With our highly urbanised and fragmented landscape, residential gardens and outdoor spaces have enormous potential to support our local wildlife and provide habitat stepping stones between our local reserves and waterways.

A garden or balcony with lots of flowering native plants will attract local birds and insects. A bushy understory, logs and stones provide homes for small birds and lizards. If there’s space, a fishpond may attract frogs and a birdbath is always popular. The benefits to habitat gardening also extend to boosting our own personal wellbeing, mental health and creating opportunities to connect with nature.

Our top tips for wildlife gardens:

• Plant a variety of native trees and plants. These are important sources of food and shelter and are better suited to Australia’s climate.
• Provide plenty of water sources such as ponds, water features and cat proof birdbaths.
• Rocks, sticks, brush, mulch and piles of leaves all provide habitat for insects. Insects in turn, will attract more birds, lizards and frogs.
• Treasure those big old trees. It can take decades for the hollows to form that animals like owls and possums need. Approximately 17 per cent of Australian bird species use the hollows of large trees for shelter and as nesting sites.
• Install some nest boxes for possums and birds. You can build your own or purchase a ready made one.
• Throw away those pesticides and install a bug hotel for ladybirds, beetles and native bees. They will help keep pests out of your veggie garden too.
• Remove environmental weeds and replace with indigenous plant alternatives. Many invading weeds in our bushland are plants that have 'escaped' from home gardens and if left unchecked can reduce biodiversity. Download the Weeds of Yarra booklet (PDF 2.68MB) for more information.

For more detailed information, download the Gardening with Native Plants in Yarra booklet (PDF 1.5MB) and the Gardens for Wildlife booklet (PDF 6.5MB).

Visit the Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Cooperative (VINC) for supplies of local native plants and advice specific to your garden. They are community owned and operated, and are located at Yarra Bend Park.

A garden that is safe for wildlife means it is safer for pets and children too. 

Fruit tree netting

Unsafe fruit tree netting can trap and kill flying foxes and birds. If you want to protect your fruit with netting, you must only use wildlife safe netting. Netting with a mesh aperture (hole size) of 5mm X 5mm or less when fully stretched is safe. If you can poke a little finger through the net it is not wildlife safe. 

A good alternative to netting a whole tree is using net bags or fruit socks to protect bunches of fruit or individual branches. Leave what you don’t need to share with wildlife. Remove old netting that is not protecting fruit and check netted trees every day to ensure the nets are not loose and that no animals are trapped.

If you see netting that is not safe for wildlife, you can print off the letter from Wildlife Victoria and put it in the letterbox.

Poisons and baits

Avoid using poisons and baits as these may kill non-target animals. Rat poison may kill owls and other native animals, while snail pellets will kill blue tongue lizards. These products pose a risk to children as well as pets. 

Safe Cat, Safe Wildlife

Keeping your cat indoors or in an outdoor enclosure will keep them and wildlife safe. For ideas on keeping kitty happy visit Safe Cat, Safe Wildlife.  

Fishponds and pools

Water in your garden may attract frogs and birds, but make sure anything that falls into the water has a way to climb out again. You can use rocks and branches or a “frog log” in your pool. Find out more information on how to build a frog pond.

Water for wildlife

Put water out for wildlife in summer.  Make sure anything that falls in can climb out again (use stones and sticks), and change the water regularly to prevent mosquitoes breeding.

Slow down on the road

Wildlife are at risk on our roads. Observe speed limits and slow down in wet weather and when it is dark, dawn or dusk. If you hit a bird or mammal, stop and check. Call Wildlife Victoria for help. A possum or kangaroo may have a surviving joey (baby) in its pouch that can be saved.

Gardens for Wildlife is a partnership between Council and community members to increase appreciation for biodiversity and create habitat gardens for local wildlife.

How does the program work?

The free program offers a garden visit to local Yarra residents from trained volunteer garden guides. The guides provide recommendations, encouragement and guidance on how to provide habitat for wildlife through gardening on private property. Whether you have a big backyard, small courtyard or some potted plants on your balcony, everyone can help enrich urban biodiversity!

Household garden assessments: now open

Expressions of interest are now open for households to participate in the Gardens for Wildlife program. Yarra residents can register to receive a visit from a trained garden guide, who will visit your property to provide recommendations on how you can increase habitat and food sources to make your outdoor space wildlife friendly.

Participants will receive:

• written report specific to your property
• Indigenous plant vouchers for Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Co-op
• wildlife gardening booklet and information
• mailbox sticker to promote the program to your neighbours
• access to the Gardens for Wildlife network to continue your journey.

Register your interest by Wednesday 26 July.

Yarra City Council acknowledge the assistance of Gardens for Wildlife Victoria and founding program Knox Gardens for Wildlife.

Garden Guide volunteers

Garden Guides are volunteers who are passionate about nature, gardening and the conservation of our indigenous plants and animals. They provide advice and recommendations to residents on habitat gardening. Volunteers will be trained to assess and provide feedback on creating habitat in different spaces.

Becoming a Garden Guide is also a great way to meet like-minded people, get involved in the community and learn new skills about conservation and indigenous gardening. Watch this video to hear more about the program.

Garden Guide volunteer applications are currently closed for our pilot program, but you can register your interest through our online form.

Great Southern BioBlitz 2024

The annual Great Southern Bioblitz 2024 is a global event where cities around the world collaborate to share observations of nature.

Community can participate by snapping photos of wild plants, animals and fungi over the four days of the challenge and uploading them to the free iNaturalist app.

Your observations contribute to Melbourne’s count, as we compete with cities all over the world to gain the most observations and observers. Your observations are also automatically added to the Atlas of Living Australia database of plants and animals, helping scientists with their research to improve outcomes for our environment.

Explore the 2024 challenge results from Yarra, Greater Melbourne and around the world.

Melbourne Water Frog Census

Frogs play an important role in the waterway ecosystem and are easily affected by changes to the environment. Get involved in the community frog monitoring program, collect data to help manage frog populations and raise awareness of waterway health issues.

BirdLife Australia Aussie Backyard Bird Count

The Backyard Bird Count happens every year and everyone can get involved. The data collected assists BirdLife Australia further our understanding of the birds that live where people live.

The Yarra Riverkeeper Association

The City of Yarra is a proud supporter of the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. Help protect and restore our namesake and Melbourne’s most important natural asset, the Yarra River. The river and its corridor are one of the region’s prime wildlife habitats and a popular place for recreational and nature-based activities, which are vital to community well-being and the city’s livability.

Friends of Merri Creek

Friends Of Merri Creek is a community group that actively work to restore and protect the Merri Creek. They help guide the Merri Creek Management Committee and organise regular community activities such as planting and revegetation working bees, site maintenance, wildlife surveys, StreamTeam water quality testing and litter blitzes.

Darebin Parklands Association

The Darebin Parklands Association (DPA) is an award-winning environmental friends group that cares for the Darebin Parklands, a 33 hectare bushland reserve on the edge of the City of Yarra. They run regular events, a Junior Ranger Club and revegetation projects.

Parks Victoria

Volunteer with Parks Victoria, via Park Connect. There are a number of environmental ‘Friends Of’ Groups in Yarra, including Friends of Bats and Bushcare Inc who support Melbourne’s largest Grey-headed flying fox colony at Yarra Bend Park and provide Victoria’s only soft release program for orphaned and injured bats.

Yarra Climate Action Now

Yarra Climate Action Now (YCAN) is made up of people who want to see much stronger action on climate change. They are an independent community group based in the inner Melbourne suburbs of the City of Yarra. They act locally, but also think globally.