Council's biodiverse carbon offset planting at Buckley
Between 2022 and 2025, Council and the community created an eleven hectare biodiverse carbon offset planting at Buckley. The planting stores carbon while also providing new habitat for local fauna in part of the shire where 95% of the native vegetation has been cleared.
Partnerships were central to the project’s success. Torquay and District Landcare Group provided gloves and hand tools and recruited and organised planting days with Moriac Primary School, Bellbrae Primary School, Friends of Lake Modewarre, Surf Coast Secondary School, Torquay Rotary and All Aboard. Shire staff also held annual planting days as part of our commitment to direction climate action.
The native plants were grown by local nurseries, Otway Greening and Otway Indigenous Nursery, using seeds collected form remnant vegetation along nearby roadsides, ensuring the restoration reflects the area’s natural landscape.
Around 11,000 trees and shrubs have been planted, with rocks and timber logs strategically placed across the site, all helping to add complexity and diversity to the habitat. Since planting commenced, species such as spotted marsh frogs and quail have been found on the site.
Species planted include a diverse mix of wattles, gums, sheoaks and shrubs, such as:
- Lightwood (Acacia implexa)
- Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii)
- Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
- Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
- Varnish Wattle (Acacia verniciflua)
- Prickly Moses (Acacia verticillate)
- Black Sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis)
- Drooping Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata)
- Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa)
- Sticky Hop Bush (Dodonaea viscosa)
- Swamp Gum (Eucalyptus ovata)
- Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis)
- Tree Everlasting (Ozothamnus ferrugineus)
- Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata)
- Bushy Needlewood (Hakea decurrens)
Council has resolved to retain and protect this site for a minimum of 50 years to ensure its success as a carbon offset site.