Locals band together to help rehabilitate Point Richards

MORE than 30 brave locals joined staff from Bellarine Bayside in wet and wooly conditions to carry out environmental rehabilitation works at Point Richards in Portarlington.

Last weekend’s community planting day saw locals dig deep and plant in excess of 450 indigenous bushes, grasses, shrubs and groundcovers.

The Point Richards site been a priority of Bellarine Bayside for the past three years due to its lack of native vegetation and being prone to erosion.

Through the efforts of local community groups, the area has been built up with mulch and soil to create a primary dune and filled with a vibrant mix of indigenous plant species for habitat connection.

The revegetation has also been a way of capturing litter before it enters Port Phillip Bay.

Bellarine Bayside acting planning and environment manager Jane Shearer said tree planting days of this nature would help to continue providing protection for the coastline.

“The addition of 450 plants this year with the help of the community will really add to the environmental values this site now holds.

“[It] contributes to our overall strategic goal of improving the coastal vegetation and creating a buffer along the entire 17 kilometres of coast we manage.

“We were so impressed and thankful for all who showed up and enthusiastically dug in to help protect the local coastal environment.”

Bellarine Bayside has two more community planting days coming up, including National Tree Day on Sunday 30 July at the Indented Head Coastal Saltmarsh.

To find out more, head to www.facebook.com/bellarine.bayside, or contact Jane on [email protected]Katherine Legge and Bernard Cannon.