Living in Bayside.

Managed walking track

Natural coastline

There are many reasons I enjoy living in this part of Melbourne. The standout for me is the beach and coastline. Its best feature is the sense of space, looking toward the horizon and feeling embedded in nature. The smell of the sea is refreshing ( except when there’s lots of stinky seaweed about!) and watching the waves is relaxing.

With my country background and its freedoms, city living has been challenging at times. Fortunately, our farm is only two hours drive west, so I can visit frequently with my children. It’s their second home. I lived on the island of Borneo with my family for almost four years, so when we returned to Melbourne, living close to the sea was a priority. How glad I am we made that decision.

Beautiful heathland walk

It’s a great place for families, the beach is fantastic any time of year. The heathland reserves dotted about are wonderful remnants of the original vegetation, a reminder of the diversity that once existed. Thankfully as the area became increasingly populated, residents had the foresight to preserve these parks for future generations.

Evidence of continuing management of the coastline exists. This includes revegetation programmes, often joint ventures involving local schools and organisations in planting schemes. Erosion control is also an important environmental activity, sandbagging beaches, importing sand where beaches are depleted and planting ground covers along cliff faces to stabilise soil.

 Fenced pathways along clifftops also help reduce ‘people’ impact such as foot traffic and cycling. Designated beaches and parks for ‘off leash’ dog walking also reduces the amount of dog litter. Council provides plastic bag dispensers in some parklands (there could be more) to encourage responsible dog walking. There are a lot of dogs around here, so that’s a necessary education campaign