Ness Creek, VIC

Sustainable Farming With Koala Habitat Restoration

Ness Creek is situated in Victoria’s South Gippsland on land traditionally owned by the Boonwurrung people. Originally cleared for cattle and sheep grazing in the early 20th century, it is now home to a native Greenfleet forest. 

By restoring parts of the property not suitable for farming, Greenfleet is delivering climate action, increasing the site’s biodiversity, and restoring native ecosystems that existed prior to land clearing. Originally planted in 2016, the forest at Ness Creek is establishing well and starting to provide habitat for local birds and wildlife. 

Revegetation Approach & Species Selection

Previous landholders and owners of an egg laying farm contacted Greenfleet with an interest in reforesting vast areas of their land. Their aim was to turn all the steep and wet parts of the land back to native bush with Greenfleet’s help.

First planted in 2016, Greenfleet has revegetated over 30 hectares at Ness Creek with native trees planted along the side of the creek, on the hills, and shelterbelts of the property. Much of the areas revegetated are not suitable for farming, so this revegetation work is increasing the productivity of the land and allowing climate action to be delivered.

Within just four years of growing, Greenfleet’s Revegetation Team reported in 2020 that some of the trees at Ness Creek were already 7 metres tall, and that the local swamp wallabies and birds were returning to the property.

Since the initial planting, Greenfleet has returned to bolster the establishing forest with over 5000 additional plantings, first in 2021 and again in 2022. This was in response to excessive browsing by the wallaby populations, which while trying for the planting team, shows the native animals are frequenting the site.

The species were selected in line with the Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs) found in the region. For Ness Creek, these include Damp Forest, Wet Forest, and Warm Temperate Rainforest. Within the Strzelecki Ranges, Damp Forest and Warm Temperate Rain Forest are endangered EVCs while Wet Forest is classified as depleted. 

About 30 different locally native species were planted at Ness Creek to build a resilient native forest and contribute to restoring the ecological communities listed above. Species planted include Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminallis) and Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus), which are forming the forest canopy while providing critical habitat and food sources for koalas. At all South Gippsland projects, Greenfleet plants Strzelecki Gum (Eucalyptus strzeleckii). This is a native tree species endemic to this region and threatened in Victoria. It can grow up to 40 metres in height and blooms with creamy coloured flowers in Spring. 

Major threats to the species include grazing, land clearing and changes to hydrology in their environment. These challenges have resulted in depleted populations of these plants and their being classified as Threatened in Victoria, and Vulnerable at a federal level. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water estimates that there is 5,000 to 15,000 remaining in the wild which is why Greenfleet aims to include this species in all West and South Gippsland projects.