Spirit of the Bunyip is building on over a decade of community Landcare activity by landholders who are revegetating their land and adopting more sustainable farming methods.

Since the mid-1990s an active Landcare network – the Cardinia Environment Coalition - has undertaken almost 700 projects on private property. It established itself as an efficient, community volunteer-based network by centralising and rationalising many of the administrative and support functions that are required to sustain a Landcare operation, such as planning, promotion, landholder recruitment and seed collection and nursery operations.

This support network helps ensure that around 30 local Landcare and Environmental Friends groups have the back-up advice and resources they need to remain viable and motivated.

Since its inception in 2006, Spirit of the Bunyip has provided a platform for integrating this fantastic community-based effort with the more structured environmental planning by agencies such as Piort Phillip and Westernport CMA, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Parks Victoria; the Department of Sustainability and the three local Councils – Casey, Cardinia and Baw Baw. Better communication provides better results.