Surrounded by a precious band of bush and farmlands with natural springs and creeks, Buninyong's natural environment is one of its greatest assets.
Along with several public parks and gardens in the town, it provides shelter for wildlife in a beautiful setting. However it is also very vulnerable to destruction by over-development and various forms of degradation.
Several groups have been formed in the district to care for the natural environment and try to preserve the remaining parks and bushland areas, safeguarding their existence for future generations.
Environment Protection Groups
Bunanyung Landscape Alliance
The Bunanyung Landscape Alliance advocates for our environment on behalf of the community. A non-profit association, it aims to protect and/or enhance our land & waterscapes. It is an alliance of community members, Landcare and Friends groups, networks and associations involved in promoting the health of biodiversity for the urban and rural catchments of the Moorabool, Leigh and Woady Yaloak, all which form the northern part of the Corangamite Catchment Area.
Buninyong Sustainability
This group was set up to save Royal Park from threatened housing development. It converted the former Buninyong Football Oval to an area for environmental education with a thriving community garden and extensive revegetation. Many willing hands planted 500 indigenous shrubs and trees in banks around Royal Park in 2009.
The old playing area is now shared with the Buninyong Redbacks Soccer Club who have built new clubrooms there.
Friends of Buninyong Botanic Gardens
The beautiful Buninyong Botanic Gardens (incorporating The Gong) have an impressive collection of pines, conifers and maples. Four specimen maple trees are registered on the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Register of Significant Trees.
The Gardens have long had an important social and celebrative role in the Buninyong community. They are of historical and environmental significance to the whole state of Victoria and are included on Heritage Victoria’s Register.
Friends of the Union Jack Reserve
Enquires: Ken Nicholls ... 0437 942 064
Landcare
Williamsons Creek Landcare Group
Community Tree Plantings are held regularly and several thousand trees have been planted by Landcare groups, often with assistance from pupils in local schools on School Tree Day.
At Garibaldi Bridge Reserve, tree planters of all ages got together on what turned out to be a lovely morning in the midst of some heavy rain over that weekend. Over 250 trees, shrubs and small smaller plants were carefully planted , quarded and watered in. The ground had been prepared beforehand and the species carefully selected by the Garibaldi Environment Group who have been turning this area of woody weeds and shifting waterway into a wonderful habitat and picnic area for nearly ten years.