Members of the Orbost community have been left disheartened following the destruction of long-standing community gardens and habitat areas on Education Department land in the town.
The affected sites — one in Lawson Lane and another at the former Orbost North Primary School — have been cherished community spaces for years.
The Lawson Lane site, known locally as the Snowy Growers Community Gardens, was established around 15 years ago and has flourished with fruit trees, native plantings and habitat areas cared for by volunteers.
Both sites have been open for public use and frequented by locals walking dogs, children playing and families enjoying the open space.
The Snowy Growers initiative was originally funded through a State Government and hospital partnership, which supported maintenance and planting programs. However, funding was withdrawn in 2023, forcing the volunteer-run group to step back due to the ongoing workload and costs involved.
Since then, community leaders and volunteers have held discussions about how to preserve and repurpose the land, recognising the time and effort already invested by the community.
Local resident and Snowy Growers Community Gardens secretary, Hayley Sestokas, said the decision to clear the gardens has devastated those who have spent years nurturing the sites.
“Despite knock-backs to the Orbost community through bushfires and the closure of the timber industry, we have pulled together and invested time, effort and heart into making this place stronger and more resilient,” Ms Sestokas said.
“When some bureaucrat makes the call to hack down our fruit orchards and decimate the habitat we have lovingly planted, it teaches our young people that there’s no point in trying to build something better in hope for the future.”
Adding to the distress, Ms Sestokas said one of the trees felled at Lawson Lane was a Snowy River wattle — a critically endangered species in some areas, and a source of great pride for the group.
“That tree was our pride and joy,” she said.
Ms Sestokas said she spent over an hour on the phone to education department last Wednesday, being told to call East Gippsland Shire.
“It’s not their responsibility at all,” she said.
“I’m still looking for answers, but I was exhausted by the bureaucratic turnstile that got me nowhere.”
