Mt Emily is part of the Strzelecki Nature Link, Greenfleet’s most ambitious biodiversity project in the region. Over four properties, Wurneet Laang Laang, Bromfields Road, Mt Emily, and Territory, this project will form a 3.5-kilometre corridor of protected native forest. By restoring nearly 200 hectares of land, the Nature Link will provide safe passage for wildlife, improve water quality in the Lang Lang River catchment, and remove more than 423,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere over the next 100 years.
The day gave us a closer look at what this means on the ground. Together with other volunteers, we planted over 1,500 native trees, including Manna Gums and Mountain Grey Gums. These species will grow to become food and shelter for the region’s Strzelecki koalas, a unique population that still carries Victoria’s original koala gene pool. Unlike other populations in the state, these koalas haven’t been translocated from islands, making their genetic diversity especially important for the species’ survival across Australia. Knowing that our plantings will one day support them made the experience even more meaningful.
What struck us most was the sense of momentum. At Wurneet Laang Laang, a nearby property planted between 2016 and 2021, koalas are already using the young forest, and bird surveys are showing the return of species like the superb fairy-wren and the vulnerable gang-gang cockatoo. Nesting boxes have even been installed to give smaller marsupials and birds a head start while the forest matures. Standing at Mt Emily, it was easy to imagine how the seedlings we planted will one day join this growing network of thriving habitats.
For us, being on the ground made the impact of our partnership with Greenfleet feel very real. It’s one thing to talk about offsetting carbon, but it’s another to put spades in the soil and know that the forests we’re helping to create will be legally protected for the next century. These projects aren’t just about numbers on a page, they’re about shaping healthier landscapes, restoring biodiversity, and leaving something meaningful behind.
We look forward to being part of more days like this, and to seeing the Strzelecki Nature Link continue to grow into a living, breathing corridor of life for generations to come.