14,000 Trees Planted on Great Ocean Road

Located in the scenic region of the Great Ocean Road and bordering the Great Otway National Park, a private property is getting a makeover after decades of grazing with 17 hectares returned to native bushland.

This revegetation project is part of Greenfleet’s Great Ocean Road Restoration Project launched in 2016, aiming to create much needed landscape connectivity and enhance the conservation values in the region. As the trees grow in each planting location, the native forest areas will enhance the landscape, reduce carbon emissions and provide habitat to the koala population.

In June 2017, tree planting contractor Frank Smolders and his team planted 14,000 seedlings on the property, with native species ranging from Manna Gums (prime Koala food) and Messmates to Blackwood, Drooping Sheoaks and Kangaroo Apples.

“It’s such a magical spot! We’ve been growing and planting trees in partnership with Greenfleet for years and over the many sites we’ve worked on, this is probably one of the most spectacular ones,” said Frank Smolders, from Smolders Revegetation. “The steep hills were certainly challenging for our planting crew, but they’re also what gives this part of the world a spectacular view. It will be amazing to revisit this project and see how it’s grown in a few years.”

“The Great Ocean Road is an iconic tourist hotspot for good reason, as it features the best that Australia’s environment has to offer. We’re honoured to be doing our part to safeguard one of our most precious resources and further beautify the area,” Greenfleet CEO Wayne Wescott said.

“We’re not only enabling action on climate change, we’re doing it in a way that improves our local environment, our communities and our economy”, he added.

As the forest takes shape, nestled on the hills behind the rugged landscape of Johanna Beach, it will indeed provide many key economic, environmental and touristic benefits, both locally and globally.

The forest is located at the foot of the Great Ocean Walk, a spectacular walked travelled by thousands of people every year, meandering its way through national parks, wild rocky shores and windswept cliff-tops. It will be a great addition to one of Victoria’s major tourism hotspots.

The addition of 14,000 trees to the area – which has previously been cleared for agriculture – will improve water quality and biodiversity by extending for native wildlife.

Protected for 30 years, the new forest will capture more than 11,000 tonnes of carbon out of the air as it grows, combating climate change.

The landowners are excited to return native forest to a third of their property. Taking some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the couple will be able to enjoy their very own green paradise while also helping to tackle climate change.

By using funding sourced from corporates and individuals through our carbon offset program, Greenfleet restores native forests on private land at no cost to landowners.

This is another example of how private money is channelled through to projects benefiting the common good.