Our Projects - Some History
For more than four decades, the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove has worked with communities across Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff to turn good ideas into practical action.
How we serve
Rotary's five Avenues of Service provide the framework for the work of every Rotary club: Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, International Service and Youth Service. Within these Avenues, many of our projects also contribute to one or more of Rotary's seven Areas of Focus.
From community infrastructure and environmental projects to some of the Bellarine’s best-known events, Community Service has been at the heart of the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove’s work for more than four decades.
100 Trees in Wallington Road
AREA OF FOCUS | Protecting the Environment
To commemorate 100 years of Rotary in Australia, the Club worked with the City of Greater Geelong to plant 100 trees in Wallington Road. Suitable eucalypt varieties were selected for the local environment, and the Club continues to monitor the trees, check their health and replace those that do not survive.
Barwon Heads Bluff Walking Track
AREA OF FOCUS | Protecting the Environment
The Barwon Heads Bluff walking track was a major construction project along the cliffs of the Bluff. Rotarians built the walkway over a number of working bees, creating lasting community access to one of the Bellarine’s distinctive coastal landscapes.
Ocean Grove Market
AREA OF FOCUS | Community Economic Development
What began as a craft market has grown into one of Ocean Grove Rotary’s most visible community activities. Held from October to Easter, the market provides opportunities for stallholders selling crafts, plants, food, clothing, fresh produce and other goods, while generating funds that enable the Club to support community projects and organisations.
Gold coin donations collected at the market provide another way for the wider community to contribute. The funds collected are distributed to organisations and causes selected by the Club.
Shell Road Aquatic Centre and the Noel Essex sculpture
As the Club became established in the 1980s, it contributed $1,500 towards development of the community facilities now forming part of the Shell Road sporting and aquatic precinct. A further $5,000 was set aside for beautification of the site, resulting in a sculpture created by Noel Essex.
After being removed during later car park works and spending many years in storage, the sculpture finally returned to the Aquatic Centre precinct in 2020, where it can once again be seen by the community.
Grubb Road Walking Track
The Club developed the Grubb Road walking track between the nature reserve and Thacker Street. Over time the track became overgrown, with its ongoing maintenance complicated by the difficulties involved in dealing with the City of Greater Geelong and VicRoads.
Queenscliff Rotunda
The Club erected a rotunda in Queenscliff near the roundabout leading to the ferry and wharf precinct. The building subsequently became an information centre and is now maintained by the Borough of Queenscliffe.
Point Lonsdale Christmas Tree
The huge Norfolk Island pine near Point Lonsdale Primary School was chosen as the community’s Christmas tree and is illuminated each year in the lead-up to Christmas. Rotarians originally installed the lights themselves, but as the tree grew taller, the task was eventually handed over to others.
Barwon Heads Duck Race
The Barwon Heads Duck Race became a Rotary project after the Barwon Heads Association found it increasingly difficult to continue running the event. Since Rotary took on its management, the event has continued to grow, with schools and youth organisations benefiting from the funds raised.
ANZAC Day Gunfire Breakfast
Each ANZAC Day, following the dawn service in Ocean Grove, Rotarians prepare a Gunfire Breakfast for those attending the commemoration, with bacon and egg sandwiches provided free of charge. Since 2022, Woolworths Ocean Grove has donated the bacon and eggs.
Annual Art Show
Launched in 2011, the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove Art Show has become an annual fixture at Point Lonsdale, attracting quality artworks to the Point Lonsdale School Hall over the Melbourne Cup weekend.
Queenscliff flagpoles
Following the closure of the separate Rotary club in Queenscliff in 2020, the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove took on responsibility for Rotary service in the Queenscliff area.
After the Club sought ideas from the Queenscliff community, residents identified the absence of flagpoles in the town. Two flagpoles were subsequently installed at the football and netball grounds.
Youth Service
Rotary invests in young people by creating opportunities to learn, develop skills and participate in their communities. Over the years, Ocean Grove Rotary has supported projects that give young people practical opportunities to learn and grow.
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden
AREA OF FOCUS | Supporting Education
At Surfside Primary School, the Club built a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden to help students learn about growing food, cooking and the essentials of healthy eating. A chicken enclosure was subsequently added to the project.
International Service
Rotary connects local clubs with communities and partners around the world, combining local commitment with international cooperation to create lasting change.
International Project 1
AREA OF FOCUS | International
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Club Service
Club Service provides the foundations that enable Rotary to do its work, bringing members together and developing the resources and capacity needed to support projects in our community and beyond.
The Rotary BBQ Trailer
In 2020, the Club developed a dedicated BBQ trailer to provide a reliable source of income for future Rotary projects. Approximately $30,000 was raised through donations, grants and a contribution from the Club. The trailer has since become an important part of the Club’s fundraising capacity.
Vocational Service
Vocational Service draws on the skills, experience and professional knowledge of Rotarians, encouraging high ethical standards and using vocational expertise in service to others.