An abandoned patch of land choked with rubbish and bristling with invasive weeds is being restored to its former glory.
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A group of Aboriginal volunteers have spent the last four months steadily hacking away at the thicket of prickly pears infesting the land near Mallinson Road.
The prickly pears had been driving away the native animals and plants, leaving the land unusable for anything other than a dumping ground.
But Griffith Local Aboriginal Land Council volunteers have managed to hack down decades worth of weeds and on July 23 they set up a 'no dumping' sign to keep out litterers.
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Land council CEO Robert Carroll said it had only been made possible by the dedication of Griffith's Aboriginal volunteers.
"They're very committed, because it's their land," Mr Carroll said.
It became Aboriginal land back in 2015, when the deed was handed over to the land council after more than 18 years of advocacy.
They started the Mallinson Road Environmental and Cultural Restoration Project in April of 2019, and Daniel Judd is one of the volunteers who has jumped on board with the project.
"We've made a bit of a dint," Mr Judd said, pointing to the mounds of prickly pears strewn across the ground.
"There's still a lot of work ahead of us."
They certainly have quite a job ahead of them; after years of neglect they will be working to undo decades of soil erosion and spreading weeds.
Some of the prickly pears had grown to such a size that they had to be taken down with chainsaws.
Once the team have eliminated all the prickly pears they plan to perform a cultural burn of the area in mid 2020.
From the ashes new plants will sprout, and they hope that in three years the land will once again become home to a thriving ecosystem of native plants and animals.
Once the project is done and dusted the land will be used for cultural and community activities.
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