There have been H5 bird flu cases confirmed in Surf Coast Shire. If you see sick or dead birds or other wildlife, follow the advice from Agriculture Victoria and avoid direct contact, record what you see and report to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
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Published on 01 September 2026
We have planted more than 160 new street trees across Torquay as part of our Branching Out public tree planting program. The project has focused on the Old Torquay area, with most of the new trees planted along Payne Street, Boston Road, Pearl Street, Bristol Road, Price Street, Zeally Bay Road, Pride Street and Cliff Street. The remaining trees have been planted in Golden Beach Way and Rippleside Drive. The locations were identified via heat mapping as streets where canopy could be increased to improve shade and cooling. Councillor Liz Pattison said the planting represented an investment in Torquay's future liveability. “Trees bring so many benefits for both the environment and community wellbeing, including creating greener, cooler and more attractive streets,” Cr Pattison said. “We’re looking forward to seeing these new trees begin to grow.” The planting contract includes two years of watering and maintenance to help the trees establish successfully. Preparation for the planting in Pride Street included removal of 35 ageing and declining median strip trees in late July. Those trees have been replaced with 50 new trees. Branching Out is a multi-year Council initiative that aims to increase tree canopy in built up areas across the shire. The Torquay plantings add to previous Branching Out projects in Deans Marsh and Winchelsea. A multi-year Branching Out implementation plan, which will help guide the choice of future planting locations, is soon to be finalised. For more information visit our project page.