Ganbu Country began as a response to Country, a need to care for land, restore ecological balance, and create pathways that bring cultural knowledge, science, and enterprise together.

What follows is not a finished outcome, but an evolving body of work shaped through practice.

On-ground work

This work began by establishing relationships with private landholders, enabling the development of our first pilot project within the Box Ironbark Forest.

Since then, the site has become a living place of learning, restoration, and observation.

Work on Country includes:

• Habitat restoration through the installation of nesting boxes supporting arboreal species, including the threatened Squirrel Glider
  
• Fauna monitoring using camera systems to observe wildlife presence and behaviour over time
  
• Repeated ecological surveys using transect lines and quadrat sampling across the site
  
• Soil sampling to establish baseline conditions and support ongoing monitoring
  
• Collection, preparation and reintroduction of locally sourced Indigenous seed
  
• Cultural ecological cool burning practices undertaken in appropriate conditions
  
• Establishment of trial zones exploring regenerative land management, including water retention strategies such as leaky weirs and contouring

Research and development

Alongside fieldwork, Ganbu Country has developed a research-led approach to native plant knowledge and application.

This includes building a database of over 150 medicinal and edible native plant species from across the Kulin Nation, and co-leading research in partnership with Monash University to better understand their properties.

This work forms the foundation for how native plants are understood, respected, and applied within Ganbu Country.

Enterprise and product development

This research has been translated into the Box Ironbark Forest Range, developed using data gathered through the research process and refined through practical formulation work.

With the guidance of a skincare chemistry expert, this data was used to establish and register a compliant manufacturing process with the relevant regulatory body, enabling the products to be brought to market responsibly.

Sales from the Box Ironbark Forest Range are directly reinvested into the on-ground pilot project, supporting ongoing ecological monitoring, restoration work, and care for Country within the Box Ironbark Forest.

Products have continued to be refined through customer feedback, incorporating new and exclusive native ingredients to strengthen performance and integrity.

Ganbu Country now sells products both online and at markets, with a growing community of customers actively supporting this work.

Digital tools and innovation

Ganbu Country is currently developing the Ganbu Country Restore App, designed to support private landholders in initiating and managing Indigenous-led land restoration projects.

The app guides users from initial understanding through to implementation, including:

• Identifying which Country they are on and connecting with the relevant Traditional Owner groups for guidance and potential collaboration
  
• Providing land management insights grounded in Indigenous knowledge and regenerative practices
  
• Generating restoration and land management plans
  
• Supporting budgeting and project planning
  
• Recommending native plant species suited to specific landscapes using available mapping and environmental data

A proof of concept has been developed, with plans to pilot the app with Victorian private landholders in the next financial year.

Workshops and knowledge sharing

Ganbu Country has begun facilitating workshops and bushwalks with university groups and small organisations, sharing knowledge around Indigenous land management, native plants, and ecological care.

This work is laying the foundation for future training pathways.

Recognition and connection

This work has been recognised through the Minderoo Foundation Rising Star Grant, supporting early-stage development and innovation.

Ganbu Country has also been represented at the UNDP Youth CoLab Summit in Thailand, where our founder Skye Hunter was invited to deliver a keynote address alongside international leaders and policymakers at the United Nations.

Further connections have been built through participation in the First Nations Bush Food and Medicine Alliance, supported by Woolworths and Agriculture Victoria.

Continuing forward

Ganbu Country continues to evolve through ongoing work on Country, research, and enterprise.

The next stage of this work includes:

• Securing capital to finalise development of the Ganbu Country Restore App and pilot its use with private landholders
  
• Finalising and expanding workshop and training program delivery
  
• Continuing revegetation and restoration work at the pilot site
  
• Acquiring tools and equipment to support trainees and workshop participants
  
• Expanding outreach through marketing and community engagement
  
• Accessing and utilising appropriate equipment, including earth-moving machinery, to support on-ground restoration works

This work also includes the development of a training program designed to support Indigenous job seekers, creating pathways out of cycles of poverty and into self-determined futures grounded in cultural knowledge, land-based skills, and economic independence.

This is not a finished project.

It is a life long commitment to care, guided by cultural responsibility and a growing understanding of how to read and respond to Country.