Community Projects
Community-led gorse control projects have shown it’s possible to eradicate or substantially reduce gorse across local landscapes. VGT helps local groups collaborate with public land managers and others to develop integrated and long-term campaigns against gorse.
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Current Projects
Together, local people have shared their knowledge and experience to remove or manage hundreds of hectares of gorse on private land as well as along roadsides and waterways and across private and public land boundaries.
Small Community Projects
- Commenced 2021
Project Groups
Project Name
Municipality(s)
Nearest Town(s)
Project Size
COMMUNITY PROJECT
Maintain the Gain
Reinvigorating gorse control on Phillip Island and Surrounds by Bass Coast Landcare Network
The Bass Coast Landcare Network is closer to achieving its goal of an ‘island ark’ for threatened and endangered plants and animals with a long-term effort to eradicate gorse from Phillip Island and the surrounding area.
Large Community Projects
- Commenced 2019
Project Groups
Project Names
Municipality(s)
Nearest Town(s)
Project Size
Controlling gorse is a long-term commitment. We understand how daunting it can be to start, but by following a step-by-step process you can prepare, plan and control gorse.
Small Grant Projects
The Small Grants are designed so that smaller community based groups can be empowered to implement gorse control projects across Victoria. Eligible projects can apply for up to $5,000 in funding.
Large Grant Projects
Overcoming gorse is not impossible it just takes persistence, dedication and community led effort.
Collaboration with public land mangers and private landholders means more people working towards the same goal.
The first step to start your gorse control is commitment for long term, integrated gorse control techniques. Part of this is to develop a gorse control management plan. When you start developing your gorse control plan there are a few things that you should consider including:
- Work with your neighbours
- Make it a long-term management plan and stick to it
- Review and amend your plan as appropriate
- Seek professional advice
- Aim to treat every plant
- Don’t let plants set seed
- Remain vigilant and always follow up the previous season’s work.
Some main components to a successful gorse control program are:
- A long-term commitment from the land manager
- Treating all plants before they set seed
- The use of a combination of control methods
- To be persistent and regularly follow up with inspections of previous season’s work
- Revegetation and a change in the land use practices that allowed gorse to spread and grow.
Roadside weed control for the majority of country roadsides rests with Local Municipalities. For main roads as declared under the Roadside Management Act 2004, the responsibility is with VicRoads (click here for the VicRoads declared roads map).
Yes. Mulching, physical removal and cultivation are some control methods of gorse that don’t require the use of chemicals. Chemical free control methods can be effective but are often more labour intensive, costly and require increased levels of commitment and vigilance by the landholder over a long period.
Please read the VGT Gorse Best Practice Guide for more detailed information on chemical free gorse control methods.
