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Wallabadah Creek Catchment Community


The Wallabadah Creek Catchment Community (WCCC) is a local landholder-driven group that became a sub-committee of Tamworth Regional Landcare Association in 2019.

The group is motivated by a shared desire to collectively explore, understand and, where feasible, promote management practices and projects which regenerate and sustain underground and natural surface water within their subcatchment.


WCCC acknowledge responsibility for the health of the water which falls in their subcatchment and its existential importance to not only themselves (and the commercial enterprises they run) but, also, for the people who live in the village of Wallabadah, and those who may live in the valley in the future.

The Wallabadah Creek sub-catchment is 45,000 acres, divided into 17 landholdings and watered by 3 major creeks. Its underground aquifers provide water for the village of Wallabadah, 56 kilometres south of Tamworth.

The prolonged drought in the region has motivated landholders to consider what individual and collective measures might be taken to enhance and sustain their underground and surface water, which serves the entire ecology.

With the support of LLS North West funding the WCCC have engaged expert advisors to inform a soil and hydrological baseline of the catchment, with the intent of developing a Catchment Management Plan. The WCCC are working with partners (including TRLA), Liverpool Plains Shire Council and consultants within the region to promote a collaborative, informed approach to regenerating and reinvigorating surface and groundwater flows, restoration of pastures and riparian zones and adopting sustainable land management practices that will in turn support a return to full biodiversity and drought resilience.

If you would like to know more about the activities of this group or to join it, please contact George on 0414 851 302, email: wallabadahwater@gmail.com or find the group on Facebook: @Wallabadahwater or Instagram: @wallabadah_water


Resources:
Prelim-review-WCC_Geomorph-and-Hydrological-Perspective_250321-draft-.docx
Banks_Report_Extract1201.pdf
WCCC_Project-Report-2019-22-NWLLS-Version-Final-070622.pdf
WCCC_Property-Inspection-Data-Sheet_Nature-Reserve-Final.docx
WCCC_Groundwater-Level-Report-271119.pdf
WCCC_Drainage-Inspection-Data-Sheet_WNR_060820.docx
WCCC_Dog-Fence-Feasibility_D1_081221.docx
groundwater-environment-in-the-wallabadah-area.pdf
Presentation from Judi Earl for the Wallabadah Water Forum ll


Latest News

2025 Photo Competition - NOW OPEN

Capture the Beauty of Our Region – and See It Projected in Fitzroy Plaza!

Tamworth Regional Landcare Association (TRLA) is thrilled to launch the 2025 Landcare Photography Competition, a celebration of our region’s breathtaking biodiversity. From the towering red gums and seasonal wattles to blue wrens, kangaroos, and blue-banded bees, our landscape is teeming with natural beauty—just waiting to be captured through your lens.

Whether you're a keen amateur, a professional, or simply love taking photos on your phone, we invite you to get creative and showcase the beauty of the natural world around you. Explore grassy white box woodlands, rivers, billabongs, bush tracks, parks—or even your own backyard—and show us what biodiversity looks like to you.

Carbon Farm Field Day

Interested in Carbon Projects but have been waiting to see what it looks like on farm?  Now's your chance.  Atlas Carbon in partnership with NSW Government and Wilmot Cattle Co will be holding an on farm field day in Nundle on 17th June.  Bookings now open!

North West Local Land Services May 2025

Stay up to date with the latest events, make sure you check out the North West Local Land Services website, newsletter and socials. Other events pop up that are not currently listed so it is a great way to stay up to date with following links listed below.

Where have the Bogong Moths gone?

Where have the Bogong Moths gone?

Bogong Moths usually migrate in spring each year, especially from southern Queensland, central NSW and western Victoria to the Australian Alps, and then back again in autumn. Recent research suggests they may also be in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, but more data is needed - including via Moth Tracker.

Bogong Moths are facing a number of threats, including extreme weather events, drought and climate change, light pollution on their migration routes, changed wide-scale agricultural practices and insecticides, predation by introduced species and habitat loss. Following an estimated 99.5% collapse, Bogong Moths were added to the IUCN Endangered Species list in December 2021. Scientists are currently working hard to understand more about the decline of Bogong Moths and how to protect the species, so with Moth Tracker, we can all do our bit to help!

During the Bogong Moth’s spring to summer migration in 2023, we received 594 moth sightings on Moth Tracker, with 291 of those confirmed to be Endangered Bogong Moths. To all the Moth Trackers out there, thank you for your support!

A map of Victoria, Australia showing the Bogong Moths' annual migration route from NS and SA down to Victoria's alpine region

Have you seen a Bogong Moth? Submit your sighting on Moth Tracker https://mothtracker.swifft.net.au/

 And please turn off your outside lights so they can keep flying!!!

Photo by By Donald Hobern from Canberra, Australia - Agrotis infusa, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4936674

Upcoming events in the North West


Check out these upcoming events in the North West.

Bendemeer Students Join the TreeTroff Biodiversity Project

Bendemeer Students Join the TreeTroff Biodiversity Project

This week, I had the pleasure of visiting Bendemeer Primary School to talk to Years 3 to 6 students and their teacher, Mrs Doak about the exciting TreeTroff in Schools program. We explored the origins of the project, what it means for their school, and even selected the best location and tree for the installation — a great step forward in bringing the program to life at Bendemeer.

The TreeTroff project is part of the Koalas and Others 2025: A Schoolyard and Community Biodiversity Project, coordinated by the Warrumbungle National Park Environmental Education Centre (WNPEEC). It's an innovative citizen science initiative that helps schools monitor local biodiversity using cameras and data collection tools. Students gain valuable digital, scientific, and communication skills as they analyse images, record data, and prepare scientific reports each semester to share with other participating schools across the region.

The project provides long-term data that supports conservation efforts and is of interest to universities and government agencies.

We're looking forward to seeing Bendemeer students actively engaging in this hands-on conservation science and sharing their findings with schools across the state.

Help achieve more sustainable and resilient rural landscapes

Help achieve more sustainable and resilient rural landscapes

Have you undertaken native revegetation on your farm in the past?

Researchers from Western Sydney University, the University of Tasmania and their collaborators want to hear about the outcomes. We invite you to participate in our study by completing a brief on-line survey, site visit and interview. Eight lucky survey participants will receive prizes valued at over $1000 and an opportunity to share and learn from other land managers interested in ensuring sustainable and resilient rural landscapes around Australia.



If you have any queries about this study, please contact e.sumner@westernsydney.edu.au or call 0497 784 310. This study is funded by the National Environmental Science Program and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Explore the Heart of the Macdonald River – Past, Present & Future

Join us for a special community event celebrating the Macdonald River — its rich history, vital ecology, and the people working to protect it. This is a chance to connect with your local landscape, learn from passionate experts, and hear how you can be part of the ongoing efforts to care for this important waterway.

Local historians Anne and Winston Doak will share stories of the river’s past — from early settlement to recent restoration efforts — while ecologists Dr. Lou Streeting and Martin Dillon will highlight the river’s role in supporting native wildlife, including endangered species like the Bell’s turtle. Their work in the region spans decades, involving everything from nest protection and hatchling releases to landholder collaboration and education.

Whether you’ve lived by the river all your life or are new to the area, this event is a great way to better understand the natural systems that support our community and how we can protect them. You’ll hear about past and ongoing efforts to restore the riverbanks and improve habitat, as well as future opportunities to get involved with the Macdonald River Restoration Landcare Group — including tree planting days and working bees.

Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be provided. Come along, bring a friend, and be inspired by the stories of resilience, collaboration and care that flow through the heart of our river.

 

🌿 Our friends at Nemingha Community Garden are hosting a fantastic Open Day on Friday, May 10—and you're invited! 🌿

🌿 Our friends at Nemingha Community Garden are hosting a fantastic Open Day on Friday, May 10—and you're invited! 🌿

🌿 Our friends at Nemingha Community Garden are hosting a fantastic Open Day on Friday, May 10—and you're invited! 🌿

Starting at 10 AM, this free community event is packed with hands-on gardening fun, guest speakers, and plenty of inspiration.

🌱 Highlights include:

  • A talk on permaculture by John Simpson from the Tamworth Community Organic Gardening Group
  • A demo on building Wicking Beds—and a chance to make your own mini one to take home!
  • Free food and drinks
  • Plant and seed sales/swaps (cash only)
  • A raffle with great prizes


It’s the perfect chance to connect with other gardeners, learn something new, and enjoy a great day out. Spread the word and show your support for this amazing community initiative!

📍 Nemingha Community Garden, Nemingha
🗓️ Friday, May 10 | From 10 AM

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Our members often say that when you become part of Landcare, you’re not just joining a group, you’re becoming part of a family. The concept is so compatible with Australian culture it’s hard not to get involved! By becoming a TRLA member, you’ll be supporting our work, learning new skills, becoming part of the solution, and helping to make a difference for the future.

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together we can make a difference

funding support

Did you know (TRLA) run an Annual Small Grants program for Landcare activities connected to the Tamworth region.

Volunteer Landcare and Grassroots Community groups can apply up to $2,500 for activities that meet an objective of TRLA’s strategic plan with eight successful projects being awarded funds from across the region.

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