Darebin Creek Management Committee

What Darebin Creek Management Committee does

Darebin Creek Management Committee (DCMC) is a not-for-profit, registered charity incorporated in Victoria, Australia, that manages the ecological restoration and community stewardship of the 129 square kilometre Darebin Creek catchment and the adjacent Darebin Parklands. Formed in 2001 from the merger of the Darebin Creek Co-ordinating Committee (est. 1984) and the Darebin Parklands Committee of Management (est. 1973), the organization is governed by a board composed of representatives from its seven member organizations: Banyule, Darebin, Whittlesea and Yarra Councils, La Trobe University, the Friends of Darebin Creek, and the Friends of Darebin Parklands. The organization employs seven staff and operates from the Darebin Parklands headquarters in Alphington.

DCMC's core activities span habitat restoration (nestbox programs with 145+ boxes and chainsaw hollows, indigenous revegetation including 12,000+ plants at Ivanhoe Floodplain and 4,400 seedlings in the Greening Whittlesea corridor), fauna monitoring (Growling Grass Frog, birds, waterbugs, eDNA sampling using song meters, trail cameras, and drones), the Darebin Creek Education Program for K-12 schools, and venue hire at The Gleeson Centre. Recent strategic emphasis includes a 10-year Darebin Creek Habitat Project with OzFish, funded by Microsoft's Global Water Replenishment Program, and the Nangak Tamboree 10-hectare cultural burning partnership with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Narrap Unit, which won the 2024 First Nations Landcare Collaboration Award.

Revenue is derived from member council contributions, state and federal government grants (Victorian Green Links, Urban Rivers and Catchments, Parks Victoria Volunteer Innovation Fund, Melbourne Water), corporate grants (Microsoft, Jemena, Landcare Bupa), tax-deductible donations processed via Give Now, and tiered venue hire at The Gleeson Centre (A$55-A$330 depending on group type and duration). The organization does not sell software or technology products and operates entirely through direct community delivery within its catchment geography in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

Name

Darebin Creek Management Committee

Legal name

Darebin Creek Management Committee Inc.

Website

https://dcmc.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Darebin Creek Management Committee (DCMC) is a Victoria-based not-for-profit that manages ecological restoration, citizen science monitoring, and environmental education across the 129 sq km Darebin Creek catchment and Darebin Parklands, funded by four member councils, government grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental and Catchment Management Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Catchment management services
• Ecological restoration services
• Wildlife monitoring programs
• Environmental education services
• Community conservation engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Alphington, Victoria

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting wildlife conservation and creek restoration. DCMC is a registered charity with donations over $2 being tax-deductible in Australia.
2. Government Grants: Funding from member councils (Banyule, Darebin, Whittlesea, Yarra), Melbourne Water, Victorian Government Green Links program, Australian Government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, Parks Victoria Volunteer Innovation Fund, and other government programs.
3. Venue Hire: The Gleeson Centre facility hire generating revenue from community groups, NGOs, and businesses. NGO rate $55-110, standard rate $165-330 depending on duration. Free for eligible local environmental/community groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Darebin Creek Management Committee (DCMC) is a not-for-profit environmental organization that manages the 129-square-kilometre Darebin Creek catchment and Darebin Parklands in northern Melbourne. It delivers catchment-wide ecological restoration, wildlife habitat creation (nestboxes, revegetation corridors), fauna and water quality monitoring, school and community environmental education programs, citizen science engagement, and planning advice to local and state government. Programs and services are funded by member councils, government grants, corporate/philanthropic grants, venue hire, and tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

Darebin Creek Management Committee (DCMC) is a not-for-profit environmental organization managing the Darebin Creek catchment and Darebin Parklands. The organization operates a portfolio of environmental conservation services rather than a technology product: the Darebin Creek Education Program delivers school excursions and incursions; The Gleeson Centre provides community venue hire; and multiple conservation projects including habitat restoration, fauna monitoring, nestbox programs, and citizen science initiatives engage volunteers and schools in creek stewardship. DCMC does not offer software products, platforms, or developer tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Darebin Creek Education Program (DCEP) School education program delivering hands-on creek education activities including waterbug investigations, water testing, catchment story role-playing, frog identification, and litter audits, provided free to schools in the catchment. Funded by member councils.
• The Gleeson Centre Community venue hire facility (54 sq metres) at Darebin Parklands suitable for workshops, seminars and meetings. Offers fully equipped kitchenette, presentation facilities, and adjacent parkland access, with tiered pricing for different group types.
• Fauna Monitoring Programs Comprehensive monitoring of wildlife including nestbox fauna surveys, eDNA sampling for multiple species, Growling Grass Frog monitoring, bird surveys, waterbug assessments, turtle tracking, and weed watch, engaging citizen scientists in data collection across the catchment.
• Nangak Tamboree Restoration Project Collaborative 10-hectare restoration of riparian Grassy Red Gum Woodland on Darebin Creek at La Trobe University campus, using Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Narrap Unit cultural practices including burning. Won the 2024 First Nations Landcare Collaboration Award at Victorian Landcare Awards.
• Darebin Creek Habitat Project 10-year habitat restoration partnership with OzFish along the lower Darebin Creek, supported by Microsoft's Global Water Replenishment Program. Focuses on indigenous vegetation planting, nestbox monitoring for Krefft's Gliders, and native fish habitat creation including 'fish motels'.
• Restoring Ivanhoe Floodplain Five-year floodplain restoration project reducing mown lawn area by 20% while creating habitat for small woodland birds. Over 12,000 indigenous plants planted as of mid-2024, funded by a Jemena grant.
• Greening Whittlesea Ecological restoration corridor along Darebin Creek in Bundoora spanning 6 kilometres from Norris Bank Reserve through Darebin to Nangak Tamboree at La Trobe University. Supported by Landcare Bupa grant with 4,400 indigenous seedlings planted in 2025.
• Darebin Parklands Hothouse 3-year lease on propagation facility nicknamed 'The Igloo' enabling expanded plant propagation for Parklands and Darebin Creek catchment restoration, creating additional volunteering opportunities.
• Darebin Creek School Custodians Pilot program engaging three schools (Mill Park Secondary College, St Monica's College, The Lakes South Morang) in Whittlesea to restore creek ecosystems. Over 1000 indigenous plants planted by students in 2024 planting season.
• Darebin Creek Weed Watch Community citizen science program teaching identification of 10 priority invasive weeds using the iNaturalist app for recording and submitting observations to help land managers control spread.
• Gresswell to the Creek Wildlife Monitoring Wildlife corridor monitoring project between Gresswell Forest and Darebin Creek, with capital equipment funded by the Parks Victoria Volunteer Innovation Fund including trail cameras, song meters, nest boxes with cameras, and a drone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,400 indigenous seedlings planted in 2025 through Greening Whittlesea program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OzFishcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 202510-year partnership with OzFish for Darebin Creek Habitat Project at CT Barling Reserve. Collaborating with City of Darebin, Banyule City Council, and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Narrap Unit to restore habitat at priority locations along lower Darebin Creek. Community engaged in planting, nestbox monitoring, and creating native fish motels.
• La Trobe UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey landholder along Darebin Creek. Home to Nangak Tamboree sanctuary where training and planning evenings are held. Represents university on DCMC board through Olivia Swain (Vice President).
• Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Narrap UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWurundjeri's natural resource management team supporting aspirations to Care for Country. Partnership at Nangak Tamboree using cultural burning practices including burning. Deep connection to site with refined management practices.
• Banyule City CouncilcoreOthersMember council and founding member of DCMC. Governs organization through board representation (Marc Giggio as Treasurer). Bush Crew installed 50 nestboxes along creek in 2023.
• Darebin City CouncilcoreOthersMember council and founding member of DCMC. Governs organization through board representation. Provides funding for education programs and restoration activities.
• Whittlesea City CouncilcoreOthersMember council and founding member of DCMC. Governs organization through board representation (Kirsten Richmond and David Henry). Supports Greening Whittlesea program.
• Yarra City CouncilcoreOthersMember council and founding member of DCMC. Governs organization through board representation (Adam Kemp).
• Eco Trackers Homeschooling GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHomeschooling group participating in Greening Whittlesea program, hosting guest speakers on pollinators, bird surveys, and waterbugs.
• Urban GuerrillasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity planting partner for Wollert restoration project to heal northern Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands of the critically endangered Victorian Volcanic Plains.
• Australian Conservation FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProduced short documentary on Darebin Parklands nestbox program featuring Rangers Pete and Kim, discussing local native wildlife.
• Warringal Conservation SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented on Song Meters at Gresswell to Creek Wildlife Monitoring training evening at La Trobe Nangak Tamboree Sanctuary.
• Melbourne UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with DCMC and Heidelberg Materials Quarry for PhD scholarship through Morris Animal Foundation studying Growling Grass Frog survival in man-made habitats.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Management Authority: Statutory Catchment Management Authority covering Melbourne's western catchments; comparable in remit (regional-scale ecological restoration, biodiversity, community engagement) but government-licensed and substantially larger in budget and headcount.

Emerging players

• Bush Heritage Australia: National conservation NFP acquiring and managing reserves for biodiversity outcomes; comparable nonprofit model with donor, corporate, and government funding, but focused on large reserve acquisitions versus urban catchment restoration.
• Trust for Nature (Victoria): Victorian conservation NGO focused on private land conservation via covenants and habitat stewardship; operates in overlapping geographies and partner ecosystems but focuses on legal/conservation covenants rather than catchment-scale community restoration.

Direct peers

• OzFish Unlimited: Australia's only national recreational fishing-focused conservation NFP, partnered with DCMC on the 10-year Darebin Creek Habitat Project; shares the citizen-science, fish habitat, and 'fish motel' restoration methodology that DCMC now co-delivers.
• Merri Creek Management Committee: Community-based catchment management committee for the Merri Creek corridor in northern Melbourne, delivering a near-identical mix of ecological restoration, nestbox programs, citizen science, school education, and volunteer engagement across multiple council jurisdictions.
• Yarra Riverkeeper Association: Advocacy and on-ground care organization for the Yarra River and its tributaries in Melbourne, operating in the same statutory framework (Yarra Protection Act) and engaging overlapping councils, volunteers, and Indigenous partners as DCMC.

Others

• Landcare Australia: National umbrella and capacity-builder for the Landcare movement (including DCMC's Greening Whittlesea work via Bupa grant); comparable in volunteer-driven ecological restoration ethos but functions as an enabler/funder rather than a direct service deliverer.
• Warrandyte Junior Football Club / Friends of the Yarra - Warrandyte (Friends of Pound Bend): Volunteer-based 'Friends of' group operating along the Yarra Valley, illustrative of the Friends group model DCMC institutionalises; a much smaller community peer operating in adjacent geography with similar reserve-stewardship activities.

Broad incumbents

• Melbourne Water: Statutory water authority managing Melbourne's waterway and drainage networks including the Darebin Creek; provides grants and maintenance support to DCMC and represents the larger institutional counterparty in the same catchment-management space.
• Australian Conservation Foundation: Australia's largest environmental advocacy NFP; comparable in mission, donor base, and advocacy posture but operates nationally and focuses on policy/campaigns rather than on-ground catchment restoration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXg7W9Z5I5hM6K5h5c5I0Lg
• Facebookfacebook.com/darebincreekmanagementcommittee
• Instagraminstagram.com/darebin_creek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/darebin-creek-management-committee

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Darebin Creek Management Committee