WHO WE ARE
Our Focus
Since 1997, Sunshine Reserve Conservation Group has brought together local volunteers committed to protecting and restoring one of Mount Martha's most important natural places. Working alongside land managers, Traditional Owners, local community groups and residents, we care for the reserve's unique bushland, wildlife and ephemeral creek, ensuring this special place continues to thrive for generations to come.
WHY SUNSHINE MATTERS
More than a reserve
Sunshine Reserve is more than a patch of bushland - it's a critical biolink connecting habitats across the Mornington Peninsula and providing refuge for native plants and animals.
The reserve supports an extraordinary diversity of life, including koalas, echidnas, frogs, native orchids and more than 75 bird species, alongside rare and threatened flora and fauna.
It contains four distinct native vegetation communities, three of which are considered endangered within the Gippsland Plain Bioregion. Together, these habitats form a vital wildlife corridor linking people, nature and Country.
Discover more about Sunshine's unique wildlife and native plants in our Flora & Fauna pages.
WHAT WE DO
Our Conservation Efforts
Our volunteers undertake habitat restoration, weed control, wildlife monitoring, community education and advocacy to protect Mount Martha's bushland reserves. Through hands-on conservation projects, citizen science programs, grant-funded initiatives and community events such as National Tree Day, we work to strengthen biodiversity and help ensure this special place continues to thrive.
FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE
Sunshine Reserve lies on Bunurong Country
Sunshine Reserve forms part of a landscape cared for by the Bunurong / Boonwurrung people for thousands of years. The Ngruk Willam clan knew Sunshine Creek as "Ballern Ballern," thought to mean "place of two creeks."
Historical records describe families spending summer months near the creek mouth, while a larger settlement was located near what is now known as The Briars. Today, reminders of this enduring connection to Country can still be found throughout the area. Grinding stones discovered within Sunshine Creek, and shell middens along the coastline of Bunggum-barring (Mount Martha), provide evidence of a rich cultural heritage and a deep relationship with the land, waterways, plants and animals.
We acknowledge the Bunurong people as the Traditional Custodians of this Country and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
A MORE RECENT HISTORY - From Granite Gully to Nature Refuge
Sunshine Reserve occupies a unique position where two distinct geological formations meet: the ancient granite massif of Mount Martha and a younger sand sheet stretching from Sunshine Creek to Balcombe Creek.
The reserve's defining feature, Sunshine Creek, follows the boundary between these landscapes, creating a rich diversity of habitats that support an extraordinary range of native plants and wildlife.
Following European settlement, agriculture, quarrying and residential development transformed much of the surrounding landscape. In the 1800s, the creek was known as "Granite Gully," with stones quarried from its southern banks for local building works. Evidence of this history can still be seen today.
As development expanded across the Mornington Peninsula, Sunshine Reserve became an increasingly important refuge for native vegetation and wildlife. The area was reserved as a drainage reserve in the 1930s, helping protect the creek corridor from complete urbanisation.
Recognising its environmental significance, local residents established the Sunshine Reserve Conservation and Fireguard Group in 1997 to protect and restore the reserve's unique conservation and habitat values.
Today, Sunshine Reserve remains one of Mount Martha's most important biodiversity corridors — connecting the coast with neighbouring bushland, and safeguarding endangered habitats, native wildlife and opportunities for people to connect with nature and Country.
