The first thing that strikes you when you enter Platypus Co-Working in Ballarat is the relaxed and positive energy the space creates. Founder Samantha Davies has clearly spent a lot of time thinking about how to evoke calm in a workplace, with so many well-thought intentional touches, including lush greenery. Sam extends this care for planet from other environmentally friendly practices including recycling/composting within the walls of Platypus. And she echoes this eco-friendly mindset further beyond the Lydiard Street office space, by collaborating with us.

Platypus Co-Working has been operating since 2018, and offers choices of private offices, co-working spaces, virtual offices and meeting rooms which encourage collaboration, foster relationships and support business growth. Sam is a great connector of people.

People are sharing resources and working from a shared office space, Co-working is great for the environment. Many people also now use Co-working spaces as a local hub instead of commuting to centralised office spaces, saving fuel and emissions.

Samantha Davis | Owner | Platypus Co-Working

Barrabool, VIC | 180 trees | 2024

This year, working with Geelong Landcare, we organised the planting of Sam’s 180 native trees on Wadawurrung Country along Tea Tree Creek at Barrabool. This area was once dominated by an Eucalypt and Drooping Sheoak woodlands with a grassy understory. However, over the years, the area has been largely cleared and taken over by introduced pasture grasses. The aim of the planting group is to restore the site to past biomes with the planting of  species such as indigenous Manna Gums, Swamp Gums, narrow-leaf Peppermints, Drooping Sheoaks and Black Wattles.

Enhancing what native vegetation still remains and providing critically important animal habitat will see an improvement in both the local fauna species as well as those species (e.g. kangaroos, echidnas) using this area as a corridor or stepping stones between native reserves. There is a large diversity of fauna in the area, with animals such as Growling Grass Frogs, Platypus and Rakali.

Geelong Landcare Network was so thrilled to be given plants for this project. We thank all our supporters. Our aim is to restore and enhance our natural environment and your contribution has directly contributed to this aim. Thank you once again.

Bronwyn Merritt | Facilitator | Geelong Landcare Network.

Burrumbeet, VIC | 60 trees | 2023

The trees were planted at Sunnybank Farm (land of the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people) with assistance from Year 10 students from Ballarat Clarendon College. This site has been specifically designed so that insects and birds (such as Wedge-tailed eagle, Black kites, Black swans, Black and white cockatoos, magpies and ravens, Square-tailed Kite, Tawny Frogmouth and Black Falcon) can safely travel between paddocks, encouraging increased activity and diversity.

Some of the species planted included: Black and Silver Wattle, Drooping Sheoak, River Bottlebrush, Hop Bush, Yellow Box, Yellow Hakea and Wooly Teatree, and were sourced from Neagnar Nursery in Bendigo. The trees planted were a continuation from previous years planting to create a wildlife corridor between small remnant reserves.

We are super grateful to those who purchased these trees on our behalf. These trees have established well and are going to provide many years of shelter and feed to native wildlife. Each year we are able to plant more trees than planned due to the generous sponsors of Fifteen trees.

Jasmine Walton | Owner | Sunnybank Farm

Hopetoun Park, VIC | 60 trees | 2022

The trees have been planted by the wonderful team at Grow West at Hopetoun Park near Bacchus Marsh on Country of the Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation. The trees were part of a bigger project that involved the planting of over 1,500 native plants by 170 community members.

We look forward to hearing the progress of this project as the trees and shrubs grow up to provide so many benefits to people, planet and animals in the area and hopefully some river tree coverage for the shy and lovely platypus itself.

The Grow West Community Planting Day, was a wonderful success. With a beautiful location on the Werribee River in Hopetoun Park, and a glorious sunny day, over 160 wonderful volunteers planted more than 3,700 trees, shrubs and grasses. It is so fantastic to have community members, who care about the environment, come together to improve habitat and increase connectivity in the landscape. Days like this could not happen without the amazing support of organisations such as Fifteen Trees and in turn their generous supporters.

Animals that will benefit from this planting include, platypus, and numerous species of birds, frogs, reptiles, insects, possums, small mammals and macropods.

Lindy MacRaild | Coordinator | Grow West Team

Bendigo, VIC | 60 trees | 2021

The trees went to one of our favourite sites (Bendigo) with one of our favourite landing groups (Northern Bendigo Landcare Group). They were a mixture of eucalyptus and acacias, all native to the district and supplied by Neangar Nursery in Eaglehawk, VIC.

Once again we have enjoyed generous support from Fifteen Trees and their supporters. We planted these trees at Bendigo Creek Streamside Reserve. We strategically planted these at 1m spacing to provide dense planting with a view to assisting in longer term weed control.

Nicole Howie | Secretary | Northern Bendigo Landcare Group

In total, we have now planted 360 trees in total for Platypus Co-Working. Thank you Sam for your contribution to the regeneration of Victoria’s bushland.

If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

Writer: Lou Ridsdale.

Lou is a big fan of words and has been our Comms Manager since 2019. She is a big-minded green thumb, Earth Lover, big-hearted nature freak plus a savvy media and horticulture expert, who passionately believe that everyone can lead a more nourishing and sustainable life. Her passion for education + communication being the most empowering tool for change is reflected as her role as Founder of Food Is Free Inc. a unique grassroots food security platform specialising in food security education. She fell in love with trees after reading The Magic Faraway Tree as a child. You can find Lou here.