Activate Tree Planting Esperance 2026 - Dalyup

🌟🌿👭👫🥁 Activate Tree Planting Esperance 2026 💃 🥘🌳🏕 🌀

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and Owners of the Dalyup Esperance region, the Kepa Kurl Wudjari Nyungar. We acknowledge their continued custodianship and connection to Boodja, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders of the past, of the present, and those emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of all communities who also live on this land. 

Activate Tree Planting is thrilled to invite you to our 2026 Activate Tree Planting event in Esperance, held within the stunning Dalyup River catchment area! 

🌿 🌳 PLANTING A WOODLAND 🌳 🌿

Join us in blessing our hands with the touch of soil as we restore the diverse swamp yate woodlands that together form ribbons of habitat that ensure the perseverance and survival of threatened fauna and flora in a healing landscape! Our contribution this year will be planting over 3,500 trees - lovingly raised by Rick of our local nursery, Esperance Native Nursery.

Each species were carefully selected by Esperance-based botanists and ecologists Kahree and Katie, with support from Esperance Native Nursery, for each soil type and landform for each site. The seedlings are looking healthy and well-prepared for their next chapter in life as Dalyup locals! This year, we will be working at the special property Riverlee, the home of David and Dorothy and many four-legged, furry friends. 

We’ll be working with these land-loving farmers to restore swamp yate woodland, paperbark swampland, and sensitive riparian communities! With the hope that in time, our efforts will see these patches of lovingly-restored woodlands become linkages between remnants along the river corridor, allowing the movement of native wildlife across their homeland! 

Our time along the Dalyup River will be spent dancing to tantalising toe-tapping tunes, lovingly firming the soil over the freshly-planted seedlings, filling our bellies with hot food, and coming together under the stars. You only need to bring yourself, your camping gear, and some clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy, for a time that will not only fill your cup and heart, but also revive and inspire your soul! 

🌿 WHERE AND WHY 🌿 

The Dalyup River arises about 74 km inland near Scaddan, meandering its way down through the mallee and sandplain heath landscape to convalesce into the internationally-recognised Ramsar-listed Lake Gore wetland system. This is an incredibly significant wetland system that is heavily impacted by the wellbeing and care of the catchment system. 

Over the past two centuries this district has been extensively cleared for agriculture and forestry, leaving behind only a tenth of the original area of native vegetation. Subsequently, the rising of the groundwater table has contributed to elevated salinity in the Dalyup River catchment and ephemeral stream. It’s our mission to restore native trees and shrubs to this landscape to heal the catchment, the river, the Lake Gore wetlands, and the people and animals living amongst them.

Homebase HQ for the event will be at the Dalyup Hall, which is located a short 30 minutes from the Esperance town centre. 

🥁 WE WILL BE MOVING AND GROOVING 🥁

As is the key to any successful ‘working’ affair, there will be music pumping and dancing encouraged. This is all about having fun and enjoying the act of caring for the Country we get to call home!

You can be sure that Activate’s famous field-friendly vibe-mobile will be making an appearance, in true Esperance style! Featuring vibe-masters riding atop a Landcruiser ute decked out with disco balls and a state of the art PA system courtesy of KyzaPresents, ready to get you moving and grooving and bringing the high-vibe tunes to elevate your day of planting 💃🕺 Dress ups will be encouraged, even in the paddock! 

After a big day out planting, we’ll be returning to carry on the good times and vibes. There’ll be open mic and jams on Friday, which is a known hit amongst the Activate gatherings, so have a think of a story/ song/ skit/joke you'd like to share and bring it along with you on the weekend. And then on the Saturday, we have a stellar line-up of magical musicians who will be filling our ears and swooning our souls and toes. 

An exciting line up of local and visiting musicians to be released with event information!!!

🍊 TUCKER 🍊

Our kitchen witches and wizards are going to be dishing out belly filling tucker over the weekend all through the generous donations of commercial food outlets from our local community. !🍲🥗🥘🥙

Any dietary requirements will be requested at ticket checkout, and catered for on the weekend. The absolute best way to end a day of planting is to gather for a wholesome communal meal together, in true Australian style. To make this all work, you’ll need to bring your own plate, bowl and cutlery, a water bottle, and also your own breakfast for early morning starts! You will be required to be some-what self-sufficient. 

We will be asking for some donations and contributions from those who are able - with all of this hot goss coming in the more in-depth info you’ll receive when you get your tickets purchased! Which is what you’re here to do, so read on and get those babies in the bag!!

👭👫 CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY & COUNTRY 👫👬

This is not just about tree planting, it’s about connecting to people who share similar passions and values - coming together to create community. This event is an opportunity to make new friends and connect with old, to dance together and create together, to sleep beneath the stars and breathe in the fresh air, all whilst doing good for the environment and country. Esperance is a community of incredible humans, as is Activate, and we are stoked for you to be joining us this July! 

🌟 THE PRACTICALITIES 🌟 

One ticket 🎟️ covers you for all three days/two nights of the festival and includes:

🌀 Your ticket to this event contributes to the tree planting activities, operation of the event and the wonderful music and entertainment that will be provided. 

🌀 Welcome or Acknowledgement of Country ceremony

🌀 Music in the paddock whilst planting 🥁

🌀 A mix of local and visiting musicians filling our ears and fueling our feet on the Saturday eve!

🌀 Morning movement.

🌀 Sound journey with the amazing Lisa Alexander!

🌀 Amongst other offerings that invite us to connect and reflect on our experiences and journeys!

🌀 Provisions for dinners, lunches and bottomless tea and coffee provided. There will be more details provided on food prior to the event, but some level of self-sufficiency will be required.

🌀 Self-sufficient camping event with spacious camping space for all beneath the stars 🏕 Bring a tent or swag or you are welcome to stay in your vehicle/van/caravan. 

🌀 No showers! Be prepared to go without a shower for a couple of days as there are no shower facilities this year! 

A few little things: 

🌟 This is a grassroots, community led event run entirely by volunteers. 

🌟 Please be prepared to get wet – bring sparkly rain jackets, fluorescent welly boots and a change of clothes. We plant during the winter for the rain to grow our seedlings, but that might mean we get rained upon too! 

🌟  This is a Please do not bring your dog or other animals to this event. 

🌟 This is a drug and alcohol free event!

🌟 You are welcome to come to only parts of the event, e.g. just the planting or choose to drive back into town each evening to your bed. However, there is no partial tickets and one ticket will cover the entire event. It is going to be a blast, so we encourage you to embrace the most of this event and stay for the entire thing! 

🌟 Program of the weekend, packing list and more details will be sent out closer to the event so keep your eyes peeled for incoming info and emails from us! 

AND because you can never thank your sponsors and supporters enough, a huge thank you to our sponsors and supporters so far! 🙏 

Thank you to Rotary Club of Esperance Bay for providing us in 2024 with much-appreciated funding towards our seedlings and starter kitty, this continues to support us in perpetuity. 

And our wonderful sponsors for our trees:

🌿Regenerate Australia for a significant (!!!) sponsorship of funds for Activate Tree Planting events across Western Australia, including funding Esperance’s trees. 

🌿 Esperance Native Nursery for your ongoing support.

🌿 We’d also like to extend our thanks to South Coast NRM for the use of tools, pottiputkis and kidney buckets for planting.

We’d also like to thank Caladenia Co, KyzaPresents, Timmins&Timmins, Lisa Alexander and byRosieHenderson for their smashing contributions too! And we're also extremely thankful for the donations of delicious food or food equipment that is being donated from many local businesses in town.

🌿 WITH MUCH LOVE & LEAFY PASSION 🌿

The Activate Esperance Core Circle:

Katie, Rosie, Dylan, Dorothy, David, Kyza, Rick, Jimena, Scotty, Matty, Tahls, Renae, Kahree, Madi, Laura, Jayme, Juju, Uli, Henri and Hanna. We can't wait to see you there.

If you have any questions – please email esperance@activatetreeplanting.org.au