Port Phillip Bay is one of Victoria’s most precious natural assets. It is amongst Melbourne’s most important ecosystems with many plant and animal species living in the Bay. Port Phillip Bay also supports:
- recreational fishing and tourism
- one of Australia's busiest ports
- over 4.5 million people living and working in the area.
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
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.
2021-22 Port Phillip Bay Fund
The 2021-22 Port Phillip Bay Fund Round provided more than $1.7 million in grants to support 25 projects.
Applicants | Project | Grants |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Dromana Foreshore CoM Inc | 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Yarra River Keeper | Reducing microplastics in Melbourne's rivers and The 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation in collaboration with Trust For Nature | a) The Warreen Beek Rangers course is to provide an accredited Certificate III in Conservation & Ecosystem Management for Bunurong and First Nation people. | NA |
Wadda Wurung 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 |
Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council | Awakening Port Phillip Bay a) Policy - cultural indicators to inform the regeneration of Nairm/Port Phillip Bay | NA |
2020-21 Port Phillip Bay Fund
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. |
2016-2020 Port Phillip Bay Fund
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.
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 |
Note: Three approved applicants did not proceed with their project from the original announcement.
