Surf Coast streets ready for Santa

FIRE trucks will roll through Surf Coast townships carrying a very special passenger this festive season, as CFA brigades once again help Santa make his annual rounds ahead of Christmas Day.

From Winchelsea to Torquay, Jan Juc and Grovedale, several brigades have confirmed the times and routes for their Santa runs, with more announcements expected in the coming days.

The Winchelsea Fire Brigade will kick off the festivities tomorrow (December 20), rolling into the Football Oval Playground at 6.30pm.

Santa and his helpers will make their way to the Barwon Terrace Playground by about 7.10pm.

On Christmas Eve, the Torquay Fire Brigade will deploy two trucks, allowing Santa to cover both Torquay and Jan Juc. Both routes will begin at 2.30pm.

The Torquay crew will begin their journey in Merrijig Drive, before stopping at Quay Boulevard Playground, Sands Park, Grinders Playground, Whites Beach Playground and Pirate Ship Park Reserve. The run will finish up at Rocketship Reserve at about 4pm.

Meanwhile, the Jan Juc team will begin at Torquay Primary School, at the soccer oval, and will travel through key local sites such as Bob Pettit Reserve, Jan Juc Creek Playground and Elephant Walk Playground as they make their way to Point Danger for about 4.10pm.

In Grovedale, the highly anticipated trek through local streets, parks and playgrounds will also begin at 2.30pm.

The brigade will set out from Grovedale Recreation Reserve, winding its way to McCubbin Park by about 5.45pm.

The Wurdale Fire Brigade will also make sure Santa visits the Surf Coast’s youngest residents in Winchelsea South, Wensleydale and Gherang.

The run will begin at the Wurdale Hall at 2.30pm and conclude near the corner of Dangers Road and Thompson Road at about 4.10pm.

Santa is expected to spend between 10-15 minutes at each stop, but all brigades remain on operational standby and may be required to respond to emergency callouts. This could see schedules altered or cut short.

Families are encourage to follow their local fire brigade’s social media pages for updates.