Councils push back on coastal overgrowth

BEACH access in places such as Queenscliff and along the Great Ocean Road is being increasingly restricted by spreading vegetation, according to local councils calling for state government action.

Lobby group G21 wants the Victorian government to provide clearer guidance on when councils can thin, prune or remove vegetation along beaches and foreshores.

The alliance says that without greater clarity, communities risk losing access to stretches of sandy coastline that have been enjoyed for generations.

Borough of Queenscliffe mayor Donnie Grigau said vegetation growth was already changing parts of the coastline, particularly around the areas frequented by visitors arriving by ferry.

He said G21 was not seeking additional funding, but clearer direction on how councils can manage self-seeded vegetation.

“The majority of G21 councils have coastlines and we have to maintain them,” he said.

“Essentially, we’re gardeners. We can’t just let the garden be unkept.”

The alliance says it is not advocating for widespread vegetation removal, but greater flexibility to manage areas where growth has overtaken beaches and access points.

G21 chair and Colac Otway Shire mayor Jason Schram said the concern was not with established coastal vegetation, but with species that had spread into areas that were once open sand.

“It makes it very hard for our community and those visiting our communities to access the sandy beaches that we once knew,” Cr Schram said.

“The natural vegetation in areas is not what we’re calling for to be removed but it’s the once-sandy beaches, like what we have in Queenscliff, that have just been overtaken by natural vegetation and weeds and other species that might be native to Australia but are not native to these areas.”

He said the issue extended well beyond the Barwon region and was affecting coastal communities across Victoria.

“It’s right along the Great Ocean Road,” Cr Schram said. “There’s certain areas that you can access but there are other areas you can’t get through the blackberries and growth that previously wasn’t there.”

Cr Grigau said the proposed changes should not become an election issue, but a practical statewide policy response.