Help Larry buy Barry

Help Larry the Donation Dog raise funds for his new mate Barry the Bushranger Mower!

Brackenbush Unleashed is a privately owned and operated, free to the public, off leash dog park in Lakes Entrance. We opened October 2019, it was fabulous!  Cheryl, owner of the park, maintains the grounds mostly with equipment she grew up with, a 45 year old Kubota tractor with drag along mower and a 15 year old Cub Cadet.

Just in time for the spring summer grass growth, the Kubota broke down and the Cub Cadet died. The past 6-9 weeks have seen rapid grass growth at the park and no equipment to keep it in check! Barry certainly has his work cut out for him and he’s proving up to the task.

Larry the Donation Dog collects generous donations from park users to help cover the operational costs of the park, but he needs help to raise the funds to pay for his new mate Barry the Bushranger Mower!

To ensure the park stays maintained and usable while funds are raised to pay for Barry, we have taken out a loan to afford Barry and get the park back in good order.  

We have bought a far bigger mower than we personally need because we have the park.  Most of the work for Barry is at the park, about 10 acres in all, with just a small amount at the house and access, so we are aiming to raise 70% plus interest to be paid by the Brackenbush Unleashed, this will amount to $11,000.  

Additional information about Brackenbush Unleashed……

We built Brackenbush Unleashed for the dog community, we felt it was needed for locals and visitors to the area.

Honestly, we hadn’t realised how needed it was nor how much it would take for the upkeep.

Our opening was just weeks before the 2019/20 bushfires and at the tail end of years of drought, the park had to close several times for us to evacuate throughout that summer.  We then reopened just in time for Covid, what an experience for all of us!  Luckily, Brackenbush Unleashed was able to stay open for most of this time offering to the many users of the park, a way to cope with the endless lockdowns and restrictions.  Recently, with the end of the drought, came endless rain and flooding of our access, we were closed for another couple of months.

We’re open now though and the park is beginning to look like it is cared for, thanks Barry!

Throughout the 3 years since opening we have watched the community grow, friendships blossom and many many visitors to East Gippsland come to enjoy the park.  The joy of hearing dogs playing and barking, while their humans chat and laugh at their antics is immeasurable.

Some people come for the company, some for the quiet and reflective time the park offers.  For some, the park and their dog save them from themselves.

A personal note……

Hey, Cheryl here, thanks for taking the time to read all that has come before this, your time and interest is appreciated.  I thought I’d just let you know why Brackenbush Unleashed is important to me, why I work so hard to have it and to keep it free to the community.  

I met the property, now called Brackenbush, back when I was about 10 years old.  I remember riding a pony up the little goat track of a driveway, thinking to myself, “this is amazing, I am going to live here one day.  I love this place.”  Long story short, many years later, the property was bought by my parents and named Brackenbush….and I moved in.

Living on this property is a gift.  The bush is stunning, there are old growth trees in a temperate rainforest, lyrebirds, wombats, wallabies, vines climbing the trees and deep mulch for the animals to dig and live in.  I feel so privileged and I want to share the privilege with others, hence creating Brackenbush Unleashed.  

At Brackenbush Unleashed I am able to share the beauty of the property with others, everyone is able to experience the property with their dogs whilst keeping the integrity of the bush intact and the animals safe from the excited dogs.

Part of the plan for the park is to bring the community together, facilitate friendships and encourage owners to socialise their dogs. The other part, to expose the general community to the beauty of the property and to encourage an appreciation of local bush and wildlife.

Happily, I am able to sleep well at night knowing that the local community and visitors alike are enjoying the property in exactly the way I’d hoped.  Community is building and appreciation of the Brackenbush is constantly growing.

I am so very happy to share Brackenbush with you.

Cheryl