Amber Creek Farm Tour & Lunch

On a still, sunny autumn morning, we welcomed guests to one of South Gippsland's more quietly remarkable properties for a behind-the-scenes tour of Amber Creek Farm, Fish Creek, a working sawmill and pig farm whose story is as much about restoration as it is about production.

The sold-out event drew over 40 enthusiastic nature lovers, farmers and community members to the property, guided by owner Dan Bright. Self-described as a "hogs and logs" operation, the farm is run by Dan and Amelia Bright and family, alongside a small, dedicated team. But the tour quickly revealed that the operation is far more than its tongue-in-cheek tagline suggests.

Dan grew up in the region with an eye on this particular piece of country, and eventually realised a long-held ambition to work and steward it. Since taking on the property, he and his family have committed to a philosophy of integration rather than separation, one that is now visibly paying ecological dividends.

Forty percent of the property is remnant bush, fenced off or actively enhanced, and the results have been striking. Over the past two decades, they have documented pygmy perch, burrowing crayfish, galaxia fish and rakali in the waterways; antechinus and feather-tailed gliders in the understorey; and over 80 species of bird across the property. Corridors of revegetation now link existing patches of bush, encouraging the movement of wildlife across the landscape.

For Dan, this movement is not a challenge to manage around. It is intrinsic to how the farm works. "This movement of wildlife doesn't cause issues," he told the group. "Instead, it is woven throughout business operations. It's not 'over there' - a productive farm needs them to intermingle."

It is a vision Dan describes as "a showcase of how industry, agriculture and ecosystems can productively coexist" and Amber Creek Farm makes a compelling, working-landscape case for exactly that.

Our Vice President Shelley Banders said the farm exemplifies what the organisation works towards across the region. "Connectivity across landscapes is critical for creating healthy bushland and viable agricultural land. Farms like Amber Creek demonstrate that we can do both. It's an approach that, if repeated across South Gippsland, would see enormous benefits to the resilience of the landscape. The 'Eco' in 'Prom Coast Ecolink' stands for both ecology and economy - we don't have one without the other."

After the tour, guests gathered around the campfire for lunch featuring produce from the farm itself. Conversations continued into the afternoon, the kind that tend to happen when people find themselves on good land in good company.