Local bushwalkers from the Ben Cruachan Walking Club recently had the opportunity to not only enjoy a beautiful day out in the bush, but to hear firsthand about the Phillipson’s personal journey to restore and rejuvenate the land. Words by BCWC member, Sue Wessen.
This walk was unusual for the Club in that the focus was on the Phillipson’s project to regenerate a beef cattle farm and neglected bush block for future generations of plants, creatures and people. Although I was the nominal walk leader, Heather Phillipson was our walk guide and encyclopedia. Jim and Heather’s company, EcoGipps, collaborates with a range of environmental organisations including Wildlife Unlimited, Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group, Biodiversity Legacy, Ecologic NRM, Rendere Environmental Trust, Land Covenantors Victoria, Prom Coast Ecolink, and Ecolands Collective. Through purchasing private property, including their house block, they have been able to establish a “biolink” corridor from the Macalister River into the Avon Wilderness. They have established a legal framework that ensures the land can never be sold for other purposes, which ensures its protection for the future.
Our walk meandered through the house block and into bushland, which is known as the “North Paddock” where Heather was able to show us remnant rainforest, including Muttonwoods that are establishing themselves and point out work they have done thinning regrowth to encourage a diverse understory of other plants. School groups and others, including WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) volunteer their time to assist with keeping the tracks in a usable condition. Our group expressed a strong desire to come back and give their time in this way. I will be organising a working bee for Autumn 2026.
We had lunch at the campground in the middle of the block which is a grassed area surrounded by bush. While walking the bush tracks, which are recovering from firewood extraction by the local community, random bulldozed tracks and rubbish dumping, we felt that we could have been a long way from any road, let alone the bitumen. Heather even provided us with home made gluten free biscuits! On the way back to the house paddock, she showed us the plantings of rare and endangered endemic plants that are being established at two sites, one an old cattle yard. Heather’s passion and knowledge is a privilege to witness.
