Since 2016, the Port Phillip Bay fund has provided more than $17.1 million in grants across 215 projects in and around the Bay. Port Phillip Bay or Narrm-Narrm (or Nairm) is one of Victoria’s most precious natural assets. It is an important place for the people of Kulin Nation. It’s amongst Melbourne’s most important ecosystems with many plant and animal species living in the Bay.
The Fund supports government strategies including:
- Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan 2017-2027
- Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037
- Victorians Volunteering for Nature – Environmental Volunteering Plan
- Marine and Coastal Strategy 2022
- Pupangarli Marnmarnepu ‘Owning Our Future’ – Aboriginal Self-Determination Reform Strategy 2020-25
These strategies, along with on-ground community action are essential to safeguarding and caring for Port Phillip Bay.
If you have questions about the Port Phillip Bay Fund grant program, email our Port Phillip Bay Fund program team or phone our Customer Contact Centre on 136 186.
Port Phillip Bay Fund Grant Project Highlights
Creating a healthier Bay with less litter and thriving native marine life has long been a passion for many Bellarine locals.
It’s now been 25 years since more than 30 local environmental groups came together as the Bellarine Catchment Network (BCN) in 1997, pooling their resources to address concerning litter and other environmental problems across the local coast, waterways and land.
And it’s a model that’s worked. In 2022, the BCN facilitated over 20 projects along the peninsula, working collectively to protect and conserve Bellarine catchments, coastal areas and inland bushlands.
But it’s a current partnership with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation that is transforming the way BCN connects with its local communities and inspires the next generation of local Bay protectors.
Thanks to a $50,000 Port Phillip Bay Fund (PPBF) 2020-21 grant, the BCN has recently delivered a range of successful projects as part of its ‘Caring for our Bays: Culturally Connected Communities’ program.
Working closely with the Wadawurrung to support the goals of Paleert Tjarra Dja: ‘Make Country Good Together’, the BCN has developed:
- A new education program that incorporates Wadawurrung culture and language, which BCN will soon begin taking into Bellarine schools
- In-language Wadawurrung posters and signage about hero species of the local bay, now displayed throughout the area
- A regional tour and Bay Edventure events with Wadawurrung representatives.
The PPBF grant also enabled BCN to establish and launch an online local environmental volunteering opportunities calendar, which has already been hugely successful in encouraging more volunteers to participate in a wide range of local events and activities.
BCN’s Sustainability & Circular Economy Coordinator, Rebecca St Ledger, said receiving the PPBF grant had meant its new school education program was able to go beyond an idea into reality.
“Producing the BCN curriculum with incorporated Wadawurrung cultural heritage has been a resource BCN has wanted to develop for some time.
“Finally being able to do it has been wonderful and will benefit BCN and the wider community for many years, and we look forward to sharing Wadawurrung cultural heritage with school high school and primary school students.”
Seeing drones fly over Port Phillip Bay peninsulas is by now a familiar sight. But far from the dreamy aerial videos you’d expect to see online afterwards, the locals behind these flights are helping scientists create vital 3D models to help researchers better understand coastal erosion.
Established in 2018, the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program (VCMP) is a world-first initiative by the University of Melbourne in partnership with Deakin University.
The program provides select beachside communities with the latest drones and trains local residents turned volunteer citizen-scientists how to operate them.
Residents then conduct shoreline surveys every 6-8 weeks, with their drone continuously photographing the beach at high resolution, producing 3D models for the researchers. These models are then used to prioritise management decisions to ensure the resilience of the coast into the future.
Thanks to the help of a $200,000 Port Phillip Bay Fund grant, locals across Mt Martha on the Mornington Peninsula and St Leonards and Port Arlington on the Bellarine are now among 14 VCMP groups of 16 trained pilots and 29 ground crew. 15 beaches are now being monitored.
In 2020, the VCMP was awarded Australia’s top prize for innovation in citizen science – the Eureka Prize.
Professor David Kennedy, coastal geomorphologist and University of Melbourne project lead, said the unique project transformed researchers’ approaches to understanding beach resilience to climate change by tapping a community’s passion for their bay or beach.
“I have a fascination with understanding how vulnerable our coastal landforms are to change, and the local community are the key stakeholders,” Professor Kennedy said.
“Contact with them provides that fundamental local understanding which complements the scientific data we can obtain through various survey techniques.”
Professor Kennedy said the project had been so successful that citizen science surveys were still continuing, long after they were scheduled to end. He hoped the program would inspire more Bay locals to get involved in coastal conservation activities.
“The best way for us to protect nature for future generations is to get involved in helping understand our beaches. Whatever your age, mobility or background, there is a way you can help from physically surveying on the beach, to analysing change to advocating for the environment.”
Diving and gardening aren’t often associated, but a pioneering project by the Victorian National Parks Association’s ReefWatch program has changed that dramatically.
Concerned about increasing numbers of invasive kelp species Undaria pinnatifida throughout the Bay, ReefWatch applied for a Port Phillip Bay Fund (PPBF) 2020-21 grant.
Recognised as one of the world’s top 100 invasive species, ReefWatch put forward an innovative idea to help address the damage Undaria was doing to the Bay.
ReefWatch would train and send teams of divers into the Bay throughout the year to correctly remove the kelp and help restore the natural marine ecosystem.
Receiving a $43,000 PPBF grant, ReefWatch trained 46 divers and provided resources and equipment to help them identify and successfully remove the kelp – and, ultimately, help protect their much-loved underwater spots.
The divers divided into three volunteer groups and spent the year conducting many trips into different sections of the Bay, spending a total of 276 hours underwater.
Their efforts were rewarded, removing more than 2,400 kelp plants from the Bay – a remarkable achievement.
ReefWatch Coordinator Kade Mills said the underwater weeding trial was an outstanding success that would have a positive impact on many Victorians, as well as Bay life.
“Port Phillip Bay is a playground that so many people get inspiration and peace of mind from, being a part of a community that is working to care for it is inspirational,” Kade said.
Kade said the pride and enthusiasm shown by the volunteer divers lasted throughout the project.
“The opportunity to be involved in caring for this incredible place with amazing people makes getting in the 10 degree water in winter a little less chilly.”
Kade said the PPBF was vital in turning innovative projects like the underwater weeding trial into reality. He said the project also acted as a way of inspiring others to get involved in protecting the Bay, with onlookers watching the dives incredibly impressed by what they saw. Kade said there were opportunities for anyone interested in helping protect Port Phillip Bay.
“Find a group close to your home or your favourite bit of the bay and reach out to them. The community involved in conservation activities around Port Phillip Bay are incredibly welcoming, knowledgeable and open to giving people opportunities to being involved.”
2016-2024 Port Phillip Bay Fund Successful Projects
The 2024 Port Phillip Bay Fund round provided more than $2.3 million in grants to support 25 projects.
Organisation | Project | Grant |
Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research | Assessment and Management of Colony-breeding Birds at Mud Islands
| $300,000 |
Australian Marine Mammal Conservation Foundation | The Port Phillip Bay Marine Mammal Bioblitz
| $22,808 |
Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management | North Bellarine Coast Cultural Conservation and Restoration Project
| $143,476 |
Bellarine North Rotary Club | Foreshore Revegetation
| $2,000 |
Borough of Queenscliffe | Community Education and Protection of Coastal Moonah Woodlands
| $25,000 |
Conservation Volunteers Australia | SeaToSource Port Phillip Bay
| $232,789 |
Corangamite Catchment Management Authority | Swan Bay Saltmarsh Restoration Project
| $179,818 |
Deakin University | Mapping Seagrass and Kelp to Inform Management of these Key Habitats in Port Phillip Bay
| $210,016 |
Dolphin Research Institute | Discover Port Phillip: Water and Wildlife Stories
| $24,500 |
Dromana Foreshore Committee of Management | Dromana Marine Coastal Environment and Community Engagement Project Stage 3
| $13,585 |
Frankston Beach Association | Mile End to Allawah Ave Revegetation Project
| $25,000 |
Hobsons Bay City Council | Sandy Point Coastal Protection
| $25,000 |
Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre | Involving Communities in Conserving Birdlife in Port Phillip's Coastal Wetlands
| $23,100 |
Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care Group | The Jawbone Sanctuary Looking Back to Learn Program
| $25,000 |
McCrae Coastal Group | Healthy Bay, Healthy Foreshore, Happy People
| $22,560 |
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council | Dune Erosion Mitigation & Coastal Process Education This project aims to consolidate beach access points for public use and undertake revegetation to prevent coastal dune erosion and restore habitat. | $25,000 |
Nepean Conservation Group | Stewardship of the Bay: Conserving the Coastal Environment - Portsea to Rye
| $24,907 |
Odonata Foundation | Building Community Capacity for Understanding, Preserving and Restoring the Bay
| $300,000 |
Parks Victoria | Restoring the Underwater Forests of Port Phillip Bay
| $297,783 |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Nature for All
| $24,935 |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Baytime: Building Capacity for Inclusive, Nature-Based Youth Volunteering
| $23,800 |
RMIT University | Exploring Unseen Threats: Contaminant Trends and Impacts in Port Phillip Bay
| $299,945 |
Safety Beach Foreshore Landscape Committee | Safety Beach Coastal Erosion Mitigation Project Stage 3 The aim of this project is to stabilise the heavily eroded coastal dunes of Safety Beach Foreshore through removal of invasive weed species and revegetation. | $14,744 |
Southern Ocean Environmental Link | Mud Islands Shore Keepers
| $20,000 |
Victorian National Parks Association | Nature Stewards of our Bay
| $22,900 |
The 2023 Port Phillip Bay Fund Round provided more than $1.6 million in grants to support 28 projects.
Applicant | Project | Grant |
Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management Incorporated | Inclusive cultural & environmental education opportunities on the Bellarine This project aims to educate community members about the cultural and environmental values of Port Phillip Bay and the surrounding areas through on-ground, inclusive environmental activities.$12,100 | $12,200 |
| Bellarine North Rotary Club | Indented Head weed eradication and replanting In this project, invasive weed species will be removed from an area on the Bellarine Peninsula and will be replanted with endemic species. | $2,800 |
| Bunurong Warreen Beek course and Training and Development This project includes the continuation of Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management for First Nations Students and capacity building of Bunurong Land council Green Team. | N/A |
Deakin University | Improving Ocean Literacy in Port Phillip Bay Primary Schools This project will improve children’s ocean literacy, stewardship and awareness of this important ecosystem within local communities. Ocean literacy resource kits will be provided to 100 primary schools located within 5km of the Bay. | $89,265 |
Deakin University | Kelping the Bay: future proofing the Golden Kelp Kelp forests are key to the health and function of marine ecosystems, however, several kelp species such as Ecklonia radiata (Golden Kelp) have suffered declines due to habitat disturbance. This project will establish a long-term seedbank to preserve local genetic diversity and provide biological material for restoration. | $90,721 |
Deakin University | Mapping Port Phillip Bay biodiversity with Traditional Owners using eDNA This project will (a) provide training and certification in environmental DNA sampling methods for Bunurong and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and (b) enable Traditional Owner-led biodiversity mapping around Port Phillip Bay. This project will build local capacity in biodiversity assessment, crucial for management of the Bay. | $99,055 |
| Dromana Foreshore Committee of Management Inc. | Dromana Marine Coastal Environment and community engagement project Stage 2 In this project, extensive invasive weed species will be removed in gully/watercourse areas at LaTrobe Reserve Dromana. Additionally, the Connection to Country Program at Dromana Primary School will be expanded, with guided cultural field trips through the Reserve from Traditional Owner organisation Living Culture. | $15,626 |
| Eco Warriors Australia Inc. | Planting the Seed: Helping Schoolchildren to Create a Living Classroom The project will engage school students in revegetation and monitoring of degraded coastal vegetation in local parks and reserves. These activities will be carried out in conjunction with an Indigenous representative to provide links to the cultural history of native plants. | $7,307 |
| Frankston Beach Association Inc. | Fiocchi Ave to Allawah Ave Revegetation Project Stage 2 The primary objective of this project is to rehabilitate degraded coastal dune through weeding and revegetation. New plantings will strengthen remnant flora and provide a contiguous corridor of vegetation habitat for native fauna. | $12,675 |
| Friends of Williams Road Beach | Protection and Education of Foreshore Habitat and Cultural Heritage This project involves weeding, revegetation, and building on previous midden protection works. In addition, educational sessions will be held for scouts and other community members focusing on environmental responsibility and cultural awareness. | $16,340 |
| Hobsons Bay City Council | Bunurong cultural awareness and coastal habitat restoration The project will engage with the Bunurong Land Council to provide community cultural engagement sessions. Fragments of coastal vegetation will be restored including key habitat plants such Tangled Lignum and local providence River Red Gums. | $34,000 |
| Jane Goodall Institute Australia Limited | Mud Island Conservation Project: Jane Goodall Institute Australia Trained youth environmental volunteers and Parks Victoria staff will visit Mud Island to remove the invasive sea spurge before it is able to significantly disrupt seabird nesting sites. | $5,500 |
| La Trobe University | Fish microbiomes: first line of defence against pollution Fish microbiomes form the first line of defence in protecting fish from pollutants and respond rapidly to contamination events. However, our understanding of what affect pollutants have on fish microbiomes is still limited. This project will investigate fish microbiomes and potential impacts of pollutants. | $95,600 |
| McCrae Homestead Coastal Group Inc. | Keeping woody weeds at bay at McCrae In this project, the length of the McCrae foreshore between the Lighthouse and Anthonys Nose will be weeded and revegetated with native plants for dune control. Additionally, invasive sea spurge will be monitored and removed, an increasing issue along McCrae beach. | $24,980 |
| Monash University | Investigating chemical contaminants in stormwater for a healthier bay Working collaboratively with local communities and a water corporation, in this project a water monitoring and sampling program will be set up to gain a better understanding of the sources of nitrogen in stormwater and its impact on the health of the Bay. | $99,619 |
| Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation Ltd | Healing Water Country - Revillaging Project, Boneo - Port Phillip Bay In this project, First Nations principals will be integrated into the design and implementation of the re-creation, realignment and restoration of wetlands on private property’s entering Tootgarook Wetland catchment and Port Phillip Bay. | $100,000 |
| Nepean Conservation Group Inc. | Stewardship of the Bay: conserving the coastal environment - Portsea to Rye Working with the Mornington Peninsula Shire, volunteers and contractors will conduct on-ground coastal bushland management works to remove weeds and improve the overall extent and condition of the area’s natural ecosystems by restoring habitat and replanting. | $24,934 |
| Port Phillip EcoCentre | Beachkeepers of the Bay Port Phillip EcoCentre established the Beachkeepers pilot program in the City of Port Phillip to engage locals in on-ground coastal protection and monitoring. This expanded program will add sites from Altona to Frankston to engage local communities in citizen science and Coastcare activities. | $99,980 |
| Port Phillip EcoCentre | Plastic Free Bay In this project, councils, industry partners and citizen-science community groups will collaborate to detect and prevent plastic pollutants from entering Port Phillip Bay. Generally underreported, microplastics from drain filters, rivers and coastlines will be collected, analysed and compared to prior datasets. | $100,000 |
| RMIT University | Development of an Autonomous Marine Monitoring System for Community Groups The project will build and test an autonomous monitoring system for community groups to remotely monitor the physical and chemical water attributes (such as temperature and salinity) affecting habitats in Port Phillip Bay in real time. | $25,000 |
| Safety Beach Foreshore Landscape Committee Incorporated | Safety Beach Coastal Erosion Mitigation Project Stage 2 This project aims to stabilise the heavily eroded dune bank in the project area, create new habitats and reduce stormwater runoff into Port Phillip Bay through removal of invasive weed species and revegetation. | $14,478 |
| South Melbourne Market, City of Port Phillip | South Melbourne Market Shell Recycling Initiative The Shuck Don't Chuck project sees oyster, mussel and scallop shells from South Melbourne Market recycled in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). TNC will use the shells to rebuild the lost shellfish reefs in Port Phillip Bay, thereby diverting shellfish waste from landfill. | $25,000 |
| Southern Ocean Environmental Link Inc. | Port Phillip Bay Pollution Project The aim of this project is to remove emerging pollutants from Southern Port Phillip Bay using harbour filters. Deakin University citizen scientists will collect data to estimate the distribution of microplastics in the bay, and education experiences will be provided to engage students in citizen science initiatives supporting the Bay's health. | $100,000 |
| Southern Ocean Environmental Link Inc. | Great Southern Reef Camera Network (GSRCN) Development Project The project will introduce AI to aid in monitoring biodiversity. It will create engaging content to raise awareness of the key species and their behavioural traits and develop and launch educational downloads aligned to the Victorian curriculum. | $25,000 |
| The University of Melbourne | Assessing and reducing night-time lighting impacts on marine and coastal animals This project will assess the pervasiveness of artificial light at night along the foreshores and coastal waters of Port Phillip Bay; to monitor the impact of this pollutant on marine and coastal animals; and identify actions for coastal land managers to reduce these impacts. | $95,491 |
| Victorian National Parks Association | Pop-up on-ground Marine Citizen Science This project will address the challenge of inclement weather and poor water quality that frequently hampers in-water on-ground volunteering. | $35,800 |
| Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation in collaboration with Trust for Nature | Working together on the Bellarine Peninsula to make Country good Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation’s (WTOAC’s) NRM Team in partnership with Trust for Nature will carry out on-ground conservation works on Wadawurrung Country on the Bellarine Peninsula. | N/A |
| Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative in collaboration with Deakin University | Wathaurong Building Capacity for Engagement in Seaweed Management on Country Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op supported by Deakin University aims to build capacity within their community to further conserve and share their traditional knowledge of seaweeds, as well as build capacity of Aboriginal community members to participate in the regeneration of cultural knowledge of seaweed for future generations. | N/A |
The 2021-22 Port Phillip Bay Fund Round provided more than $1.7 million in grants to support 25 projects.
Applicant | Project | Grant |
Beach Patrol Australia Inc | Empowering Communities to Reduce Litter Pollution in Port Phillip Bay This project aims to increase local action to reduce plastic pollution and use of innovative litter collection data. Volunteer groups will expand their role in collecting data through the LitterStopper app which feeds into DELWP's Litterwatch. | $25,000 |
Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation in collaboration with Trust For Nature | The Warreen Beek Rangers course is to provide an accredited Certificate III in Conservation & Ecosystem Management for Bunurong and First Nation people. | NA |
Deakin University | Movement Patterns of Port Phillip Bay's Sharks and Rays This project is to investigate the movement ecology and habitat use of sharks and rays species in the Bay via acoustic tracking, collecting information for the safeguarding of future populations. | $100,000 |
Dromana Foreshore Committee of Management | Dromana Marine Coastal Environment Enhancement and Community Engagement Project This project involves weeding of LaTrobe Reserve, Dromana, particularly the major infestations of Vinca major (Periwinkle) in the gully and watercourse areas. Additionally, the Connection to Country program at Dromana Primary School will be expanded. | $15,000 |
Earthcare St Kilda | Establishing a Population Monitoring Program for the St Kilda Penguins This project is to develop a new long-term monitoring program of St Kilda’s iconic little penguin colony, which is less invasive, more accurate and still allows members of the community to volunteer in the program. | $41,790 |
Frankston Beach Association | Fiocchi Ave to Allawah Ave Revegetation Project This project is to restore eroded coastal dune, through weed removal and planting of 5500 species of native coastal dune plants. | $10,550 |
Frankston City Council | Keast Park - Coastal Habitat Improvement and Shoreline Monitoring This project is to protect and increase existing coastal vegetation, while engaging the community through planting days and citizen science shoreline monitoring. | $58,000 |
Friends of the Beleura Cliff Path | Beleura Cliff Path Bottom Section Weed and Plant Under this project, volunteers will continue to re-vegetate the Beleura Cliff Path corridor, clearing weeds and planting indigenous plant seedlings. | $46,550 |
McCrae Homestead Coastal Group Inc | Community Engagement in Marine, Shoreline and Coastal Activities This project aims to deliver a Discovery Day for families in the Port Phillip Bay area. Activities on the day include a shoreline shell survey, teaching marine species identification, and a microplastics audit. | $9,245 |
Parks Victoria | Promoting the Recovery of Lost Kelp Forest in the Bay's Marine Sanctuaries This project is to engage community volunteers and experts from Parks Victoria to increase urchin management and the recovery of kelp forests. | $99,600 |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Activating Secondary Teachers and Students as Bay Care Leaders This project delivers a free professional development course for secondary school geography teachers, building capacity for youth-led environmental volunteering and practical fieldwork in the Port Phillip Bay area. | $24,950 |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | G’day Bay Action day! Bay-care with Multicultural Communities This project is to engage with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) volunteers to care for the Bay. Activities include free bay-care excursions for migrant students, a multicultural bay ambassadors internship program and a nature guide to incorporate biodiversity into English as an Additional Language (EAL) curriculums. | $100,000 |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | PestWatch! All eyes on the Bay This project is to address marine pest management, by building community expertise, increasing volunteer capabilities for pest reporting, removal, and data collection, and by expanding marine pest expertise networks. | $96,626 |
RMIT University | Establishing a Baseline of Bay Condition: Pollutants and Ecological Indicators This project aims to analyse sediment contamination in Port Phillip Bay and then assess the bay’s microbiome composition, to determine if contamination is affecting key microbial processes like nitrogen cycling. This information is critical for managing Bay health. | $62,572 |
Stonnington City Council | Grange Rd Wetlands Sediment and Vegetation Management The project involves removal of sediment build-up and overgrown vegetation at Stonnington’s Grange Road Wetlands. The clean-up will increase the wetlands effectiveness in treating urban stormwater runoff and help keep Port Phillip Bay healthy. | $39,532 |
Swan Bay Environment Association | Enhancing Swan Bay Saltmarsh & Coastal Shrub: Cultural connections This project aims to increase understanding of the ecological and cultural significance of saltmarsh and coastal scrub. | $24,385 |
Threatened Species Conservancy | Holding space for Rakali: Community Gatherings Uniting Arts & Science Nairm/Port Phillip Bay protects an important rakali population. Culturally led by the Indigenous Advisory Group and the Elders in Residence at the Footscray Arts Center, this project will produce a habitat assessment to determine a key site to restore rakali numbers, informed by community surveys. | $99,600 |
Trust For Nature | Coastal Action Support This project aims to increase the quality of the existing coastal reserve by working with private landholders to improve conservation. Activities include pest control and climate change informed revegetation. | $80,000 |
University of Melbourne | Multifunctional Oyster Reef Restoration This project is to restore a modular oyster reef habitat, easing urban shoreline habitat loss, erosion, and flooding, while also providing increased social and cultural value. | $97,188 |
Victorian National Parks Association | Underwater Weeding Expanded This underwater weeding project aims to recruit and train volunteer recreational divers in the removal of Undaria, an introduced algae. | $98,100 |
Wadawurrung Aboriginal Corporation in collaboration with Deakin University | Sea Grass Traditional use with Wadda Wurrung Aboriginal Group Learning about the traditional use of Sea Grass from the Elders and develop teaching materials for young aboriginal students | NA |
Werribee River Keeper | Werribee South Intensive Agriculture Precinct stormwater and runoff monitoring The project will monitor stormwater and agricultural run-off in two locations in Werribee South, to better understand the quality of water entering the Werribee River and Port Phillip Bay. The data will inform long-term evaluation of nature-based interventions in managing run-off. | $100,000 |
Wurundjeri Woi Wurung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Council in collaboration with Melbourne Water | Wurundjeri Immersive Moonee Ponds Creek The Wurundjeri Immersive Trail project at Moonee Ponds Creek aims to collaborate, design and install interactive signs along the trail, showcasing the rich Aboriginal culture of the area through interpretive media such as sounds, video, sculpture and signage. | NA |
Yarra River Keeper | Reducing Microplastics in Melbourne's Rivers and Port Phillip Bay This project is to install 10 microplastic litter traps, with citizen scientists helping to monitor, collect, and document the results. | $99,136 |
The 2021 Port Phillip Bay Fund provided nearly $1 million in grants to support 26 projects.
Applicant | Project Name | Project Summary |
| Balcombe Estuary Reserves Group Mt Martha Inc | Collaborating to Protect Mount Martha's Vulnerable Coast Woodlands (EVC2) | This project aims to increase the habitat and health of Mount Martha foreshore. It will protect and promote biodiversity through weed removal and revegetation. |
| Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management | Habitat Restoration for the future of Bellarine Red-capped Plover Colonies. | This project seeks to protect red-capped plovers. The project will include:
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| Bellarine Catchment Network | Caring For Our Bays: Culturally Connected Communities | Partnering with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, this project is an education program that involves traditional language, perspectives, and values. |
| Capel Sounds Foreshores Committee of Management w/ Capel Sounds Educational Child Care Centre | Children on the Bay: Foreshore Care, Education and Conservation Project | This project brings together five educational providers and community groups. It aims to encourage children's cultural understanding and care of the bay. |
| Deakin University | Protecting cultural heritage and restoring a threatened ecosystem at Point Lillias | This project is in partnership with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, volunteer groups, and other organisations. It will carry out weed surveys and weed control. It aims to protect cultural heritage sites and benefit native biodiversity. |
| Deakin University | Restoration of an urban coastal wetland informed through citizen science research | With citizen scientists from Friends of Truganina Wetland, the Blue Carbon Lab will carry out restoration of Truganina Swamp. This will be based on an initial feasibility assessment. An ongoing volunteer team will monitor Truganina Wetland and Laverton Creek bank. |
| Deakin University | Saltmarsh restoration and monitoring utilising citizen scientists | This project will use low-cost fencing to restore degraded farmland back to saltmarsh. A study will follow where citizen scientists, using remote sensing methods, will help monitor the saltmarsh habitat. |
| Deakin University | Revealing the habits of Port Phillip Bay’s iconic spider crabs | Using citizen science, this project will look at spider crabs in the Bay. Community engagement will grow the public’s role in caring for the Bay. |
| Frankston Beach Association | Fiocchi Ave Foreshore Revegetation Project | This project will restore approximately 3,700m2 of degraded coastal dune through weed removal and revegetation. |
| Hobsons Bay City Council | Calcarenite dune woodland restoration | This project will improve calcarenite dune woodland, coastal sedgeland, saltmarsh and coastal grassland habitat. Activities include weed control and revegetation. |
| Hobsons Bay City Council | Migratory bird protection program | This project will reduce disturbance to migrating birds through improved infrastructure. Revegetation and rehabilitation will improve habitat and reduce coastal erosion. |
| Hobsons Bay City Council | Altona Coastal Park woodland and saltmarsh restoration (Banksia junction) | This project will restore local coastal woodland and dry saltmarsh. It will also direct people away from mudflats, to protect bird feeding areas. |
| McCrae Homestead Coastal Group | Protecting McCrae's Coast Banksia Woodland | This project will remove woody weed species throughout coast banksia woodland at McCrae foreshore. |
| Merri Creek Management Committee inc. | Building up the banks at Brunswick | This project aims to stabilise certain banks of Merri Creek, through revegetation. Community groups and tertiary students will be educated on healthy stream and bay maintenance. |
| Mornington Environment Association w/ Friends of Beleura Cliff Path | Beleura Cliff and Beach: re-vegetation, mycorrhizal fungi, heritage. | This project plans to revegetate the Beleura Cliff and beach with threatened native plants. It will also work with Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation on cultural heritage signage. |
| Mount Eliza Association for Environmental Care w/ Friends of Williams Road Beach Reserve | Further restoration of foreshore and vulnerable bay habitats: ongoing revegetation and education. | This volunteer-led restoration project includes weed removal and midden protection. Education sessions will train scouts in cultural heritage and indigenous habitat protection. |
| Nepean Conservation Group Inc | Stewardship of the Bay: conserving coastal habitat - Portsea to Rye | The Nepean Conservation Group will work with Mornington Peninsula Shire, volunteers, and contractors. They will remove woody weeds, scramblers and other weeds. |
| Port Phillip EcoCentre | Bay Protection: Community Rapid Response Task Force | Northern pacific sea stars are a pest species. This project will establish a network for rapid community responses to outbreaks. It will assess if this method can be scaled for other marine pests. |
| Remember The Wild | Bay country - Bunurong stories of culture, place, and connection | In partnership with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, this project will facilitate Bunurong digital storytelling through short films. |
| Safety Beach Foreshore Landscape Committee Incorporated | Safety Beach Coastal Erosion Mitigation Project | This project aims to stabilise the heavily eroded dune bank. Through weed removal and revegetation, it will help reduce storm impacts and create habitat for native bird nesting. |
| Swan Bay Environment Association | Enhancing Swan Bay saltmarsh and coastal scrub habitats: Phase 1 On-ground works to improve understanding of ecological significance. | This project partners with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre. It will develop an educational garden showing the ecological and cultural significance of salt marsh and coastal scrub. |
| The University Of Melbourne | CoastSnap for Port Philip Bay | This project will let community members take photos on their mobiles across a dozen photo sites. These photos will track the position of the shore daily and show how the shoreline is changing. |
| The University of Melbourne, Geography | Altona Citizen-Science Drones | This project will establish a local citizen-science drone group. Community volunteers will collect data with drones to monitor and understand beach change. |
| Trust for Nature | Warreen Beek Rangers (Year 4) | The Warreen Beek Rangers course provides a Certificate III in Conservation & Land Management for Indigenous Students. The course was designed by Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Wurundjeri Narrap Team. It is delivered by Trust for Nature in partnership with Holmesglen. |
| Victorian National Parks Association | Underwater weeding; removal of invasive kelp (Undaria pinnatifida) by divers | In this project, divers will be trained in identifying and removing wakame to control its presence and reduce its spread. |
| Yarra Riverkeeper Association Inc | Regenerating Burnley Harbour for a Healthy Bay | The project focuses on restoring the area opposite Herring Island in Burnley Harbour. The project will remove rubbish and weeds. It will help stabilise banks through native species plantings. |
27 projects received $0.8 million in funding in 2019-20.
Applicant | Project name |
Balcombe Estuary Reserves Group Mt Martha | Mt Martha North Coastal Headland Restoration 2019-20 |
BeachPatrol Australia | Spring Clean The City 2019 |
Bellarine Catchment (BCN) | Caring For Our Bays - Cultural Connections |
Cardi Creek Kids | Troups Creek 2 |
Conservation Volunteers Australia | Protecting the Point to Protect the Bay |
Conservation Volunteers Australia | Using Natures Assets to Protect the Foreshore |
Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations | Development of a Reading Country Program - Bunurong |
Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations | Development of a Reading Country Program - Wurundjeri |
Fishcare Victoria Inc | Invading the Bay |
Friends of Merri Creek | Sediment Slow Down along the Merri and Edgar's Creeks |
Greening Australia Limited | Restoring resilience to important coastal habitat of Limeburner's Lagoon through community participation |
Lady Forster Kindergarten Inc | Lady Forster Kindergarten: Revegetation to create an 'Outdoor Classroom' |
McCrae Homestead Coastal Group Inc | McCrae and Rosebud Foreshore Restoration |
Mornington Environment Association | Mornington Foreshore Restoration |
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council | Coastal bio infiltration basin to improve stormwater quality to Port Phillip Bay |
Mount Eliza Association for Environmental Care | Ongoing Restoration, Mount Eliza Foreshore |
Nepean Conservation Group | Foreshore for all - Police Point to Rye Foreshore Restoration |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Help Save Sam Seadragon: now with added reach |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | School Sustainability Festival - Bay Leaders program |
Rotary Club of Drysdale Inc | Litter management on the Northern Bellarine |
Rye Community House | #2 Minute Beach Clean Boards - Rye |
Tangaroa Blue Foundation | Let's Strain the Drains |
Victorian Fisheries Authority | Port Phillip Bay’s Spider Crab Aggregations – Natural and Social Values |
WhiteCliffs to Camerons Bight Foreshore Reserve Committee of Management | Stormwater Outfall Remediation Project |
WhiteCliffs to Camerons Bight Foreshore Reserve Committee of Management | Reducing Polluted Stormwater runoff from Blairgowrie, Flinders & WhiteCliffs |
Wyndham City Council | Cleaning Werribee River |
Yarra Riverkeeper Association | Styrofoam Pollution; Sources and Solutions |
39 projects received $4 million in funding in 2017-18.
Applicant | Project name |
A.W.A.R.E (Australian Wildlife Assistance, Rescue and Education) Inc | Waste, Wildlife & Our Waterways |
Australian Marine Mammal Conservation Foundation | Bin Not Bay: Education and Community Outreach Programs to Inspire and Empower Bay Health Stewardship |
Balcombe Estuary Reserves Group, Mt Martha | Community & Berg Mt Martha Together - Protection, Rehabilitation and Restoration of Coastal Habitat |
Bellarine Catchment Network | Caring for our Bays - Connecting Community and Business to the Bay |
BirdLife Australia | Avalon Coastal Reserve: Restoring a Forgotten Gem in Port Phillip Bay |
Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation | Indigenous Sea Rangers and Local Government delivering Bay Health objectives |
Cardi Creek Kids | Cardi Creek Kids: Creek to Coast |
Centre for Aquatic Pollution Identification and Management, The University of Melbourne | The Litter Trackers: Reducing Littering by Education |
Community Weed Alliance of the Dandenongs Inc | Monbulk Creek Community Neighborhood Program |
Conservation Volunteers Australia | Community Led Foreshore Enhancement |
Environment Protection Authority | Swimsafe: Citizen science and sensors to protect bay beaches |
Fishcare Victoria Inc | Litter Warriors - Protecting our Bay |
Frankston Beach Association Inc | Frankston Beach Association Gould Street/ Beach Street and Gould Street/Palm Court Dune Revegetation Project |
Friends of Beware Reef Marine Sanctuary | Discover Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park |
Friends of Greenwich Bay | Our Coastline on Melbourne's doorstep |
Friends of Westgate Park Inc | Planting and collecting litter along Yarra close to the Bay using community volunteers |
Geelong Sustainability Group Inc | Connecting your Bay: using creative media to inspire, empower and motivate |
Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care | Jawbone Marine Sanctuary seagrass ecosystem inventory |
Mornington Peninsula Shire | Friends, working together to improve the bay |
Mother of God Primary School | The Schools Caring for the Bay Project |
OzFish Unlimited | Bay Vision: Recreational fishers restoring the Bay's fish habitats |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Leading the way to protect the Bay: Nerm events for Students and Teachers 14 |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Global Melbourne: Empowering diverse residents and visitors to protect our Bay |
PrimeSCI!, Swinburne University of Technology | Healthy Rivers, Healthy Bay |
Reef Life Survey Inc | Beneath the Bay |
Remember The Wild | Connected to Port Phillip Initiative: Bringing People and the Bay Together |
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology | The Plastics Lab: Establishing a free plastics identification facility for Port Philip community groups |
School of Geography, The University of Melbourne | Citizen-Science Drones for Bayside Beach Habitat |
St Aloysius Primary School | Inspiring Young Marine Science Experts - Stewards of Swan Bay |
Tangaroa Blue Foundation | Engaging community, industry and government to reduce plastic resin pellets flowing into Port Phillip Bay |
The Nature Conservancy | OysterWatch - Enabling the community to engage in shellfish reef restoration |
The Scout Association of Australia Victorian Branch | Street to Bay - Litter Survey of Port Phillip Bay Catchment |
Victorian National Parks Association | Broadening and deepening engagement and learning in Port Phillip Bay |
Werribee River Association | Litterblitz - raising awareness, partnerships and volunteerism to combat the threat of litter to the bay |
Werribee River Association | Bridging troubled waters - linking community groups with pollution tracking technology |
White Cliffs to Camerons Bight Foreshore Reserve Committee of Management Inc | Tyrone Foreshore Camping Ground Drainage Upgrade |
Wurundjeri Land & Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Aboriginal Corporation | Western Waterways of the Wurundjeri |
Yarra Riverkeeper Association | Lower Yarra Reed Bed Blitz Clean |
Yarra Riverkeeper Association | The Yarra Catchment Atlas |
34 projects received $3.4 million in funding in the 2016-17 Round.
Note: Three approved applicants did not proceed with their project from the original announcement.
Applicant | Project Name |
1st/14th Brighton Sea Scouts Venturer Unit | Scout cleanup and audits of beaches for micro-plastics and erosion |
A.W.A.R.E (Australian Wildlife Assistance, Rescue and Education) Inc. | Waste, Wildlife & Our Waterways |
Balcombe Estuary Reserves Group Mt Martha | Better Bay Water Quality - Balcombe Estuary Riparian Restoration & Improvement, Mt Martha |
Balliang Food and Fibre Group | Optimising fertiliser application rates to reduce excess nutrient runoff into the Bay |
BeachPatrol Australia | Help Save Sam Seadragon |
Bellarine Catchment Network | Caring For Our Bays Phase 2 |
Black Rock Pre School | Black Rock Pre School Beach Kinde |
Conservation Volunteers Australia | RAMSAR Wetland Connectivity and Bay Health Protection through Community Action |
Darebin Creek Manaegment Committee | Love Your Creek - Love Your Bay |
Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning | Melbourne’s Multicultural Coastcare / Landcare Team - a first for Victoria |
Dolphin Research Institute | Coastal Ambassadors Working for a Healthy and Valued Port Phillip Bay |
Farming Moorabool | Teaching materials on how farmers are protecting the Bay through environmental stewardship |
Frankston City Council | Bay Friendly Businesses |
Friends of Beleura Cliff Path | Restore indigenous vegetation on Beleura Cliff Path |
Friends of Merri Creek | Rapid response to litter cleanups after high rainfall |
Friends of the Hooded Plover (Mornington Peninsula) Inc | Protective fencing to protect Hooded Plover habitat nests and chicks |
Friends of Westgate Park Inc | Community enhancing Westgate Park's wetlands to improve health of Port Phillip Bay |
Loci Environment & Place Inc | Our Future City: 'Linking By Design' Competition |
Love Our Street | Love Our Street, Creek and Bay - litter reduction program |
Melbourne Water | Community Based Litter Action |
Melbourne Water | Reducing litter and sediment, and raising awareness in the Tanti Creek catchment |
Mornington Peninsula Shire | Restoring Coast Banksia Woodland, across the Mornington Peninsula |
Mornington Peninsula Shire | Upgrading Beach Drainage Outlets |
Mt. Eliza Association for Environmental Care (MEAFEC) w/ Friends of Williams Road Beach | Furthering health of foreshore and vulnerable bay habitats: ongoing revegetation and education |
National Centre for Coasts and Climate, The University of Melbourne | Restoring healthy ecosystems on subtidal reefs: an integrated approach |
National Centre for Coasts and Climate, The University of Melbourne | Managing nitrogen loads in Port Phillip Bay: towards better water quality |
National Centre for Coasts and Climate, The University of Melbourne | From grey to green: nature-based solutions for coastal protection |
Port Phillip EcoCentre | Clean Bay Blueprint: litter evidence, pro-active education and collaboration |
Port Phillip EcoCentre w/ Werribee Riverkeeper | Living Water Workbees: private/public co-creation of weather-resilient Bay and catchment |
St Columba's Primary School | St Columba's: Operation STEAM Clean the Bay (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Maths) |
Tangaroa Blue Foundation | Working together to target the source of marine debris & litter |
Victorian National Parks Association | Strengthening ReefWatch - communities monitoring the health of Port Phillip Bay |
Yarra Ranges Council | River to the Bay, Creating Healthy Waterways |
Yarra Riverkeeper Association | Litter and flows - connecting the Yarra and the Bay |
2021-2024 Port Phillip Bay Fund Targeted Marine Projects
The Port Phillip Bay Fund helped to deliver priority actions identified in the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan. The Targeted Marine Projects address knowledge gaps and underpin the science and evidence base for the health of the bay.
Outcomes of these projects can be found in the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan annual reporting or links below:
2024-27
Organisation | Project Name |
Parks Victoria | Avalon Coastal Restoration Project |
2022-24
Organisation | Project Name |
Fathom Pacific |
2021-23
Organisation | Project Name |
Deakin University | |
Australian Marine Mammal Conservation Foundation | Port Phillip Bay Dolphin Census, Movement and Habitat Range |
Melbourne Water | Strategic Management Prospects for Port Phillip Bay |
Infographics – an overview of the Port Phillip Bay Fund
Creating a healthier, better bay
How the Port Phillip Bay Fund is enhancing the environmental health of the Bay
Progress update: Delivering the Port Phillip Bay Fund 2016-24
Supporting stronger shores: The Port Phillip Bay Fund helped communities, Traditional Owner groups and other organisations rehabilitate Port Phillip Bay coastlines.
$17.1 million grants and targeted investment
$26 million contributed by grant recipients towards their funded projects
215 projects received grants
How Victorians are protecting and enhancing our Bay
- 138,330 Indigenous plants planted
- 267 ha threatened habitat restored
- 1,190 ha area of weed removed
- 180 tonne litter removed from the bay
- 35,570 volunteers for the Bay
- 228 schools engaged
- 310 new partnerships