Year 10 students from Xavier High School put in an extraordinary volunteering effort last week on the steep slopes of the Lake Hume foreshore.

Around 120 students and staff walked the 3 kilometre round trip to and from the project site to plant more than 1,800 native trees and shrubs. The students gained first-hand experience of the joys of working outdoors in nature as well as the challenges of planting in very wet gullies and wetland sites.

The legacy of their efforts will be a significant new conservation corridor that will provide connectivity and improved biodiversity along five kilometres of Lake Hume frontage, not to mention a standout memory of their planting day in years to come.

Students participated as part of a Xavier High School community volunteering project.

Parklands are grateful for their persistence and hard work. A special thanks to the students who cooked 300 sausages on the field BBQ for the wet and tired planters on their return. Thanks also to local bus companies who transported the muddy students back to school!

This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program.