Taking Root and Branching Out
Posted on 3 September, 2025 by Lori
To celebrate Landcare Week in August, Connecting Country teamed up with Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group (BCLWG) to host a special event titled Taking Root and Branching Out on Wednesday 6 August at Phee Broadway, Castlemaine. The event centred on the launch of a beautiful audio documentary developed by local, award-winning podcast creator (and member of BCLWG), Kyla Brettle. It tells the story about the long tail of environmental damage wrought by the colonial gold rush in Central Victoria and the almost 30 year history of a tiny community group (Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group) striving to make a difference alongside a broader account of social change and the value of land-caring.
Over 150 people came to hear and learn in what has been described by some attendees as a more unusual, but extremely engaging and centering, experience where the focus was to ‘listen in’ without the overstimulation of heavy visuals. The podcast artfully articulates the journey of both landscape transformation and community learnings alongside music and local voices and you can’t help but be captivated.
Photo: Sharon Fraser and members of the panel (L-R) Cath Jolly, Paul Foreman, Oli Moraes and Brendan Sydes discussing the Reserve.
After the podcast BCLWG provided a delicious sticky supper, a taste of the style of morning teas many Landcare groups strive after the heavy lifting of on-ground working bees. Sharon Fraser, MC for the evening then led a discussion panel about future plans for the Barkers Creek Reserve in Harcourt. Panel members Cath Jolly (BCLWG Secretary), Paul Foreman, ecologist with Biolinks Alliance, Oli Moraes, Galk-galk Dhelkunya Project Manager with DJAARA and Connecting Country President, Brendan Sydes emphasised the importance of engaging with partners and ‘experts’ to make a significant impact to our damaged countryside and the ongoing need for significant funding to achieve this ambition.
It was a heart-warming event and a big thanks go out to the Barkers Creek crew for creating this special evening in the center of Landcare Week as a celebration of what Landcare can achieve, but also what we can aspire to. If you missed it, a link to the podcast is available here and Kyla has written a reflection on the event on her Endgame Substack page.
This special event was hosted by Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group and Connecting Country with funding and support from The Victorian Landcare Program, North Central Catchment Management Authority, Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation, Mount Alexander Shire Council, The Little Red Apple, Biolinks Alliance and The Good Opp Shop.
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