Hawkesbury Eco Hour

About Hawkesbury Eco Hour

The weekly podcast of the Hawkesbury Environment Network, where we explore the environment of the Hawkesbury region and beyond and how we all can help protect it.

Publisher

Hawkesbury Environment Network

Category

science · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Nov 2025

Latest episode

12 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Aug 2026

   What the Platypus Can Teach Us About Connection

   What can one of Australia's most iconic and mysterious animals teach us about the health of our rivers—and ourselves? In this episode of the Hawkesbury Eco Hour podcast, Lyn Ward catches up with Dr Michelle Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science at Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury-Nepean Waterkeeper, and leading platypus researcher. Michelle shares the latest on her platypus research, explains how environmental DNA is transforming wildlife conservation, and discusses why the platypus is such an important indicator of healthy waterways. She also talks about her role as Hawkesbury-Nepean Waterkeeper, the challenges facing our river system, and the positive steps communities can take to protect local waterways and biodiversity. Inspired by her recent TEDx Hawkesbury talk, What the Platypus Can Teach Us About Connection, this conversation explores the links between people, wildlife and the rivers that sustain us all. Whether you're a nature lover, a science enthusiast or simply curious about the remarkable wildlife of the Hawkesbury-Nepean, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Episode Links: Caring for Water Country https://westernx.edu.au/courses/caring-for-water-country TEDx Hawkesbury https://tedxhawkesbury.com/ Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

2. 

   31 Jul 2026

   Love Scrub: The Hidden Habitat of the Hawkesbury

   The plants beneath the trees are some of the hardest working in nature. In this episode of Eco Hour, Lyn Ward is joined by Matilda Julian, Emma Croker and Jade Paton from Hawkesbury Environment Network to celebrate the launch of Love Scrub - a beautiful new booklet exploring the native flora of the Hawkesbury and the wildlife that depends on it. Discover why "scrub" is so much more than undergrowth, the fascinating relationships between plants and animals, and how everyone can create habitat at home. Episode Links: Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

3. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Ecocide: A Conversation About Nature, Responsibility and the Future

   What is ecocide - and why is there a growing global movement to have it recognised as an international crime? In this episode of Hawkesbury Eco Hour, Lyn speaks with with Alison McCarthy-Phillips about the meaning of ecocide, the international campaign for stronger environmental accountability, and why these conversations matter locally as well as globally. We explore the balance between development and environmental protection, the role communities can play in shaping the future, and why language and law can influence the way society values the natural world. A thoughtful and accessible discussion on one of the most important environmental conversations of our time. Episode Links: Stop Ecocide International https://www.stopecocide.earth/ (https://www.stopecocide.earth/) Australian Earth Laws Alliance https://www.earthlaws.org.au/ Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

4. 

   12 Mar 2026

   Preserving One of the Last Valley Wetlands in the Hawkesbury - A chat about Blundells Swamp with Rodney Molesworth

   In the third episode of our Wetlands series Eric and Nick talk with Rodney Molesworth about the importance of valley wetlands in the Hawkesbury ecosystem and the beautiful Blundells Swamp. Rodney has been a co-owner of the swamp since 1974 and has helped preserve this important wetland over the last 50 years. He also shares with Nick and Eric his latest project to help secure the long term future of Blundells Swamp and how people can help. Episode Links: Blundells Swamp https://www.blundellswamp.com / https://www.facebook.com/blundellswamp Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

5. 

   5 Mar 2026

   Driving Change for Kangaroos: A Conversation with Anne Marks

   In this episode of the Hawkesbury Eco Hour, we chat with local wildlife rescuer Anne Marks about the kangaroo collision crisis in our region. Anne shares what's involved in rescuing injured roos and joeys, what drivers can do to prevent accidents, and how community initiatives like Drive Kangaroo Aware and virtual fencing are helping create safer roads for wildlife and people alike. Episode Links: Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

6. 

   1 Feb 2026

   World Wetland Day: Bird Life and the Human Impacts on the Wetlands of the Hawkesbury

   World Wetlands Day this week celebrates the special place that wetlands hold globally in terms of biodiversity, food production and cultural practices. In this episode of Hawkesbury Eco Hour, Nick chats with Eric about the unique biodiversity of the Hawkesbury wetlands and their remarkable bird life. The swamps, lagoons, rivers and creeks of the Hawkesbury provide feeding and breeding grounds for a host of coastal waterbirds. They are also a vital refuge for inland species during periods of drought, and a wintering destination for a host of migrant waterfowl and waders which breed as far away as Siberia. As Sydney expands, these unique wetlands are under increased threat, despite their enormous value to biodiversity, flood prevention, food production and ecotourism. Eric has been birding in the Hawkesbury wetlands for over 40 years and talks about some of the remarkable 300-plus species of birds that make this area home, as well as the challenges they face in a changing environment, which we must do more to protect. Episode Links: Episode 6: Save Riverstone Wetlands from development, with Mark Fuller World Wetland Day https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/ Land For Wildlife https://hen.org.au/about/land-for-wildlife/ Cumberland Bird Observers Club https://www.cboc.org.au/ Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

7. 

   19 Jan 2026

   Save Riverstone Wetlands from Development, with Mark Fuller

   The Riverstone Wetlands are a special ephemeral wetland in Western Sydney with a unique ecology, providing habitat for a wide range of wildlife, in particular an incredible variety of wetland birds, many of them vulnerable. In this episode of Hawkesbury Eco Hour, we discuss the Riverstone Wetlands with Mark Fuller, President of the Cumberland Land Conservancy and a keen western Sydney birder. Mark is leading efforts to protect this valuable western Sydney site, which provides important habitat and feeding grounds for birds from across Western Sydney and far beyond. Mark describes why the wetland's site just above the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain makes it such an important link between the Hawkesbury and other wetlands, and a key Sydney feeding ground for threatened migratory waders from as far away as Siberia and Japan, as well as endangered Australian species such as the beautiful Australian Painted Snipe Find out more about the site, its birdlife, and how you can help in the fight to save it for future generations of wildlife and people. Episode Links: Save Riverstone Wetlands https://hen.org.au/save-riverstone-wetlands/ Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

8. 

   18 Dec 2025

   Matilda Julian: Community, Rivers and Wildlife

   In this episode, we speak with Matilda Julian, Chair of the Hawkesbury Environment Network, long-time volunteer, Bushcare worker and passionate birder. Matilda shares her journey into environmental stewardship and what drives her deep connection to the Hawkesbury landscape. We reflect on HEN's work throughout 2025, including bushcare projects with Colo High School, bush kindy, birding and bushcare activities, Streamwatch, community fundraisers, and initiatives such as kangaroo virtual fencing. Matilda also discusses HEN's role in key collaborations and committees across the Hawkesbury, including the Resilient Rivers for Resilient Hawkesbury Platypus Populations Project, supported by a $1 million grant. Plans and priorities for 2026 are also highlighted. Episode Links: Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

9. 

   11 Dec 2025

   Mapping Koala Corridors: A Conversation with Stephanie Carrick

   In this episode, Stephanie Carrick from the Sydney Basin Koala Network joined Hawkesbury Environment Network's AGM held on 22 November 2025 as a guest speaker and shared an inside look at their new Koala Corridor interactive map. Stephanie shares what the latest data reveals about koala movement, habitat connectivity, and the pressures facing populations across Greater Sydney. Stephanie also discusses recent developments in the Campbelltown region, including what's changing on the ground, how roads and urban expansion affect koala crossings, and why well-planned corridors are critical for the long-term survival of these animals. A must-listen for anyone interested in local wildlife conservation, urban planning impacts, and the future of koalas in NSW. Follow along with Steph's presentation here Episode Links: Sydney Basin Koala Network https://www.sydneybasinkoalanetwork.org.au/ (https://www.sydneybasinkoalanetwork.org.au/) Total Environment Network https://www.tec.org.au/ Koala Corridor Interactive Map https://www.sydneybasinkoalanetwork.org.au/greater_sydney_corridor_mapping Kellie Leigh https://www.scienceforwildlife.org/ Save Sydney Koalas https://www.facebook.com/savesydneyskoalas Rural Boundary Clearing Code https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/boundary-clearing-tool I Spy Koala app https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/nsw-koala-country/help-koalas/report-sighting iNaturalist https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/ BioNet https://atlas.bionet.nsw.gov.au/Default.aspx Land for Wildlife https://cen.org.au/projects/land-for-wildlife/ Southwest Sydney Koala Project https://www.greatersydneylandcare.org/southwest-sydney-koala-project/ Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au (https://hen.org.au) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

10. 

    5 Dec 2025

    Managing Fire and Biodiversity in the Landscape: A Conversation with Lucy Tremain

    Bushfires in Australia are a significant feature of our landscape, and here in the Hawkesbury, we have many communities living in and around the bush. The Black Summer fires throughout the East Coast in 2019/20 had a huge, destructive impact on communities and wildlife. It raised the urgent question of how we can more effectively protect ourselves, or at least better manage the risk from those intense firestorms. But fire in the landscape is also a feature of ecological restoration and renewal. Many ecological communities are adapted to fire, and many plant species need fire to germinate. Since ancient times, Aboriginal communities have used fire for care of country, for the restoration and renewal of the landscapes they live in. As both community members and as people who are passionate about the bush, how can we most effectively manage fire in the landscape, and how can we get better ecological outcomes from our fire management regimes? On this episode of the Hawkesbury Eco Hour, we have the opportunity to chat with Lucy Tremaine, the Bushfire Program Coordinator at the Nature Conservation Council, a NSW environment organisation that has over 200 member groups, one of which is the Hawkesbury Environment Network. Episode Links Nature Conservation Council of NSW Bushfire Program https://www.nature.org.au/bushfire_program Fire and Restoration Network https://fireandrestoration.org.au/ Hot Spots Fire Project https://www.hotspotsfireproject.org.au/ CFA Landscaping for Bushfire https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/447/CFA%20Landscaping%20for%20Bushfire%20(Version%203).pdf Hawkesbury Environment Network https://hen.org.au/ (https://hen.org.au/) Contact the Hawkesbury Eco Hour Podcast podcast@hen.org.au

11. 

    27 Nov 2025

    Bees, Blossoms & Bilpin: A Chat with Organic Farmer Aaron Brocken

    This week on the Hawkesbury Eco Hour podcast, we head into the orchards of Bilpin to speak with organic farmer Aaron Brocken, a grower who's seen the land at its best, its toughest and everything in between. With recent headlines highlighting poor fruit set, unusual flowering patterns and worries about pollination across the Bilpin region, Aaron shares his on-farm perspective. Aaron also shares what keeps him farming, the human side of working with nature, and what the community can do to support Hawkesbury's local growers. A thoughtful, honest and hopeful conversation from one of Bilpin's most respected organic farmers. Harvest Farms https://harvestfarms.com.au

12. 

    20 Nov 2025

    Introducing the Hawkesbury Eco Hour

    In this special introductory episode, we launch the Hawkesbury Eco Hour podcast - our new home after a wonderful run on community radio. Join Lyn, Nick and Eric as we look back on some of our favourite radio moments, from koalas and reefs to the Rights of Nature. We share what inspired us to make the shift to podcasting, what you can expect from upcoming episodes, and how our mix of voices, guests and local stories will continue to celebrate the Hawkesbury's unique environment. Whether you've been with us since the airwaves or you're joining for the first time, welcome!

Contact Hawkesbury Eco Hour

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.