THERE are few places within 10 kilometres of the CBD where you’ll find echidnas, cliffs, caves and rapids, abundant birdlife, lizards, native fish and frogs and even the occasional kangaroo. And I’d guess that there are none that have been created from a tip and quarry, such as has the Darebin Parklands on the Alphington-Ivanhoe border.

I am now the president of the Darebin Parklands Association, but I started using the parklands more than 20 years ago to walk my dogs. Then, I assumed it was natural bushland fortuitously left intact. Years later, I learnt that it has largely been created by volunteers who fought to keep the site from being turned into a freeway or factories and then painstakingly planted virtually every tree.

As the association approaches its 40th birthday we’ve decided to share our story. After five years of fund-raising and planning, we commissioned author and historian Dr Sarah Mirams to write Darebin Parklands: Escaping the Claws of the Machine.

The response has been amazing. Professor Tim Flannery penned the foreword, sponsors came on board and orders are flowing in from around Australia. Former television weather presenter Rob Gell will launch the book at Darebin Parklands Discovery Day on Sunday, November 13.

It’s been a huge undertaking but we are glad to share a story that shows how people working together can change the world – starting in their own backyard.

For more information, visit dpa.org.au