priority sites to habitat for wildlife in this important corridor, as well as making it a more beautiful place for people to enjoy.

Environmental works have now been completed at 32 sites, with the rest due for completion in the next few months. Between July and December 2019, these works included 71.3 hectares of weed control (8.2ha new and 63.1ha ongoing), 4.6 hectares of revegetation to fill ‘gaps’ in the corridor. During the same six-month period, the project also ran 16 community events that engaged 1519 people. These included two large National Tree Day plantings and the Wild Pollinator Discovery Day where 70 participants learned about native pollinators and made their own native ‘bee hotel’ to take home. Throughout January, we also ran the Wayapa in the Park series, where participants got a taste of the connection that Aboriginal people feel for the natural world around them through gentle movements, visualisation and meditation.

In the final few months of the project, we will deliver the third Discover Dandenong Creek Festival, the Wild by Nature Film Festival, an Indigenous art project, and a range of other exciting community events and activities.

We would like to thank all of our wonderful delivery partners for their fantastic work so far, the community for their enthusiastic involvement, and the Victorian Government for funding this $1M project through their Our Catchments, Our Communities initiative.

Learn more about the project here.

Each year, Living Links supports one primary or secondary school located within the Dandenong Creek catchment to undertake a project relating to the Living Links program vision of “Creating a web of green spaces where people and nature connect”.

The objectives of the Living Links Ambassador School Program are:

• Create long-lasting connections of students to the importance of urban environments
• Allow students to explore local environmental issues affecting their school and local community
• Promoting innovative learning that fosters environmental stewardship
• Promoting an awareness of the Living Links Program

Examples of projects may include:

• Revegetation and habitat enhancement
• Urban Ecology
• Litter
• Urban Greening
• Connecting people to nature
• Water Quality
• Community engagement
• Recreation
• Waterway health

What does the Ambassador School receive?

• A $2,000 grant to develop and implement their project including materials and equipment that may be needed
• Mentor support from the Living Links Committee
• Sponsorship to attend the 2019 Kids Teaching Kids Conference
• A Stormwater Incursion from Swinburne University
• A Living Links Ambassador Schools sign to display

Timeline

• February 2020 – Applications open
• 31 March 2020 – Applications close
• April 2020 – Applications assessed, applicants notified of outcome
• 20 April 2020 – Successful school commences project in Term 2
• October 2020 – Melbourne Water Kids Teaching Kids Conference
• November 2020 – School presents to Living Links Committee and is awarded Living Links Ambassador School sign

Eligibility

The Living Links Ambassador Schools program is open to primary or secondary schools within the Dandenong Creek catchment. Please see our map to check whether you are within the catchment.

Application form

Please download the application form below and submit via email to sarah.maclagan@ppwcma.vic.gov.au.

Further information

For further information please contact the Living Links Coordinator, Sarah Maclagan, at sarah.maclagan@ppwcma.vic.gov.au or phone 8781 7943.

Living Links is super excited to be organising our first short film festival in partnership with Remember The Wild! The Wild by Nature short film festival celebrates our close ties with Australia’s amazing natural environments and emphasises that there is plenty to love and get amongst within the suburbs of Melbourne. 

The film competition calls for entrants from primary schools, secondary schools and the wider community to produce short films that celebrate their love for nature. Films will celebrate why we love nature, why it is so good for us and how we can care for it, plus a special category of films focused on the Dandenong Creek. 

Entries close Sunday 12th April 2020.

The top five films from each age group will be screened at the Drum Theatre in Dandenong on Saturday 16 May, with prizes awarded at this event.

Visit the website to find out more.

Our ‘Wayapa in the Park’ summer series has now come to a close, having run every Sunday throughout January. The sessions provided a free introduction to Wayapa: an Aboriginal wellness and connection practice based on the ancient knowledge of deep connection to the earth and spirit.

Using Earth mindfulness, visualisation and movement, Wayapa allows participants to develop a deeper understanding through Aboriginal eyes of how we all belong to the earth and how caring for the planet is fundamental to our wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

The sessions were facilitated by accredited Wayapa practitioner and proud Bidjara woman Karan Kent of Yimba Yumba Earth Mindfulness, Promotion and Practice. They were held at Tirhatuan Park in Dandenong North and Jells Park in Wheeler’s Hill.

Participants reported having thoroughly enjoyed the experience, with many returning for multiple sessions. One participant said:

“[It] was lovely to connect with the earth through movement and story. I loved how each movement had symbolism behind it and how it is connected to Indigenous ways of life and respect for land, animals, water and children. I felt joy and resonance in participating and felt more relaxed and grounded afterwards.”

Another shared:

“I enjoyed looking at the world through a different culture’s eye. I feel it broadened my outlook and it was very peaceful.”

If you missed the January sessions but would like to try Wayapa, Karan will be doing introductory sessions at the Discover Dandenong Creek Festival on 2nd April. You can also follow her on Facebook.

The ‘Wayapa in the Park’ series was supported by the Victorian Government, Parks Victoria, City of Greater Dandenong and City of Monash.

Calling all non-profit environmental and recreation groups with an interest in the Dandenong Creek corridor!

Living Links is offering small grants (up to $2000) for groups to run public events before 30th June 2020. Eligible events will raise awareness and appreciation of this important corridor, and/or the natural values found along it. Topics of last year’s events included nocturnal wildlife, birds, frogs, water bugs and bats. Other topics could be fungi, insects, fish… or something else!? We are also open to recreational-based ideas to encourage more people to use the Dandenong Creek trail or visit the parklands along the creek – for example guided walks, bike rides, nature play or outdoor games. If unsure, please get in touch to discuss your idea. Items eligible for funding include guest presenters, venue and equipment hire, catering, educational materials/handouts, etc.

Please contact the Living Links Coordinator, Sarah Maclagan, at sarah.maclagan@ppwcma.vic.gov.au for further information or for a copy of the simple application form.

Funding is being provided through the ‘Transforming the Dandenong Creek corridor into a world-class urban Living Link’ project funded by the Victorian Government.

Below are some photos from last year’s events.

Identifying water bugs during the WaterWatch and bird walk – Greater Dandenong Environment Group

Learning to use the Frog Census app to monitor frogs – Greater Dandenong Environment Group and Melbourne Water

Our ‘Wild Pollinator Discovery Day’ held on 9th November 2019 was a huge success. Around 70 people attended this fully-booked event, where we learned about Australia’s huge diversity of native pollinators from pollinator expert Karen Retra, went on a bush walk to observe wild pollinators in their natural habitat, and built our own ‘bee hotels’ to take home.

Check out our short video and photos below, which capture some of the highlights.

We hope to run similar events in the future, so stay tuned for details. In the meantime, you can learn more about native pollinators and how you can take part in the Wild Pollinator Count.

This event was hosted by Port Phillip & Westernport CMA, First Friends of Dandenong Creek, City of Knox and Conservation Volunteers Australia through the Living Links program. It was held as part of Living Links’ Transforming the Dandenong Creek project, which is supported by the Victorian Government.

We had a wonderful day at the Doveton Show last Sunday running bird discovery walks along Dandenong Creek and got creative making nests. Thanks to Karan from Yimba Yumba, Suzie and Amie from Wildlife Experiences P/L and to the City of Casey.

These activities were supported by the Victorian Government through our Living Links project to Transform the Dandenong Creek.

Living Links was a proud sponsor of this year’s Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition, which ran for the first time in Victoria. The competition attracted over 600 stunning entries from children 5-12 years old. Visit the online gallery to see some of the beautiful artworks. They are also on display at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne until 28th September.

Living Links sponsored five Derwent Academy Watercolour 36 Pencils sets as prizes. These were awarded to students from Bacchus Marsh Primary School, Winners of the Best Group Work with their work “Soaring into the Clutches of Extinction”.

The competition was run by the Kids in Nature Network and the Humane Society International. It helped children unleash their artistic creativity while learning about the extinction crisis facing our native plants and animals, and aims to inspire and encourage the next generation of environmental leaders. We look forward to supporting this wonderful initiative again in 2020.

With funding through Living Links, the City of Whitehorse recently removed hundreds of tyres from the Dandenong Creek corridor and sent them for recycling. For many years, the site in Vermont South had been a dumping ground for tyres. It was also heavily infested with weeds before Council turned their attention to cleaning it up with the help of some hungry goats (see previous story). Once the goats had tackled most of the weeds, it was clear the tyres were the next problem to deal with in the quest to return the site to a beautiful natural area.

Removing the tyres was quite a challenge, given the steep bank and soft ground, according to Whitehorse Council’s Environment and Education Team Leader, Ian Moodie. “The biggest problem was an old earth moving truck tyre that weighed several hundred kilos.” He said. “It was a real problem dragging it up the hill, and also a real problem getting it into the recycling truck!” Overall, it took four people working for two days to remove all the tyres.

The photos below show the tyre removal efforts, including some before and after photos.

Over the next 10 months, the Living Links grant (with funding from the Victorian Government) will fund further weed control (including weeds that are too high for the goats to reach, or not palatable to them). This will pave the way for revegetation to start restoring the native vegetation, which will improve biodiversity values and amenity along this important biodiversity corridor, the Dandenong Creek.

Students from Frankston High School have created a beautiful habitat garden to help beneficial insects. It’s called an Arthro-POD, and it was created as part of a Natured Kids project to identify the important role insects such as bees, beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps and ants play in our world. It’s also designed to increase the students’ knowledge of these handy helpers and the ecosystem services they provide.

Natured Kids is a Junior Landcare group run by Frankston freelance teacher Narelle Debenham, who managed the Arthro-POD project with the support of the school’s sustainability teacher, Brendan McKinnon, as well as other organisations including Frankston City Council, Port Phillip & Westernport CMA, and Flora Victoria.

Read the full story here.