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Come and fall in love with the Mallee

Professional ecology and hands-on conservation across the Victorian Mallee.


Mallee Bronze Azure (Ogyris subterrestris)

filmed at Raakajilm, one of Australia's most endangered butterflies

Mallee Conservation - professional ecological services

Friends of Mallee Conservation - our not-for-profit working to protect and restore the Victorian Mallee.

Flagship projects

Flagship projects

Our projects protect and enhance the natural values of the Mallee, like conserving the Mallee Bronze Azure butterfly, and busting Buffel Grass.

Explore our projects →
Ecological consulting

Ecological consulting

We are Mallee specialists offering flora surveys, vegetation monitoring, restoration planning and community engagement with nature.

About us and our services →
Get involved

Get involved

Friends of Mallee Conservation is a volunteer group and charity that shares knowledge and undertakes practical restoration of our Mallee environment.

Join us →
Raakajilm

Raakajilm

A 490-hectare sanctuary adjoining Hattah-Kulkyne National Park that we have been restoring for 25 years, and the story of its future.

Explore Raakajilm →

Nature diary

Good news from the Mallee

Blog
Mallee Looper research update
Mallee Looper research update

The Mallee Looper is a native caterpillar that is eating its way through thousands of hectares of Mallee Woodlands in Victoria and South Australia. Here is what we learnt this year.

Rains and recovery
Rains and recovery

Raakajilm will never be the same after a fire on 9th January 2026, but two months later we are seeing signs of recovery. We’ve had some very welcome rainfall and the support of many friends.

The day Raakajilm burnt
The day Raakajilm burnt

On the 9th January 2026 a bushfire burnt 160 hectares of the Raakajilm conservation property, plus hundreds of hectares in Hattah Kulkyne National Park.

Swainson-pea Field Day
Swainson-pea Field Day

In September 2025, we hosted a field day on Raakajilm searching for the Silky Swainson-pea (Swainsona sericea). What a day it was - fully booked and wait-listed. Who knew there were so many plant nerds in the Mallee! And we solved the rhizobium mystery!

The Swainsona Files
The Swainsona Files

The Swainson-peas are beautiful plants, difficult to propagate and mostly threatened in Victoria. In the Mallee we have several species, including: Small-leaf Swainson-pea (Swainsona microphylla); Silky Swainson-pea (Swainsona sericea); Dwarf Swainson Pea (Swainsona phacoides); and Hairy Darling-pea (Swainsona greyana).

Raakajilm wetland
Raakajilm wetland

We are excited to announce … there’s a wetland on Raakajilm!

This beautiful one hectare area will be seasonally wet, with a smaller permanent pool forming a drought refuge for wildlife. A wetland like this offers many opportunities to establish insurance populations of rare plants and a completely different bird-watching experience.

Read the nature diary