The coast and parks along the Great Ocean Road are special and important to the Surf Coast and all Victorians, and we are committed to the ongoing protection and management of this significant landscape.

On 1 December 2020, the Victorian Government established a dedicated public land and parks manager, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (the Authority) with a legislated mandate to manage the Great Ocean Road and its surroundings as “one living and integrated entity” and to deliver better protection and management of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

The current management arrangements are inconsistent and limit a strategic and coordinated response to the impacts of increasing visitation, environmental forces, severe weather events and climate change, along the Great Ocean Road.

In partnership with the Traditional Owners and together with our local community, the role of the Authority is to manage, protect and foster resilience of the natural, cultural and heritage values of coastal Crown land along the Great Ocean Road.

How will it happen?

The basics:

• Approximately 700 parcels of Crown Land will be transferred to the Authority across five Local Government Areas and several land managers.
• Approximately 30 of those parcels are located across Surf Coast Shire.
• All transfers will be completed by 1 November 2025.
• Council is working collaboratively with the Authority and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA, previously DELWP) to ensure a successful transition.

An agreed partnership approach has been established to further develop the transfer and on-boarding process of land management responsibility for some Crown land reserves.

Together we have developed a consistent and pragmatic methodology and approach to land and asset transfers across along the Great Ocean Road. This approach involves extensive mapping of cultural, social, environmental and economic values and uses, as well as capturing the community interest and local significance attached to each parcel and asset.

A program of transfers will be communicated to all user groups, keys stakeholders and the community as the process develops. All of the Authority’s future management activities will be in line with their guiding principles, which aim to ensure that all economic, social, environmental and cultural concerns are considered in a balanced and sensitive way.

We are all committed to ensuring current community uses and experiences are protected and/or enhanced on any reserves transferred to the Authority and through this process ensure the Great Ocean Road can be enjoyed now and for generations to come.