Congratulations to the recipients of the 2026 Mary MacKillop Today Highways and Byways Small Grants Program. These community groups across Australia have been awarded grants for their projects under the theme “Breathing New Life into your Country & Community”.
| Organisation Name | Location | Project Description |
|---|---|---|
| Anakie & District Community Group | Wadawurrung (Anakie VIC) | Connecting Community & Country: Discovering the Brisbane Ranges Engages isolated residents of a small, rural community, addressing issues of social isolation, lack of engagement, and gaps in knowledge of local ecosystems through a series of nature-based workshops designed to build ecological knowledge, practical skills, and community connections. These workshops done in partnership with local organisations & businesses encourage stronger social networks, improved wellbeing, greater understanding of local ecosystems, and increased participation in citizen science and conservation activities leading to long-term community resilience and a culture of ongoing engagement with the natural environment. |
| Home Start National Inc. | Wiradjuri (Quandialla, New Lambton NSW) | Quandialla Bush Tucker Garden Creating a bush tucker garden in the local school premises in Quandialla – a small village and farming community that has suffered the extremes of climate change over the past five years. This project brings together students, parents, teachers, and other local residents through activities such as art, gardening, food and celebration of the local Wiradjuri culture. This joint engagement would help Aboriginal children and families to feel proud of their culture and heritage while reducing racism and supporting older people experiencing disconnection and loneliness to be part of the community and find an enduring meeting place. |
| Blackwood Environment Society Inc. | Bibbulman (Bridgetown WA) | Trees for Cockies Community driven response to preserve three iconic black cockatoo species native to WA through revegetating local habitat destroyed by continuing lithium mining activity in the area. This will be done through two community planting days run in the Bridgetown – Greenbushes Shire providing free endemic seedlings that are Black Cockatoo specific and the sharing of local knowledge. These seedlings will be for planting on properties and a nature reserve to increase the amount of protected habitat and food sources available to the three Black Cockatoo species within the Shire. With many community members concerned about the future of the natural environment, it is believed this practical approach will encourage them to positively contribute towards creating protected habitat on their properties. |
| The Haddon Community Learning Centre Incorporated | Wauthaurong (Haddon VIC) | The Haddon CLC Community Garden Grant funding is sought to underpin a monthly Food Swap and series of hands-on workshops with the intention of further strengthening and building connections around the community garden in a small rural community. It is hoped this will build knowledge in the areas of horticulture, growing one’s own food, and healthy eating which will promote an understanding of food security locally. |
| GWYMAC Inc. | Kamilaroi, Ngayaywana, Ngarabal (Inverell Shire Council NSW) | Native Grass Seed Knowledge and Harvest Workshops This project will deliver practical, field-based workshops in the Inverell district focused on identifying, harvesting and using native grass seed from local landscapes, helping to restore pasture diversity and strengthen landscape resilience across the district. Participants will gain practical skills that can be applied directly on farms, community lands and restoration projects. Over time, this project will support healthier ecosystems, improved soil health and more resilient farming landscapes together with building stronger community networks through learning and sharing of knowledge. |
| Yuluwirri Kids – Coonabarabran Preschool and Long Day Care | Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi) and Wailwan Country (Coonabarabran NSW) | Food and Feather Garden Project is to create a secure, shaded outdoor learning space where children can grow fruit and vegetables and care for chickens. This will build practical life skills by teaching children how to plant, care for, and harvest food, as well as how to look after animals in a respectful and responsible way. Local Elders, Landcare, and community garden members are included in the learning environment to share knowledge about caring for Country, sustainable gardening, and food production. It is a whole community project and will provide seamless access to fresh food and knowledge about nutrition and sustainable practices. Located in a regional community where many families are experiencing rising living costs, ongoing dry periods, limited access to fresh produce, and fewer opportunities for children to engage in meaningful outdoor learning. |
| Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network | Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung & Dja Dja Wurrung (Macedon Ranges VIC) | Homes for Wildlife Market and School Education Project Restoring the loss of natural tree hollows available for native animals to shelter and breed in the Macedon Ranges by providing wildlife nesting boxes and community education through markets and schools to teach how community members can help create safe habitat for native wildlife and support biodiversity in the local area. Participants including primary school students will learn practical ways to support wildlife by creating wildlife friendly gardens and properties. The aim is to build community knowledge, encourage environmental stewardship and increase available habitat for native wildlife across the Macedon Ranges. |
| North Burnett Community Service | Wakka Wakka (Mundubbera QLD) | Growing Together: Mundubbera Community Garden Cultural Regeneration Project Creating an inclusive and welcoming space within a multi-cultural environment by expanding the existing community garden where the community can connect, learn and share culture. The project will engage residents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, migrant families and seasonal agricultural workers from culturally diverse backgrounds including Tongan and Papua New Guinean communities. A series of gardening days and workshops will share knowledge about sustainable gardening, food growing and cultural traditions. These activities will build practical skills, strengthen relationships and encourage participants to take leadership roles in caring for the garden. It is hoped this will help to reduce social isolation, strengthen inter-cultural understanding and create a long-term community space that supports wellbeing, environmental awareness and community connection. |
| Sorell Council (Nipaluna Nursery) | Paredarerme (Sorell TAS) | Seeds of the Future: A Youth Cultural Garden & Yarning Circle A culturally grounded, youth-led initiative where young people aged 12–17 years experiencing social isolation & disengagement will work alongside volunteers from the Nipaluna Nursery and a local Elder to co-design and install an Indigenous cultural garden and yarning circle at their youth hub. Through this collaborative process, young people will gain practical horticultural and environmental skills, deepen their understanding of local Indigenous knowledge, and build confidence through shared decision-making and hands-on leadership roles. The completed garden and yarning circle will remain a permanent community asset used for youth programs, cultural learning and community gatherings. |
| Y Women Broken Hill Inc. | Wilyakali (Broken Hill NSW) | Rebuilding Intergenerational Bridges Transforming & beautifying a courtyard by installing a timber bridge connecting to a water feature, while storing rain water and using it to feed the fountain and grow native plants so that it becomes a welcoming, thriving space for the community to gather and celebrate cultural festivals and other communal activities. This courtyard is part of the restored historic building in the Broken Hill CBD which acts as a hub promoting intergenerational connections and encouraging participation in activities that strengthen wellbeing, confidence, and social cohesion. Broken Hill is a town in the far west region of outback NSW shaped by geographic distance and environmental factors. |
| Millmerran Landcare | Bigambul (Millmerran QLD) | Building Resilience in Millmerran Community Holistic approach to healing the community as well as the environment through a series of workshops that cover wellness and resilient land management practices. The community will learn practical, hand-on skills in using cool fire techniques to increase the health of their landscape and lower susceptibility to extremes such as wildfires and drought. In addition, they will also gain knowledge in how to come together and overcome mental health challenges, without having to rely on costly interventions. It is hoped this empowerment and action will develop life-long skills that people can use going forward particularly through the strengthening of community connections and personal development. |
| Nannup Garden Village Inc. | Wardandi/Bibbulman (Nannup WA) | Grow. Gather. Feast – Seeds for the Future Teaching community members in a small, regional community how to save, store, and propagate seeds so they can grow food and plants more sustainably. This will be done through a series of hands-on workshops with the aim of strengthening local food resilience, reducing dependence on commercial seed suppliers, and helping to preserve plant diversity. It also creates opportunities for community connection and knowledge sharing across generations and cultures. Most importantly, it will help establish a seed library where sharing and exchanging of locally adapted seeds can take place. |
| Wollar Progress Association | Wiradjuri (Wollar NSW) | Upgrading kitchen facilities at Wollar Community Hall Upgrade of the kitchen equipment at Wollar Community Hall which serves as a hub for this community. It is a designated Neighbourhood Safe Place in times of emergency such as extreme weather events while also being the main meeting place for community events, public meetings, Government consultations and social gatherings. New kitchen equipment will improve the sustainability of this essential community asset by lowering energy costs and encouraging more regular use of the Hall which will improve community spirit and connection. |
| Euroa Arboretum Inc. | Taungurung (Euroa, Longwood East, Ruffy, Caveat, Highlands VIC) | ‘Creating a welcoming, functional community space for fire affected communities in Euroa’. A whole of community response to the devastating January Longwood East fires in VIC which has seen community members and local native wildlife lose their homes and surrounding plant life. The project will help start a restoration and healing process with both young and older community members engaging in a variety of ways – learning landcare related activities such as nestbox building & other habitat repair skills; developing leadership by leading small groups of volunteers in these activities; receiving height training, mental health first aid training and occupational health & safety training which will increase their knowledge and employment potential. The aim is to provide practical ways for the community to contribute towards their recovery while encouraging “a sense of hope for the future”. |
| Manjimup Community Garden | Bibbulmun (Manjimup WA) | Bringing new life, diversity and inclusiveness into the Manjimup Community Garden Installing four raised garden beds and irrigation in the local community garden to encourage socially isolated residents as well as those culturally disconnected from the act of growing food to connect and learn new skills, thereby learning how to live sustainably and grow nutritious foods while sharing unique skills and knowledge with other garden members. The small town of Manjimup is home to both itinerant workers and recent immigrants and it is hoped the community garden activities would promote a sense of connection and belonging for the entire community. |
| Friends of Fogg Dam (FOFD) Inc. | Woolna – also referred to as Wulna, and Limilngan-Wulna Country (Humpty Doo NT) | Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve Roadside Signage Renewal Project Project is to replace existing worn out signage with improved signage and to extend a shade structure that will protect the signs while also providing shade for volunteers engaging in working bees, and visitors learning about Fogg Dam and its environs prior to arrival. Fogg Dam welcomes a large volume of people each year and FOFD signage provides a broad overview of the value and history of the reserve together with information on wildlife that complements government signage within the reserve. It is also the only physical location with detailed information about the dam’s origin as a rice project. FOFD have also consulted Wulna Traditional Owners with a view to expanding details on signage to include cultural information. |
| Rose Bay High School (RBHS) Landcare Group with Hands On Learning (HoL) students | Moomaremener Country, Paredareme Nation, Lutruwita (Rosebay TAS) | Wallaby Walk: The Landscaping (Stage 2) Adding value to a gravel walking loop that provides a welcoming calm zone for managing self-regulation, stage two will revegetate this space with indigenous plants, interpretive signage, seating and appropriate landscaping features. Participants will be First Nations learners as well as disengaged students (many of whom participate in Hands on Learning), and mainstream classes taking part in wider landcare activities within the school. They will learn lifeskills and real-life experiences of decision making, team work, following plans and practical landcare skills that open up opportunities for possible career paths. This project also builds knowledge about local indigenous Palawa traditions and practices, creating tangible links to culture and Country thereby encouraging an understanding where all can share in, value, respect and care for Country. Design will be student-led creating a sense of ownership once landscaping is completed. |
| Attwood House Community Centre | Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung (Westmeadows VIC) | Vulnerable Children and Carers Learning and Connecting to Country A series of fun half days run over a period of 12 months centring around the Westmeadows Indigenous and Community Garden. The project focuses on vulnerable children and carers within the Hume LGA facing deep socio-economic pressures including family violence. Led by a First Nations woman Aunty Jo Russell, participants would learn about culture, connection to Country, traditional plants & their uses, and actively participate in cooking sessions using materials respectfully collected from the land. The aim is to enable children to learn how to care for Country, be creative, make new friends and connect to the wider community. It is believed children in the Hume LGA are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable compared to children in Greater Melbourne and Victoria. |
| HILLS ENVIRONMENT CENTRE | Kaurna (Bridgewater SA) | Adelaide Hills Fungi Festival Project offers hands-on training in mycology – the scientific study of fungi – with a view to enhancing participants knowledge and practical data collection skills. This will help address a significant gap in opportunities and knowledge both within the scientific and broader community in Australia. Through engagement in the festival project, it is hoped to build greater awareness of fungi’s ecological importance, increased community involvement in conservation, and a growing network of citizen scientists contributing to research. The aim is to nurture future leaders in environmental conservation and mycology, with a focus on the importance of knowledge sharing – making the Adelaide Hills region a hub for mycology education and conservation. |
| Port Neill War Memorial Hall Association Inc. | Barngala (Port Neill, SA) | Lighting up and Cooling our Community Hall Community owned and funded multi-purpose hall which forms the hub of this small, rural community needs to upgrade its hall lights and fans, addressing the safety of hall users and the need for more environmentally friendly use of power. This is a community of 300 residents which has no public transport and is socially & geographically isolated, where the community hall is used by all for personal, civic and communal activities like elections, weddings, art groups etc. This usage for a wide variety of activities not only builds community skills and strengths, but it is hoped will encourage community resilience in difficult times. As a rural community where bush fire is a threat, the hall has been designated a Bushfire safe Precinct. |
| Yarra Valley ECOSS | Wurundjeri- Woi wurrung (Wesburn – Yarra Valley VIC) | The Living Herbarium Project at ECOSS Supporting the ‘Ribbons of Green’ initiative of the Yarra Ranges Council, the ECOSS nursery hopes to upskill community volunteers of different ages and abilities in plant identification, seed collection and propagation skills. It is part of their efforts to bridge the gap between theory and local action including education about the environment. The project will also encompass creating educational signage in English and the Woi wurrung language, explaining cultural usage of each plant with advice from a Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Kim Wandin. |
| District Council of Orrorro Carrieton | Ngadjuri (Orroroo SA) | Community Connection to Nature Using an underutilised area of the recreation grounds to create a tree-lined walking conduit by adding a path & plants that becomes a nature corridor connecting the precinct’s various community zones. It is hoped this will encourage older community members to engage in gentle exercise such as walking rather than driving, connecting to nature and promoting climate resilience while helping overcome ongoing challenges in accessing structured exercise opportunities. It will provide inclusive public spaces that support everyday wellbeing in the small rural community of Orrorro. |
| Lifeline Central West Ltd. | Wiradjuri Country (Lake Cargelligo, Bathurst NSW) | Strengthening Community Support on Country – Lake Cargelligo A First Nations led workshop delivered with cultural guidance from the local Aboriginal Land Council in response to the need for better access to specialised mental health support within this small rural community. Participants will learn practical skills to recognise signs of distress, respond safely and connect people with appropriate supports while understanding the importance of cultural context, kinship and informal support networks across the community. While this project is a direct response to a violent incident that impacted this community recently, the aim is to strengthen community resilience, encourage local leadership and support ongoing healing within the Lake Cargelligo community in the longer term. |
| Friends of the Forest Inc. | Dungibara, Jinibara and Jagera (Somerset Region, South East QLD) | Brisbane River Headwaters Collaborative Community Multi-media Arts Project A multi-faceted response to ecological challenges as well as socio-economic effects faced by this community over the past few years. The aim is to provide opportunities to weave stronger connections through relationship-building between people of all ages, backgrounds & abilities via art and direct engagement with the land. This will encompass a wide-ranging inclusive community arts project that “can keep growing over time, continuing to connect community members over the issues regarding our collective responsibilities to Nature and the land itself, social justice & our interconnections with each other”. |
| Aboriginal Education Team Saint Patrick’s Primary School Lochinvar | Wonnarua (Lochinvar NSW) | Regent Honeyeater Garden A ‘green’ community project undertaken by Aboriginal Educators and Aboriginal students at the school as part of their yearly ‘Look After Country’ program which is a hands-on initiative. This project is their effort to save the ‘magnificent’ regent honeyeater who is on the brink of extinction and ‘is present’ on Wonnarua Country. A neglected grassy area behind the school will be prepared and planted with local native flora & favourites of the Honeyeater together with signage to create community awareness of the “plight of this magnificent bird and resident of the Hunter Valley”. This initiative will help students re-connect with their Culture and Country while encouraging greater connection between “our school mob and the wider school community in looking after our common home”. It also plays a major role in moving forward together towards Reconciliation. |
| Forster Neighbourhood Centre Incorporated | Worimi country (Forster NSW) | Great Lakes Women’s Shed Sustainability Project The project will create an essential safety net for local women, particularly First Nations women, women experiencing social isolation and those experiencing economic disadvantage. It provides an inclusive and respectful space where these women can connect safely, build social networks and identify strengths they can draw on to build resilience across all aspects of their life. It also provides an opportunity to learn new skills and link with available services and supports that would otherwise be challenging to access. |
| Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium | Bundjalung Ngarabal (Stanthorpe QLD) | Eucalypts of the Granite Belt Identification and Management Workshop Response to the indiscriminate felling and clearing of iconic Eucalypt forests that are perceived by the broader community as a bushfire hazard. This one day workshop will incorporate a theory section on how to identify individual Eucalypt species and a structured fieldwork component where participants will work on identifying Eucalypts in natural areas. It is hoped that increased knowledge of Eucalypt species particularly in the rural/rural residential sectors will decrease concern about risks and increase knowledge of environmental, ecological and habitat benefits which will lead to reduced indiscriminate clearing. |
| Gari Yala Aboriginal Cultural Fundraising Indigenous Corporation | Regional NSW | Gari Yala Aboriginal Cultural Fundraising Indigenous Corporation cultural bags Providing cultural packs to kids on Wiradjuri country during school holidays offers children the opportunity to learn about and connect with their heritage in fun & enriching ways while helping them avoid boredom & discouraging unhealthy alternatives. This will be a structured engagement – activity packs being posted out to children with guided opportunities for them to learn, participate, and connect with organisational staff monthly online. Posting these packs throughout the year during school holidays ensures access for children in regional and remote communities thereby empowering the next generation to celebrate, preserve, and learn about Wiradjuri heritage in meaningful and practical ways. |
