Your Backyard Garden program

Program objectives

The Your Backyard Garden (YBYG) program is a free, non-binding, and voluntary program for residents on Redlands Coast providing advice and support for habitat restoration projects on private land. The program aims to assist with the rehabilitation of habitat in urbanised areas, through education and partnering with residents to achieve conservation outcomes.

Program eligibility

A 12 Month program is available for residents that live directly adjacent to a council Bushland Reserve or are within a designated Wildlife Corridor.

Inclusion in the 12-month program is pending assessment by an Environmental Partnership Officer to ensure proposed projects deliver environmental outcomes.

If vegetation clearing is required to commence building on the property: prior to applying for the YBYG program, please ensure all permits and approvals from the relevant authority have been attained, with vegetation clearing only occurring within the defined clearing allowance. 

A one off YBYG visit is available for residents not eligible for the 12-month program.

Tenants that qualify for either option of the YBYG program will need to seek written approval from the title holder of the property to participate. This includes Department of Housing properties.

Residents who live in strata type body corporate agreement situations (Unit/Duplex/Townhouses) are not eligible for the YBYG program.

Please note, a resident can only access the YBYG program once per property. For example, if a resident has completed the program on one property and has moved to a new property, they are able to express interest in participating in the program again on their new property.

Once eligibility for either option of the YBYG program has been assessed, the Environmental Partnerships (EP) officer will contact the resident to organise an initial visit through the program. 

12-month Your Backyard Garden Program

Eligible support available

• A recommended native planting list tailored to the property.
• A list of environmental weeds identified on the property and advice regarding control methods.
• Up to 2 extra visits from your EP officer as needed for further advice. To be requested by the landowner.
• Up to $500 of financial assistance for approved habitat restoration projects (see below).

Financial assistance for projects is requested through Council’s online SmartyGrants platform.

Please note only one application for financial assistance can be submitted as part of the 12 Month YBYG program, If you wish for your application to be amended after submission, this can be processed by request to your EP officer.

Eligible activities

• Local native plants (tubestock 50mm) from the IndigiScapes Native Nursery. Please note, only species on your recommendation list will be approved. All plants received through the program must be planted on the registered property.
• Aged forest mulch from our pre-approved suppliers. Please note mulch can only be used for plantings completed through the program. Mulch will not be provided for pre-established garden beds. The amount of mulch requested must match the number of plants at a ratio of at least 10 plants per cubic metre of mulch. Participants can only request up to 10 cubic metres of mulch throughout the program.
• Contractor engagement up to $250 to assist you with planting, installing tree guards, preparing a site for revegetation, or weed control, subject to EP officer assessment and approval.
• Soil conditioner to be provided in proportion to planting, at a ratio of one bottle of soil conditioner to 100 plants.
• Erosion control materials in conjunction with planting such as jute mat, coir logs, and silt fencing.
• Nest boxes must be installed in areas in mutually agreed trees/locations identified during a property visit and must remain on site in perpetuity. Only 1 nest box will be supplied per property.
• Worm farm or compost bin. Please note that participants are only eligible to receive a worm farm or compost bin once they have planted a certain quota of plants depending on their block size (i.e. 50 plants for blocks smaller than 600m2 and 100 plants for blocks larger than 600m2). Only one worm farm or compost bin will be provided per property, providing the participant has met the conditions.

One-off Your Backyard Garden Program

Eligible support available

• A recommended native planting list tailored to the property.
• A list of environmental weeds identified on the property and advice regarding control methods.
• Up to 30 free native plants available from the IndigiScapes Native Nursery. Plants to be collected within the same financial year of registration and receiving a property visit by EP Officer. (Eg: If you registered in July 2026 you need to claim your plants by June 2027).

Please note, the 30 free native plants are provided from a pre-determined list created by EP officers of local native species. Participants must select plants from this list in their application, which is submitted through Council’s online SmartyGrants platform. Plants selected will then be reviewed and assessed by an EP officer.

 Once the application for plants has been approved by the EP officer, the participant will have 20 business days to collect their selected plants from the IndigiScapes Native Nursery.

Participants must confirm their collection date with the EP officer to ensure the plant order will be available for collection on the date selected.

Non-compliance

If YBYG program participants are found to have willingly removed and disposed of native plants or other items supplied through the program that they have received financial assistance for, the participant will not have access to further funding through the program and will be deregistered.

Program extensions

In certain extenuating circumstances, the EP officer can grant a one-time only, 6-month extension to a participant’s program. Extensions should be requested before the current program date expires and will be granted at the discretion of the EP officer. 

Loan items

Participants of EP programs also have access to loan equipment for weed control, planting and cane toad management on their properties. All loaned items must be returned within 2 weeks of the loan date unless otherwise approved by your EP officer. Items also must be returned in the same condition that they were received.

Items that can be loaned through the EP programs include:

• tree popper
• power planter
• fauna camera
• tadpole bucket trap (lures for this trap must be purchased by the participant as they are a poison and cannot be supplied through the program)
• weed boom

Contact information

For more information regarding the YBYG program, please contact the Environmental Partnerships Team on (07) 3824 8611 or email.