Many hands make light work

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 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.

Just one of many great achievements, students from Clonard College Geelong and Girton Grammar in Bendigo completely removed a considerable infestation of the Flax-leaved Broom (Genista linifolia) at Yellow Bluff in Torquay.

Possum Pete said: “Flax-leaved Broom is a noxious weed native to the Mediterranean and north Africa and has the ability to crowd out smaller shrubs and ground-flora species, and eventually impact the food sources of native fauna.”

Various beach clean-ups cleared large volumes of plastic and rubbish off the beaches in Torquay and Anglesea, with a special thanks to the Northern Bay (Goldsworthy) students for a big clean up at Point Roadknight.

Possum Pete said: “The year 9 students from Operation Newstart were excellent this term, with some very keen students enthusiastic about learning about the marine environment, with some saying they’d like to become marine biologists!”

On their first session they found some interesting items such as a Swell Shark egg casing and a dead juvenile Australasian Gannet. On their next session the group were excited to find an Octopus, which had been exposed by a very low tide.

Kinder sessions were a highlight this term, with Torquay, Jan Juc, Lorne and Anglesea kindergartens running their beach and bush kinder programs. Guided by Great Ocean Road Coast’s environmental educators, bush and beach kinder programs are designed to immerse children in a natural setting, allowing kids to play, explore, and learn more about the natural environment.

Great Ocean Road Coast has been running education activities since 2011, with over 2,000 participants over the past year alone. As a not-for-profit organisation, we offer free activities to participants on coastal Crown land between Torquay and Lorne.

To find out more about Great Ocean Road Coast’s education program or to register your school’s interest, head to: gorcc.com.au/education.

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee is a not-for-profit organisation that manages 37 kilometres of public land and coastline from Torquay to Lorne. All dollars raised through our commercial operations are reinvested back into the coastal environment, caravan parks and the community. Visit us at gorcc.com.au.