Grow West

Grow West is an exciting, large-scale landscape change project covering approximately 50,000 hectares between Bacchus Marsh and Ballan, straddling the Western Highway in the region’s Werribee Catchment. It is a ground-up project that was born from the desire of the local community and stakeholders to improve the degraded landscape of the area.

The project is addressing a range of current and immediate land management issues, such as loss of natural and agricultural assets, weed infestation, loss of biodiversity, erosion, poor water quality, soil degradation and issues of salinity. The program focuses on working with landholders to deliver practical, on the ground solutions to long standing land management issues.

Grow West is an integrated project involving many stakeholders including:

• Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority
• Moorabool Shire Council
• Department of Primary Industries
• Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party
• Department of Sustainability and Environment
• Local Landcare Groups of Rowsley Valley, Pentland Hills and Coimadai
• Melbourne Water
• Southern Rural Water
• Landcare Australia Limited
• Greening Australia
• local landholders
• Parks Victoria
• Central Victorian Farm Plantations
• Vic Roads and many others.

The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority directly supports the Grow West project in many of its activities, particularly raising its profile among potential State and Commonwealth funding sources.

For further information about Grow West, click on the logo below.

The project is managed by a full-time coordinator and is now attracting funding from both private and public sector investors. A summary of the project’s development and future directions is contained in the Grow West Business Plan.

Open document (pdf)