Kick Start Your Reserve Bus Tour

Last Friday Basalt to Bay ran our long awaited Kick Start Your Reserve Bus tour - after 2 previous cancellations. The tour visited Tozer Reserve, Yatmerone Reserve (Penshurst), Hawkesdale Common, Hawkesdale Racecourse Reserve and Pallisters Reserve. 10 people took their place on the bus with another 8 visitors joining us at individual sites. It was a great day for all with plenty of time out doors and lots information about current projects, opportunities for networking and heaps of food (we try hard to fatten our guests !).

The tour profiled a wide spectrum of reserves. Many reserves have the potential for the involvement of large numbers of volunteers and to be used as environmental education sites, while others have the opportunity for additional on ground projects. Pallisters Reserve is clearly the bench mark when it comes to local reserves but all the reserves had something special to offer. Tozer Reserve shows great promise as an environmental education center close to Warrnambool, Yatmerone is a great site for bird watchers, Hawkesdale Common is a great education site for local flora, while Hawkesdale Racecourse Reserve has plenty to offer, including club rooms which could be used for environmental education, a wide selection of native grasses and native orchids and is host to the largest Manna Gum in the region and a huge number of swamp rats !

Given the postive feedback that we recieved in response to the tour, it's likely that we'll have a follow up tour next year.

Thanks to the Department of Planning & Community Development for the funding to run the bus tour and Glenelg Hopkins CMA for resource support.

Kick Start Your Reserve Bus Tour

You are cordially invited to attend the

Kick Start Your Reserve Bus Tour

Friday 21^st May, 2010

Where : Bus departs from Harris St. Reserve Warrnambool

When : Departing 9:00 am sharp, back at 5 pm

Destinations : Tozer Reserve (Wangoom Road), Hawkesdale Common, Hawkesdale Racecourse Reserve, Yatmerone Reserve (Penshurst) & Pallisters Reserve (St Helens).

Picnic lunch & drinks provided.

Please RSVP by 13^th May by calling Richard on 0458 268 119

Or emailing: richardb2b@gmail.com

Kick Start Your Reserve Coach Tour

On December the 3rd, Basalt to Bay will be hosting the Kick Start Your Researve Coach Tour.

The aim of the tour is to bring local corporates together with members of the Kick Start Your Reserve initiative, to profile the achievements of individual groups and the benefits of the initiative to local communities.

The coach tour is by invite only and it is anticipated that a diverse range of people will be on board, including representatives from 5 reserve groups, local indigenous represenatatives, staff from the Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Basalt to Bay members, local corporate groups and other relevant parties.

The first stop on the tour is Tozer Reserve near Warrnambool, followed by a visit to Yatmerone Reserve in Penshurst, then Hawkesdale Common, a BBQ lunch at Apex Park in Hawkesdale and finishing the tour with a visit to Hawkesdale's Racecourse Reserve. A follow up trip is anticipated for the middle of next year.

Thanks to the Glenelg Hopkins CMA for providing adminstrative support for the trip and the Department of Planning and Community Development for sponsoring the day.