The three-hectare Highett Grassy Woodland in the south of the former CSIRO site on Graham Road is an important site for conserving and regenerating habitat for rare or threatened flora and fauna species in Bayside.

The Highett Grassy Woodland contains indigenous species and natural habitats, including Yellow Box eucalypts that are considered rare in the Bayside region.

The land was transferred into Council’s ownership in April 2023 and will now be protected and enhanced as a conservation reserve. This transfer was the culmination of two decades' advocacy by Council and a team of dedicated community members, the Friends of Highett Grassy Woodland group.

Conserving the Highett Grassy Woodland reserve will ensure the future protection of an endangered community of trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants.

As a next step, we’ve drafted a Masterplan and a high-level layout of what the site could potentially look like, and we’d love your feedback.

We need your help to know if we have the right balance between protecting the natural environment of the area and enhancing visitor enjoyment.

View the proposed layout below and have your say. Consultation closes on 19 May 2024.

Read our draft Highett Grassy Woodland masterplan

Explore the site

This significant conservation reserve will join a network of bushland reserves in Bayside, where remnant indigenous vegetation is protected and managed for regeneration. Restoring Highett Grassy Woodland aims to recreate three hectares of indigenous grassland with wildflowers underneath stands of remnant River Red-Gum and Yellow Box eucalypts. It will become a place where visitors can wander through peaceful bushland and experience nature in the middle of suburbia. Click the hot spot icons below to view the different elements proposed for the woodland. Photos are for illustrative example only.

Aerial map of Highett Plains Grassy Woodland layout

Have your say

Provide your feedback on the masterplan via the online survey or submit your own statement.

Online survey

Upload a written statement

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Flora and fauna assessments

    2016

    Prior to demolition of the old CSIRO buildings, Council engaged consultants to undertake flora and fauna values assessments, and arboricultural assessments, and to prepare a management plan for the southern portion of the CSIRO site. An assessment of remaining trees was also undertaken.

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Highett Grassy Woodland transferred to Council ownership

    April 2023

    The handover was the culmination of two decades' advocacy by Council and a team of dedicated community members, the Friends of Highett Grassy Woodland group.

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Proposed Planning Scheme zone change

    From October 2023 (ongoing)

    Process commenced to rezone Highett Grassy Woodland from Residential Growth Zone, Schedule 3 (RGZ3) to Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ). This will help ensure the future protection of the site as a conservation area.

    Read the outcome of the 19 March 2024 Council Meeting on the rezoning process.

  • Timeline item 4 - active

    Key stakeholder consultation

    Ongoing

    Monthly meetings with Friends of Highett Grassy Woodland community group to inform site management and conservation.

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    Drafting a Conservation Management Plan and Masterplan

    From November 2023

    Specialist ecologists Abzeco (Applied Botany, Zoology and Ecological Consulting) have been appointed to help develop the long-term Conservation Management Plan and Masterplan.

    Site survey work commenced in late 2023.

  • Timeline item 6 - active

    Community consultation

    24 April - 19 May 2024

    Community engagement on the draft Masterplan.

    Find out how we're engaging on the project.

  • Timeline item 7 - incomplete

    Conservation Management Plan and Masterplan adopted

    June 2024 (expected)

    Council will consider community feedback and adopt a Conservation Management Plan and Masterplan to ensure the future protection of this site.

Please note: Materials can be provided in accessible formats on request.

Please select the +Subscribe button at the top of the page to receive updates about this project, including when it will be considered by Council and any opportunities to participate and provide feedback on this project.

Photo of a multi-coloured butterfly

Amy Weir

Biodiversity & Conservation Planning Officer

Open Space & Recreation

Phone: 9599 4339

Email: aweir@bayside.vic.gov.au

Post: 76 Royal Avenue, Sandringham 3191