Barrm Birrm is 120 ha of bush right beside Riddells Creek. Sold off as 162 lots in the mid-1970s under a sub-division put on the plan in the 1890s (that's right, the 1890s), building has never been permitted.

Council’s 2023 ecological assessment describes this hillside as ‘arguably the most intact flora and fauna area in the region’. It is a stronghold for four species of Victorian-listed threatened flora, and loved by those that have discovered it.

In August 2022, MRSC Council recognised ‘the unique and special environmental and community values of Barrm Birrm’. It resolved to advocate to the Victorian Government for the public purchase of the privately owned lots, and initiated planning for appropriate management of Barrm Birrm.

That work is proceeding (see staff report to Council, 27 September 2023). With locked gates on the public roads, 4WD activity has dropped. Riddells Creek Landcare is dealing with weeds and rubbish. The bush is recovering.

However, trail bike riders continue to enter at will. In the past, they have sought out old trails on the upper slopes. In the last two months, they have begun cutting new trails in the lower slopes, across properties owned by Council and private landholders. The damage is immediate. Tyre tracks rip away the cover of lichens, moss and grasses, exposing the soil to erosion.

This new activity presents a serious threat to the ecological values of Barrm Birrm, its peaceable use by walkers from across the region, and its future enjoyment by residents of Riddells Creek, a town slated to double in population over the next 15 years.

19th and 21st August, 2025, Riddells Creek Landcare told staff what is happening. 9th September, we called on Council and Councillors to take swift action:

1. Set up signage at the boundary that informs the public of the significance of the area and appropriate and inappropriate use.

2. Set up signage inside Barrm Birrm to educate people about its flora, fauna and history.

3. Strengthen barriers to entry at illegal access points created by 4WDs.

4. Bring to bear Council Local Laws restricting trail bike use on small properties, and liaise with local police on trespass of riders on Council and private properties.

23rd September, more than a month on, we have no substantive reply from the Shire. We have installed a security camera, and given local police copies of video of four riders tearing through a Council-owned property at 7.30 Sunday 21st September. That morning, they rode along the hillside in previously untouched land, creating damage that will take years to heal.

Riddells Creek Landcare have designed a way to measure the scale of damage, measuring track width and level of bareness at the same points on these track over time to give others a picture of what is happening, but without action by those with authority to act, documenting the damage seems pointless.

We think these are local riders. Our Riddell Roundup article for October 2025 (and blog post here) called on locals who know them, or know someone who might know them, to speak to these riders. They are having a good time, but it's a short-term thrill with long-term consequences they don't seem to care about. What are the community's networks capable of?

We will see. The damage is serious, but our groups and the community of Riddell has come too far to lose what it has come to appreciate and love. Keep in touch here with our next moves.

Ross Colliver, President, Riddells Creek Landcare