🔋 Big, beautiful batteries

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

• THURSDAY, 25/09/25 | Hamilton Barista Class

• FRIDAY-SATURDAY, 26/09/25-27/09/25 | AFL Grand Final entertainment at Port Campbell Hotel

📰 LATEST HEADLINES IN WEST VIC

🐦 Can you help protect the hooded plover?

Less than one in 10 Hooded Plover chicks survive to adulthood. 

It’s a sobering statistic, but one that conservation teams are working hard to change. 

But in Apollo Bay and surrounding areas, low volunteer numbers are leaving these vulnerable beach-nesting birds at even greater risk. 

This breeding season, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority and BirdLife Australia are calling on locals and visitors to help turn things around.  

About the size of a golf ball, Hooded Plovers, or hoodies, nest directly on the sand between the high tide line and the dunes. 

Their eggs and chicks are really well-camouflaged, which is a clever defence, but one that also makes them easy to disturb if you don’t see them.

Off-leash dogs, foot traffic, storm surges, and predation by foxes, cats and other bird species all pose serious threats to their survival. 

But conservation coordinator Scott Hives said these little birds are “tough, determined, and clinging to survival on some of [West Vic’s] busiest beaches”.

If you want to know more, you can head to greatoceanauthority.vic.gov.au and check out the story below.

🪴West Vic garden guide: What to plant this season in September and October

They look good, attract wildlife and withstand Western Victoria’s extremes: native plants are ticking all the boxes for local gardeners.

Resilient and adapted to the local climate, often surviving on rainfall alone once established, native species boost biodiversity and, because they require less maintenance and inputs, save time and money for gardeners.

The Brolga asked Terang horticulturalist Angela Daly to share her top picks for native plants to get started in your garden this September and October. 

Daly said with the weather “getting a tiny bit warmer and not as many cold nights”, it’s the perfect time to plant.

🔋Billion-dollar batteries: Victoria’s biggest energy storage project to be built in Portland

Western Victoria is set to host the state’s biggest-ever battery storage project, after the Victorian Government signed off on a $1.3 billion energy park in Portland.

Announced on Monday, Pacific Green’s Portland Energy Park will house four 250-megawatt battery “parks”, with capacity to power 345,000 homes during peak demand. 

The facility will also include a terminal station to connect into existing transmission lines.

The project was approved through the state’s Development Facilitation Program, expanded last year to fast-track renewable projects. 

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the Portland project will “soak up cheap renewable power during the day and deliver it when demand peaks – powering 345,000 homes and slashing energy bills across the state.”

Three hundred jobs are also said to be created during the construction phase, with 60 ongoing jobs once the energy park becomes operational. 

According to developer Pacific Green, the Portland Energy Park will span around 30 hectares of industrial-zoned land on Madeira Packet Road, neighbouring the Portland Aluminium Smelter and Water Treatment Plant. 

Designed to integrate with “existing electrical infrastructure”, the facility will comprise single-storey modular units about the size of a 20-foot shipping container, with all energy and associated infrastructure housed on-site.

The battery has an initial lifespan of 20 years, and construction is set to begin in 2026.

The state government said Pacific Green was required to show the development will be “compliant with conditions”, regarding biodiversity impacts on the site, as well as bushfire safety, and noise, while also including upgrades to nearby roads in the proximity of construction works.

💵 Schools, sports clubs and shopping cards: How to get the most out of a “community benefit scheme”

Community benefit schemes, often worth hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of dollars, have become a standard feature of renewable energy projects. But local communities are quickly learning the importance of having a strong understanding of what’s on the table and what they should be bargaining for.

The returns on a community benefit scheme can take multiple forms, but is often in the form of money for local developments like schools or parks, a commitment to jobs and training, or a support for facilities and services.

While a community benefit scheme might commonly deliver funding, it can also create employment pathways, a discount on energy bills, or offer co-ownership and co-investment programs.

When done well, the best schemes are created with locals, are flexible enough to meet changing needs, and reflect the “unique character of each community”. 

But when handled poorly, they risk deepening divisions if residents feel the benefits aren’t shared fairly.

I took a deep dive into the do’s and don’ts of community benefit schemes, as more communities in Western Vic are introduced to the opportunity.

📱 ON YOUR FEED

More than 3,200 rainbow trout are set to be released across 11 popular fishing spots in western Victoria, giving families an affordable way to get outdoors and enjoy the school holidays.

The stockings are part of a state-wide effort that will see more than 35,000 catchable-size trout released into nearly 80 lakes.

Watch the full video below to learn where the trout will be distributed.

The Hoodies Heroes program is looking for volunteers this breeding season to help protect the endangered Hooded Plover birds who call West Vic’s beaches home.

Focused on beaches and foreshore areas between Separation Creek and Moonlight Head, where nesting activity is high, but local volunteer numbers are in decline, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority will provide volunteer training throughout spring.

Watch the video below to learn more about the program.

@westvicbrolga

Would you sign up to be a Hoodie Hero? 🐦‍⬛🪺🌊 #nature #wildlife #birds #birdlife #birdsoftiktok