Sinclair’s Gully has partnered with the local community in relation to sustainability by playing an important role in improving local environmental conditions and inspiring change in the community in the following ways;

·         Sinclair’s Gully is used as a demonstration site and is a model and learning tool for restoration of an endangered habitat by local community and landcare groups (FOMR landcare group and the Adelaide Hills Natural Resource Centre (AHNRC) Flora Identification Group), with property visits by various environmental groups, Federal, State and Local Government Agencies (eg AMLR NRM Board, DENR) local catchment groups, farming organisations, the local community, the school and the general public.

More importantly, all of the onground works undertaken at Sinclair’s Gully have been observed by neighbouring properties.  The surrounding properties have been so inspired by the Delaney’s commitment and results, that 19 private landholders have come together to form a landcare group, Friend of Moores Road, to implement a threat abatement program across a total of 260 hectares of remnant vegetation occurring on private landholders properties, establishing the Morialta to Coralinga Biolink. This Biolink has created a wildlife corridor of continuous native vegetation between Morialta CP, Black Hill CP and Marble Hill CP, Montacute CP and Coralinga Native Forest Reserve, connecting over 1600 ha of native vegetation.

• Owners Sue and Sean have played an important role in raising community awareness and involvement by;

·   establishing and coordinating the community fox baiting program, assisting with conservation of endangered and vulnerable fauna (Southern Brown Bandicoot and the Chestnut Rumped Heath Wren),

·   providing advice and assistance to landholders on bush restoration techniques and increasing neighbouring landholder awareness of the importance of the remnant vegetation in this area, encouraging them to join the ‘Friends of Moores Road’ landcare group.

• Sue and Sean are founding members of FOMR landcare group (incorporated in August 2009), Sean is the chairperson of the group and Sue is the Public officer. Sue and Sean have led a united local community into action to manage and protect the biodiversity of the vegetation occurring in the local area, receiving a grant to establish the Morialta to Coralinga Biolink Project top protect the habitat for two nationally endangered species of fauna, the chestnut rumped heath wren and the southern brown bandicoot which occur in the area.  Sinclair’s Gully is the venue for the of Friends of Moores Road landcare meetings, with Sinclair’s Gully supporting the landcare group with the provision of office facilities for the groups use free of charge (computer, printer, phone, postage, stationary),

·         Sue and Sean are the elected environmental advocates, representing the local community to negotiate with the council and CFS, regarding the council’s proposed roadside native vegetation clearance and to present the community’s preferred option to develop a roadside management plan to protect the vegetation occurring along Moores Road at Norton Summit. Good progress has been made to date, with the council giving an undertaking that no roadside clearance will take place and that they will work with Friends of Moores Road to develop a roadside vegetation management plan to protect the endangered species.

·         Sinclair's Gully supports environmental research projects by offering the property as a site for university research students to complete environmental research projects (eg southern brown bandicoot, candlebark bush condition monitoring study through NCSSA, bat research through Flinders Uni and black cockatoo research and genetic testing with DENR), with this research contributing to the body of knowledge in these areas,

·         Sue is a volunteer member of the local Flora Identification Group, which collects herbarium specimens, photos and prepares fact sheets of indigenous plants in the local area to display at the Adelaide Hills Natural Resource Centre (AHNRC). The group compiled a booklet on the local flora occurring in the Norton Summit area, to assist landholders with native plant identification in the area, which was launched at Sinclairs Gully last November,

·         Sue Delaney is the volunteer treasurer and committee member of the AHNRC and attends monthly committee meetings, prepares the quarterly BAS statements and the annual financial statements for the organisation free of charge, as well as assisting with the management of the centre, NRM seminars and workshops for the community,

·         Caring for and reintroducing young and injured native fauna, such as Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galahs.

 Sinclair’s Gully has raised the profile of both the Adelaide Hills Tourism Region and the Adelaide Hills Wine Region as a ‘clean and green’ destination through Sinclair’s Gully’s profile as an environmental leader at a regional, state and national level. This has been achieved through recognition of our environmental work completed over the last 13 years, advanced eco-certification, national tourism accreditation, state and national landcare awards and climate action innovator certification.  

ECOCERTIFICATION AND  CLIMATE ACTION INNOVATOR

ENERGY, WATER & WASTE

ENVIRONMENT