Bellarine Bayside Chief Executive Officer Scott Crabtree (left) and Barwon Water General Manager Planning, Delivery & Environment Seamus Butcher at the Portarlington Holiday Park, where several water-saving initiatives have been introduced
Barwon Water and a coastal land manager Bellarine Bayside, have extended a partnership that is saving millions of litres of drinking water per year.
Since signing a three-year agreement in 2023, Bellarine Bayside has significantly curbed water use across a range of its public facilities and holiday parks.
This has seen a range of positive actions at Bellarine Bayside’s Portarlington Holiday Park, including:
- The replacement of 30 inefficient shower heads with efficient model 5-star WELS; and
- The replacement of inefficient cisterns and pans in 16 toilets across two toilet blocks.
Along different parts of the Bellarine coastline, aerators have been installed on inefficient flick mixers and anti-vandal taps placed in several toilet blocks, a pavilion and fish cleaning table.
There have also been tapware upgrades at public amenities and fish cleaning tables, and improvements to four drinking fountains.
The new assets have been backed by innovative Government-funded data logger technology, which tracks usage patterns to provide early alerts about leaks.
The combination of early leak detection and the efficiency initiatives have saved Bellarine Bayside about 10 million litres of water per year.
Bellarine Bayside Chief Executive Officer Scott Crabtree said the partnership had delivered tangible benefits for the organisation, coastal visitors and the environment.
“As managers of some of the Bellarine’s most-loved coastal destinations, we have a responsibility to use resources wisely,” he said.
“By making targeted upgrades to a range of facilities across our coast and holiday parks, we have seen how practical improvements, supported by smart technology and expert advice, can make a real difference.”
The organisations have now extended the partnership agreement by two years, taking it through to mid-2028.
“We’re pleased to extend this partnership and continue working with Barwon Water to improve water efficiency and support our sustainability goals across the Bellarine coastline for future generations,” Mr Crabtree said.
Barwon Water General Manager Planning, Delivery & Environment Seamus Butcher said the organisation used smart technology to find savings and improve its maintenance efficiencies.
“The partnership with Bellarine Bayside has been beneficial as they are committed to best practice sustainable operations and to helping safeguard our drinking water resources,” he said.
“We are keen to support water-intensive organisations to identify improvements and to reduce their water use wherever possible.”
The partnership has also seen Barwon Water increases it community engagement through pop-up events at Bellarine Bayside’s parks.
This includes activities for children to play, create and learn more about water and for tourists to receive relevant local information about reducing their water use.
Barwon Water’s Sustainable Water Use Plan (SWUP) initiatives saved 227 million litres of water in 2025-2026, with the program saving a total of 782 million litres since it began in mid-2023.
The SWUP is well on track to meet its five-year target of saving 1,000 million litres of water, delivering on a key aim in the wider Strategy 2030 plan.
Barwon Water is committed to partnering strategically, listening to our customers and being technologically advanced, to strengthen water efficiency and meet our longer-term outcomes.
