Relocating our Landcare nursery
Moving our nursery to the Bathurst Agricultural Research Station
Building our Future - LLCI001-010
The issue
By December 2016, the Central Tablelands Landcare Nursery had been in operation for 3 years at the Health-SHIPs nursery site near Orange. Central Tablelands Landcare, in partnership with Health and their clients, as well as Landcare volunteers and our Green Army teams had successfully propagated over 10,000 plants (trees, shrubs and understory grasses) that have been planted back into local grassy woodland sites, and had a further 8,000 plants being propagated for planting in winter 2017. In late 2016 Central Tablelands Landcare was advised that the SHIPs nursery site was being sold and that all stock, materials, and equipment would need to be removed from the existing site in early 2017. With that news, a search for a new location began.
The solution
Several options for new locations for the Central Tablelands Landcare nursery were explored - before Central Tablelands Landcare finally struck a partnership with the DPI for use of the nursery facilities at the Bathurst Agricultural Research Station. This partnership was facilitated in part by Roy Menzies from the historical society associated with the heritage listed research station.
With the site secured Central Tablelands Landcare ran several working bees at the new site in preparation for the moving of stock across from the existing nursery in Orange. A call for assistance was put out to the Central Tablelands Landcare membership to help with the relocation of stock, equipment and materials from the old site to the new nursery in Bathurst.
The impact
Over a week in March 2017 - with the help of volunteers, their utes and trailers Central Tablelands Landcare were able to relocate the nursery to Bathurst with minimal disruption. Later in March, Central Tablelands Landcare, with Mayor Graeme Hanger and representatives from the research station officially opened the new nursery site.
Key facts
- 8,000 plants were moved in utes and trailers of volunteers in one morning
- A large crowd from Bathurst attended the opening
- The Landcare Nursery is currently producing about 15,000 local tree and shrub species a year