Small Blocks Big Dreams
Location
Ballarat to Geelong, to Colac and into
the Otways and Bellarine
Outputs
- 58 landholders participated.
- Increased skills and knowledge resulted in planned actions such as
- Improved grazing strategies reducing topsoil erosion and promoting rotational grazing
- Pest plant and animal control
- Native revegetation
- Soil and water testing
- Bird box establishment
Investment
Funded by the Our Catchments, Our
Communities program
Partners
Landcare Groups: Moorabool
Catchment, Bellarine
Landcare Networks: Central Otway, Upper
Barwon, Geelong, and Southern Otway
Regional strategies
Corangamite Regional Catchment
Strategy, Corangamite Waterway Strategy,
Corangamite Landcare Support Plan
Small Blocks Big Dreams is an initiative to empower landholders with smaller-sized properties to become land stewards and make their own environmental management decisions for their property. Much of the landscape in the Corangamite catchment is fragmented due to agriculture. The project aims to reduce this by creating a more connected landscape and community of land stewards.
The Small Blocks Big Dreams project was launched in early 2022 and is funded by the Our Catchments, Our Communities program. The project focused on three key landholder groups: bush block owners, small producers, and horse and other livestock owners. Participants within each landholder group take part in a tailored ‘Workshop Series’ including four workshops, an introductory session and site visit organised by Landcare partners. The workshops provide participants with relevant information and property planning skills. Once they complete their ‘My Property’ report using the Corangamite CMA NRM Portal, they receive $2,000 in incentive money to support their planned on-ground works.
The workshops
Complete:
- Bush Blocks (Round 1) – The first workshop series was run by Moorabool Catchment Landcare Group. Key topics covered included biodiversity, weed management and bush fire preparation.
- Small Producers (Round 1) – Central Otway Landcare Network enlisted the help of agroecologist David Hardwick to teach participants about rural landscape logic and other NRM practices.
- Horse Owners (Round 1 & 2) – Upper Barwon Landcare Network engaged a large group of horse owners that began making positive change on their properties shortly after the first workshop with the help of equiculture expert, Stuart Myers.
Underway
- Small Producers (Round 2) – Bellarine Landcare Group and Geelong Landcare Network are currently working with landholders in and around their Landcare areas exploring key topics like soil health, indigenous plants, biosecurity and more.
- Bush Blocks (Round 2) – Southern Otway Landcare Network are engaging Bush Block owners in their area to educate them on environmental management best practice and empower them to make their own decisions about how they would like to improve their land.
Small Producers Round 1 participants with their completed action plans at the end of the workshops
