Friends of Freshwater

Volunteer and Make a Difference

Join our Executive Committee and help shape Freshwater’s future!
We need passionate locals to help publish our newsletter, advocate with Council, and secure grants for community projects. Just a few hours a month makes a real difference. Come work with neighbours who love Freshwater as much as you do.

The Friends of Freshwater Inc is a ‘Not for Profit’ Registered Organisation managed by a group of  locals who share an interest in our local community and express concerns, news, history and events as it may impact our local area. We also publish “The Duke” Newsletter as a service to our members and the wider Freshwater community. All the views and opinions expressed in it are those of the Executive of Friends of Freshwater Inc.

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Achievements and Successes

INTRODUCTION

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Formally established a viable, long running community, not for profit, with a committed membership.

• Good Urban Planning in Freshwater including contribution to Village, Soldiers Avenue of Honour and Beach Reserve Master Plans as well as close scrutiny of all significant Development Applications and zonings over the last decade.

• Upgrading community amenities including:

• • Established a team of bush regenerators that have provided 600 hours of voluntary bush regeneration over the last four years to rejuvenate native bushland on Freshwater Beach’s southern headland.

• • Working with other Freshwater organisations to refurbish the Freshwater Anzac Precinct of the Soldiers Avenue of Honour and Jacka Park using the Centenaries of Anzac, Armistice Day and the Avenue of Honour as a focus for major community events and improvements

• • Creating a vibrant community garden from an under-used, sloping, Crown Reserve in Queenscliff with more than 5 years of committed voluntary labour from 50 community gardeners.

• • Successful 8-year campaign for Public toilets in Jacka Park

• • Estimated $300k cost of removal of Overhead HV Power Lines in Soldiers Avenue to protect the canopy and longevity of heritage listed trees.

• • New foot pathing for the full length of the northern side of Soldiers Avenue to enable safe pedestrian access and further historical interpretation.

• • Preserved the integrity of Crown land at Mckillop Park by stopping the proposed installation of an Optus 4G tower on the Headland

SUCCESSES

• Establishing and sustaining a decade-long, large, community, not-for-profit group for the Freshwater community.

• Funding and delivering on community projects

• Garnering continued support from the three tiers of government

• Successfully modelling urban sustainability initiatives

• Exemplifying the benefits of collective volunteer initiatives

• People often comment that they have moved to Freshwater because of its “sense of community”

• Successfully campaigned against large-scale inappropriate developments and telecommunication installations

OBJECTIVES FOR 2026/2027