07/09/2026
LFW Field Day- Yass River
Discover Rugosa with John and Michelle
Join fellow LFW community members for a guided field day at their remarkable Land for Wildlife property — Rugosa.
Join John and Michelle as we explore their beautiful ‘Rugosa’ property. Learn about the incredible biodiversity the property supports as we discover 625 acres of mixed grassland, box gum gassy woodland and dry sclerophyll forest.
This is more than a property tour — it’s an opportunity to see how biodiversity monitoring, Land for Wildlife stewardship, restoration and natural regeneration come together on the ground to support conservation.
📅 Saturday 19 September
🕙 9:30am – 1:00pm
📍 Yass River (approx. 50 minutes from Goulburn and 60 minutes from central Canberra)
🚗 Self-drive: Participants will make their own way to the Land for Wildlife property. Further details, including the property location and meeting arrangements, will be provided to all registered participants.
What we’ll discover:
🌿 Native grasslands and woodland — formerly grazed, unimproved pasture now supporting a rich native groundcover of herbs, forbs and orchids, alongside regenerating and revegetated areas.
🐦 Birdlife — three BirdLife Australia survey sites at Rugosa and another in Rugosa Forest, plus frequent sightings of Gang-gang Cockatoos.
💧 Water and habitat — four dams that retained water throughout the 2016–2020 drought, interconnected ponds and waterholes, and potential refuge habitat for the Southern Pygmy Perch.
🔬 Citizen science with real research value — 883 formally verified species, with 1,217 wildlife observations recorded through Canberra Nature Map, while specimens and seed have supported botanical and genetic research.
🌱 Practical restoration — around 10 km of native tree and shrub direct seeding, hundreds of additional plantings, a Climate Ready trial comparing local and mixed provenances, and ongoing Landcare involvement.
🦗 Unexpected discoveries — including both the Heath Matchstick Grasshopper and the endangered Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper, along with other unusual species.
🌏 A bigger conservation picture — a proposed addition of the adjoining crown road could strengthen connectivity between Rugosa Forest, surrounding woodland and Mundoonen Nature Reserve.
Come along for a relaxed, informative walk, see the property firsthand and share ideas with other LFW community members. Register for the field day for a firsthand look at what makes Rugosa such special property.
📌 Bookings Essential
🌐 Online: https://cen.org.au/events
📞 Phone: 4349 4757
📧 Email: [email protected]
Bookings close 5pm Wednesday 16th September
