City volunteers sow thousands of seeds at Activate the Wheatbelt’s Dumbleyung tree planting festival

A muddy but high-spirited pack of 150 volunteers descended on Dumbleyung at the weekend to help local farmers plant more than 40,000 seedlings and catch a taste of country life. For two days, volunteers from Activate the Wheatbelt set off on a tree-planting mission to help landholders revegetate their paddocks with thousands of local eucalyptus and salt-tolerant seedlings across five properties. Activate the Wheatbelt has been hosting planting festivals for 20 years, aiming to bridge the gap between city and rural communities by providing an outlet for people wanting to make a difference to the environment. Activate the Wheatbelt co-ordinator Stuart Vanderplank said volunteers’ spirits were high as they braved the cold over an ambitious weekend of planting. After a big day out in the paddock spurred on by the tunes of a DJ riding in a trailer alongside the group, volunteers kicked off their work boots for a night of music, art and games. “We try and make it educational and inclusive for everyone so there are activities for families and kids,” he said. “It’s a big community.” Dumbleyung Landcare manager Claudia Hadlow said it was wonderful to see people from the city enjoy what country life had to offer. “The aim was to get the seedlings planted and it was wonderful to see the volunteers achieve this,” she said. “Having the opportunity to promote Dumbleyung, it’s attractions and Lake Dumbleyung was also a highlight. “There were many comments saying they would love to return to the town, spend more time at the lake and enjoy bush walks. “This was a great opportunity to showcase the shire and you can bet 150 people from the city experienced a taste of country life and enjoyed it.”