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Distinctive Areas & Landscapes

The Victorian Distinctive Areas and Landscapes program aims to engage schools and the community in protection of the environmentally and culturally significant spaces ‘at their front door’. Funded by the Victorian Government’s Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Capital Grants Program, Kids Teaching Kids is working with local environmental stakeholders to provide teachers and students with immersive teaching and learning opportunities in four distinct areas: Macedon Ranges, Bass Coast, Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula.

Victoria's four key Distinctive Areas and Landscapes

Macedon Ranges

From native grasslands to Hanging Rock and Lerderderg Gorge, the Macedon ranges landscape is home to a variety of endangered plants and animals such as the Black Gum, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Powerful Owl and the Great Glider. Traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri peoples, this area faces challenges from increasing global temperatures in the form of bush fires and clean, plentiful water supply from the Campaspe Catchment area. Some of the key environmental focuses for a sustainable future in the Macedon region include:

  • Reservoir management
  • Urban cooling and innovative urban planning
  • Reducing fire risks
  • Establishing native animal biolinks

Bass Coast

The Bass Coast DAL is representative of almost every habitat found in Victoria – coastal woodlands and shorelines; Ramsar listed wetlands; Bass Hills hinterland; Phillip Island Marine Park; river catchments and heathlands. Traditional home of the Bunurong people, this landscape hosts the annual migration of some of the world’s most critically endangered shorebirds such as the Eastern Curlew as well as a host of other native birds and animals. Some of the key environmental focuses for a sustainable future in the Bass Coast region include:

  • Rehabilitating the ‘mineral sands extract’ sites
  • Rising sea levels impacting coastlines
  • Agricultural run-off affecting wetland health
  • Movement away from coal fired energy

Surf Coast

Home to one of Victoria’s most iconic tourist destinations, the Great Ocean Road, the Surf Coast is probably best known for its rugged coastal habitats. In fact, the Surf Coast DAL extends from the Mt Duneed volcanic plain, through coastal woodland and marshes to the marine parks and surf beaches at Point Addis and Bells Beach. It is part of the traditional home of the Waddawurung people. Small endangered marsupials like the Broad-toothed rat, Swamp Antechinus and the New Holland Mouse are endemic to this area where rapid urban expansion continues to place pressure on local natural resources. Some of the key environmental focuses for a sustainable future in the Surf Coast region include:

  • Invasive pest control
  • Coastal erosion
  • Fire readiness
  • Rising salinity

Bellarine Peninsula

The Bellarine Peninsula DAL coastal region extends from the sensitive migratory bird habitat at Point Henry to the important breeding estuaries of Swan Bay and Barwon Heads, through to Port Phillip Bay and the ‘rip’. It includes Ramsar listed wetlands, coastal Moonah woodlands, basalt plains and patches of remnant native bush. The Bellarine makes up a small part of the traditional lands of the Wadawurung Traditional Owners. The Bellarine Yellow Gum is a unique feature of the local flora, whilst small populations of Orange-bellied Parrots and Hooded Plovers continue to draw avid bird watchers and conservationists to the area. Some of the key environmental focuses for a sustainable future in the Bellarine region include:

  • Effects of dredging, sea walls and harbours on marine habitats
  • Impacts of storm water run-off on estuaries
  • Ocean acidification
  • Introduced marine pest

Get involved

If your school falls within these four areas and you would like to be involved, please contact:

Michelle Tripp, Head of Education
PH: (03) 9016 7590
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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