Introduction
The Barwon Coast Committee of Management is the preferred committee of management for this report. Founded in 1995, the Barwon Coast Committee of Management is in charge of managing coastal reserves between Collendina and the west end of Thirteenth Beach Blue Rock.
The Committee is responsible for the following:
- Protection of natural resources
- Natural resource development
- Accommodation operation
- Tourism, recreation and education
- Commercial lease and licences
- Port operations
(Barwon Coast Coastal Management Plan 2013/14 to 2015/16)
As noted earlier, the Committee manages the 13 km stretch located between Collendina and west end of Thirteen Beach Blue Rock. The Committee controls a wide estuary system, flimsy dunes and long beaches of the landscape that covers coastal Moonah woodlands and wetlands with important environmental and conservation values (Barwon coast coastal management plan 2013/14 to 2015/16, 2012. p. 3).
The Committee Structure
The Barwon Coast Committee of Management is made up of 11 members appointed based on their skills and expertise of the local area. The Committee has a magistrate, a Park Victoria Marine Park specialist, business management staff, a lawyer and local community members (M GlynnPers. Comm., 30-9-2013). The Minister for Environment and Climate Change appoints all members through an openly advertised process that requests for expression of interest from the local community. Members of the Committee and their roles include the following:
- Mark Edmonds BA GAICD – Chair
- Danny Keating – Specialist Local Government Consultant
- Mark Rodrigue – Barwon Heads Resident, he has a passion for marine and coastal environments at both personal and professional levels
- John Lesser – a magistrate with a professional background in law and education
- Warren Chapman – Manager Natural Resource Planning
- John Henderson – Manager Coastal Operations
- Cynthia Potter – Administration Coordinator
- Jon Paskas and Trina Kerans – Barwon Heads, Caravan Park Managers
- Dallas and Lisa Sheedy – Riverview Family Caravan Park Managers
- Maddie Glynn – Manager Community Liaison and Education
- Kevin Johnson – Project Manager
(Barwon Coast Coastal Management Plan 2013/14 to 2015/16)
Management
The Committee manages three camping parks, namely the Barwon Heads Caravan Parks, the Riverview family Caravan Park and Riverside Camping Ground, which offers additional sites to lodge more campers during peak summers. Further, the Committee also runs a small local port away from Barwon Heads. It oversees navigation activities and mooring (Barwon Coast Coastal Management Plan 2013/14 to 2015/16).
The Barwon Coast Committee of Management supervises both the High water mark (HWM) and Low water mark (LWM) (see figure 1). There is HWM in the location between 22w and 26w (refer to the map) while the area between 13w westward and 27w is controlled as LWM (see figure 1). Generally, managing boundaries is multifaceted task and the Committee is aiming to manage Low water mark too (M GlynnPers. Comm., 30-9-2013).
As noted earlier, the Committee is made up of many members with various skills and expertise. The Barwon Coast Coastal Management Plan got approval from the community, a review by the Local Government and content approval by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change on April 2013 before its completion (Barwon Coast Coastal Management Plan 2013/14 to 2015/16).
Facilities
The Committee offers a wide range of diverse facilities to visitors, including:
- Camp ground
- Powered sites
- Public restrooms
- Change room and showers
- Boat ramp
- Wheelchair access ramp to Ocean Grove beach
- Café
- Walking and cycling path
The three camping and caravan parks also offer additional services. Moreover, there are other recreational facilities for tennis and basketball, large sport oval and cycling path (note: there are no visitation data available).
The Committee has developed a three-year coastal management plan. The plan was prepared after receiving inputs from the public and later approved by the Minister. The plan accounts for natural resources management, accommodation and financial plans. In addition, it also contains Safety and Environment Management Plan that was prepared in the year 2005 to show critical safety and environmental risks and controls based on the facilities on the sites.
Financial Records
The Committee retains all incomes received from caravan parks and campgrounds. Such revenues act as incomes for management of coastal lines. This is protected under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 (M GlynnPers. Comm., 30-9-2013).
The projects included in the last financial year were:
- Installation of eight new cabins at the entrance to the caravan park
- Construction of a new beach house and a new boat house
- Installation of ten new cabins on either side of 21st and 22nd avenues
- Construction of stairs across the face of the Barwon Heads bluff at a cost of $100,000
- Upgrading of the current storm water management system to offer supplementary underground water storage during peak rains
- New pathways around the car park