Coastcare week is here! To celebrate, this week we will be spotlighting the incredible work Coastcare groups across Australia.
The Saltbush Line Community-Led Coastal Restoration in Action in Tasmania
Along Tasmania’s southern beaches, volunteers with Southern Beaches Landcare Coastcare (SBLC) are transforming 300 metres of degraded foreshore into thriving coastal habitat through The Saltbush Line – a community-led restoration project centred on native salt-tolerant species like Atriplex cinerea (Grey Saltbush).
Through hands-on planting, propagation, ecological monitoring, creative signage and shared storytelling, locals are rebuilding dune stability, boosting biodiversity, and strengthening climate resilience along this vulnerable shoreline.
The Saltbush Line blends science, community and creativity – and in 2026, SBLC will launch a new public program honouring Indigenous knowledge through practical workshops and place-based learning.
This project is jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Tasmanian Government through the Drought Resilience Program. It’s designed as a scalable model, one that can be adapted by other communities facing similar challenges across coastal peri-urban landscapes.
Bushlink and Deutsche Bank volunteers’ big day of coastal care in Sydney
Twenty enthusiastic volunteers from Deutsche Bank swapped city life for sea air, rolling up their sleeves for a big day of coastal care close to Sydney.
Together with the incredible team from Bushlink – who provide meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities – they tackled invasive weeds, collected litter, and planted native species to strengthen local dune ecosystems.
Their effort supports the restoration of Long Reef headland, a unique coastal environment home to wetlands, grasslands, littoral rainforest, and more than 49 bird species listed as threatened or protected under international migratory agreements. Restoring dune vegetation and reducing litter helps protect habitat for fairy wrens, migratory shorebirds, Jacky Lizards, frogs and other wildlife that call this spectacular headland home.
Port Augusta Coastcare in South Australia
Port Augusta Coastcare is an inspiring example of community-led environmental action. This dedicated volunteer group works year-round to protect and enhance the region’s marine and foreshore environments through education, partnerships and hands-on stewardship.
Over the past year, the volunteers have delivered free community events with leading marine experts and guest speakers and hosted a screening of the White Rock documentary. They also secured a SA Arid Lands Grassroots Grant to bring the Marine Discovery Centre to Port Augusta for local children in 2026. The volunteers also run beach clean-ups, with their next one coming up on 7 December for Coastcare Week!
Last year, the group gifted Coastcare-themed books to every local primary school – helping start conversations with young people about caring for our coasts.
Mona Vale Dunes Bushcare volunteers protecting the coastline in NSW
With views to die for and legendary morning teas, it’s no wonder volunteers show up twice a month to care for this beautiful stretch of coastline in NSW.
Mona Vale’s dunes aren’t just stunning, they’re ancient, dynamic, and absolutely essential. These vegetated dunes protect homes, provide habitat for local wildlife (hello Willie Wagtails and Eastern Whipbirds), and help beaches bounce back after big storms.
From tackling weeds to planting native plants, the volunteers are keeping the dunes healthy and thriving.
Sandy Point Community Group managing the Banksia Woodland Project in Victoria
Sandy Point is home to one of the last remaining coast banksia woodlands in the South Gippsland region – a precious habitat now thriving thanks to the incredible efforts of the Sandy Point Community Group.
With support from a Coastcare Victoria Community Grant, volunteers have spent the past year restoring more than 10 hectares across three sites. Their work includes tackling invasive Dolichos Pea and planting over 280 native species, including the much-loved Manna Gum (a koala favourite!). Local schools even joined in to plant tubestock and learn about this special ecosystem.
To grow community awareness, the group also created two local guides – “Local Plants for Local Gardens” and “Environmental Weeds of Sandy Point and Surrounds” – plus an online field guide featuring 104 local indigenous plants.
Landcare Australia supports Coastcare groups nationwide, helping volunteers protect and restore Australia’s coasts and natural habitats.
Victoria’s Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group protecting and enhancing the habitat of the endangered Swamp Stink
Meet one of our most charismatic coastal residents – the endangered Swamp Skink! This sun-loving reptile thrives in swampy coastal habitats, but in Inverloch, its survival is under pressure from habitat fragmentation.
That’s where the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group stepped in. With support from a Coastcare Victoria Community Grant, volunteers launched a major habitat restoration effort.
Together with the South Gippsland Conservation Society, around 30 volunteers planted more than 800 indigenous plants and undertook targeted weed control to protect and expand Swamp Skink habitat.
To boost local awareness, the group delivered a community education session, shared a new information brochure, and worked with Bass Coast Shire to install signage reminding visitors to stay on paths and keep pets leashed – simple actions that can make a big difference for native wildlife.
Coming soon, a local herpetologist will lead voluntary monitoring of this fragile population to help guide future conservation.
OzFish Unlimited Mangroves Mates Project in Victoria
n Western Port Bay, young environmental champions are getting their hands muddy to help restore a vital coastal ecosystem – thanks to OzFish Unlimited’s Mangrove Mates project, supported by a Coastcare Victoria Community Grant.
Working alongside OzFish volunteers, Grade 3 and 4 students from local primary schools learned about mangroves: how they grow, why they matter, and how they protect our coastline and boost fish habitat. Using the John Eddy restoration method, the students carefully attached viable mangrove seeds to bamboo stakes and helped plant them in the Hastings Foreshore mudflat at low tide.
This is just the beginning. Students and volunteers will continue monitoring the seedlings through vegetation surveys to track their growth and success.
This long-term community project is building more than a mangrove forest – it’s building environmental awareness, and the next generation of coastal carers, reflecting the values Landcare Australia is proud to champion.
Friends of the Bluff ‘Sharing the Love’ Forum in Victoria
In October 2025, Friends of the Bluff, a volunteer group active for over 30 years, hosted the 6th Sharing the Love Forum in Barwon Heads – celebrating the passion, knowledge, and dedication of Victoria’s marine volunteers.
Supported by a Coastcare Victoria Community Grant, and with contributions from Barwon Coast, Parks Victoria, and countless volunteers, the weekend brought together multi-generational volunteers, Traditional Owners, citizen scientists, and local communities.
Activities included hands-on workshops, marine species photography, a Sea Slug Census, seaweed pressing, and learning about Wadawurrung Sea Country. Inspiring talks from Dr Mark Norman and Dr Michael Sams showcased 20 years of marine research and conservation in Victoria.
The forum highlighted the incredible impact of volunteer-driven marine conservation. Landcare Australia supports Coastcare groups across the country, helping volunteers like Friends of the Bluff protect and restore Australia’s coasts and marine environments.
Surfside Landcare Group help rebuild a healthy, resilient coastal ecosystem
In April and May 2025, massive swell events inundated the NSW town of Surfside, eroding dunes and sending waves right to residents’ doorsteps.
In response, Eurobodalla Shire Council activated its Coastal Zone Emergency Action Sub-Plan, with support from NSW Government emergency coastal protection funding. A one-off beach scraping in September rebuilt the dune structure, and that’s when the community stepped in.
Surfside Landcare Group and local residents advocated strongly for dune restoration, rolled out jute netting to stabilise the sand, and on 26 October, 20 volunteers planted 2,000 native plants in under two hours – with another 3,000 planted soon after. Species like pigface, lomandra and banksia were carefully placed across dune zones to help rebuild a healthy, resilient coastal ecosystem.
Neighbours are now watering, monitoring and protecting the new dune – a powerful example of community-led climate resilience. Coastcare groups like Surfsde Landcare are part of a national movement supported by Landcare Australia, helping volunteers protect and restore our precious coastlines.
Geoff Isaac, Surfside Landcare Coordinator said ‘It was fantastic to see so many people volunteer their time to support this initiative. By taking part, the community is giving this solution its best chance of success”
India Howlett, Natural Resource Officer and Local Landcare Coordinator said “It was wonderful to see the community come together to tackle a difficult issue, and take ownership to care for the plantings in front of their own and neighbouring properties.”