Great Ocean Road Coast Committee Blog
News and stories from our iconic coast
Fragile sand dunes are deteriorating due to an increase in illegal access, threatening coastal environments and posing safety risks to beachgoers.
Dune systems are being left exposed to high winds, tides and rainfall as vegetation as they continue to be trampled by beachgoers leaving designated tracks and ignoring signs. Read more
Illegal behaviour on coastal reserves such as lighting fires, littering and destroying vegetation is impacting the environment and sparking safety concerns, with the Jan Juc clifftops a particular problem zone. Read more
Did you know that without active management, Hooded Plovers (aka ‘hoodies’) only have a 2.5% chance of survival from egg to adult? Or that hoodies breed as a pair, with both male and female taking turns to incubate the eggs? Read more
Local businesses Ghanda Clothing Torquay and Go Ride A Wave (GRAW) have thrown support behind the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee’s (GORCC’s) #SaveTheHoodie campaign to encourage protection of the threatened Hooded Plover during their 2015/16 breeding season. Read more
GORCC’s Coast Guardians program is a special, ongoing program created for year 9 students from four local and regional schools. Each school works on protecting and enhancing a local coastal area. Here is a blog post from Annalyse, Brittany, Cameron and Lilly from Geelong Lutheran College about their Coast Guardians experience this year: Read more
GORCC’s 2015-2020 Native Vegetation and Weed Action Plan (NVWAP) has been released.
GORCC engaged locally based consultant Beacon Ecological to lead the revision of original 2009 NVWAP. The updated 2015 NVWAP will guide GORCC’s on-ground conservation work over the next five years and aims to protect and enhance ecological values along the 37km of coast under GORCC’s care.
GORCC Environmental Projects Coordinator Alex MacDonald said the updated plan sees a continued focus on the eradication of weeds which are identified as the key threat to coastal biodiversity.
“Weeds have been identified as the number one threat to GORCC coast management.
“It is a widespread issue which is difficult to combat without a sustained and coordinated effort,” she said.
The revision and development process included consultation with local environmental volunteer groups, land managers and other key stakeholders.
Ms. MacDonald said GORCC and environmental volunteers had made significant progress in combatting invasive weeds along the Surf Coast, but that weed eradication remained a big challenge.
“Invasive species can have devastating impacts on the biodiversity on GORCC managed land, which is why it is important to develop and implement an effective action plan for future management,” she said.
To view the plan, click here. Interested in learning more about environmental volunteering on the coast? Click here to find out how.
How do you plan to overcome the weeds in your backyard? Let us know in the comments below!
An environmental army has descended on the local coast as part of the Federal Government’s Green Army programme – an initiative which has seen more than 330 conservation projects rolled out across Australia to date.
Green Army Service Provider Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) and project host the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) are working with young Green Army participants to protect and enhance coastal environments.
GORCC held a celebratory forum in August to celebrate the contributions made by participants, who have been working hard on a range of conservation projects and tasks including fencing, weed eradication, revegetation and mulching.
The day also offered learning and development opportunities for the group.
GORCC Conservation Supervisor Georgie Beale said the event featured guest speakers and in-field sessions from a diverse range of professionals working within environmental or conservation industries.
“The day encouraged participants to continue to enhance their conservation knowledge and explore career opportunities within the environmental industry,” she said.
CVA Green Army Supervisor Jane Shearer said the Green Army participants had been eager to learn about the different aspects of coastal conservation and had enjoyed working along the Surf Coast.
“The group is very eager to get involved and learn from experienced conservation workers.
“They have a lot of fun and work really well together, so it’s been very positive working with this wonderful team,” she said.
Ms. Beale praised the dedicated team for their continual hard work along GORCC managed land.
“They have worked incredibly hard over the past four months, removing substantial quantities of woody weeds such as Coast Tea-Tree and supporting our conservation work.
“The Green Army team provides GORCC with a lot of manpower, allowing us to tackle larger projects that otherwise would take months to complete.
Green Army participant Scott Hives said he the appreciation the group had been shown by GORCC and local environmental volunteer groups was incredible.
“Every day is so rewarding and everyone is always so grateful for the work we do.
“It’s been great working on local projects and seeing the work you’ve been doing along the coast when you go out for a surf or just drive past the foreshore.
“The programme is providing us with invaluable experience and support for our future careers which is amazing,” he said.
The Green Army programme aims to encourage environmental stewardship among young adults and enhance their skills and knowledge. For more information about the Green Army programme or to get involved visit the Green Army website.
How do you help encourage environmental stewardship in the community? Share your methods with us in the comments below.
Torquay College P-6 students helped GORCC and the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre (MFDC) to conduct important rehabilitation works at Fisherman’s Beach as part of MFDC Week.
The annual coastal re-vegetation program has been run by the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre since 1986 and aims to revegetate coastal areas with indigenous plants and educate local students.
Check out these great photos of the day by Torquay College’s David Pace.
Have you been out planting new plants in your garden? Let us know in the comments below.
Australians are being urged to tidy up their nearby waterways, roads and neighbourhoods as part of Keep Australia Beautiful Week.
From 24-30 August 2015, Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) aims to remind all Australians what an amazing, and beautiful country we have. However, it won’t stay beautiful if we don’t clean up our act when it comes to litter.
More than 9 billion tons of litter ends up in the ocean every year making litter a major environmental problem along our coast and worldwide. The 2013-14 KAB National Litter Index findings are obvious – we have a litter problem.
Whilst the annual report indicates that overall amount of litter is decreasing, there is still an enormous amount of rubbish polluting our natural environment, and cigarette butts remain the biggest pollutant.
Not surprisingly, the most littered sites surveyed within Victoria were retail areas and beaches, making our precious coastal environment a high risk zone. So how do you stop litter from entering our precious waterways?
Here are some simple ways to reduce your rubbish consumption by following the sustainable R’s of living.
Only 1 in every 10,000 products are designed with the environment in mind, which is why it is so important to evaluate if there could be another use, or if you really need it in the first place. Ask yourself if you really need the product, or could you make do with something else you already have?
This is the most direct method of cutting down litter – refuse to any items that generate unnecessary waste, such as plastic bags. Make sure you take reusable bags when shopping to lessen plastic consumption.
To reduce rubbish the easy idea is to consume less, or rather, consume the right amount. Rubbish tends to accumulate from unwanted or excess items, so by reducing the amount you purchase, you can reduce your waste.
Do you ever go to the store to replace something that broke with a brand new version without even trying to fix it? We’re all guilty of it, and this is contributing to the massive amount of litter in our oceans. By finding new uses for what we already have, we can reduce the amount of packaging and save money at the same time. It’s time to be creative with what you already have in the home.
The main point that we all know and have learnt about for years – recycling. Although it can seem like an annoying task, separating plastic bottles, cans and newspapers, is conserving our environment for future generations.
Next time you need to purchase a product or item, think about going green and buying products made from recycled materials. Look for the labels on the packages that include a percentage off recovered materials.
The Surf Coast is already taking the first steps to a more environmentally friendly community with initiatives like Plastic Bag Free Torquay and Take 3 are helping reduce our impact on the environment.
Australia has a litter problem and by following these easy tips you can help reduce your environmental footprint. For more information visit the Keep Australia Beautiful website. If you would like to do more in your community, why not check out some of our fabulous environmental volunteer groups here?
How do you use the 6R’s of sustainability? Do you have a favourite re-invention? Share them with us in the comments below.
Education is the most important tool when it comes to fighting the ongoing battle with litter.
With more than 270,000 tonnes of rubbish polluting the oceans and more than 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic, it is no wonder rubbish is a lethal threat to marine animals.
The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) conservation staff along with dedicated volunteer groups continually remove litter from our coastal areas throughout the year with increased efforts over the busy holiday period.
GORCC conservation supervisor Georgie Beale is disappointed at the amount of litter in our oceans and believes that education is vital in reducing its presence in our coastal environments.
“Education is the key to overcoming the battle with litter. Getting kids to change their behaviour and bin their rubbish will make a huge difference to the environment.
“We have incorporated marine debris into our educational programs to inform people about how important it is to keep our beaches clean,” Ms Beale said.
“We teach groups about the Take 3 for the Sea campaign which is a simple idea that encourages everyone to take three extra pieces of rubbish with them as they leave the beach.
“Our biggest challenge is reaching those who don’t care and don’t understand their impact on our unique marine wildlife which is why educating young children is so important,” Ms Beale explains.
Top 10 marine debris items
Local Surfrider Foundation Surf Coast volunteer John Foss said the educational programs that are offered in schools and through GORCC are making a huge difference in teaching the next generation about the hazards of litter.
“What we need is for people to stop treating our coast as an ashtray.
“Unfortunately it is often the visitors that cause the most damage to the coast as they have not received the education locals have about caring for our environment.
“We need a national anti-litter campaign that targets young people and beachgoers in a multilingual format to get the message across,” said Mr Foss.
Although we cannot eliminate the world’s marine litter, we can make a difference along our precious beaches by encouraging others to keep the beaches clean.
Click here to find out more about volunteering along the surf coast.
How do you look after our coast? Comment below.
Related blogs:
 Beach Kinder a hit with kids |
| Australia’s dirtiest beaches exposed |
 Take 3 to keep coast healthy |
Great Ocean Road Coast Committee Blog 