Nip it in the bud with Angair’s new free weed ID service
Published on 18 September 2026
Angair is offering free property inspections to identify environmental weeds and suggest replacement indigenous plants.
The organisation will utilise its knowledgeable volunteers and Council’s Weeds of the Surf Coast Shire booklet, which outlines commonly found local weeds to assist residents in identifying weeds in their gardens.
Angair vice-president Rob Shepherd was excited to launch the new educational service. Property owners in Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven and Moggs Creek can book in for an inspection between 10 October and 21 November.
“It's for someone who’s living within the beautiful Surf Coast Shire who thinks, that's a free service that I could use: to have people come and evaluate our property to find out what is and isn't indigenous to the area,” he said.
“A volunteer will visit and look at how big the weeds are and what can be done.
“The more weeds we can take out of the urban environment, the more we reduce the potential for weeds to spread into our parks, bush and heathland where they can impact rare, threatened or endangered species.”
The aim is to help residents learn the difference between a weed and an indigenous plant.
“A lot of us – including me – look at something and think that it's just a lovely plant,” Rob said. “It looks nice and Australian and native, but there's a difference between native and indigenous.
“One of our bigger weeds is a West Australian creeper, a beautiful blue flower. It looks nice but it gets out and it grows everywhere.
“By growing indigenous plants instead, we can attract more native birdlife and animals.
“People would be completely surprised by how well indigenous plants grow: they are suited to local conditions and need very little watering once established.”
Mayor Cr Libby Stapleton welcomed the Angair initiative.
“Like Angair, we want to see our local natural ecosystems thriving and our biodiversity protected,” Mayor Stapleton said.
“I encourage people in Anglesea, Aireys, Fairhaven and Moggs to take up the service and consider how some small changes to their garden could make a big impact.”
For more information and to book, visit angair.org.au/activities/environmental-weed-service. The environmental weed service will also run in autumn 2027.
Angair – Anglesea, Aireys Inlet Society for the Protection of Flora and Fauna – is dedicated to protecting the natural beauty of the environments of Anglesea and Aireys Inlet in trust for future generations.