Community
22 April, 2026
Small blocks, big impact across Heytesbury
SMALL property owners across the Heytesbury region are proving even modest parcels of land can deliver meaningful gains for biodiversity, productivity and environmental health.
Fifteen local landholders are participating in the Small Blocks Big Dreams program, building practical skills in sustainable land management and stewardship.
Designed for small producers, lifestyle landholders and bush block owners, the program recognises the important role of smaller properties across the landscape.
Delivered by the Heytesbury District Landcare Network (HDLN) in partnership with the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA), the initiative is funded by the Victorian Government through the Our Catchments, Our Communities program.
Through locally-tailored hands-on workshops and field trips, participants gain practical knowledge to improve soil health, manage water, enhance biodiversity and boost productivity on their properties.
Recent sessions have covered soil science, revegetation, biodiversity, fire preparedness and land use landscape-scale impacts.
The workshop component of the program recently concluded with a bus tour of local properties, showcasing best-practice land management in action.
The day began with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Joey Chatfield-Berg from Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, highlighting the importance of cultural knowledge and caring for Country.
Participants visited sites along the Curdies River, exploring riparian revegetation, farm dam filtration and remnant vegetation protection.
Corangamite CMA’s Gene Gardiner shared insights from more than 20 years’ experience working with landholders to improve water quality and ecological resilience.
HDLN’s Landcare facilitator Debbie Dalziel said the program helped to fill a gap for smaller and non-commercial landholders in the area.
“Small landholders are incredibly important in our region,” she said.
“This program is giving them the skills and confidence to make meaningful changes – not just for their own properties, but for the health of the entire catchment.”
Participants will now receive one-on-one support to develop and map land stewardship action plans for their properties.
Since 2022, the Small Blocks Big Dreams project has supported more than 150 landholders across the Corangamite region, helping build knowledge, strengthen environmental management and foster a network of local land stewards.