Volunteer at Coolart Homestead, Somers
Somers, VIC

Located 70km south-east of Melbourne, Coolart Homestead has a large diversity of wildlife, different varieties of vegetation, and is home to more than 170 species of birds. The original inhabitants of Coolart were the Bunurong tribe of Aborigines and it is from the word "Colourt" or "Callert" - their name for nearby Sandy Point - that the present name of Coolart is derived.

While the area was used for farming for a long time, one of the historical owners Thomas Luxton has developed a lagoon and used the area as a bird sanctuary. Due to his conservation efforts, Coolart has been valuable habitats for increasingly rare species such as Blue tongue Lizard, White lipped Snake and Growling Grass Frog.

The main focus of the project will be to remove woody weed witin the area. Invasive weed species are a major threat to remnant vegetation and the fauna that rely on locally native plants for survival.