Staying safe - coastal cliffs
A significant cliff fall occurred between Bells Beach and Point Addis on 22 February 2025. We urge the community to stay mindful of cliff and cave safety, as further falls may occur in the area and at other unstable cliffs.
Safety guidelines:
- Avoid cliffs and caves: stay a safe distance away from these natural features, especially in areas with recent cliff activity, to avoid rockfalls.
- Stick to marked paths: follow designated trails that are designed to keep you away from unstable cliff edges.
- Pay attention to signs: always read and follow posted safety signs, which highlight potential hazards and guide safe choices.
- Spread the word: share these safety tips with others to ensure everyone stays informed and safe.
The recent fall highlights the risks of cliffs. By following these simple guidelines, we can all help create a safe environment for visitors.
A recent cliff fall between Bells Beach and Point Addis.
Bay St Brighton Seawall repairs complete
Great news for Brighton! The Bay St Seawall works have been successfully completed, strengthening this vital coastal asset for the community.
The Port Phillip Region Land and Built Environment and the Coastal Protection and Asset Management teams worked together to deliver these essential DEECA funded repairs.
The project has fixed defects along the masonry seawall. This has reduced its risk rating and improved its overall condition. By restoring the wall’s strength and functionality, we’ve helped mitigate future coastal hazards and ensured continued protection of the Bay Trail for years to come.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in safeguarding our coastline!
The Bay St Seawall in Brighton.
Catch the Wave: Coastkit news on the horizon!
We are delighted to announce that the CoastKit newsletter is on its way!
CoastKit is Victoria’s premier marine interactive web-mapping portal. It is designed to provide comprehensive marine and coastal data to managers, researchers, consultants, and the community.
The upcoming newsletter will keep you informed about the latest updates, features and resources for marine and coastal management.
CoastKit offers a wealth of spatial information, including mapped layers, video imagery, graphing capabilities, and decision-support tools.
CoastKit can be found at www.marineandcoasts.vic.gov.au/marine-and-coastal-knowledge/coastkit. Users can explore and overlay maps, identify features, generate reports, and create printable maps and images. The portal is continuously updated with the best available information, ensuring standardised data classification for collection, reporting, monitoring, assessment, and evaluation.
One of CoastKit’s standout features is the Feature Activity Sensitivity Tool (FeAST). FeAST allows users to perform first-pass environmental risk assessments for proposed developments or activities. The portal also includes Coastal Erosion Indicators developed by the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program, helping coastal management, policy, and planning.
The CoastKit newsletter will keep you up to date with the latest news, updates, and insights into Victoria’s marine and coastal environments. Don’t miss out – sign up now and be the first to receive the latest CoastKit news!
Coastcare Victoria's 'Coastline'
Welcome Henry!
Henry has joined the Coastcare Victoria team until 2 April 2025. He brings a deep passion for caring for marine and coastal environments and believes there are many ways to create positive change.
‘From simply being more mindful to actively participating in environmental restoration projects, there are countless opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to engage meaningfully with our coastal landscapes,’ Henry says.
‘I'm excited to be part of a team committed to fostering these connections – whether through conversations about how our coasts are changing or by encouraging involvement in local Coastcare Victoria groups. Strong community engagement is fundamental to building thriving coastal communities and achieving lasting environmental outcomes.’
If you can guess where Henry took these photos, reach out to him at henry.kisby@deeca.vic.gov.au to find out if you have the correct location! 🌊📸
Henry in the water at mystery location.
A rocky beach with blue water and blue sky. Where could this be?
Summer By The Sea ‘Beach Discovery Walk’ at Point Cook
Written by Shar K’Pru, Coastcare Victoria’s summer intern
The Beach Discovery Walk was an event organised by The Werribee River Association. It was held on 9 January 2025 at the Point Cook Coastal Park, where Charlotte, the event leader, greeted us all. A total of 10 participants attended the walk, which included me and Lindy, Coastcare Victoria’s Program Manager.
The walk began with an explanation about the geography surrounding the beach and the history of the coastal park. There were wetlands in the north where hundreds of migratory birds came to rest, a Salt Lake behind the beach and a marine sanctuary down the coast, perfect for snorkelling. Along the way to the beach, we learnt about how the Traditional Custodians, the Bunurong people, lived with the land and utilised local resources.
On the beach, we discovered different species of seaweed such as the Broadleaf Sea Lettuce and the velvet horn seaweed. We found many moon snail eggs along the beach which looked like small jelly sausages. The children were fascinated by the wildlife on the coast and gave Charlotte many shells, rocks and seaweeds for her to explain to the group. Some highlight finds were the globe fish carcass, the invasive pacific sea star and the fully intact jelly fish.
Quote from participant:
‘Was really fun and educational. Thanks Charlotte and team.’
Participants following event leader, Charlotte, to the shoreline at Point Cook.
Charlotte and participants viewing and learning about seaweed.
Summer By The Sea at Sea Days Festival on Bunurong Country
On a beautiful sunny weekend (4 to 5 January 2025), the historic Old Ferry Terminal Building at the end of the Port Welshpool Jetty on Bunurong Country was home to the annual Sea Days Festival.
For its 21st year, the festival had a range of activities for the local community and visitors, including meet-and-greets with reptiles, touch-tanks with sea stars, face painting, fishing lessons, and stalls from Prom Coast Eco Link, Victorian Fisheries Authority and more.
Coastcare Victoria showcased its engagement trailer, offering young people the chance to colour-in marine mammals, search and identify local shells with an aquascope, learn about marine debris and sustainable alternatives to plastic, and inspect Port Jackson shark eggs under the microscope!
It was a great opportunity for the hundreds of festival-goers to learn about their local environmental volunteering opportunities along the coastline, and increase their coastal knowledge and behaviour-changes to care for the beach and ocean. A big thank you to the Port Welshpool Working Group who organised the event.
The Coastcare Victoria trailer at Sea Days Festival on Bunurong Country.
Coastcare Victoria Community Grants now closed
The 2025 Coastcare Victoria Community Grants round closed on 17 February 2025. We thank all applicants for their time and effort in applying. We’ll be working behind the scenes assessing applications and look forward to notifying successful applicants in June 2025.
Thank you for your Coastcare Victoria Community Grants applications!
Stay updated
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There’s lots of information on our Marine and Coasts website if you’d like to know more about DEECA’s work in protecting and enhancing Victoria’s coastline and its waters.
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Page last updated: 17/03/25