Macroinvertebrates and the Barham
MONDAY 20th OCTOBER
11am – midday
Paradise Scenic Reserve (east branch), Apollo Bay.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jGrtGB1MCGaixDMt5
Learn what macroinvertebrates tell us about river health and how you can be a citizen scientist for the Barham River, with Georgie Custance from the Corangamite CMA.
Meet at Paradise, wear clothing for outdoor conditions and sturdy walking shoes, bring your water bottle and your curiosity.
This is a Corangamite CMA event. Places are limited, please secure your spot here:
https://events.humanitix.com/national-water-week-inaturalist-waterbug-sessions
Or contact georgina.custance@ccma.vic.gov.au for more details.
The Barham & National Water Week: 20th – 26th October 2025
SOLN celebrates National Water Week 2025 (20 – 26 October), inviting you to Reimagine the Barham with a week of activities to connect you to the river that sustains all of us:
MONDAY 20th OCTOBER
- 11am – midday: Macroinvertebrates of the Barham, Paradise Scenic Reserve (east branch), Apollo Bay. Learn what macroinvertebrates tell us about river health and how you can be a citizen scientist for the Barham River, with Georgie Custance from the Corangamite CMA. Meet at Paradise, wear clothing for outdoor conditions and sturdy walking shoes, bring your water bottle and your curiosity. For more details, please contact georgina.custance@ccma.vic.gov.au
- 6pm – 7.15pm: The Barham, a river for all of us, Apollo Bay Community Hall, 4 Whelan St, Apollo Bay. What do you know about the Barham and how can you reimagine it. A knowledge-sharing session for the whole community about the Barham’s values, its current health challenges, and how you can get involved with Reimagining the Barham – a visionary community exhibition coming in 2026. With the Corangamite CMA, Barwon Water, the Conservation Ecology Centre, and Southern Otway Landcare Network. FREE event but please register here.
TUESDAY 21st OCTOBER
10.30am – 3.30pm: Barham dreaming – an eco-dyeing workshop, Apollo Bay Community Hall, 4 Whelan St, Apollo Bay. Create with nature, textile artist Wendy Warren, and Apollo Bay’s Tuesday Art Group to dream your best dream for the Barham River. Stay for the whole session or just a part of it. BYO lunch if staying. Queries & RSVP to cathydonovan3088@gmail.com
SATURDAY 25th OCTOBER
10am – midday & 1pm – 3pm: Trees for the Barham, SOLN Support Centre, 125 Piggery Lane, Apollo Bay. Textile artist Wendy Warren will lead this community eco-dyeing workshop to create eco-dyed ‘trees’ for the Reimagining the Barham exhibition (coming in 2026). There will be two sessions: 10am until midday, or 1pm until 3pm. But feel free to stay for the whole session to assist Wendy or others.
FRUIT TREE PRUNING MASTERCLASS
Marrar Woorn and SOLN are thrilled to bring Katie and Hugh Finlay from Grow Great Fruit (growgreatfruit.com), down to the bay for this winter pruning workshop. Designed to take you from nervous novice to confident pruner, the workshop will give you a clear system for pruning your fruit trees. Our very own local fruit tree legend, Martyn Holland, will also be there to shed some light on all things growing and pruning in our unique Otway climate.
When: Sunday 10 Aug 2025, 10:00 am – 1:00pm
Where: Apollo Bay College Kitchen Garden, Costin Street, Apollo Bay (behind the community garden)
Tickets: $15, to be paid on the day.
Registration essential: https://www.socialplanet.com.au/request/guest/activity?id=38394
Southern Otway Garden Festival 2025
Join Southern Otway Landcare Network and Great Ocean Road Health for a weekend celebrating the beauty of local indigenous plants, inspiring local gardens, and sustainable gardening in the Otways.
Saturday (Oct 4): Inspiring talks from Peter Shaw (Ocean Road Landscaping) and Emma Cutting (Melbourne Pollinator Corridor), plus garden design “speed dating,” demos, stalls, food, and kids’ activities at the Apollo Bay Youth Hall.
Sunday (Oct 5): Explore a trail of open gardens showcasing beautiful, productive, and climate-resilient spaces.
Tickets and registration coming soon!
Autumn Newsletter 2025
Hi everyone,
We hope you enjoy this Autumn edition of our Quarterly Newsletter. Thank you to everyone who contributed articles and photos to this edition, and a very big thank you to our editor Kim Stevenson for putting it all together.
View or download here:
Propagate Banksia marginata from Cuttings
Propagate Banksia marginata from Cuttings
Join us at Shrub Club this Wednesday as we learn how to grow Banksia marginata—Silver Banksia—from cuttings.
While we grow most of our plants from seed to maintain strong genetic diversity, cuttings are a handy alternative when seed is scarce or has low germination rates. Propagating from cuttings is a simple, cost-effective way to multiply your plants—and a great skill to add to your restoration or gardening toolkit.
Come along to learn how to turn one plant into many!
Thanks to our friends @knoxenvironmentsociety for sharing their tips on taking Banksia cuttings with us in their recent workshop.
Shrub Club: 9am-12pm, followed by lunch. All welcome.
