Connecting, learning and sharing at the 2026 Victorian Landcare Forum

Earlier this month, Jess, Kim and Rhiannon from Up2Us headed to Pakenham for the 2026 Victorian Landcare Forum, joining more than 220 Landcarers, partners and supporters from across Victoria for three days of learning, networking and inspiration.

The Forum was a fantastic opportunity to connect with people working and volunteering in Landcare across the state, share ideas and experiences, and hear about the many different ways communities are caring for their local environments. Over the three days, we enjoyed a diverse program of guest speakers and presentations covering everything from community resilience and young people in Landcare to supporting Landcare groups and building stronger connections within the sector.

One of the highlights was Tuesday evening’s dinner, which provided a chance to catch up with fellow landcarers in a more relaxed setting and celebrate the important work being carried out by Landcare communities across Victoria.

On Wednesday, we headed out on the Cranbourne bus tour to see Landcare and environmental projects in action. A particular highlight was visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, where we learnt more about their Safeguarding the Southern Brown Bandicoot project and the work being undertaken to protect this threatened species and its habitat.

It was a great three days of meeting new people, catching up with familiar faces and coming away with plenty of ideas and inspiration to bring back to our own Landcare community.

A big thank you to Landcare Victoria for bringing everyone together and creating such a valuable opportunity for the Landcare sector to connect, learn and celebrate the work we do.