Who we are;
Brett is a prominent Australian wildlife photographer, cinematographer, freediver, and wildlife conservationist known for his extensive work documenting marine and terrestrial life. He is active on citizen-science platforms like iNaturalist and Atlas of Living Australia, where he shares wildlife observations and photographs from across Australia.
Lisa is renowned for her horticultural skills first developed commercially in her early twenties and reinvigorated in recent years with large scale propagation of threatened and rare rainforest species for “rewilding” projects.
Professional Background
- Wildlife Documentation: Brett has spent decades filming and photographing Australian marine and terrestrial species. He served as a Senior Marine Park officer for the Solitary Islands Marine Park Authority and retired in 2020 after a 40 year career as an environmental compliance officer with the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
- Film & Media: His cinematography has been featured in major documentaries, including the ABC series Australia’s Ocean Odyssey: A Journey Down the East Australian Current.
- Scientific Contribution: He frequently provides high-quality imagery for scientific research, including contributions to the Australian Reference Genome Atlas (ARGA) and studies on species like the Eastern Quoll, Tasmanian devil, Eastern Freshwater Cod and Grey nurse sharks.
- Lisa has spent the majority of her career working in the customer service industry and as an Educator assisting students with learning disabilities.
Conservation & Rewilding Projects
- Narlu Project: In 2020, Brett and Lisa embarked on a “tree change,” purchasing “Narlu,” a 30-hectare former cattle farm in Upper Orara near Coffs Harbour.
- Habitat Restoration: Through the Rewilding Narlu initiative, they have planted over 39,000 trees across 25 hectares to restore endangered Lowland Subtropical Rainforest and create vital habitat for koalas and other native wildlife.
- Aquatic Conservation: Brett has been instrumental in developing nesting boxes (cod “hotels”) for the endangered Eastern Freshwater Cod to mitigate habitat loss in the Clarence River catchment.
- Advocacy: He is an active member of the local community, frequently speaking at events about marine conservation and participating in Orara River rehabilitation.
Community Leadership
- Regional Water Supply: Brett serves as a community representative on the Water Efficiency Working Group, providing advice on regional water supply strategies for the Coffs Harbour and Clarence Valley councils and the Coffs Harbour Feral Deer Working Group which monitors the movement of feral deer species across the region.
- Orara River Landcare; Brett and Lisa are active Orara Valley Landcare volunteers, regularly planting trees and assisting in the restoration of native habitats in the Orara/Karangi vicinity.
- Endangered Species Alliance (ESA) Brett is currently a Director of this NGOestablished specifically to provide specialized clinical infrastructure and technical expertise required to act as a “biological insurance policy” for endangered species such as the Bellinger River snapping turtle.
Areas they are currently working on:
5 Management zones currently planted at 10 metre spacings to be planted at 5 metre spacings.
1 riparian Management zone along a spring fed creek currently a grassy swamp and requiring 3 metre revegetation spacings.
