In a fitting celebration of Wild Koala Day on Saturday 3rd May 2025, Greater Sydney Landcare hosted a planting event at Macarthur Motorcycle Club in Appin to benefit the local koala population. The event brought together two of Greater Sydney Landcare’s key initiativesโthe Creating Canopies tree planting project and Southwest Sydney Koala Projectโin a collaborative effort to restore vital koala habitat.
The event drew 49 dedicated volunteers from far and wideโfrom Jervis Bay to the Northern Beaches and all throughout Sydney. This diverse community group included people of all ages and backgrounds including WIRES wildlife carers, international students, families, friends, and retirees, who came together with a shared mission to protect this iconic native species.
A Remarkable Achievement
Together, volunteers planted an impressive 2,200 native trees and shrubs of the locally native Cumberland Plain plant community type, across two key areas.
The primary planting established an 860-metre wildlife corridor, connecting two established forests known for koala activity. This corridor will also provide much-needed shade for motorcycle club members and spectators.
In a separate area, volunteers created a dedicated koala food garden specifically for WIRES wildlife carers, addressing a critical need near Appin Roadโa known hotspot of koalas coming into care.
The planting took place against the backdrop of the club’s weekend activities, with the sounds of motorcycles on the track (safely fenced off from the conservation area) a reminder of how different land uses can coexist.
A Conservation Partnership
The initiative began when Jacob Dow, Vice President of the Macarthur District Motorcycle Sportsmen, contacted the Southwest Sydney Koala Project in 2024. With bulldozers audible across the gully clearing koala habitat for nearby housing developments, the Motorcycle Club team was determined to protect the local koala population and restore important habitat on their 70-hectare property.
Improving Koala Habitat
Xuela Sledge, Koala Officer from the Southwest Sydney Koala Project, attended the planting and spoke to the group about the importance of creating habitat for koalas and a range of native wildlife including birds, insects, and pollinators.
Key koala food trees the volunteers planted included:
- Cabbage gum (Eucalyptus amplifolia)
- Forest red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis)
- Grey Gum (Eucalyptus punctata)
The broader planting featured local endemic flora including gum trees (eucalypts and corymbia), paperbarks (melaleucas), bottlebrush (callistemon), kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), wattles (acacias), and various native shrubs to form both a canopy and midstorey level of vegetation to suit local fauna.
Growing a Better Future
Strategic temporary fencing was installed to protect the majority of plantings by connecting short spans between existing fences. Plants outside these protected zones were guarded with metal mesh wallaby guards, while volunteers staked other plantings with cardboard guards.
The project was led by Greater Sydney Landcare staff including Creating Canopies team members Danielle Hughes, Alicia Harb-Akins, Bryce Doyle, and Esteban Zepeda, with support from Southwest Sydney Koala Project Officer Eli Stead and Environmental Field Officer Kylie Burrows.
Thanks to recent rainfall, watering on planting day wasn’t necessary, though GSL staff have scheduled fortnightly watering visits to ensure good establishment.
“It was a lovely site, with great volunteers, and good energy!” said Bryce about the day.
Great Volunteer Experiences
The event was warmly received by participants of all ages. All volunteers who provided feedback rated the day as โexcellentโโhighlighting the community spirit and educational value of the experience.
โIt was a great day overall, very well organised. Staff were very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. It was great to do something as a part of community,โ shared one volunteer, who appreciated โthe training and knowledge gained, [and] talking with like-minded people.โ
The event offered meaningful learning opportunities about local environmental challenges. “I learned about the development happening and how the plantings would act as a buffer in the future, also the types of trees that koalas like, and where the koala populations were occurring,” the volunteer added.
For others, the day provided a chance for intergenerational connection with nature. “My granddaughter and I really enjoyed it and felt proud to help koalas,” said another participant, whose favourite part was “planting trees with my granddaughter, caring for and connecting to country.”
Multiple Conservation Benefits
This conservation initiative will not only improve koala habitat but also help combat urban heat island effects across Greater Sydney by creating shade and evaporative cooling as the plantings grow.
Greater Sydney Landcare extends sincere thanks to the Macarthur Motorcycle Club for volunteering their land for conservation, and for their valuable collaboration on this important habitat restoration event.
Volunteer for Bushcare in Wollondilly
If youโd like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Wollondilly LGA, you can become a Bushcare volunteer and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
Get Involved in Creating Canopies
If youโd like to find out how to get free trees planted on your land, visit our Register Your Site for Trees page.
Come along and plant trees with Creating Canopies. Find out what events we have coming up on Greater Sydney Landcareโs Eventbrite page.
About Creating Canopies
Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 300,000 trees from 2020-2025 as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
