A volunteer nursery helping to propagate the South East’s disappearing flora is now itself under threat.
Greenlink Sandbelt Nursery has been supplying the region’s unique indigenous plants for 34 years to councils, schools and revegetated reserves.
However its lease at Spring Valley Golf Club is up in July, with time ticking on finding a new home.
Greenlink founder and manager Louise Dorr had only good words for the golf club, which has generously provided the nursery free lodgings for the past 25 years.
In turn, the golf course has benefitted from the volunteers’ green thumbs growing plentiful vegetation for the course.
From the outset, Dorr has been part of Greenlink’s team bonded by a passion for the survival of native flora.
“Developers have moved in and destroyed these areas of indigenous species. There’s less and less of these spaces, and we tried to do something about it.”
With no ongoing government funding, the group has provided seedlings to councils, schools and reveg projects in bushland, wetlands and restored landscapes.
They grow about 40,000 plant stock a year – up to six varieties of gumtrees as well as acacias, pea shrubs and grasses, which often take eight months to bring from seed to seedling.
But in a sign of how critical their service is, they get many more orders than they can fulfill, Dorr says.
They also extoll the benefits of native habitat that attracts indigenous birds, insects, butterflies and lizards.
In its quest for a home, Greenlink has asked many customers such as Kingston, Greater Dandenong and Monash councils, golf clubs, Parks Victoria and the Suburban Rail Loop project for a spare plot of land.
So far, nothing suitable has been found.
In 2025, Greenlink supplied more than 7000 seedlings for City of Greater Dandenong’s bushland revegetation and Gardens for Wildlife programs.
It is one of six indigenous plant nurseries that the council purchases from, and plays an “important role” in sourcing species suited to the South East, Greater Dandenong city futures executive director Sanjay Manivasagasivam says.
“We have been working with Greenlink since December 2024 to find a new site, but to date no appropriate site has been identified.
“Their long-standing contribution to environmental restoration is well-recognised and we will continue to support them.”
A Kingston Council spokesperson said Greenlink was “one of many valued suppliers” for the council’s Gardens for Wildlife and community plant giveaway progrants.
“Greenlink Sandbelt Indigenous Nursery has been an important part of Kingston for more than 30 years, and Council values the significant contribution they make to our local environment and community.
“Council has provided advice to support Greenlink to explore options for a new location following advice that they need to vacate their current site at Spring Valley Golf Club.”
Greenlink volunteer Judith Sise OAM wrote to Star Journal about the nursery’s fate.
“Yet an indigenous nursery that grows the trees councils rely on cannot find space on public land because it fails the definition of ‘active open space’.
“Growing shade, cooling suburbs, and supporting biodiversity does not count as activity.
“If Greenlink closes, trees will die.”
