Everyone deserves a great neighbourhood

WHITTINGTON recently received some much-deserved TLC as council crews trimmed branches, planted colourful natives and picked up litter to get the suburb looking its best.

I was thrilled to join crews on the Whittington blitz – fondly dubbed the ‘Whit Blitz’ by some of the local crew members – to check out their good work earlier this month.

As a local and ward councillor, I drive around the suburbs of Cheetham ward regularly, reporting rubbish, graffiti, trees, footpaths and road management matters that need attention when I see them.

So it was fantastic to see the City of Greater Geelong’s tree management and works maintenance crews in action.

The crews weeded and mowed, sprucing up the Whittington Link and surrounding locations, while removing graffiti at Apollo Place, the Whittington City Learning and Care Centre and nearby park benches and tables.

They also planted five smooth bark apple myrtles (angophora costata), which typically live from several decades up to 100 years, meaning they’ll provide shade for generations to come.

It was lovely to talk with nearby residents coming out to have a look at the works as they happened. It was clear they take great pride in their neighbourhood.

Like all of us, renter or ratepayer, we want our neighbourhood to be as great as every other area of Geelong. And Whittington residents are no different!

It’s important to note this recent blitz is just a small portion of the work these crews complete each year in Whittington and across Greater Geelong.

So far this year in Whittington the team have removed 337sqm of graffiti at 43 sites and completed 73 dumped rubbish collections, ranging from picking up loose litter by hand to removing truckloads of dumped garbage with a backhoe.

Disappointingly, vandalism, graffiti and illegal dumping continue to be major issues in Whittington and across the wider Greater Geelong region.

The number of requests to collect illegally dumped rubbish have increased year-on-year since 2021, with the city receiving 6,619 requests in 2024-25.

With the financial year drawing to a close we’re nearing a similar figure for 2025–26.

Illegal dumping costs Greater Geelong ratepayers approximately $800,000 every year – money that could otherwise be directed towards other services that benefit our residents.

It spoils our wonderful natural habitats and the suburbs where we live.

And, in case you didn’t know, the city provides up to two hard waste collections and two mattress collections per residence each financial year, plus a range of other options to safely dispose of rubbish.

If you spot illegal dumping, graffiti or vandalism, I urge you to report it by phoning 5272 5272, emailing contactus@geelongcity.vic.gov.au, or via the city app, a quick and easy to use way to get in touch with council.

We use CCTV to investigate illegal dumping and offenders are liable for fines of up to $9,900 under the Environment Protection Act.

The recent Whit blitz was a demonstration of the work that our maintenance crews complete every day to keep our neighbourhoods clean and looking their best.

By reporting vandalism, graffiti and illegal dumping when we see it, we can ensure these works have a lasting impact and that Whittington remains a place that residents are proud to call home.

Cr Melissa Cadwell

Cheetham ward, City of Greater Geelong