Finding Melbourne's Nature

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At the Edithvale Seaford Wetlands, I’m walking with Kinjia Munkara Murray, a proud Tiwi and Rembarrnga woman, and someone who sees a whole world most of us miss.

From the start, we’re stopping constantly. Looking at ants, watching movement on the ground, noticing things I would have walked straight past.

Kinjia has been into insects for as long as she can remember, and it shows. As we walk, she opens up the diversity of ants around Melbourne, how different species live, and how much is going on in even a small patch of ground.

We talk about how insects are often overlooked, despite the huge role they play in ecosystems, turning over soil, spreading seeds, pollinating plants, and keeping everything in balance.

There’s also a different way of understanding them. Kinjia shares how insects are thought about through Tiwi knowledge, where behaviour and relationships matter just as much as names.

This walk might shift your perspective. You start to realise just how much is happening beneath your feet.

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Out towards St Andrews on Melbourne’s north-eastern edge, some of the most important habitat isn’t in reserves at all, it’s along the roadside.

In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature, I walk with Wendy Probert, a long-time member of the Australian Native Orchid Society and a director of the Australian Orchid Foundation.

Wendy has spent decades searching for native orchids, and as we move slowly along the roadside, she introduces me to the species that occur around Melbourne, how to recognise them, and what makes them so unusual.

We talk about the role roadsides play in conservation, how orchids depend on very specific relationships with fungi and pollinators, and why they’re such good indicators of the health of a landscape.

It’s a slower kind of walk. A lot of stopping, a lot of looking, and a reminder that some of the most important parts of our environment are easy to miss if you don’t take the time.

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Braeside Park in Melbourne’s south east is a big reserve with a mix of wetlands, grassy woodlands and heathland, and a history that’s shifted a lot over time.

In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature, I walk through the park with Judith Sise OAM, president of the Friends of Braeside Park.

As we move through the reserve, we talk about what this place has been. Carrum Carrum Swamp, grazing land, a horse training track, then a sewage farm, and now a park that’s still changing.

Walking through, you start to notice what’s here. Old river red gums, some hundreds of years old, patches of heath, wetlands that fill and dry depending on the season, and birdlife moving through.

We talk about the work that goes into keeping it going. Planting, rabbits, water, trying to hold onto species like orchids, and the small decisions that shape what the park becomes.

Judith also shares how she got involved, from working in the nursery through to leading the friends group, and what’s kept her connected to this place over time.

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At the edge of the Birrarung, beneath the West Gate Bridge, sits one of Melbourne’s most unexpected urban landscapes.

Westgate Park wasn’t always like this. Once a heavily modified and neglected site shaped by landfill and industry, it has been transformed over decades into a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands and habitat.

In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature, we walk through the park with Naomie Sunner, who in the late 1990s, as a young woman, led and established the Friends of Westgate Park.

Naomie shares the story of a seven-day walk along the Birrarung that brought her here, and how that moment led to decades of restoration, community effort and learning on the ground.

We talk about the early days of the project, the challenges of rebuilding a landscape from scratch, and the people who helped shape what the park has become today.

The Friends of Westgate Park remain an incredible, active community, continuing that work and caring for this place.

This episode is about persistence, community, and what it takes to bring nature back in the middle of a city.

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In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature, we walk through Banyule Flats Reserve with urban ecologist Dr Jacinta Humphrey.

Moving through wetlands, billabongs and remnant vegetation along the Birrarung, Jacinta shares her journey into conservation and her work exploring how birds persist, adapt and even thrive in urban environments.

We talk about what cities are missing, and what they need to better support biodiversity. From the importance of dense understorey vegetation, to the challenges posed by species like noisy miners, this conversation looks at how small changes in habitat can have a big impact.

Along the way, we also get into skinks, bird calls, backyard conservation, and the role people can play in supporting nature, whether it’s planting habitat, joining a Friends group, or simply putting out water.

This episode is about rethinking the spaces around us, and how cities like Melbourne can support the species that live alongside us.

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In this episode, I’m joined by urban ecologist Dr Kylie Soanes.

We meet in Docklands, in Melbourne/Naarm, beside the floating wetlands Kylie helped bring to life. It’s not a typical conservation setting. Concrete, water, buildings and movement surround us, and right there, a small patch of habitat quietly doing its work.

We talk about how these wetlands came to be, what they’re already supporting, and what they represent in a city like Melbourne/Naarm right now.

Kylie also shares her journey into conservation, and how that’s shaped the way she sees cities. The conversation explores the kinds of places we create, and how they can invite biodiversity back into our cities.

This episode looks at how we might shape our future, making sure we’re living alongside nature rather than at the expense of it.

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In this first episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature, we walk through Darebin Parklands with Peter Wiltshire, long-time ranger with the Darebin Creek Management Committee.

Once a quarry and later a tip, Darebin Parklands is now a much-loved nature reserve with wetlands, thriving wildlife and rich native flora.

Peter has spent over 40 years working in this landscape. As we walk, he shares his journey as a ranger, the history of the reserve, and what it has taken to restore and care for this place over time.

To learn more about the work of the Darebin Creek Management Committee, visit dcmc.org.au
or follow along on social media. 

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Finding Melbourne’s Nature is a walking conversation series exploring the wild places within the city.

In each episode, guests choose a reserve and walk together with Traditional Owners, conservationists, scientists and community voices.

They talk about what lives there, what has changed, what needs protecting, and the personal journeys that have shaped their connection with nature.

This trailer introduces the series and what to expect as the walks begin.