HEALTHY HECTARES GUIDE LAUNCHED FOR SMALL BLOCK OWNERS

A free, easy reference guide has been released to help small landholders in the Corangamite region create productive and environmentally sustainable properties.

Produced by Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and launched in Colac last night during Landcare Week, The Small Blocks Big Dreams Healthy Hectares Guide is tailored to small-scale producers, bush block owners and those managing properties for horses and livestock in the region.

Full of practical tips and local contacts, the A5 glove-box friendly guide contains information on soils, water, biodiversity, pests, and pastures.  Initially designed for participants of the Small Blocks Big Dreams (SBBD) project, the Healthy Hectares Guide is relevant to all Corangamite small landholders who can access a complimentary hardcopy through their local Landcare networks, or digitally via the Corangamite CMA website.

Corangamite CMA Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator, Karen O’Keefe said, “The Corangamite region stretches from Ballarat to Geelong and along the coast to Peterborough in the west of Victoria, and is one of Australia’s fastest growing regions. With so many tree-changers new to the area, we want to empower small property owners to care for the biodiversity and health of their land and water - to teach them to farm more sustainably and think strategically.”

The Small Blocks Big Dreams program, delivered by Corangamite CMA in partnership with Landcare networks and groups from early 2022 to April 2024, was conceived in 2021 due to the increase in small landholders moving to the Corangamite region since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Supporting more than 150 small landholders across Corangamite better care for their properties and the environment, participants enjoyed six rounds of workshops and property tours; and afterwards received a visit from Corangamite CMA and Landcare staff who helped develop tailored land stewardship action plans. Participants were also offered up to $2000 to support the delivery of on-ground works on their properties.

“The Small Blocks Big Dreams Healthy Hectares Guide is a legacy document that supports existing participants and acts as a bridge for new participants, providing continuity of learnings and inspiring landholders in the future to begin their stewardship journey,” Ms O’Keefe continued.

Clem Wetherall from the Southern Otway Landcare Network said, “The Healthy Hectares Guide captures in a really accessible way all the information you need as a landowner. It puts all the pieces together about water, soil, topography – all the things that make your property what it is.”

Small Blocks Big Dreams participant Vicky Bosnar said, “Coming from the city, having just recently bought 80 acres and being a novice at everything, this is just empowering for us. The whole program has been so beneficial - we have learnt so much, I didn’t want it to stop. When you’ve come from the city to the country you feel a bit overwhelmed that you don’t have any machinery, you have no knowledge, and you’re looking around for who can help you, and Small Blocks Big Dreams has been absolutely fantastic to assist with this.”

Small Blocks Big Dreams participant Emma Hobbs said, “to have all the information we need in one place for when we are out and about is going to be really helpful.”

Small Blocks Big Dreams participant Peter Smolderen said, “It’s amazing how everything is condensed within one book. We want to show this to friends who are thinking of getting land – this guide is such an easy reference to start.”

The Small Blocks Big Dreams project is one of 11 Our Catchments, Our Communities regional on ground projects, funded by the Victorian Government to support catchment stewardship, health, and resilience.  For more information visit ccma.vic.gov.au/projects/small-blocks-big-dreams/.

Landcare Week (August 5-11) is an annual celebration of Landcare during the first week of August that acknowledges the Australians who are actively restoring, enhancing and protecting the natural environment in their community. This year’s theme is ‘Landcare Is For Everyone (L.I.F.E.)’.

Photo Credit: Sarah McMaster