Our Mission
Jesse’s Trust is a private family trust that supports projects that enhance the biodiversity, heritage and understanding of Victorian Mallee ecosystems.
Our History
Quisque faucibus ex sapien vitae pellentesque sem placerat. In id cursus mi pretium tellus duis convallis. Tempus leo eu aenean sed diam urna tempor. Pulvinar vivamus fringilla lacus nec metus bibendum egestas. Iaculis massa nisl malesuada lacinia integer nunc posuere. Ut hendrerit semper vel class aptent taciti sociosqu. Ad litora torquent per conubia nostra inceptos himenaeos.
Quisque faucibus ex sapien vitae pellentesque sem placerat. In id cursus mi pretium tellus duis convallis. Tempus leo eu aenean sed diam urna tempor. Pulvinar vivamus fringilla lacus nec metus bibendum egestas. Iaculis massa nisl malesuada lacinia integer nunc posuere. Ut hendrerit semper vel class aptent taciti sociosqu. Ad litora torquent per conubia nostra inceptos himenaeos.
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (HKNP) is located in North-Western Victoria about 450kilometres from Melbourne. The park was established in 1980 to protect a unique environmental treasure.
The park occupies land with an extensive Indigenous history and this is apparent in its name. Kulkyne is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘wood’ or ‘timber’ and was the First Nations peoples name for the location. Hattah is an anglicised distortion of Nu-tarrhthe Aboriginal name for one of the location’s lakes.
The environmental importance, and beauty, of HKNP arises from its patchwork of different ecological communities and habitats including:
The Murray River, lined with majestic Red River Gums and occasional reed beds, on the Park’s eastern boundary. A string of lakes and wetlands, which attract international migratory waterfowl and are wetlands protected by the RAMSAR agreement. Historically thesesystems were filled during by the annual flooding of the Murray Riveroverflowing into the Chalka Creek. Floodplains of native meadows and Black Box forests. Dune country where the park meets the Mallee and the Lowan Sands. Nativepines growing on the dunes provide a stark contrast to the Mallee scrub. Grasslands, once environments managed by Aboriginal people to producevegetable and animal foods.Each of these ecological zones hosted their own suites of flora and fauna rangingfrom Brolga on the lakes to Bilbies on the grassy plains. Both of these, like manyothers, are now, sadly, locally extinct as a result of colonial grazing and forestry.Others, including a suite of threatened mallee birds remain and need protection.Despite all the degradation the sheer beauty of the land remains captivating.The Kulkyne has been seriously impacted by colonial behaviour. Directly, the landhas been grazed, forests harvested and subject to recreational shooting. Alongsidethe arrival of pastoral settlers came vermin—rabbits, hares, dogs, foxes andcats—that have all contributed to the degradation of the land. Indirectly, and just asprofoundly, the flow of the Murray River has been regulated, impacting the regime ofannual flooding that formed the Kulkyne. This story of changes to the land, and thepositive steps to protect and return it to some of its past, are told in Retuning theKulkyne.
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (HKNP) is located in North-Western Victoria about 450kilometres from Melbourne. The park was established in 1980 to protect a unique environmental treasure.
The park occupies land with an extensive Indigenous history and this is apparent in its name. Kulkyne is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘wood’ or ‘timber’ and was the First Nations peoples name for the location. Hattah is an anglicised distortion of Nu-tarrhthe Aboriginal name for one of the location’s lakes.
The environmental importance, and beauty, of HKNP arises from its patchwork of different ecological communities and habitats including:
The Murray River, lined with majestic Red River Gums and occasional reed beds, on the Park’s eastern boundary. A string of lakes and wetlands, which attract international migratory waterfowl and are wetlands protected by the RAMSAR agreement. Historically thesesystems were filled during by the annual flooding of the Murray Riveroverflowing into the Chalka Creek. Floodplains of native meadows and Black Box forests. Dune country where the park meets the Mallee and the Lowan Sands. Nativepines growing on the dunes provide a stark contrast to the Mallee scrub. Grasslands, once environments managed by Aboriginal people to producevegetable and animal foods.Each of these ecological zones hosted their own suites of flora and fauna rangingfrom Brolga on the lakes to Bilbies on the grassy plains. Both of these, like manyothers, are now, sadly, locally extinct as a result of colonial grazing and forestry.Others, including a suite of threatened mallee birds remain and need protection.Despite all the degradation the sheer beauty of the land remains captivating.The Kulkyne has been seriously impacted by colonial behaviour. Directly, the landhas been grazed, forests harvested and subject to recreational shooting. Alongsidethe arrival of pastoral settlers came vermin—rabbits, hares, dogs, foxes andcats—that have all contributed to the degradation of the land. Indirectly, and just asprofoundly, the flow of the Murray River has been regulated, impacting the regime ofannual flooding that formed the Kulkyne. This story of changes to the land, and thepositive steps to protect and return it to some of its past, are told in Retuning theKulkyne.
Our Partners
Mallee Conservation
Mallee Conservation is dedicated to restoring Mallee habitat in northwest Victoria, stewarding the "Raakajlim" private conservation property adjoining Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. They build community appreciation for the region's unique biodiversity through volunteering, citizen science, and restoration activities.
The People and Parks Foundation
The People and Parks Foundation was established in 2004. It was founded ‘on the concept that healthy humans need healthy habitats, the Foundation has evolved to foster collaborative and innovative opportunities with government, philanthropy and community to connect people to nature.’ The PPF, particularly through the support of Professor John Stanley, was instrumental in helping Jesse’s Trust to get established.
Trust for Nature
Trust for Nature is a leading Victorian conservation organisation dedicated to permanently protecting biodiversity on private land. For over 50 years, they have partnered with landowners, utilising unique, legally-binding conservation covenants to safeguard vital habitats across the state.
Join Our Mission
Collaborating for Mallee Conservation
The JCB Trust invites partners with innovative ideas to protect Victoria's mallee ecosystems. Share your initiatives to promote biodiversity, preserve heritage, and deepen understanding of these vital landscapes. Together, we can ensure the mallee's environmental and cultural values endure.
Partner With Us