The Gold Coast will host the National Landcare Conference 2025 from 21 to 24 September, offering a NextGen Summit (18-35yr), First Nations Gathering, Landcare Short Film Festival and field trip program.
Landcare champion and ABC TV presenter, Costa Georgiadis, will MC the conference and the National Landcare Awards events at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Costa. PHOTO supplied by Landcare
Short film fest
The screen will come alive with powerful short films showcasing environmental action and community spirit from across Australia. The film night will celebrate Landcare in all its forms and spotlight passionate Landcarers from around Australia.
Field trips
To show what Landcare looks like in action, the conference is offering nine inspiring trips hosted by local Landcare legends and community environmental groups showcasing how passionate volunteers are protecting and restoring the Gold Coast’s stunning natural areas.
The conference also offers a full four-day program of events including high profile guest speakers and shorter sessions focussing on nature repair and climate adaptation, technology and innovation for Landcare, community driven Landcare, restoring biodiversity across landscapes and sustainable agriculture.
Landcare Awards
Several Queenslanders are finalists in the National Landcare Awards 2025, to be held Tuesday 23 September.
Climate Innovation Award
Grant and Carly Burnham are organic beef producers at Bonnie Doone, west of Monto in the North Burnett. The Burnhams are highly regarded leaders in the agricultural industry, regularly invited to speak and share their experiences of ecological agriculture and soil carbon sequestration.
The Burnham family. PHOTO: supplied by Landcare
Sustainable Agriculture Award
Leather Cattle Co (LCC) is a family owned and operated sustainable beef business covering 17,500 ha over three properties in Central Queensland. LCC has a focus on a sustainable future and takes responsibility for how they contribute to global food security and climate action. They understand the importance of sustainable beef production to meet the nutritional needs of an increasing population that requires safe and nutritious protein sources whilst restoring, nurturing, and protecting the land they manage. (See photo at top of story).
Individual Landcarer Award
Judit Roland has been a dedicated member of Tamborine Mountain Landcare (TML) since 2003, serving as regeneration coordinator since 2011 and president since 2014. Her tireless commitment and inspirational leadership have brought together government, business and community to achieve lasting environmental outcomes across Tamborine Mountain for over 20 years. Judit’s rare ability to connect and inspire — from schoolchildren to senior bureaucrats — has been key to TML’s enduring success.
Community Partnerships Landcare Award
Russell Family Park BushCare Group formed in 2007 with the hope of re-establishing a rainforest for critical habitats. This group is one of the most enduring environmental community groups on the Sunshine Coast. They meet weekly to create habitat for local wildlife and improve the quality and resilience of bushland in the council park. Russell Family Park BushCare Group’s valuable and long-term partnerships have created critical habitats and enhanced the place in which they live and love.
The Russell Family Park Bushcare group. PHOTO:Â supplied by Landcare
First Nations Collaboration Award
Woppaburra Tumna Aboriginal Corporation formed a seven-year Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement with the Reef Authority and Queensland Parks and Wildlife, empowering them to manage their Sea Country, integrate cultural values into ecological management and strengthen their connection to country and culture.
Coastcare Award
Friends of Federation Walk have a 24-year Landcare legacy on the Gold Coast at Federation Walk Coastal Reserve. It was initiated by the community wanting to protect, conserve and enhance the 93-hectare conservation area at the Spit, Main Beach. Thanks to persistent lobbying by the Friends, the State Government gazetted the land in 2003 for the purpose of park, environmental, beach protection and coastal management to help protect it for future generations.
Friends of Federation Walk volunteers. PHOTO: supplied by Landcare
NextGen Landcare Award
Rosalinde (Rose) Green is CEO of Watergum Community Inc. A born leader, with a passion for Australian landscapes, Rose has grown Watergum over seven years to directly engage with over 10,000 people in carrying out hands-on environmental and land management work.
Rose is driven by connecting people to the land and creating real on-ground outcomes. She does this by networking, managing a large-scale Watergum social media presence, and managing and mentoring her team to carry out citizen science, Natural Resource Management (NRM), invasive species, land restoration projects and supporting 45 small Landcare groups.
Rose Green Brinkman and companion. PHOTO: supplied by Landcare
Women in Landcare Award
Janet Mangan is an active volunteer and dedicated leader for a number of bushcare groups in local councils, National Parks and catchment groups across south-east Queensland and Greater Brisbane. Janet is involved in all aspects of bushcare and nursery activities, from carrying out the manual work of propagating, weeding and planting to providing education and taking on decision making roles in committees.
Junior Landcare Award
The geographic location of Butchers Creek State School places it in an extremely high rainfall zone, a factor that has major impacts on everyday school life. In 2022 sustainability considerations were integrated to strengthen the whole school approach to sustainability, teaching and learning and community partnerships.
Soil health can be a dry topic and generally overlooked in schools, however questions around the old school forestry plot sparked interest in the students. The whole school: students, parents, community and the school staff jumped on board and The Soil Savers project started their journey into building knowledge and understanding of the importance of healthy soil.
Staff and students from Butchers Creek State School. PHOTO: supplied by Landcare
For more information on all the finalists and the full program, check out National Landcare Conference 2025
PHOTO of the Leather Cattle Co team at top of story supplied by Landcare
