Aireys Inlet & District Association

Welcome to our website! The Aireys Inlet and District Association (AIDA) is a voluntary organisation that has been devoted for over 50 years to preserving the natural environment and character of the coastal strip that lies between Eastern View and Urquhart Bluff on the ‘Surf Coast’ of south eastern Australia. AIDA members include ratepayers, residents, their families and others who share a love of our district. Our communities lie along the Great Ocean Road, nestled between the ocean and the hinterland. Urquhart … Read More

January 2020 Summer Forum - Tuesday January 7 at 1.30 pm, Fairhaven Surf Lifesaving Club Rooms:  AIDA invites the community to a Summer Forum to hear about the State Government's plans for the Great Ocean Road and the new Great Ocean Road Authority. The challenges facing the road, and those who live along the coast, range from the pressures of increasing numbers of tourists and traffic to climate change and funding. Decisions made now will affect us for many years to come. Colleen White, Regional Director, Barwon South West at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, will give us an update on the government's plans for the new … Read More

A new Marine and Coastal Policy being developed under the Marine and Coastal Act 2018 is due for release in December 2019. The plan aims to better manage coastal eco-systems, including all public and private land and coastal waters in Victorian and 5.5 km inland of the high water mark (an extension inland on current policies). The draft policy aims to better integrate planning for marine and coastal areas, consider whole of eco-system impacts of new proposals and give greater roles to traditional owners. Priorities include managing risks such as climate change, defining coastal town … Read More

Update November 2019:  The various concerns AIDA has over compliance with the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the Painkalac Valley have been outlined in many recent reports (see below). We understand that individual Action Plans have been negotiated with the landowners and lessee of Lot 3, but unfortunately the shire initially declined to provide an update in time for the November newsletter deadline and this website update. The issues we are particularly interested in are the continued grazing in the now fenced ephemeral wetlands, lack of protection of remnant … Read More

  Lot 2 in the Painkalac Valley has been purchased by AIDA members, Mick Loughnan and Jacinta Halloran, and its wetland and indigenous vegetation are being restored. This wonderful project has the support of AIDA and ANGAIR. Mick's updates on the work dated March, July and November 2019 can be found below. ANGAIR’s Roger Ganly is coordinating the working bees to help with the restoration work as well as the long-standing working bees on the coastal reserve. The coastal reserve working bees will continue to be on the first Saturday of the month and on Lot 2 Bambra Road on the third weekend on the month or as … Read More

Planning Update - November 2019:  One of AIDA’s aims is to ensure that, as our area develops and changes, it retains its low-key coastal village character with houses nestled in the trees. To help meet this aim one of the AIDA committee’s regular tasks is to review all the planning applications submitted to council that are in the area from Urquhart Bluff to Eastern View. This is done to ensure new building works comply with all the shire’s planning policies and regulations and meet our Neighbourhood Character Guidelines. In all instances where there are significant breaches of the various planning policies AIDA lodges an objection. At times this results in us appearing at VCAT. It has been very disappointing recently that there have … Read More

Update November 2019:  A spokesperson for Regional Roads Victoria said that work on the new Moggs Creek bridge will begin after the peak summer period. The decision on the exact dates for construction will depend on consultation between VicRoads, Emergency Services and the CFA to put a fire plan, including optimum dates, in place to ensure the safety of the community. See further information from Regional Roads Victoria (above).   Update December 2018: Regional Roads Victoria, formerly VicRoads, has released its updated plans … Read more

      Congratulations to Libby Coker and Tony Revell. We congratulate Libby Coker on her win in the recent federal election. With Libby elected as the new member for Corangamite a by-election for a new ward councillor was required by the Surf Coast Shire. The by-election was held in September. After many years of there being a ward councillor from the Aireys Inlet/Fairhaven area it was disappointing that we had no ‘local’ candidate this election. Prior to the election the AIDA committee contacted all the candidates to inform them about AIDA and its aims. The successful candidate, Anglesea resident Tony Revell, was invited to meet with the AIDA committee prior to its November meeting so we could introduce ourselves and … Read More

Update July 2019:   Members of AIDA would be aware of AIDA’s response to the Great Ocean Road Action Plan AIDA Resp GOR Final 4May2019 . The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is presently conducting a wide-ranging community consultation on the action plan and is requesting as much community input as possible. AIDA is very pleased with the fact that DELWP is conducting such extensive consultations and with the way they are being managed. In this light, we would encourage all AIDA members, and indeed all members of the … Read More

Thirty seven of AIDA’s approximately 450 members attended the  2019 AIDA Annual General Meeting, which was held on Saturday 27th April at the Aireys Inlet Community Hall. AIDA president Charlotte Allen welcomed councillor Margot Smith, who thanked AIDA for inviting her to attend the AGM and gave a short presentation. Margot reported that consultation on the future use of the Alcoa site in Anglesea is continuing and the State Government has released its plan on the Futures Land Use for the area. However, not all the community is happy with it and, in particular people want … Read More

Update December 2018: The feasibility study the council is carrying out on the Walking the Painkalac Project is nearing completion and it is likely that community feedback on the options will be sought over summer. The study is weighing up environmental, social and economic objectives and one of the challenges will be designing a project that can secure funding. A decision to proceed with the project will depend on detailed design work, a council budget allocation and securing funding partners from other levels of government. Charlotte … Read More

It is great that AIDA has an actively involved membership and we are always pleased to receive queries and comments from you. We received one in October querying an online application to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation for a liquor licence for a restaurant and café in Aireys Inlet. Our member commented – ‘If Google maps are correct, this would seem somewhat inappropriate in the middle of a residential area.’ So we followed up and here’s what we found!! We rang the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor … Read More

Update September 2018: AIDA hosted a community meeting on 4 August to discuss the implications of re-opening Coalmine Road to through traffic. About 100 people attended, many of them not AIDA members, which was pleasing to see. As part of the rehabilitation works at its former coal mine near Anglesea, Alcoa is required to realign and enable the reopening of Coalmine Road. The road has been closed for at least a decade. The works raise a question for the Surf Coast Shire: should Coalmine Road remain blocked off, should it be … Read More

Plan a car-free weekend at Aireys Inlet from 30 September 2018 Two new bus services or a doubling of services have just started for Aireys Inlet. The new Sunday buses allow for travel towards Melbourne mid-afternoon plus the later evening option, and combined with Friday afternoon and evening services make it much easier for a car-free weekend at Aireys. Catherine … Read More

At the Surf Coast Shire Council meeting of 22 May 2018 council adopted the Unsealed Road And Street Network Strategy. The new strategy is a combination of the Sealed Road Network Management Plan 2015 and the Unsealed Road Network Strategy, which is the outcome of a report commissioned by council from consultants, AECOM. This strategy is aimed at better management of council’s 574 km of unsealed roads to replace an ad hoc response to residents’ requests for the sealing of roads. AECOMM has designed an assessment tool to help better … Read More

Forty-two of AIDA's approximately 450 members attended the  2018 AIDA Annual General Meeting, which was held on Saturday 28th April at the Aireys Inlet Community Hall. AIDA president Charlotte Allen welcomed councillors Margot Smith and Libby Coker and CEO of the Surf Coast Shire Keith Baillie to speak on current issues. Margot and Libby said they would welcome AIDA’s feedback on the council draft budget. Consultation on the future use of the Alcoa site in Anglesea is continuing. Margot noted that feedback from the … Read More

Update March 2018:  When the Commonwealth Govt. announced in May 2016 that Aireys Inlet would be included in the second round of black spot funding to remedy poor mobile telecommunications, we thought that it was just a matter of time before we got a new base station. However, The Geelong Advertiser of 10 January 2018 reported that the Victorian Govt. was withdrawing from the scheme as they considered it ‘a pork-barrelling exercise’. The state government project does not have a timeline but will ‘… choose new mobile phone tower locations, in … Read More

March 2018: The AIDA committee routinely reviews all planning applications made to the Surf Coast Shire that are within our area of interest – Urquhart Bluff to Eastern View. In the rare instances where the applications are significantly outside the Surf Coast Shire planning scheme or covenant requirements and would be detrimental to the local character or set a precedent, the AIDA committee sends an objection to Council. At times, these applications proceed to a VCAT hearing and AIDA will often choose to support its objection at VCAT. It … Read More

Update March 2018:  As a participant in the GORCC Memorial Arch Masterplan Community Reference Group, AIDA attended the final committee meeting in February. This consultation group has been meeting since 2015 and a final `interim’ Options paper has been developed which seeks to balance the need to retain the historical significance of the Memorial Arch site against the need to protect the fragile dune area from the increasing number of tourists visiting the site. The final option was a compromise to shutting the site completely which was the … Read More

Update December 2017: Painkalac Reservoir now home to 7000 perch.  Barwon Water and Fisheries Victoria have joined forces to stock the Painkalac Reservoir with 7000 native estuary perch fingerlings, which will grow up to be a drawcard for recreational anglers. The Reservoir previously supplied Aireys Inlet and Fairhaven with drinking water, but was taken out of service when the townships were connected to the Geelong water supply system in May 2016. (From The Echo 16 December 2017). Update April 2017: Community celebrates the official opening of the Painkalac Reservoir for … Read More

Update December 2017:   Not only was the Great Ocean Road underpass to the Fairhaven Surf Lifesaving Club and Beach massive, it was a colour that would draw attention to it. After an outcry from our community, VicRoads arranged for the underpass and associated infrastructure to be painted darker, less obtrusive colours. The whole structure (concrete walls, handrails, barriers and fences) has been painted a ‘palette’ of four different colours. Each concrete panel is painted one colour. Once the mature plants have become established, they will also contribute to the … Read More

Update December 2017: Bottom Shops pedestrian refuge – light and landscaping. AIDA provided feedback to the shire during the community consultation undertaken for the Bottom Shops pedestrian refuge project. One of our concerns was the need for, and size, of the new light that was included in the works. We were concerned that what was planned was a standard 11-metre VicRoads motorway light. We wrote to council with our concerns and were very pleased that they agreed to reduce the pole height to 8.5 metres and have an LED globe to reduce glare. Given this, … Read More

Update October 2017: AIDA has had a very long term interest in the development of older persons' housing on the vacant land in Fraser Drive, Aireys Inlet (see below for an account of the history of this project, which goes back to the 1980s). The Surf Coast Shire Council and the Department of  Human Services are currently reviewing Council's involvement in social housing in Aireys Inlet, and as part of this review the Council is considering the future of the vacant land known as 2 Fraser Drive. The following link  OPH SCS Project Update - Fraser Drive Aireys … Read More

On 12 September 2017 AIDA committee members Charlotte Allen, Lecki Ord and Ian Godfrey met with the Minister for Planning, Dick Wynne and his advisors. We had written to him with our concerns that recent State-wide changes to the provisions for streamlined planning permits, known as “VicSmart” permits, would limit the community's ability to participate in planning decisions and may over time lead to a deterioration of local character along our coast. VicSmart permits must be issued within 10 … Read More

October 2016: Lots of excitement on the newly rain-filled Allen Noble Sanctuary as our Black Swan parents are showing off seven new cygnets this year (photo by Noni Johnson).   Frieda Wachsmann's photos from 2013 (five cygnets that year) show how we can expect to see them growing up over the next months. October 13th 2013: December 1st:   December 14th: December 30th: (note the adult feathers … Read More

Back to the oval yet again! Update September 2016: Over the winter months the AIDA committee became aware that another proposal for an oval on the Painkalac Valley was being raised in the community and with Council. The concept of an oval on the valley was thoroughly explored in 2015 during the preparation of the Aireys Inlet to Eastern View Structure Plan and the Shire’s Open Spaces Policy which both concluded that the development of an oval in the valley would not be … Read More

It had been a very long time since we had as much rain as in July 2016. The highest rainfall for any July recorded at the Aireys Inlet weather station (since it opened in 1990) was 104.8 mm in 2000. The total monthly rainfall last July was 137 mm, more than double the long term July average of 66.5 mm. Over half of the rain that fell in July fell on only three days - on Thursday 6 July (33 mm) and on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 July (total 39.8 … Read More

July 2016 Update: AIDA originally wrote to the shire in October 2015 with a request to review its use of herbicide in public spaces, around trees, fences and bollards, and along pathways, drains and roadsides in and around Aireys Inlet. The spraying regime had resulted in some very ugly and unnecessarily large areas of bald earth and the only obvious reason for the spraying is to facilitate grass mowing in these areas. Our letter included some photos. AIDA asked the shire to stop using … Read More

Presented by Charlotte Allen at the AIDA AGM on 9 April 2016.  I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on Wadawurrung land and pay my respects to their elders both past and present. It gives me great pleasure to present the President’s Report on AIDA's activities during the past year. I would first like to welcome our Ward Councillor Margot Smith as well as the shire’s CEO Keith Baillie and thank them for giving us their Saturday … Read More

On 28 January 2016, the Surf Coast Shire Council adopted their Open_Space_Strategy 2016-2025, which will guide open space planning, provision and management across the Shire during the next 10 years and support greater collaboration with other land managers. The Shire’s open space includes parks for passive social and family recreation, sporting reserves for active sport and recreation, conservation and nature … Read More

NOVEMBER 2015 UPDATE: A new structure plan for Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven, Moggs Creek and Eastern View has now replaced the existing  Structure Plan  developed in 1993. On initiating the planning process the shire said ‘The plan will help guide the way the settlements develop and change over the next 20 to 30 years to ensure the highly valued features of the towns are protected and the towns … Read More

  On 22 August 2015, Barwon Water informed our community of their decision to take the Painkalac Reservoir out of service and provide water to Aireys Inlet and Fairhaven from the Geelong supply system via an 11 km pipeline extension from Anglesea.  The water treatment plant was to be decommissioned rather than upgraded. The changeover will provide a more secure long-term … Read More

A major purpose of AIDA is raising community awareness of, and canvassing the community’s views on, issues of significance in the district. In addition AIDA supports environmental, sociological and other studies and surveys performed by the Surf Coast Shire or other bodies such as the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC). Over the nearly … Read More