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BY DYLAN DE JONG 

Leaders behind major plans to transform a historic Wimmera nursery into a cultural hub have confirmed an official opening for later this year. 

State Government grants have enabled Barengi Gadjin Land Council to bring its Dalki Garringa Native Nursery project closer to fruition, with its sights set on an October opening. 

The land council also received $25,000 from not-for-profit Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal earlier this month to develop a First Nations educational project.  

Acting economic development manager La Vergne Lehmann said the money would allow the land council to develop a key part of the project to engage and educate First Nations people in the Wimmera about native bush foods. 

“We will be connecting with the Traditional Owner community to boost their understanding of native food and in some instances medicinal uses as well,” she said. 

“It’s really important that we combine this with an engagement and educational piece around why these plants are important and why they have such a significant future in Australia and our region.” 

The land council took over operation of the nursery, which provided plants for major revegetation projects in 1946, in 2017. 

Plans are, in keeping with aspirations of Traditional Owners, to refocus the nursery on native plants, including food species.

The land council has been using money from a $135,000 State Government grant to upgrade fencing to keep native wildlife away from growing plants and installing a new watering system. 

The land council is also considering installing solar panels to connect the nursery to a renewable-energy source and renovating an area to be a retail hub for the public to purchase plants. 

Ms Lehmann said nursery redevelopment would also help the land council protect cultural and intellectual property and stories attached to each species. 

“The native food industry has been going for some time now, but it’s important to have some say in it and have ownership of it as well,” she said. 

Ms Lehmann said the land council was developing several opportunities in the region, including new tourism products, the native nursery, bush food and hospitality opportunities.

“We want to develop a cafe and host events that showcase traditional flavours and work with farmers to start growing some of these plants more broadly,” she said. 

“We also want to showcase local produce and indigenous art and possibly have a little bit of a bush food festival.

“That won’t happen overnight, but this a real opportunity for us to develop a solid business and economic foundation for our community.”

Ms Lehmann said the project represented an opportunity to create jobs in the Wimmera. 

“All of this means more jobs for local people,” she said. 

“If we have young people in our Traditional Owner community who are interested in food, this is a great opportunity to get on the ground floor level of a career in producing products out of your cultural heritage.” 

The nursery is also working with landcare groups, such as Wimmera and Mallee catchment management authorities and Hindmarsh Landcare Network, to provide plants for revegetation projects.

Ms Lehmann said the focus was on growing species endemic to the region, species suitable for a changing climate and for bushfire-revegetation projects across the state. 

“We will be putting up a species list so we can expand what we can grow and sell to larger scale revegetation projects over time as well,” she said. 

“We’re also talking to the Murra Warra Wind Farm and other wind farms about providing them with plants for some of their revegetation works.”