Marlo Landcare members Gab and Chris Moore are proving that environmental restoration and business development can go hand in hand.
Over recent years, the Moore family has transformed a former farm paddock between Marlo and Cape Conran into the popular Sailors Grave Brewery and ‘The Little Drift’ accommodation. Alongside the commercial development has come a strong commitment to restoring the surrounding landscape, creating an environment that is welcoming for both visitors and wildlife.
This week, with the assistance of volunteers from Marlo Landcare and Far East Victoria Landcare, another stage of the restoration project was completed. Volunteers planted a Firewise shelterbelt between The Little Drift cabins and the brewery, featuring local native species including Lilly Pilly, Kurrajong, Muttonwood, Blue Olive Berry, and Lomandra.
The shelterbelt will provide shade, reduce wind, enhance the landscape, attract birds and contribute to bushfire resilience.
The Moore family’s environmental commitment extends well beyond this latest planting. Last year, hundreds of Black Sheoaks were established to provide vital habitat and food for the critically endangered Glossy Black-Cockatoo. Sheoak seed forms the bird’s primary food source and an estimated 70 to 80 per cent of the region’s sheoak habitat was impacted by the Black Summer Bushfires, making habitat restoration essential for the species’ future in East Gippsland.
The property also features a restored drainage wetland, where hundreds of indigenous wetland plants have been established to improve water quality, stabilise soils and create habitat for frogs, aquatic life, and wetland birds. The once-modified drainage area has been transformed into a thriving ecosystem, now alive with the sounds of native wildlife for visitors to enjoy.
The latest planting was made possible through the efforts of dedicated Landcare volunteers, locally grown plants supplied by Moogji Nursery and funding through the Victorian Government’s Landcare Grants Program, administered by the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.
Far East Victoria Landcare continues to support community-led restoration projects across the region, helping landholders, community groups and volunteers protect and enhance the unique landscapes of Far East Gippsland.
