Rotary Patch
at Cobbler Creek Recreation Park
In 2018, Rotary International President Ian Risley challenged every Rotarian to plant a tree worldwide. The Rotary Club of Salisbury (SA) took up this challenge, led by Past President Norm Waldowski, and formed a partnership with the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) to transform a degraded section of Cobbler Creek Recreation Park in Salisbury Heights.
What began as a single tree-planting event has become an ongoing environmental restoration project. The site — previously a neglected former grazing paddock overrun with thistles, Coolatai, and other invasive weeds — is being steadily returned to its natural beauty for the community to enjoy.
Project Highlights
Located near a shared pedestrian/bike path and a small car park
Over 2,000 native plants, trees, and grasses planted so far
Supported by monthly working bees (3rd Friday of the month, 9:30–11:30am, all welcome), in collaboration with DEW and Friends of Cobbler Creek
Area now known as Rotary Corner, featuring:
A shelter with picnic tables
Space for outdoor classroom activities
Plans for a compostable toilet and plant-identification signage
Our Impact
Supports native plant regeneration and biodiversity
Provides food and habitat for local wildlife, including kangaroos, possums, Black-shouldered Kites, Nankeen Kestrels, and Superb Fairy-wrens
Offers a place for school groups to learn about environmental care
Encourages community connection through planting days, Clean Up Australia Day events, and shared morning teas
Our Community Partnerships
The Rotary Patch is a living testament to this idea — restoring land, supporting wildlife, and creating a community space for generations to come. Through partnerships, hands-on service, and leadership, Rotary is proud to make a lasting difference.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Co-funded through Rotary, the Commonwealth Building Better Communities Grant, the City of Salisbury Community Grant, and other supporters
Launched with the help of Federal Member for Makin Tony Zappia MP, who officially opened the Rotary Corner shelter in June 2023
Commemorative planting of a native tree for the late Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee in 2022