After getting concerned about the loss of native bushland in the south-west, a group of local people pursued an offer from local farmer Morris Duffield in 1985 and bought a 32 hectare bush block at Naringal that he had never had the heart to clear.

The group formed the Kurri Kurri Cooperative Society and sold shares to raise money to pay Mr Duffield for the land.

The co-operative board’s secretary John Sherwood, an associate professor in Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University, said the idea to buy the land came from Pat Urbonas, who along with Mr Sherwood, was one of the co-operative’s founding group of seven.

The block had been ravaged by the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires but had experienced a lot of regrowth and the group could see its potential.

The group named the block Kurri Kurri, from the Aboriginal expression “the very first,” and gained the support of about 120 shareholders from not only the Warrnambool district but throughout Australia to turn the idea into reality.

Co-operative treasurer Kevin Sparrow said it was a terrific example of “self-help” by people wanting to conserve native bushland.

The block had been lightly cut for timber during its past but had never been cleared and contains some very big old trees.

Mr Sparrow, who has held executive roles in the Society for Growing Australian Plants Warrnambool and District group, said the block was primarily dry sclerophyll woodland with dry stringybark and swamp gums.

It also had significant ephemeral wetlands and it bustles with wildlife.

The wildlife spotted in animal surveys has included Long-nosed Potaroos, Southern Brown Bandicoots, a variety of possums, wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, native birds such as crimson rosellas and wedge-tailed eagles, lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, leeches and the occasional koala.

Co-operative members have installed nesting boxes on many trees to help out wildlife such as birds and possums.

Some members are amateur nature photographers and delight in recording the block’s active fauna and flora.

To give members the opportunity to spend time on the block, the co-operative has installed amenities including a shelter shed, barbecue, water tank and a septic tank toilet.

A north/south walking track intersects with an east/west one across the block.

Members sometimes camp overnight on the block and go spotlighting at night for native wildlife.

The block has also been opportunity by some members to expose younger family members to the wonders of nature.

Dr Sherwood’s grandson had his first camping experience at Kurri Kurri.

It has also allowed co-operative members with environmental expertise, such as Mr Sparrow, to note the block’s special attributes.

He found the block was home to tongue orchids, which usually flower 10 years after a fire.

Most other orchids usually flower one to two years after a fire. 

Mr Sparrow said while the co-operative owned the block, it had placed a covenant on it through the Trust for Nature to ensure it could never be used for other than conservation purposes.

The group has working bees every two months to maintain the walking tracks and the amenities, do weed control on the edge of the block and clear fallen timber off fence lines.

Fox baiting is also undertaken.

 The Trust for Nature has also given the co-operative advice on how to manage the block and the co-operative is in discussions with the trust about developing a management plan for the property.

A researcher found the block is part of a network of bush areas in the Naringal area that provide essential habitat for flora and fauna.

While much of the bushland in the Naringal area has been cleared for dairying, well-vegetated roadsides in the area provide a high degree of connectivity between the remaining bush areas such as the Ralph Illidge Sanctuary and the Grass Tree Plains Reserve.

The researcher found wildlife such as potaroos, echidnas and bandicoots travelling along the vegetated roadsides to get from one large bush area to another. 

“They will not travel across open land because they will be picked off by predators,” Mr Sparrow said.

He said the co-operative had been a success and its members had been incredibly loyal over the past 32 years.

“Most of the original co-op members are still with the group.Some have handed their shares on to their children. Sometimes they have donated them back to the co-operative,” Mr Sparrow said.

The co-operative is chaired by Ann Marantelli who was elected this year to replace Keith Davis.

However with the passing of the decades and the move by many members into their senior years, the co-operative is looking for new members.

“We are looking for the next generation,” Dr Sherwood said.

‘We are interested in hearing from conservation-minded people who want to be part-owners in a bush block,” he said.

New members are required to pay a minimum of $250 for 250 shares in the co-operative. More information about the co-operative is available from its website at www.apswarrnambool.org.au/kurrikurri/