Published on Monday, 1 December 2025 at 10:59:16 AM
Pictured: Cr Tracey Rathbone with school students.
The Shire of Coolgardie is taking an exciting step towards a greener, more sustainable future with its involvement in the Goldfields Esperance Urban Greening Program.
Facilitated by the Goldfields Voluntary Regional Organisation of Councils (GVROC) on behalf of its members, the initiative aims to enhance urban environments across the region by increasing tree and shrub cover, providing shade, and improving biodiversity by planting 30,000 trees and seedlings. This project will focus on socially vulnerable and heat exposed areas within the Shires of Wiluna, Leonora, Laverton, Dundas, Esperance, Menzies, Coolgardie, and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Supported by a grant of $573,000 from Lotterywest, the Shire will receive 810 trees and shrubs each year until 2027, along with training and ongoing support to help staff and the community successfully plant and maintain them between 2025 and 2027. The trees included Silver Princess, Kruseana and Torquata types.
Earlier this year, several of the Shire’s outdoor staff attended a hands-on workshop at the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder. The workshop focused on planting and caring for trees suitable for the Goldfields’ unique climate, including how to trim damaged branches to support natural healing and how to choose the right species for different locations.
Shire of Coolgardie Leading Hand, Stephen Basley said, “It was great to further the team’s knowledge of WA native species and how to look after them. The workshop was very informative, and our staff have come away with more knowledge than they anticipated.”
This was followed by Kings Park staff visiting Kambalda to provide hands-on training. Following the training, the Shire held a community tree planting day in Coolgardie, which saw Councillors, residents and staff working together to plant a portion of the trees.
The Shire also extended the program to the local Kambalda Primary School. Under the guidance of the Shire’s Outdoor Crew and teachers, Year 2 and 3 students planted 46 trees along the perimeter of the school oval.
The planting tied in with recent classroom studies on Aboriginal care for country. Teacher Kailli Beeson said, “It’s fantastic for students to connect their classroom learning to real life. Hands-on activities like this help them understand Aboriginal ways of learning and caring for the land.”
Pictured: Shire President Cr Paul Wilcox
Student Chloe Leek added, “It’s a good thing for our school because as more trees grow, they give us more oxygen.”
Shire President, Paul Wilcox said, “This is a wonderful initiative from GVROC, and the benefits for towns in the Shire of Coolgardie and the broader Goldfields-Esperance region are clear — areas that are currently under vegetated will slowly transform into shaded spaces that the community can enjoy for years to come while also delivering improved environmental outcomes.”
The initiative supports the Shire’s broader goals of enhancing community liveability. By planting local endemic species, the program increases biodiversity in town and provides shaded, pleasant spaces for residents to enjoy.
The Shire of Coolgardie is proud to be part of this regional effort to create greener, healthier, and more resilient towns for the future. We thank the GVROC Committee for their support.
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