Rural & Agriculture
18 September, 2025
Heads down, clean up
THE Mount Cole–Pyrenees Nature Group has rolled up its sleeves to help restore Raglan’s fire-affected roadsides, with volunteers collecting several ute-loads of rubbish along Back Raglan Road last Friday.
Armed with gloves and bags, around 20 community members ‘emu bobbed’ their way down the roadside, unearthing everything from scrap metal and glass to antique treasures like perfume bottles and old boot polish containers.
Organiser Lyn Heenan said the clean-up was the first step in understanding the scale of the challenge.
“Yesterday was the first stage to see how far we could go and how much was here,” she said.
“We were quite surprised with how much is actually on the roadside.
While we’re doing it, we’re also capturing any native things that are germinating since the fire, like orchids, which is really exciting.”
The day combined hands-on work with education, featuring talks from experts on local frogs, wildlife monitoring and vulnerable species.
The group also checked out footage captured by trail cameras deployed to track how animals are adapting after the fires.
“Because the mountain burnt so hot, they’ve gone elsewhere for refuge,” Lyn said.
“These roadside corridors are a great conduit, and we hope to protect them for the future.”
The Mount Cole–Pyrenees Nature Group is now looking to work through other burnt roadside areas with the support of Glenelg Hopkins CMA, the Victorian National Parks Association and local ecologists to develop a practical plan for long-term rehabilitation.
“It’s really important, it’s part of the healing process after the bushfires,” Lyn said.
“Everybody has a very environmental footprint in mind. Many hands make light work, it's also a learning process, wondering what's going to reemerge after the fire and seeing those orchids and things coming back is really important,” she said.
For more information on future roadside recovery efforts or to get involved, visit www.mtcolepyreneesnaturegroup.com.