Connecting Culture and Country
LOCATION
Mooroopna Sand Hills and Reedy Lake
TRADITIONAL OWNERS
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation and Taungurung Land and Waters Council
OUTPUTS
- 412 hectares of catchment stewardship, including revegetation, pest animal control, cultural assessments, community extension, a field day and publication.
INVESTMENT ( 4 YEARS)
State Government (DEECA) Our Catchments Our Communities 2024-2028
PARTNERS
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation and Taungurung Land and Waters Council, Greater Shepparton City Council, Parks Victoria, DEECA, landholders, community
The Connecting Culture and Country project is working together with Traditional Owners and partners to protect and enhance the Goulburn Broken catchment’s natural and cultural values.
This Our Catchments, Our Communities project promotes increased catchment stewardship in the Goulburn Broken catchment with a focus on connecting people, Traditional Owner culture and the natural environment through on-ground works and natural resource management extension. Focusing on the protection and enhancement of public and private land, the project concentrates on the Sand Hills at Mooroopna on Yorta Yorta Country and the 1300 hectare Reedy Lake Wildlife Reserve, near Nagambie on Taungurung Country. By the end of the first year, a combined 412 hectares of stewardship was achieved. In partnership with Traditional Owners, activities included pest plant and animal control, cultural assessments and surveys, fencing and site enhancement and maintenance.
The project runs until mid-2028 but the environmental and cultural benefits will be long term. For example, an increase in on-ground works and cultural knowledge at Reedy Lake contributes towards the broader health and cultural story of Taungurung Country.
The project also facilitates an increase in Traditional Owner access to Country, meaning there is greater potential for further identification, protection and mapping of significant cultural sites.
Connecting people, culture and the environment is the project’s primary aim, offering an opportunity for landholders to improve remnant landscapes and connect with Traditional Owner cultural values.
Future activities include the establishment of a seed production area at the Mooroopna Sand Hills, stewardship on private land, cultural burning and continued pest plant and animal control. Community engagement is an important part of the project. Activities have included The Year of the Tree Hollow community awareness campaign in 2025 to raise awareness around the importance of hollow-bearing habitat. A publication, The Bird Book, featuring woodland birds of the project area was produced.
The wetlands and woodlands of the Reedy Lake Wildlife Reserve on Taungurung Country are culturally and environmentally significant.
