Bayside City Council is committed to working with the community and key stakeholders to deliver the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve masterplan.
In March 2020, Council supported the transformation of the former Elsternwick Park Golf Course into a natural oasis, bringing nature back into our urban area, and providing refuge and tranquillity for both wildlife and visitors. The new wetlands and water bodies at the reserve will also improve the quality of water flowing into Port Phillip Bay.
As the land manager, Council has a statutory responsibility to protect public land for current and future generations. This includes ensuring safety, environmental stewardship, asset integrity, equitable access, and compliance with legislative and policy requirements.
Council has worked with the Yalukit Willam Nature Association volunteer group (YWNA) from the early stages of developing the masterplan, through to supporting Council's delivery of key landscape works and facilitating community education and research projects.
Council acknowledges the valuable work of YWNA, and at its May meeting [resolved to work with the YWNA leadership committee and Melbourne Water to draft a Terms of Reference (ToR) for a committee responsible for setting the monthly work program for the reserve and the types of interventions permitted at the site.
A ToR establishes the purpose, scope, authority, and membership of Council committees. They help to ensure compliance with governance standards, particularly regarding decision-making, conflicts of interest, suitability of roles and responsibilities, and community representation. Ensuring that Council's role as land manager is clearly understood alongside the role of other stakeholder groups, is essential, particularly considering the legal authority and accountability of the reserve sits with Council.
The significant wetland and Gateway Building projects at Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve are led by Bayside City Council with funding support from the Australian Government.
To learn more about this special transformative project, visit the project page and subscribe for project updates.
