There are thousands of plants across Gippsland and chances are nurseryman John Topp knows them all.

A prodigious seed collector, propagator and nurseryman, John has been sharing his love and knowledge of native plants and conservation for over fifty years. 

Opening Gippsland Indigenous Plants in the 1990s, John was a trusted native plant supplier for Landcare, West Gippsland CMA, other nurseries and local landholders up until he retired in December 2023. Today, he continues to impart his deep knowledge of Gippsland’s plants and vegetation communities through his ongoing involvement in Landcare.  

“John is an extremely humble and unassuming gentleman who has had a lifelong passion for preserving the natural environment and sharing this passion with others,” said Paula Camenzuli, Natural Resource Management Strategic Planner for the CMA and long-term beneficiary of John’s extensive plant knowledge. 

She describes him as “an inspiration” and while you won’t hear him boast about his accolades, there are many to be proud of. 

John turned his interest in native plants into a successful career, operating Bushwalk Nursery in Cranbourne for fifteen years before moving to his 84 hectare property at the foothills of the Great Dividing Ranges in Valencia Creek, where he established Gippsland Indigenous Plants. 

At this specialised nursery he not only propagated over 130 species but collected seeds, heading out into the bush a couple of days a week on seed collection trips across Gippsland. 

“That was the best part of the job,” said John. 

“You always find something different in the bush, when you’re out looking for one thing you’ll find other things so it’s very rewarding in that way. 

“You have to have patience though, you have to be prepared to go out one week and look at the seeds and say ‘oh, two weeks they’ll be ready’ and you have to come back again. That’s a bit of a nuisance.” 

“For example, Pomaderris is a very common and very useful small shrub but you’ve only got about two weeks in December where the seed is viable because it dries out very quickly so you’ve got to be on the ball with them. Whereas Eucalyptus seeds stay on the trees for months, sometimes all the time.” 

“But the whole process – from collecting seeds, to drying them, to growing them- is very rewarding. People would give me an order for plants and tell me where they wanted to plant them and I would be able to grow plants that I knew survived well in those conditions. That was very satisfying.” 

While operating the nursery, John contributed widely to his community and the natural resource management field.  He has been President of the Society for Growing Australian Plants, on the board of Maffra and District Landcare Network and a member of the CMA’s Community Engagement Network. 

Landcarers have benefitted from John’s ‘encyclopaedic’ knowledge of plants through the many workshops, field days, farm tours, nature walks and planting events he’s led or supported. 

“John has been a key figure in increasing our community knowledge about local native plants with his irreplaceable skills in propagation, plant identification and stewardship,” said Bonnie Reeves on behalf of the Maffra and District Landcare Network. 

At the age of 71, John extended his plant knowledge even further, travelling to Ecuador as a conservation volunteer for a flora and fauna survey in the Amazon jungle.

In 2015 he was awarded the 2015 Pride of Australia Environment Award in recognition of dedicating his life to protecting Gippsland’s natural environment.  

Although retired from the nursery, John’s passion for educating and revegetation continues through his involvement in the Gippsland Plains and Grassy Woodland species restoration project with Maffra and District Landcare.  

His advice for Gippslanders looking to plant native plants on their patch: “Pick trees specific to your area and don’t forget about low growing plants that provide food and shelter for smaller birds and animals.” 

John was awarded a 2024 Lyrebird Award. Presented by West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, the awards were launched in 2005 and were born out of a desire to celebrate the significant achievements made by individuals and groups in protecting and enhancing West Gippsland’s catchment.