Longwood Bushfire Wildlife Recovery Project

A highly successful Bird Box Building Day was held on Saturday 5th September 2026 at the Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House, bringing together 28 participants from Kinglake Landcare, Cathedral Landcare, Flowerdale Landcare, Kinglake Mens Shed and Melbourne Polytechnic. The group built 54 high‑quality nest boxes designed for Brush‑tailed Phascogales, Boobook Owls and Ringtail Possums. 

These species rely on large tree hollows, many of which were destroyed in the Longwood fire, leaving wildlife without essential shelter and breeding sites. Very little support has been dedicated to restoring environmental habitat in Murrindindi Shire since the bushfire, as current recovery funding has not matched the scale of environmental impact.

This is why we have been fortunate to secure a grant from Bendigo Bank to help make this project possible. 

The boxes will soon be installed in the burnt‑out areas around Yarck by Chris Coburn from the Upper Goulburn Landcare Network and his team, who are still working hard on post‑fire recovery fencing through the volunteer group, “Fencers Without Boundaries.” These nest boxes will provide much‑needed replacement habitat while the forest recovers, and everyone involved is looking forward to seeing which animals choose to make them their home.

The day had a strong community spirit, with volunteers working side‑by‑side, sharing skills and enjoying lunch together. It was a great example of collaboration between local groups, students and volunteers.

A special thanks goes to Bendigo Bank for their generous support, Colin Parton for cutting and preparing the boxes ready to assemble on the day and Michelle Stewart for her talented artwork.

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