As motorists hurtle along the Pacific Highway east of the Lansdowne Valley, few may give a glance to the villages nestled on Biripi land north of Taree.

But the students of Lansdowne and Upper Lansdowne public schools love their home sweet homes, even if they are a couple of little-known villages hidden among the hills.

They joined together to write and record an original song called ‘Lansdowne, Upper Lansdowne’ about how they would not live anywhere else, with the help of their music teacher Matt Zarb.

“I think the standout thing from the song is it just feels happy and feels like if you’re not from here you just want to see it,” MR Zarb said.

A teacher with the Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF), Mr Zarb encouraged the students to compose the tune for the 2025 ACMF National Songwriting Competition.

As work progressed on the song, Lansdowne Public School relieving principal Cathy Dun saw how the project gave the students a voice both in and beyond the classroom.

“They wrote the lyrics, they chose the things and the places in their community that they wanted to highlight and are most proud of,” Mrs Dun said.

“It has given them a strong sense of ownership.” 

With lyrics that not only celebrate life in a country community but also acknowledge how tough living on the land can be, the honest yet upbeat song with accompanying video won a lot of fans on the Mid North Coast when it was shared on local radio and television.

They were not alone. The ACMF judges also liked it; so much so that Lansdowne and Upper Lansdowne were named the 2025 National Songwriting Competition Primary School Winners.

A feat even more impressive given Lansdowne Public School only has 38 students while Upper Lansdowne has just 13.

The artistic endeavour has cemented the strong friendship which already existed between the two school, according to Upper Lansdowne principal Shellie Tancred.

“Participating in the ACMF song competition has not only sparked our students’ imagination and creativity but has also strengthened the bonds between our two schools, making this experience truly enriching for all involved,” Miss Tancred said.

“Under Mr Zarb's mentorship, our students gained valuable skills in recording and mixing audio tracks, enhancing their understanding of music production.”

When it came to filming the video, the students took charge and insisted that it needed to show important features such as local landmarks, Mount Olive, Lansdowne General Store and the dairy farms that give the region its character.

To be inclusive, they also developed Auslan-inspired hand gestures with the help of a learning support officer.