Landcare NSW staff recently got out on the road to visit the Lithgow and Oberon Landcare Association (LOLA), the Wiradjuri Rangers out of Bogan Gate and the River Dreaming Aboriginal Corporation, based in Forbes.

LOLA’s Steve Fleischmann and Trish Kidd welcomed us for breakfast at the Tin Shed before taking us to see some of their great local works, including the lovely Lake Pillans Wetlands, almost destroyed by bushfires but rescued and maintained by the local Landcare community.

The scope of the work that LOLA has achieved at Lake Pillans is breathtaking and a must-see if you’re in the vicinity.

The next stop on our journey was Forbes, where we connected with Peter White of the Wiradjuri Cultural and Environmental Rangers, who was down from Bogan Gate for the day. Peter shared some details of the Ranger’s recent grant application (a clever solution to the vexed carp problem in our rivers – but we can’t give too much detail away here!)

Finally, we met Brett Smith, Director of River Dreaming Aboriginal Corporation. Brett is the driving force behind River Dreaming’s latest venture – River Dreaming Tours.

These tours include a guided canoe trip down the Lachlan River where participants learn about ‘looking after country’ from the original experts, like proud Wiradjuri men Russell Spencer, aka ‘the yellowbelly man’, an expert fisher and state finalist for NSW Senior Volunteer of the year in 2013 and Larry Towney, a former Senior Aboriginal Lands Services Officer with the Central West Local Land Services who has a real passion for drones!

The canoe trip down river comes ashore in the afternoon, in time for some well-earned rest before a sumptuous sit-down dinner by the firelight, catered by well-credentialled local outfit Eat Your Greens – no baked beans and mess tins on this expedition! Under the dazzling night sky, there’s something for the stargazers too; as Dark Skies Downunder, Trevor Leaman takes you on a journey to explore how our ‘world’s first astronomers’ intimate understanding of the night sky guided them in managing country.

A truly captivating experience.

It was a wonderful opportunity for us to get out and about in the world of Landcare and see firsthand the amazing work being done by our groups.

Please get in touch and tell us about your group and maybe invite us out for a visit – we’d love to meet you and learn more about your projects.

– Mark Lawrence, Membership & Business Support, Landcare NSW