2023 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants
Congratulations to the 2023 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants recipients!
In 2023, Landcare Australia partnered with the Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action for a sixth round of the Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants.
A total of $473,412 has been awarded to fund 123 projects that involve and educate young people in valuing and actively caring for Victoria’s biodiversity and natural environment.
From Mernda Park Primary School’s project to plant flowering gum trees to provide suitable habitat for the critically endangered swift parrot to Sacred Heart College Kyneton’s project to carry out weed control, replanting and nest box placement to restore a riparian strip alongside the school. The funded projects provide young Victorians the opportunity to participate in biodiversity focused hands-on projects and/or learning activities.
The grants also contribute to the targets of Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037, the Victorian Government’s plan to stop the decline of our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment.
Since the Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants were first introduced in 2018, a total of 678 projects have received $2,496,703 in funding through the program.
To read about previous Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants projects, and their positive educational and environmental outcomes, explore our case studies section here.
Complete list of 2023 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant recipients:
| Group Name/School Name | Project Name | Suburb/Town | Grant Amount |
| 1st Ballan Scouts | Connecting The Landscape | Ballan | $4,910.00 |
| 1st Churchill Scout Group | Reducing In Impact Of Plastics On Our Biodiversity | Churchill | $5,000.00 |
| 1st Deer Park Scout Group | Native Gardens | Deer Park | $3,994.56 |
| 1st Rutherglen Scout Group | Nest Boxes And Monitoring Program | Rutherglen | $4,880.00 |
| 1st Traralgon Scout Group | Planting Of Significance | Traralgon | $4,032.00 |
| Abbotsford Primary School | Biodiversity Haven | Abbotsford | $5,000.00 |
| Airly Primary School | Sustainable And Indigenous Food, Medicine and Materials Garden | Airly | $3,230.27 |
| Aitken College | Golden Sun Moth Habitat Project | Greenvale | $3,980.25 |
| Alice Miller School | Where the Wildlings Are – A Pine Plantation Removal Project | Macedon | $4,989.25 |
| Apollo Bay P-12 College | Walking On Gadubanud Country | Apollo Bay | $5,000.00 |
| Assisi Kindergarten | The Bush Tucker Garden And Education Program Project | Strathfieldsaye | $2,419.97 |
| Bairnsdale Joey Scout Unit | The Pawsome Patrol | Bairnsdale | $4,277.80 |
| Ballarat Grammar | Indigenous Garden And Outdoor Learning Space | Wendouree | $4,995.00 |
| Ballarat Specialist School | Native Regeneration And Bird Life Habitat Walking Trail | Invermay Park | $4,051.00 |
| Bayside P12 College | Flora And Fauna Project | Newport | $2,847.34 |
| Beaufort Secondary College | Wetlands Revival | Beaufort | $4,950.00 |
| Bendigo South East College | Bushfoods and Indigenous Plant Trail | Flora Hill | $1,390.00 |
| Bialik College | Indigenous Wetlands | Hawthorn | $2,515.00 |
| Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Network – Junior Landcare Group | Understanding Our Environment Through Citizen Science | St Arnaud | $3,700.00 |
| Cavendish Primary School | Building Nest Boxes To Create Essential Habitat For Indigenous Wildlife | Cavendish | $2,503.40 |
| Chelsea Heights Kindergarten | Excursion To Cranbourne Botanical Gardens | Chelsea Heights | $1,029.00 |
| Coatesville Primary School | Indigenous Garden – Promoting Biodiversity | Bentleigh East | $4,411.46 |
| Coburg West Primary School | Biodiversity Project | Coburg | $2,076.83 |
| Colchester Park Preschool | Creation Of Indigenous Bush Tucker Garden | Boronia | $2,924.00 |
| Coleraine Primary School | Native Biodiversity Plantings | Coleraine | $4,987.40 |
| Cowes Primary School | Students As Stewards Of Our School Sanctuary | Cowes | $4,650.00 |
| Crossway Preschool | Sensational Seahorses And Other Marine Life In Port Phillip Bay | Brighton | $1,559.40 |
| Croydon Hills Primary School | North Slope Grassland Extension | Croydon Hills | $3,659.28 |
| Dame Nellie Melba Kindergarten | Never Too Young To Care For Country | Richmond | $3,085.50 |
| Davis Creek Primary School Kindergarten | Bush Garden: A Connection To The Land | Tarneit | $4,255.00 |
| Daylesford Dharma School | Community Nature Observation | Daylesford | $4,900.00 |
| Dhauwurd-Wurrung Elderly and Community Health Service Youth Group | Bush Garden | Portland | $3,512.93 |
| Diamond Creek Primary School | Remove, Replace, Renew | Diamond Creek | $3,421.95 |
| Edinburgh Early Learning Centre | Regenerating Our Bush Kinder | Lilydale | $4,240.00 |
| Elliminyt Primary School | Native Flora And Fauna Habitat | Elliminyt | $4,635.00 |
| Ganbu Gulinj Kindergarten | Connecting To Wild Life | Wollert | $5,000.00 |
| Girl Guides Association of Victoria | Girl Power At Britannia Park | Docklands | $4,992.90 |
| Gisborne Montessori School | Our Australian Bush Food And Medicinal Plants Growing And Learning Space | New Gisborne | $4,996.00 |
| Gisborne Primary School | Nature Trail, Yarning Circle And Bush Tucker Garden | Gisborne | $1,956.10 |
| Glen Education Caulfield Primary Kindergarten | Expanding Children’s Understanding Of Native Plants And Natural Habitat Local To Our Kindergarten | Caulfield South | $3,998.80 |
| Glen Education Centre Road Kindergarten | Connecting To Nature | Bentleigh East | $4,791.71 |
| Gordon Street Preschool | Biodiversity And Ecosystem Health Through Butterflies | Beaumaris | $1,794.90 |
| Gowrie Victoria | Retrieving Forward For Shared Futures | Yarraville | $4,843.90 |
| Grovedale College | Native Garden | Grovedale | $3,923.98 |
| Hamilton Primary School | Biodiversity Garden | Hamilton | $1,921.79 |
| Holy Trinity Lutheran College | Building Biodiversity | Horsham | $4,583.50 |
| Inspire Early Learning Journey | Land And Nature | Preston | $1,895.00 |
| JJ McMahon Memorial Kindergarten | Biodiversity Buddies: Fostering Environmental Stewardship | Kew | $2,100.00 |
| Kalianna School Bendigo | Ironbark Gully Bird Box Restoration | North Bendigo | $4,970.60 |
| Kallista Primary School | Wet Forest Nature Trail Restoration Project | Kallista | $4,396.55 |
| Kariwara District Scouts | Native Habitat Garden | Altona | $2,605.51 |
| Kids First Australia | Indigenous Garden | Lalor | $4,563.61 |
| Kilbreda College | Planting The Seed – Helping School Children Create a Living Classroom | Mentone | $4,941.50 |
| Kolbe Catholic College | Green Horizons | Greenvale | $4,982.50 |
| Kongwak Primary School | Nest box Installation And Monitoring Program | Kongwak | $4,968.00 |
| Lara Primary School | Plant Works Royal Botanic Gardens | Lara | $4,130.00 |
| Lardner And District Primary School | The Gratitude Project | Lardner | $5,000.00 |
| Leopold Primary School | Land and Sea – Bellarine Student Environmental Program | Leopold | $4,880.00 |
| Lismore Primary School | Indigenous Grasses Of The Victorian Volcanic Plains | Lismore | $1,638.90 |
| Little Bendigo Primary School | Citizen Science | Nerrina | $4,210.00 |
| Longwood Primary School | Treasure And Care For Our Local Remnant Grasslands | Longwood | $4,413.65 |
| Lower Plenty Primary School | Frog Bog | Lower Plenty | $1,604.28 |
| Macclesfield Primary School | Nature Walk Improvement | Macclesfield | $3,895.00 |
| Macedon Ranges Montessori Preschool | Habitat Restoration Project | Riddells Creek | $2,260.06 |
| Maranatha Christian School | Habitat Replacement | Officer | $4,362.55 |
| Melba College | Dry Wetlands | Croydon | $2,351.28 |
| Melbourne Montessori School | Indigenous Horticulture Project | Brighton East | $4,935.20 |
| Mercy Regional College | Biodiversity As A Catalyst For Change, Engagement And Inspiration | Camperdown | $3,111.90 |
| Mernda Park Primary school | Flowering Gums For Swift Parrots | Mernda | $2,261.30 |
| Mirboo North Primary School | Strzelecki Koala Rehabilitation Project | Mirboo North | $3,900.00 |
| Mitta Mitta Primary School | Enhancing Biodiversity With Bandicoots And Gliders In The Mitta Valley | Mitta Mitta | $4,990.00 |
| Montmorency Primary School | Pond Life and Future Food | Montmorency | $4,558.35 |
| Mount Lilydale Mercy College | Native Garden and Food Trail | Lilydale | $4,800.00 |
| Mount Pleasant Primary School | Rewilding Mount Pleasant | Mount Pleasant | $4,850.00 |
| Mt Evelyn Memorial Preschool | Caring For Country | Mount Evelyn | $4,959.00 |
| Narrawong District Primary School | Native Pollinators | Narrawong | $4,362.00 |
| Newham Primary School | Pollinators, Weeds, Carbon Sequestration and Animal Monitoring: Biodiversity Incursion Series | Newham | $2,666.27 |
| Newtown Primary School | Native Wildlife Garden | Newtown | $4,963.71 |
| Northside Christian College | Australian Landscape Mural And Landscaping | Bundoora | $5,000.00 |
| Park Ridge Primary School | Indigenous Revegetation Garden | Rowville | $4,139.73 |
| Pasadena Preschool | Exploring Our Local Biodiversity | Mildura | $2,900.00 |
| Perry Street Childcare Centre and Elizabeth Gorman Kindergarten | Babies Sensory Indigenous Garden | Fairfield | $4,972.60 |
| Pomonal Primary School | Making Habitat For Kids And Critters | Pomonal | $3,650.00 |
| Pyalong Primary School | Biodiverse Outdoor Classroom | Pyalong | $1,911.92 |
| Riverwalk Primary School | Mt Rothwell Excursion | Werribee | $3,000.00 |
| Robert Cochrane Kindergarten | Biodiversity Focused On-ground Project and Education | Hawthorn | $1,698.00 |
| Rosebud Secondary College | Blairgowrie Sand Dune Restoration Project | Rosebud | $4,500.00 |
| Sacred Heart College | Campaspe River Revegetation | Kyneton | $4,911.00 |
| Sarah Court Preschool | Biodiversity And Bush Play | Montrose | $1,589.56 |
| Somers Primary School | Improving Educational Outcomes About Our Local Biodiversity And Natural Environment | Somers | $3,245.00 |
| Sorrento Primary School | Green Corridor And Biodiverse Outdoor Learning Space Project | Sorrento | $4,588.30 |
| Springside Primary School | Indigenous Garden And Yarning Circle | Caroline Springs | $4,992.20 |
| St Aloysius Catholic Primary School | Biodiversity Ecosystem Project | Queenscliff | $4,997.50 |
| St Brendan’s Primary School | Inviting Creatures Into Our Classroom | Coragulac | $4,517.00 |
| St Johns Lutheran Kindergarten | The Busy Bees Project | Newtown | $1,996.20 |
| St Joseph’s Primary School | Creating A Home For Butterflies And Birds | Korumburra | $5,000.00 |
| St Leonards Primary School | Land and Sea – Bellarine Student Environmental Program | St Leonards | $4,960.00 |
| St Mary’s Catholic Primary School | Indigenous Wetlands And Biolink And A Koori Connection | Hastings | $5,000.00 |
| St Monica’s College | Wetlands Restoration | Epping | $4,465.70 |
| St Peter Apostle Primary School | Exploring Our Local Environment | Hoppers Crossing | $3,725.00 |
| St Pius X Catholic Primary School | The Lounging Frog Lagoon | Heidelberg West | $3,330.00 |
| Sunbury College | Emu Bottom Wetlands Project | Sunbury | $3,286.35 |
| Sunraysia District Scouts | Learn Local And Act Global – Local Ecosystems And Amazing Biodiversity | Mildura | $4,650.03 |
| Sunshine Heights Primary School | Planting The Seeds Of Biodiversity Through Augmented Reality To The Community | Sunshine West | $3,850.00 |
| Surfside Primary School | Habitat Boxes For Biodiversity And Native Wildlife Protection | Ocean Grove | $4,768.84 |
| Swinburne Children’s Centre | Minibeasts In The Back Yard And Nature’s Little Fertilisers | Wantirna South | $4,995.00 |
| Taradale Primary School | Habitat Garden | Taradale | $4,095.00 |
| Tarnagulla Primary School | Biodiversity Maze Project | Tarnagulla | $3,159.00 |
| Tarneit Scout Group | Community Planting At Werribee River | Tarneit | $4,952.68 |
| Tecoma Primary School | Indigenous Garden | Tecoma | $3,300.00 |
| Terang College P-12 | Creating A Sustainable Indigenous Food Forest | Terang | $3,580.00 |
| The Learning Education And Play Centre | Sensational Spot | West Wodonga | $4,899.00 |
| Tongala Kindergarten | Value And Celebrate The Natural Environment | Tongala | $2,325.00 |
| Trinity Lutheran College | Natural Vegetation Area | Mildura | $1,166.50 |
| Tylden Primary School | Wanyarram Dum Frog Ponds Excursion | Tylden | $2,549.00 |
| Upwey Primary School | Regeneration Project | Upwey | $4,865.94 |
| Wahroonga Preschool | Bring Back The Bees, Butterflies And Birds | Greensborough | $1,182.48 |
| Waratah Special Developmental School | Indigenous Garden And Outdoor Learning | Bellfield | $4,865.00 |
| Warrnambool East Primary School | Growing Together: Nurturing Indigenous Connections And Caring For Country Through A Native Garden | Warrnambool | $4,940.56 |
| Waverley Montessori Early Learning Centre | Nurturing A Native Garden Together | Mulgrave | $4,995.06 |
| Williamstown High School | Original Indigenous Landscaping | Williamstown | $3,950.00 |
| Wonthaggi Primary School | Building An Indigenous Pollinator Garden | Wonthaggi | $3,843.00 |
| Woodleigh School | Improving Biodiversity Of The Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve | Langwarrin South | $4,760.00 |