

In September 2018, the Victorian Government announced $413,115 of funding to 109 eligible projects for the 2018 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants, which was delivered in partnership with Landcare Australia.
The grants, of up to $5,000 each (excl GST) support Victorian primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, preschools, childcare centres, scouts and guides and other youth groups, including specialist schools and groups working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Participants in the 2018 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants undertook a range of activities that allowed schools and groups to connect with nature through both on-ground and educational activities. The grants had a positive impact on students and youth in Victoria, with over 12,000 young Victorians involved in the projects – assisted by a further 2,500 adult volunteers.
The grant recipients planted over 27,000 native plants, and participated in over 400 excursions/incursions.
RECIPIENT | PROJECT TITLE | SUBURB | FUNDING |
1st Mansfield Scouts | 1st Mansfield Scouts | Mansfield | $4,767 |
1st Upwey Scout Group | Birdsland Reserve ecosystem strengthening | Upwey | $4,995 |
Airly Primary School | School Ground plantings and Ecosystems excursions to Hearts Morass and Loch Sport | Airly | $2,228 |
Alice Miller School | Monitoring fauna species and linking bush land on the Alice Miller School property | Macedon | $4,600 |
Anglesea Kindergarten | Anglesea Kinder digs in: regeneration and biodiversity protection of Bush Kinder sites – past, present and future | Anglesea | $3,421 |
Antonio Park Primary School | Restoration of Nature’s Classroom | Mitcham | $5,000 |
Bacchus Marsh Primary School | Grade 1-Insect Habitat Project and Grade 4-Bush Tucker and Fibre Garden | Bacchus Marsh | $5,000 |
Bairnsdale Scout Group | Joey Scout Gippsland Lakes Tour and Nest Box placement | Bairnsdale | $2,566 |
Ballan Childcare | Ballan Community Childcare Bush food Garden | Ballan | $3,830 |
Baranduda Scout Group | ‘Linking up our patch’ | Baranduda | $755 |
Berwick Lodge Primary School | Sensory Garden – Stage 3 | Berwick | $5,000 |
Bethanga Primary School | Improving habitat at Bethanga Recreation Reserve | Bethanga | $2,893 |
Boisdale Consolidated School | Connecting with Newry Creek | Boisdale | $5,000 |
Buckets Early Learning Centre – McKinnon | Biodiversity in Action at Buckets | Bentleigh | $1,898 |
Buxton Primary School | Revegetation and development of indigenous language signs for plants and animals in the Buxton Primary School Land for Wildlife area. | Buxton | $5,000 |
Cardross Primary | Restoration for Education: understanding semi-arid woodland communities | Cardross | $2,862 |
Chatham Primary School | Chatham school ground biodiversity: a key to healthy bees | Surrey Hills | $4,761 |
Chelsea Heights Primary School | Plants to Animals | Chelsea Heights | $4,840 |
Chewton Primary School | Gorse Busters | Chewton | $1,100 |
Cire Family and Children’s Services | Planting the Early Seeds for Biocultural Awareness and Action | Yarra Junction | $4,345 |
Cire Family and Community Services | Planting the Early Seeds for Biocultural Awareness and Action | Mount Evelyn | $3,806 |
Clarendon Children’s Centre | Recreating a natural habitat for insects and animals | South Melbourne | $2,200 |
Colac Primary School | Indigenous garden-to be named in consultation with all members of our community-students, teachers, indigenous groups, parents, etc | Colac | $4,985 |
Collingwood English Language School | Indigenous Garden | Broadmeadows | $3,507 |
Dandenong Ranges Steiner School | School Bushland Rehabilitation and Botanical Discovery | Emerald | $5,000 |
Deans Marsh Primary School | Connecting with Water Bugs and Native Birds at Deans Marsh Primary School | Deans Marsh | $1,380 |
Dimboola and Pimpinio Primary School | Dimboola Indigenous Community Garden | Dimboola | $4,932 |
Doxa School Bendigo | Doxa School Bendigo and Mali Dunes, Yanac – Outdoor Learning at its Best! | Bendigo | $3,840 |
ECG Pakenham | Outdoor Education Program | Pakenham | $4,750 |
Elsternwick Primary School | Elsternwick Primary School Habitat Garden | Brighton | $3,585 |
Eltham Woods Preschool | Healesville Sanctuary Excursion | Eltham | $2,112 |
Emerald Primary School | Indigenous Bush Garden | Emerald | $5,000 |
Eppalock Primary School | Who lives here – Citizen Science in the Eppalock community | Axe Creek | $4,700 |
Essendon Primary School | Bush tucker garden | Essendon | $5,000 |
Felltimber Children’s Centre | Felltimber Children’s Centre – Bush Kinder Program | Wodonga | $4,950 |
Ferny Creek Primary School | Ferny Creek Biodiversity Enhancement & Nature Trail | Ferny Creek | $4,580 |
Fish Creek and District Primary School | Native flora and fauna habitat creation at Buckley Park Community Garden | Fish Creek | $4,675 |
Footscray Primary School | Plains Project | Footscray | $795 |
Freshwater Creek Steiner School Incorporated Association | Wetlands Development – Project | Freshwater Creek | $3,256 |
Friendship Square Childcare Co-op | Citizens of Tomorrow | Cheltenham | $3,650 |
Gilson College | Year 9 Service Camp | Taylors Hill | $3,710 |
Goodwin Estate Preschool | Enhancing habitats to support local microbat populations in an urban environment | The Basin | $1,130 |
Gumnuts Early Learning Centre | Biodiversity in Early Childhood Learning Environments | Sale | $4,110 |
Hawkesdale P12 College | Volcanic Plains Flora regeneration after bushfires and Bandicoot Recovery | Hawkesdale | $1,100 |
Hurstbridge Primary School | Enhancing the riparian habitat zone of the Diamond Creek bordering Hurstbridge Primary School | Hurstbridge | $5,000 |
J.S. Grey Kindergarten | Creating an Indigenous Garden | Preston West | $1,135 |
Jack and Jill Kindergarten | ‘Bugs Around Us’ Kinder Programme | Beaumaris | $1,249 |
James Cook Primary School | Good to Grow | Endeavour Hills | $4,500 |
Kevin Heinze Grow Incorporated | Planting of indigenous and/or native edible flora | Doncaster | $2,125 |
Killara Primary School | Biodiversity Education Using Virtual and Augmented Reality | Sunbury | $2,660 |
Kinglake Primary | Preserving endangered species in Yackatoon | Kinglake | $1,100 |
Kingswood Primary School | Kingswood Primary School’s Partnership with Braeside Park | Dingley Village | $4,222 |
Koorlong Primary School | Koorlong State Forest Habitat Enhancement & Education | Koorlong | $3,725 |
Koroit and District Primary School | Improving biodiversity at Koroit and District Primary School | Koroit | $4,955 |
Kunyung Primary School (KPS) | Understorey Restoration and New Outdoor Learning Area at Kunyung Primary School | Mt. Eliza | $4,045 |
Lancefield Primary School | Lancefield Primary School’s Frog Bog Project | Lancefield | $5,000 |
Lang Lang Primary School / Westernport Swamp Landcare Group | Lang Lang Primary School Wetland Nature Reserve Development | LANG LANG | $4,360 |
Lismore Primary School | Amazing insects – their essential role in our natural ecosystem | Lismore | $970 |
Melton South Primary School | Recreating the Children’s Eternal Wildlife Grasslands. | Melton South | $4,998 |
Melton Wildflower Girl Guides | Melton Wildflower Girl Guides help grow the Melton Botanic Garden | Melton | $4,800 |
Mitta Mitta Primary School | Connecting to Nature through, doing, seeing and experiencing | Mitta Mitta | $4,991 |
Moolap PrimarySchool | Fascinating Frogs | Moolap | $2,390 |
Mount Clear Primary School | Sensory Garden | Canadian | $3,900 |
Mount Evelyn Christian School – Ranges TEC | Environmental revegetation and awareness | Lilydale | $4,300 |
Mount Martha Primary School | Sensory Garden Rebuild and Reinvigoration Project | Mount Martha | $2,470 |
Murrayville Community College | Creating an environment to Capture Young Minds | Murrayville | $5,000 |
Murtoa College | Improving school biodiversity | Murtoa | $4,990 |
Neami National – Hawthorn Youth Residential Rehabilitation Service (YRRS) | Native Sensory Garden | Hawthorn | $1,753 |
Newham Primary School | Frog Feature | Newham | $4,555 |
Newlands Primary School | Making the links with Newlands Biodiversity | Preston West | $4,455 |
Nichols Point Primary School | Biodiversity in our backyard | Nichols Point | $2,822 |
Noorat Primary School | Interactive biodiversity and nature connection trail. | Noorat | $2,332 |
Northcote High School | Merri Creek Recovery | Northcote | $5,000 |
Northside Christian College | Biodiversity at Northside | Bundoora | $5,000 |
Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School | Indigenous Outdoor Classroom & Garden Restoration Project | Ocean Grove | $4,621 |
Outdoor School – 15 Mile Creek | Habitat and revegitation project | Greta South | $890 |
Pakenham Heights Kindergarten | Kinder Kids Learn and Plant | Pakenham | $1,906 |
Patterson River Secondary College | Re-habitat Eel Race Creek | Seaford | $900 |
Peninsula Specialist College | Connecting with Nature Through Habitat Restoration and Rehabilitation. | Dromana | $5,000 |
Port Fairy Consolidated School | Celebrating coastal biodiversity communities | Port Fairy | $3,800 |
Pyramid Hill Pre-school | Pyramid Hill Pre-school | Pyramid Hill | $1,933 |
Rainbow P-12 College | Owls, Cows and Boughs | Rainbow | $4,200 |
Rowville Primary School | School Frog Bog and Local Revegetation Project | Rowville | $4,950 |
Rye Primary School | Rye Primary Bush Tucker and Outdoor Learning Space Project | Rye | $4,000 |
St Brigid’s Primary School | St Brigids Restoring Biodiversity | Officer | $5,000 |
St Francis Primary School | Indigenous Garden | Nathalia | $2,000 |
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School | Connecting to nature through mind, body and soul | Crib Point | $5,000 |
St Martin de Porres Avondale Heights | Reflection gardens | Avondale Heights | $5,000 |
St Pauls Anglican Grammar School | St Paul’s Students and Community Restoration of Endangered Plains Grassy Woodland | Traralgon | $4,900 |
Stanley Street Preschool | Stanley Street Bush Kinder Program | Wodonga | $4,950 |
Stawell Primary School | Citizen Scientists at Stawell Primary School | Stawell | $5,000 |
Swan Hill College – Flexible Learning Option Campus | Make FLO sustainably beautiful! | Swan Hill | $5,000 |
Swifts Creek P-12 School | Care for the Tambo | Swifts Creek | $5,000 |
Tallangatta Kindergarten | Why do we need native plants in our garden at Tallangatta Kindergarten? | Tallangatta | $4,970 |
Thornbury Primary School | Woiwurrung Food Garden | Thornbury | $5,000 |
Timboon P12 School | Enviro. Warriors and Kids in the Garden programs | Timboon | $4,750 |
TRY Whittlesea Children’s Centre | Habitat for play | Whittlesea | $5,000 |
Turner Street Kindergarten | Bush Tucker Gardens | Pascoe Vale South | $1,786 |
Tyrrell College | Busy Bees | Sea Lake | $3,240 |
Vermont Kindergarten | Excursion to Healesville Sanctuary | Vermont | $2,980 |
Warranwood Primary School | Bajerrang Forest and Bush Tucker Project | Warranwood | $5,000 |
Wattle Hill Kindergarten | Backyard Biodiversity | Burwood | $4,037 |
Wheelers Hill Primary School | Reptile and Bird Attracting Garden | Wheelers Hill | $5,000 |
Winters Flat Primary School | Eltham Copper Butterfly habitat native rejuvenation of school frontage | Castlemaine | $4,042 |
Wodonga Federation Government Schools | Leneva Project | Wodonga | $5,000 |
Woodend Primary School | Woodend Community Children’s Garden | Woodend | $4,720 |
Woodford Primary School | Nature in our Neighborhood | Woodford | $4,000 |
Woodside Primary School | Historic and current erosion control of the Bruthen Creek film | Woodside | $4,200 |
Wyndham Central College | Environmental Student Engagement | Werribee | $4,925 |
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Habitat restoration
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Students help develop habitat restoration activities on the banks of the Merri Creek and Merri Park Wetland, located adjacent to their high school funded by …

Frog bog project
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Rowville Primary School students helped create a frog habitat at their school with support from Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant

Preschool revegetation project
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Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants helps preschool with native revegetation project

Nature connection trail
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Students design and construct interactive biodiversity and nature connection trail with funding from Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant.

Creating wetland areas
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Using a Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant, a local Scout group implemented a project to help strengthen the Birdsland Reserve Ecosystem.

Native flora and fauna habitat
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South Gippsland school creates a native flora and fauna habitat at community garden with funding from a 2018 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant.

Botanic garden project
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The Melton Wildflower Girl Guides implemented their project, Helping Grow Melton Botanic Garden using a Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant.

Improving school biodiversity
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School improves its biodiversity by propagating and planting native plants to encourage animal life back to a wetland and enhance water quality funded by a …