Changes to Council services and facilities

In line with the latest advice from the Victorian Premier and Chief Health Officer, the following recreation facilities remain closed to the public:

• Men's sheds, senior citizen clubs
• Community/recreation centres, halls and rooms (and associated outdoor areas)
• Clubrooms, pavilions and sheds
• Indoor sports facilities

• Winchelsea RV Friendly Parking Area

Open for use, in line with state government advice, are:

• Beaches (for exercise/recreation only in accordance with physical distancing)
• Playgrounds and public BBQ facilities
• Outdoor fitness equipment
• Public drinking fountains
• Skateparks and bike parks
• Basketball and netball courts
• Lawn bowls greens
• Equestrian arenas
• Sporting fields, including ovals and pitches (closed to community sport for those aged over 18)
• Golf courses
• Tennis courts
• Sporting fields, including ovals and pitches (casual use only – no training or competitions)
• Open space reserves
• Public toilets

The Geelong Regional Library Corporation plans to reopen its branch libraries, including Torquay, on Monday 26 October

Regional Victoria remains in Third Step restrictions. From 11:59pm 18 October 2020 some restrictions are easing. The changes to restrictions include:

• You can have up to two people visit you at home each day. Infants under 12 months are not included in this cap, and other dependents can also attend if they cannot be left unattended or cared for in another setting. The two people may be from different households. This replaces the household bubbles.
• Libraries and toy libraries can open for up to 20 people indoors. No more than 10 people can gather in a space (for example for a class). The one person per four square metre rule Signage, cleaning and record-keeping requirements apply.
• Outdoor religious gatherings are allowed for up to 20 people plus one faith leader. This replaces the limit of ten people. This includes ceremonies, with no sharing of food, drink, crockery, utensils, vessels or other equipment by participants.
• The limits of people in restaurants and cafes increases. You can have up to 70 people outdoors and up to 10 people per indoor space with a maximum of 40 people per venue indoors. The two and four square metre rules apply. Indoor spaces must be separated by permanent structures (should reach floor to ceiling or be at least 2.1 metres high) or be a discrete area of the premises. Businesses must continue to ensure people from metropolitan Melbourne do not eat-in.
• Indoor swimming pools can open exclusively for those aged 18 and under. There is a limit of 20 customers in the pool or the one person per four square metre rule (whichever is the smaller number of people).One parent/guardian/carer per child is permitted for supervision purposes and not included in the limit. Swimming classes can resume.
• Indoor pools can open for one-on-one hydrotherapy sessions with a limit of 10 people in the pool at one time.
• Licensed tourism services that use open-air vehicles only are permitted to operate. A vehicle, inclusive of roofed vehicles, is considered an open-air vehicle if at least two sides are open to airflow at all times.

The Roadmap to Recovery(PDF, 160KB)
The Roadmap for Reopening Businesses in Regional Victoria

Restrictions are subject to changes at any time. Go to www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus or call the 24-hour hotline 1800 675 398 for the latest updates.

Mask wearing remains mandatory for everyone in Victoria with physical distancing, hand washing and hygiene as important as ever. 

From Tuesday 17 March Council’s main Torquay office, and planning and building services transitioned from over-the-counter to phone, email and internet-based services. People can phone 5261 0600, lodge a request for service via info@surfcoast.vic.gov.au or find information on this website.

People wishing to comment on a submission can email planningapps@surfcoast.vic.gov.au. 

The Council will continue to provide customer service over the phone and online, but services will not be offered over the counter until further notice.

Customer service contact details are:

Lodge a request for service online

Hours: 8.30 am - 5 pm (Monday to Friday)

Phone: (03) 5261 0600 or 1300 610 600

Fax: (03) 5261 0525

Postal Address: PO Box 350, Torquay, 3228

Email: info@surfcoast.vic.gov.au

The Anglesea Resale Shed will remain closed until further notice.

Hours at Anglesea Landfill and all transfer stations have returned to normal.

All facilities will remain cashless and only process account and EFTPOS transactions.

Please adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Payment arrangements at Council waste facilities

All Council waste facilities including Anglesea, Lorne and Winchelsea transfer stations are currently cashless and will accept payments via account or EFTPOS only. Using debit and credit cards instead of cash and making use of online and self-serve transactions can help reduce the risk of infection and slow the spread of coronavirus.

Primary and secondary schools

Remote learning, including for Year 11 and Year 12 students, will return from Wednesday 5 August. Specialist schools remain open for all children and there are exceptions to remote learning for vulnerable children and children of permitted workers. Pease refer to your child’s school for further information.

Surf Coast Shire kindergarten/occasional care/family day care

Kindergarten/occasional care/family dare care will remain open for all children. For safety, additional precautions are in place including staggered drop-off and pick-ups, staff greeting children at the gate, children washing hands before interactions and play, some changes to room layouts and activities. As always, rooms will be cleaned after use and equipment disinfected.

Maternal and Child Health

The Surf Coast Shire Maternal and Child Health service remains available to provide support to our community. To limit the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the service is adopting alternative modes of service delivery. These include consultations taking place via the phone, and nurse visits to the home for families with young or vulnerable infants. All Maternal and Child Health Centres are closed until further notice.

New Parent Groups

We know how important first time parent groups are to new parents. To keep you connected, we have moved our groups online. For more information, please email rsvpparented@surfcoast.vic.gov.au.

Parent Education

Our parent education calendar of events has been suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions.  We are exploring ways to continue providing support to our community. Please email rsvpparented@surfcoast.vic.gov.au if you would like to be kept up to date. The Maternal and Child Health Service continues to operate via alternative modes of service delivery

Kurrambee Myaring Community Centre and Torquay Children’s Hub

Venue hire and activities at Shire facilities have been suspended until further notice. Council will continue to update hirers who use these facilities.

We thank you for your understanding at this time.

DHHS COVID-19 information for parents with infants and young children

Tips for self-isolating with kids.

From Tuesday 17 March, Surf Coast Sport and Recreation Centre in Torquay and Winchelsea Health Club has closed.

In accordance with Federal and State Government guidelines to halt the spread of Covid-19, all upcoming events within the Surf Coast Shire have been cancelled or postponed until further notice. If you would like to receive updates when our events are back up and running, please register your details at www.surfcoastevents.com.au

Note that the following markets are still operating:
Torquay Farmers Market, every Saturday from 8.30am to 1pm - visit https://www.facebook.com/TorquayFarmersMarket/ for details
Aireys Inlet Market has created a ‘Virtual Market’ – visit www.aireysinletmarket.com.au for details

Following is a list of event cancellations to the end of June:

March
Deans Marsh Festival (20 - 22 March): Cancelled 
Torquay Tiger Drop (21 March): Proceeding with no crowd
Winchelsea Uniting Church Auction (21 March): Postponed, with new date TBA
Youth/Senior State Lifesaving Championships (21-22 March): Cancelled
The Sound Doctor Presents (26-28 March): Cancelled
Meadow Music Festival (27-29 March): Cancelled
Surf Coast Trek (28 March): Cancelled  

April     
Green Living Festival (4 April): Postponed, with new date TBA
Rip Curl Pro (8-18 April): Postponed, with new date TBA
Lorne Easter Art Show (9-13 April): Cancelled
The Drop Music Festival (11 April): Cancelled
Great Ocean & Otway Classic Ride (18 April): Cancelled
Cowrie Market (19 April): Cancelled
ANZAC Day services (25 April): Cancelled

May
Bellbrae Primary School Fair (3 May): Cancelled
School Sport Victoria Surfing Titles (8 May): Cancelled
Victorian Junior Surfing Titles (9-10 May) Postponed
Independent Schools Teams Surfing Titles (11 May): Cancelled
RACV Florence Thomson Tour (16 May): Cancelled
Great Ocean Road Running Festival (16-17 May): Re-scheduled to 22-23 August
Victorian SUP Titles - Surfing (16-17 May): Postponed
Victorian Longboard Titles (23-24 May): Postponed
Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles (29-31 May): Postponed

June

Love Winter in Aireys (1 June – 31 August): Cancelled
Anglesea Art & Craft Show (6 June): Cancelled
Shifty Fifty (13 June): Cancelled
The Sound Doctor Presents (19-20 June): Cancelled
Deans Marsh Winter Solstice (20 June): Cancelled
Surf Coast Trail Marathon (27 June): Postponed

Beach car parks and roads are open, but parking regulations will be strictly enforced at all beach locations across the Surf Coast Shire.

Motorists will be able to park in designated parking bays only, and parking regulations will be monitored and strictly enforced. Cars must not be double parked or parked along access roads.

Point Addis

Parking restrictions remain in place on the west (Anglesea) side of Point Addis Rd.

Further changes

The above arrangements will be reviewed each day and if social gathering requirements are not observed it may be necessary to make further changes to prevent public gatherings in accordance with the directions of the Chief Health Officer.

Above all else the direction is if you can stay at home, you must stay at home.

Council has cancelled its 24 March meeting. Read more.

Changes to VIC's during COVID-19

From Monday 19^th October, Visitor Information Centres in Torquay and Lorne are open to visitors for face-to-face service, as well as taking enquiries via email and phone. We are currently not offering retail services. Visitor Information Centres in Anglesea and Winchelsea are offering phone, email and website-based services only.

From close of business Friday 13 March Torquay’s Australian National Surfing Museum has closed. However, the Museum is now running virtual tours for schools.

We have enacted our pandemic response plan and a Council working group is meeting daily to evaluate and respond to the latest COVID-19 developments. Our decision making is being informed by advice from health authorities.

Please contact the Department of Home Affairs for any citizenship enquiries on 131 880 or visit their website https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/. See here for further information about our upcoming virtual citizenship ceremonies.