Finding Melbourne’s Nature is a walking conversation series exploring the wild places within the city. Ecologist Ben Cullen walks through reserves, wetlands and remnant bushland across Melbourne/Naarm with Traditional Owners, First Nations voices, conservationists, scientists and community members, each choosing a place that matters to them. Together they walk and talk about what lives there, what’s changed, what needs protecting, and their own journey in learning about and caring for nature. You’ll hear footsteps on tracks, birds overhead, wind in the trees, and the city never too far away.
Send us Fan Mail Newport Lakes is one of Melbourne's most remarkable examples of ecological restoration. Once a working bluestone quarry, it has been carefully transformed into lakes and a rich variety of habitats that now support a remarkable diversity of wildlife. It isn't a recreation of the landscape that once existed here, but an example of how a profoundly altered place can become ecologically rich once again. In this episode of Finding Melbourne's Nature, I walk through the reserve with Dr Dominique Hes, researcher, educator and author of The Stories of Newport Lakes. Dominique has spent much of her career exploring how people form relationships with places, and how those relationships shape the way we care for them. As we walk, she shares the story of Newport Lakes, the community that fought to protect it, the people who helped shape it, and why understanding the story of a place can change the way we see it. This is a conversation about restoration, community, and the idea that even landscapes changed by people can become thriving places for both nature and us.
Gresswell Forest with George Paras
Send us Fan Mail George Paras has spent more than four decades caring for Gresswell Forest. For more than 36 of those years, he worked as a ranger at La Trobe’s Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary, helping restore this forest and the surrounding bushland. Today, he continues to work in ecological restoration and environmental education, and is an incredible source of knowledge when it comes to how these systems actually work. In this episode, we walk through Gresswell Forest in Melbourne’s north-east, one of the city’s earliest ecological restoration sites. As we go, George shares stories from decades on the ground, from fish moving through Melbourne’s waterways to dormant seed banks, butterflies, sugar gliders and ancient River Red Gums. More than anything, this is a conversation about relationships. George explains how plants, fungi, insects, birds and mammals are connected in ways we rarely notice, and why understanding those connections is key to restoring healthy landscapes.
Uambi Reserve with Dr Kaori Yokochi
Send us Fan Mail What happens when we make the night brighter? In this episode of Finding Melbourne's Nature , we head to Uambi Reserve in Heathmont with wildlife ecologist Dr Kaori Yokochi from Deakin University to explore the hidden world of microbats, darkness and urban ecology. Kaori explains why darkness is just as important to ecosystems as daylight, how artificial light is affecting wildlife across Melbourne, and why something as simple as closing your curtains or changing the lights around your home can make a real difference. Along the way we talk about microbats, dark corridors, citizen science, growing up in rural Japan, and why cities still have the potential to be incredible places for wildlife. I loved every minute of this experience. Kaori has an incredible gift for explaining complex ideas with warmth and clarity, and I learnt something every time she spoke. Recorded on Trust for Nature's beautiful Uambi Reserve in Heathmont.
Professors Hill Reserve with David Cameron
Send us Fan Mail This is our most botanical episode yet. Prepare to get a little plant nerdy. Professor's Hill Reserve, in North Warrandyte within Nillumbik Shire, might only cover five hectares, but it contains one of Melbourne's richest and most significant patches of native bushland. In this episode, I walk with botanist David Cameron, whose work has shaped the way Victoria understands and protects its native flora. Over five decades, David has surveyed vegetation across the state, helped develop the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, assessed threatened plant species, and become one of Victoria's leading botanical minds. As we wander through Professor's Hill, David reveals how botanists read a landscape. From rare orchids and mosses to towering eucalypts, every few steps uncover another clue about how this remarkable reserve functions. We also hear the story of how David's knowledge helped save Professor's Hill from development, with Nillumbik Shire Council ultimately acquiring the land and protecting it as a public reserve. It's a fascinating reminder that careful science, community advocacy and local government can work together to conserve places that might otherwise have been lost. Whether you're a seasoned plant enthusiast or simply curious about the hidden stories beneath your feet, this episode offers a rare opportunity to see the Australian bush through the eyes of one of Victoria's most respected botanists.
Pinkerton Forest with Daryl Akers
Send us Fan Mail At Pinkerton Forest in Mount Cottrell, on Melbourne’s western edge, we’re walking through one of the last remaining patches of grassy woodland in this part of the state. In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature , I sit down with Daryl Akers, who’s been closely involved in caring for this reserve over many years. We talk about what this place once was, a much larger landscape of woodland and grassland, and what’s left now. As we walk through the site, Daryl shares the story of the forest’s recovery. Old grey box trees, some hundreds of years old, natural regeneration starting to come through, and the steady work of removing weeds and rebuilding the understory. We also talk about what’s at stake. Ongoing development across Melbourne’s west, the loss of habitat, and the role small patches like this play as refuges for wildlife. It’s a quiet place, but there’s a lot going on. Birds of prey overhead, hollows being fought over, kangaroos moving in as surrounding land changes. And behind it all, a small group of volunteers doing the long, steady work of keeping it going.
Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands with Kinjia Munkara-Murray
Send us Fan Mail At the Edithvale Seaford Wetlands, I’m walking with Kinjia Munkara Murray, a proud Tiwi and Rembarrnga woman, and someone who sees a whole world most of us miss. From the start, we’re stopping constantly. Looking at ants, watching movement on the ground, noticing things I would have walked straight past. Kinjia has been into insects for as long as she can remember, and it shows. As we walk, she opens up the diversity of ants around Melbourne, how different species live, and how much is going on in even a small patch of ground. We talk about how insects are often overlooked, despite the huge role they play in ecosystems, turning over soil, spreading seeds, pollinating plants, and keeping everything in balance. There’s also a different way of understanding them. Kinjia shares how insects are thought about through Tiwi knowledge, where behaviour and relationships matter just as much as names. This walk might shift your perspective. You start to realise just how much is happening beneath your feet.
St Andrews with Wendy Probert
Send us Fan Mail Out towards St Andrews on Melbourne’s north-eastern edge, some of the most important habitat isn’t in reserves at all, it’s along the roadside. In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature , I walk with Wendy Probert, a long-time member of the Australian Native Orchid Society and a director of the Australian Orchid Foundation. Wendy has spent decades searching for native orchids, and as we move slowly along the roadside, she introduces me to the species that occur around Melbourne, how to recognise them, and what makes them so unusual. We talk about the role roadsides play in conservation, how orchids depend on very specific relationships with fungi and pollinators, and why they’re such good indicators of the health of a landscape. It’s a slower kind of walk. A lot of stopping, a lot of looking, and a reminder that some of the most important parts of our environment are easy to miss if you don’t take the time.
Braeside Park with Judith Sise
Send us Fan Mail Braeside Park in Melbourne’s south east is a big reserve with a mix of wetlands, grassy woodlands and heathland, and a history that’s shifted a lot over time. In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature , I walk through the park with Judith Sise OAM, president of the Friends of Braeside Park. As we move through the reserve, we talk about what this place has been. Carrum Carrum Swamp, grazing land, a horse training track, then a sewage farm, and now a park that’s still changing. Walking through, you start to notice what’s here. Old river red gums, some hundreds of years old, patches of heath, wetlands that fill and dry depending on the season, and birdlife moving through. We talk about the work that goes into keeping it going. Planting, rabbits, water, trying to hold onto species like orchids, and the small decisions that shape what the park becomes. Judith also shares how she got involved, from working in the nursery through to leading the friends group, and what’s kept her connected to this place over time.
Westgate Park with Naomie Sunner
Send us Fan Mail At the edge of the Birrarung, beneath the West Gate Bridge, sits one of Melbourne’s most unexpected urban landscapes. Westgate Park wasn’t always like this. Once a heavily modified and neglected site shaped by landfill and industry, it has been transformed over decades into a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands and habitat. In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature , we walk through the park with Naomie Sunner, who in the late 1990s, as a young woman, led and established the Friends of Westgate Park. Naomie shares the story of a seven-day walk along the Birrarung that brought her here, and how that moment led to decades of restoration, community effort and learning on the ground. We talk about the early days of the project, the challenges of rebuilding a landscape from scratch, and the people who helped shape what the park has become today. The Friends of Westgate Park remain an incredible, active community, continuing that work and caring for this place. This episode is about persistence, community, and what it takes to bring nature back in the middle of a city.
Banyule Flats with Dr Jacinta Humphrey
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature , we walk through Banyule Flats Reserve with urban ecologist Dr Jacinta Humphrey. Moving through wetlands, billabongs and remnant vegetation along the Birrarung, Jacinta shares her journey into conservation and her work exploring how birds persist, adapt and even thrive in urban environments. We talk about what cities are missing, and what they need to better support biodiversity. From the importance of dense understorey vegetation, to the challenges posed by species like noisy miners, this conversation looks at how small changes in habitat can have a big impact. Along the way, we also get into skinks, bird calls, backyard conservation, and the role people can play in supporting nature, whether it’s planting habitat, joining a Friends group, or simply putting out water. This episode is about rethinking the spaces around us, and how cities like Melbourne can support the species that live alongside us.
Docklands with Dr Kylie Soanes
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by urban ecologist Dr Kylie Soanes. We meet in Docklands, in Melbourne/Naarm, beside the floating wetlands Kylie helped bring to life. It’s not a typical conservation setting. Concrete, water, buildings and movement surround us, and right there, a small patch of habitat quietly doing its work. We talk about how these wetlands came to be, what they’re already supporting, and what they represent in a city like Melbourne/Naarm right now. Kylie also shares her journey into conservation, and how that’s shaped the way she sees cities. The conversation explores the kinds of places we create, and how they can invite biodiversity back into our cities. This episode looks at how we might shape our future, making sure we’re living alongside nature rather than at the expense of it.
Darebin Parklands with Peter Wiltshire
Send us Fan Mail In this first episode of Finding Melbourne’s Nature , we walk through Darebin Parklands with Peter Wiltshire, long-time ranger with the Darebin Creek Management Committee. Once a quarry and later a tip, Darebin Parklands is now a much-loved nature reserve with wetlands, thriving wildlife and rich native flora. Peter has spent over 40 years working in this landscape. As we walk, he shares his journey as a ranger, the history of the reserve, and what it has taken to restore and care for this place over time. To learn more about the work of the Darebin Creek Management Committee, visit dcmc.org.au or follow along on social media.
Finding Melbourne's Nature Introduction!
Send us Fan Mail Finding Melbourne’s Nature is a walking conversation series exploring the wild places within the city. In each episode, guests choose a reserve and walk together with Traditional Owners, conservationists, scientists and community voices. They talk about what lives there, what has changed, what needs protecting, and the personal journeys that have shaped their connection with nature. This trailer introduces the series and what to expect as the walks begin.
