Visiting Minimay and Salvana: Bank Australia's conservation reserve staff trip
In this blog, marketing team member Mitch Sherritt reflects on visiting the conservation reserve Bank Australia helps protect and preserve alongside the cultural significance of the reserve for the traditional custodians of the Wotjobaluk Nation, the Barengi Gadjin Land Council.
I recently had an amazing experience joining a group of Bank Australia employees on a 3-day trip to our conservation reserve. The reserve is a group of four properties on Wotjobaluk Country in Western Victoria. These properties are under a conservation covenant with Trust for Nature, which means they’re protected from development forever.
This trip, being the first since the pandemic, had been eagerly awaited by not only the participants, but for our partners who help manage the reserve. We gained valuable insights into the history of the reserve and the efforts undertaken by Bank Australia, Greening Australia, Trust for Nature and the Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC) to preserve it.
Bank Australia and our staff take immense pride in being the first bank globally to help steward a conservation reserve since 2008. Our conservation area now spans over 2,000 hectares, providing a safe haven for numerous native plant and wildlife species. This reserve holds great significance due to its meaning for Traditional Custodians, as well as the land’s importance to native animal habitat, water catchment, biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
Upon arriving at the reserve on the 10th of May, following a 5-hour bus journey, we were warmly welcomed by the staff at Little Desert Nature Lodge. After settling in, we participated in a welcome session where we delved into the reserve's history and discussed our expectations for the trip, eagerly anticipating all we were about to learn.
The next day, we ventured to Minimay, a short drive away from our accommodation. Here, we met Jess and Megan from Greening Australia, as well as Adam and Fiona from Trust for Nature. These organizations collaborate with Bank Australia to protect and manage the reserve. We gained insights into the various projects they were working on and even got our hands dirty by assisting in the removal of tree guards from 4-year-old Buloke trees.