Microlifts
In 2022 we introduced a brand new type of event: the Microlift.
The Microlift was created to give the opportunity for students who wished to volunteer in regional communities but did not have the capacity to give up 9 days for our Winter Trip or a weekend for our Little Lifts. We ran one Microlift each to the towns of Tarago and Portland, both slightly over two hours outside of Sydney.
In 2023, we introduced our first overnight Microlift to Woodstock, where volunteers got to spend one night in the town and help out at the Woodstock Memorial Show. Trips like this encourage better understanding and connection with the communities we visit.
Our Microlifts have allowed Lifters to get a small taste of what we do at The Big Lift, which in turn pushed many to come to our larger events and contribute to our Pay It Forward mission!
Kangaroo Valley, 2026
On the 10th and 11th of January 2026, 26 Lifters travelled down to the beautiful Chakola in Kangaroo Valley, where the local townspeople welcomed us like family. After settling in, we cooled off with a refreshing dip in the creek before exploring the property's garden, chicken coop and workshop. That evening, we were treated to a barbecue dinner featuring kangaroo as the specialty, a first for many of us.
Some of the trip's best moments came from simply talking with the locals. We learnt the best practices for fishing carp, including how adaptive and intelligent the fish are and how creative fishermen have to be to outsmart them. We also heard how the community works closely with the council to manage erosion along the creek, preventing chunks of dirt and rock from breaking away. One townsperson even opened his collector’s shed to us, a warm, homely space filled with a lifetime's accumulation of antiques, car memorabilia and accessories.
The next morning, breakfast came with company: wallabies and kangaroos hopping in the distance. We then joined Greg Thompson and Kangaroo Valley Landcare for a morning of service work, learning how to cut back invasive privet and tobacco bush with handsaws and apply herbicide to the freshly cut stems. Left alone, these species form dense, light-blocking thickets that stop native plants and trees from regenerating, so this work gives the bush room to recover.
Though brief, the trip left us with new friendships, a deeper appreciation for regional life, and another chance to pay it forward.