Prom Coast Ecolink
22 Nov 2025
We toured a remarkable Fish Creek property see observe the incredible efforts of a local landholder
We had an inspiring morning out in the bush for our Hoddle Creek Rehabilitation Tour.
Chris’s place is a powerful example of what long-term, thoughtful stewardship can achieve. Over several decades, the land has been rehabilitated in stages, each section telling its own story of recovery.
We began in the upper gully, where early revegetation - already ten years old when Chris first arrived in 2015 - has flourished under patient care. With steady weed control and the addition of nesting boxes from Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary , this area is now full of life. One box alone was reported to have 30 feather-tail gliders having a snooze!
Native orchids and ferns are returning to the dappled light of the understory, thriving in the space once crowded by invasive species.
Further downslope, Chris has been restoring a section of Hoddle Creek, which feeds into Battery Creek. Previously choked by willows and weeds, the creek is now breathing again. The original creek line is slowly reforming, the bed widening, and ferns have begun to appear on the edges of burrows constructed by crays who are busy shoring up the landscape for other native species.
Lewin’s rail and swamp antechinus have already been spotted, and there’s hopeful talk that the platypus may one day find their way back.
As Chris put it: “When you get the weeds under control, the bush really starts looking after itself.”
Other highlights included seeing propagated myrtle beech - a living link to Gondwana - and sharing good conversation in an inspiring setting.
A big thank you to Chris for opening his property and to everyone who joined us. What a privilege to witness a landscape healing itself with the right care and commitment.
