Great Ocean Road Coast Blog

Many hands make light work

April 18, 2018May 28, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee has had a busy start to the year with 560 students participating in its environmental education program along the coast. Students from kindergarten to senior secondary school have contributed over 90 hours of conservation work, making a huge impact along our precious coast.

Great Ocean Road Coast Education Program Coordinator Peter Crowcroft, also known as Possum Pete, said that it was exciting to see so many students getting involved and learning about the coastal environment. Read more →

Anglesea boardwalk borders on completion

March 16, 2018May 10, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

Works are well underway for the brand new Anglesea boardwalk at Demons Bluff. Coursing over the unique Anglesea heathland, the boardwalk will make up a 180m section of the 44km Surf Coast Walk, which stretches from Fairhaven to Point Impossible.

Following an engineer’s report, which revealed that cracks in the side of the cliff represented a risk to visitors, the track was re-routed in the interests of visitor safety. The boardwalk will jointly protect the fragile heathland, as well as enhance the visitor experience.

Northern Bay College students lend a hand

March 15, 2018May 10, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

A group of year 9 students from Northern Bay College have been doing some fantastic environmental work throughout term one with Great Ocean Road Coast Committee’s Coast Guardians program.

The year 9 students have been working closely with Great Ocean Road Coast’s Hilary Bouma, Education Coordinator of the Coast Guardians program, doing a variety of activities in their adopted area of Spring Creek, Torquay.

Jan Juc Coast Action spreads word on Gazania weed hazard

March 1, 2018April 18, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

Have you seen this weed? That’s what Jan Juc Coast Action volunteers and the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee staff are asking the public as they up the ante to eliminate the highly invasive South African weed Gazania from the Jan Juc cliffs, other public spaces and hopefully people’s gardens. Read more →

Fed up with vandals on the coast? Us too!

February 1, 2018April 18, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

Each year the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee receives multiple reports of illegal activities, with staff regularly discovering evidence of poor behaviour on the coast, particularly during peak season. This summer has been no different with a recent spate of illegal behaviour on coastal reserves along the Surf Coast.

Multiple coastal sites in Torquay, Lorne, and Anglesea have been impacted by people lighting fires, littering and destroying vegetation. Party sites are particularly destructive to native vegetation, as trees are cut for firewood and rubbish is often left behind, not to mention the damage made to the stability of fragile dune systems.

Caring for our precious Coastal Moonah Woodland

January 31, 2018May 31, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

Coastal Moonah Woodlands are identifiable by the presence of Moonah trees, with their gnarly wind-twisted branches, as well as other dominant species like Coast Wirilda, Coast Tea-Tree and Coast Beard-heath.

Prior to European settlement, it is thought that Coastal Moonah Woodland may have stretched as far as 5km inland in some areas. Unfortunately, much of this unique plant community has been lost due to clearing and fragmentation, with less than 10% of its original distribution remaining in Victoria. The Coastal Moonah Woodland plant community is now listed as threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Community and coast to benefit as the Great Ocean Road Coastal Grants open

January 30, 2018January 31, 2018greatoceanroadcoast

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee’s 2018 Coastal Grants Program are now open. Each year, Great Ocean Road Coast dedicates funds for community-led projects that enhance the 37km of coastal Crown land under its management between Torquay and Lorne.