Southern Otway Landcare Network

03/09/2026

Counting the days, hours and seconds for this workshop!

📆Sunday 13th September
⏰ 9am – 12pm

Together, we’ll take a closer look at how plant and flower parts are arranged, with a view to understanding features that are important in identification. Participants will be invited to make notes and draw what they see (artistic talent useful but not required).

🌼 About Ian: Author and illustrator of both Name That Flower and Name Those Grasses, Ian Clarke has worked in a range of technical roles, including with the Forests Commission of Victoria and the Botany Department at the University of Melbourne. He was also employed for many years in the plant identification service at the National Herbarium of Victoria.

Come along and see plants in a whole new way!

Please register: Find the event on the Marrar Woorn or SOLN website, use the link in our Instagram bio, or email Nicole at [email protected]

💌

01/09/2026

Join Otway Bird Observers to learn more about the unfolding H5N1 bird flu situation and what we can do to help.

Presented by BirdLife Australia’s Tanya Loos, this session will cover information about avian influenza, what we can expect to see, what we can do to help and how we can support ourselves and our community through this.

There will be a chance to ask questions at the end.

Tanya will present online but please join us in person at Marrar Woorn to watch together and share a cuppa afterwards.

When: September 2nd, 6.30-7.30pm
Where: Online or at Marrar Woorn (front rooms)
Marrar Woorn Neighborhood House, 6 Pengilley Ave, Apollo Bay.
Online link: https://meet.google.com/oma-gaco-orv

28/08/2026

📅 This coming Thursday!
🕒 10:30am – 1:30pm
📍 Shrub Club Community Nursery, end of Piggery Lane, Apollo Bay

David has been mentoring, teaching, and running workshops for most of his 40+ years as a professional photographer, and is an accredited judge in Australia and overseas.

Now essentially retired and living in Johanna, he focuses on his fine art work, mainly inspired by the natural world. He often creates images he refers to as “Natural Abstractions”, and continues to run workshop retreats along the Great Ocean Road.

At the heart of all David’s teaching are two essential tenets:
One: we can all be creative with the right support.
Two: we learn best when doing something new.

Whatever your equipment, from a phone camera to a DSLR, it’s how you see that makes for an interesting, beautiful, and creative image. By learning to see with new eyes, shifting your self-talk, and by doing (making pictures), then looking at and sharing your images with David’s supportive critique, you’ll learn how to make your images better – for you and for those you share them with.

We look forward to you joining us, wherever you are on your photography journey.

To register, you can:

- Head to the link in our bio
- Find the event on the Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House page
- Email Nicole at [email protected]

Cooperation between Landcare and Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House.

27/08/2026

25/08/2026

MTG Day 8!

Our final day of the Southern Otways Master TreeGrowers course was a wonderful way to finish eight days of learning, inspiration and connection.

We started the day at Forest Timber Products (the Birregurra Mill), with a tour of their operations and an insight into the journey from tree to timber.

Then it was off to Birregurra Grocer - Licensed Cafe & Larder for a delicious lunch before our final session with Rowan Reid, exploring the economics of growing timber - and, of course, our Master TreeGrowers graduation ceremony!

We wrapped up the course at the enviable gardens of Brae, where head gardener Jo Lawson took us on a tour of the kitchen garden, orchard and citrus grove. A beautiful setting for the final afternoon of the course and a chance to see how thoughtful tree growing and productive landscapes can come together.

A huge thank you to Birregurra Mill / Forest Timber Products, Amanda at Birre Grocer for keeping us so well fed, and Jules and Jo at Brae for so generously hosting us and sharing their incredible gardens with us.

This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

20/08/2026

Come along and be part of a community effort to care for the Barham River.

This planting day is part of Building a Resilient Barham (BaRB), a long-term project led by Barwon Water to improve water quality and strengthen the resilience of the catchment that supplies Apollo Bay, Marengo and Skenes Creek.

By getting involved, you’ll help to improve water quality and minimise contamination,
reduce erosion and fire risk, support healthier farms and create diverse habitat for plants and animals.

🗓 Sunday 23 August
⏰ 10am – 1pm
📍 Meet at the Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve, where a bus will transport participants to and from the planting site.
🍎 Morning tea provided

Please bring:
• Raincoat or jumper, and a hat or beanie
• Gloves
• Water bottle
• Long pants
• Sturdy shoes or gumboots
• A fresh pair of clothes

The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority’s Waterwatch team will also host a
macroinvertebrate station, where you can discover the fascinating waterbugs that help tell us
about river health.

To find out more about BaRB or register for the planting day, please head to the link in bio or
email [email protected].

Please register by Wednesday 💌 20 August.

We’d love to see you there!

18/08/2026

A Community Meeting regarding H5N1 (avian flu) will be held at the Apollo Bay Bowls Club, TOMORROW Wednesday 19 August from 5.30pm until 7pm.

This meeting will be livestreamed via Council's page, and the recording will be published on Council's website on Friday.

Representatives from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) and Colac Otway Shire Council will be in attendance.

Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

Apollo Bay Chamber of Commerce Apollo Bay Radio

18/08/2026

POSTPONED

The Colac Otway Shire is hosting a snap community meeting on H5N1 this Wednesday, 19 August. Given the overlap, Otway Bird Observers is postponing our BirdLife webinar to Wednesday, 2 September, 6:30–7:30pm.

We encourage everyone to attend the Council meeting for local, on-the-ground information about H5N1 in Apollo Bay, then join us and BirdLife on 2 September for further information, questions and a chance to connect as a community.

Colac Otway Shire Community Meeting
📅 Wednesday 19 August, 5:30–7pm
📍 Apollo Bay Bowls Club

Otway Bird Observers + BirdLife Webinar
📅 Wednesday 2 September, 6:30–7:30pm
📍 Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House
💻 Online: link in profile

We apologise for the short notice and any inconvenience, and hope to see you at one or both sessions.

17/08/2026

Come along and be part of a community effort to care for the Barham River.

This planting day is part of Building a Resilient Barham (BaRB), a long-term project led by Barwon Water to improve water quality and strengthen the resilience of the catchment that supplies Apollo Bay, Marengo and Skenes Creek.

By getting involved, you’ll help to improve water quality and minimise contamination,
reduce erosion and fire risk, support healthier farms and create diverse habitat for plants and animals.

🗓 Sunday 23 August
⏰ 10am – 1pm
📍 Meet at the Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve, where a bus will transport participants to and from the planting site.
🍎 Morning tea provided

Please bring:
• Raincoat or jumper, and a hat or beanie
• Gloves
• Water bottle
• Long pants
• Sturdy shoes or gumboots
• A fresh pair of clothes

The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority’s Waterwatch team will also host a
macroinvertebrate station, where you can discover the fascinating waterbugs that help tell us
about river health.

To find out more about BaRB or register for the planting day, please head to the link in bio or
email [email protected].

Please register by Wednesday 💌 19 August.

We’d love to see you there!

17/08/2026

Earlier this year, you shared your dreams for the Barham with us through the Reimagining the Barham community exhibition.

Now it’s time to turn those visions into action.

The Barham is more than just a river. It’s our drinking water, our backyard, and home to the plants and animals that make our part of the world so special.

Join us this Sunday to start restoring the Barham — planting trees, protecting our water, and creating a healthier future for the place we all call home.

🗓 Sunday 23 August
⏰ 10am – 1pm
📍 Meet at the Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve, where a bus will transport participants to and from the planting site.
🍎 Morning tea provided

Please bring:
• Raincoat or jumper, and a hat or beanie
• Gloves
• Water bottle
• Long pants
• Sturdy shoes or gumboots
• A fresh pair of clothes

The Waterwatch team will also be there with a waterbug station, where you can discover the tiny creatures that help us understand river health.

To find out more about BaRB or register for the planting day, please head to the link in bio or email [email protected].

Please register by Wednesday 💌 19 August.

We’d love to see you there!