Cultural Burn at Tucki Tucki Flood Reserve with Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council
On Wednesday 2nd
September 2026 Richmond Landcare Inc. coordinated a cultural burn at Tucki Tucki Flood Reserve as part of our Caring for Catchments - Cultural Connections project along with Michael Kennedy, Aboriginal Landcare Officer with North Coast Regional Landcare Network (NCRLN). The cultural burn built on trusted Aboriginal Rights Holder relationships and was led by the Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council (Ngulingah LALC) ranger team. We were joined by members from our local Landcare groups, representatives from DCCEEW and staff from North Coast Regional Landcare Network. The cultural burn was part of a Koala Habitat Restoration Project as part of the Far North Coast Aboriginal Koala Partnership with North Coast Regional Landcare Network - with the Koala Officer being Michael Kennedy.
The Koala Habitat Restoration Project procured and worked with Ngulingah LALC to design and deliver the project, focusing on weed management. Several techniques were implemented including weed spraying, cut and fill, poison injecting, and weed removal. The weather permitted a small window for a cultural burn event which the Ngulingah LALC Rangers were always looking to practise and incorporate as an inclusive strategy in landscape management.
The day started with introductions including the history and background of the Tucki Tucki Flood Reserve. We heard from Richard Atkin, Senior Project Officer Partnerships with the NSW Koala Program at DCCEEW, Mal Johnson
a long-standing volunteer with NSW Rural Fire Service and Tuckombil Landcare Group, Max Watt an experienced bush regenerator and founder of Goanna Ecological and Michael Kennedy, Aboriginal Landcare Officer with North Coast Regional Landcare Network and Koala Officer. Michael has been driving this project for over a year, and it was wonderful to see it all come together on the day.
After the introductions the Ngulingah LALC ranger team commenced the cultural burn demonstration on the flats and all attendees watched from a perfect vantage point over the area. It was a beautiful day and the perfect window in weather for the burn, which we had patiently waited for, for it to be successful.
Thank you to the Ngulingah LALC ranger team for your generosity in sharing one of your cultural land management practices with us. It was an honour to observe and learn about how cultural burning can improve the health of the land, enhance biodiversity and protect plants, animals and people.
Thank you also to Paul Daley from A Lush Forest Media for being there to capture the special day on both video and in photos. Paul will be creating a video of the day, and we will be sharing it with our local Landcare groups and associated members at special events including our Landcare Link Up events.
We acknowledge the Widjabul Wia-bal People of the Bundjalung Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the cultural burn happened. We acknowledge their deep and continuing connection to and care of this Country.
