Throughout 2025, GeoCatch and Revitalising Geographe Waterways worked with residents, community groups, schools and businesses to protect the Vasse-Wonnerup catchment from their own backyards.
Bay OK is a flagship sustainability program focusing on reducing nutrient pollution from urban gardens through practical, waterwise gardening techniques. A Bay OK garden conserves water, reduces the amount of nutrients entering our sandy soils and is a haven for native plants and wildlife.
2025 was a packed year for GeoCatch’s Bay OK project officer Lisa Massey, who took smart gardening messages across the catchment. From bustling garden centres to local libraries, schools and community hubs, the program met people where they live, learn and shop – making smart-gardening behaviour accessible and engaging.
Highlights from 2025
Bunnings shoppers were invited to “Pot a plant” and learn Bay OK gardening tips, while those keen to grow their own food dug into vegetable gardening and composting workshops delivered in partnership with The People Place and Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology.
Students at Dunsborough Primary took part in a Bay OK Day, exploring how catchments work through interactive models and discovering “What Belongs in the Bay”– helping Year 2 students connect everyday actions to waterway health.
Healthy Estuaries WA scientists presented to the Busselton Jetty Youth Leadership Group, sharing how and why we monitor seagrass and highlighting the vital role seagrass plays in estuarine ecosystems.
On the ground, the Bay OK demonstration garden at the Vasse Diversion Drain received a major refresh, thanks to support from the Water Corporation, Norcape Tree Services, MacKillop students, Bunnings staff and a prison release crew. The garden now stands as a living example of Bay OK principles in practice.
Other highlights from 2025 include:
None of these achievements would have been possible without the incredible support of the local community, partners and stakeholders. Their passion for our natural environment and sustainable practices drives the work of GeoCatch, Revitalising Geographe Waterways and Healthy Estuaries WA.
As we enter 2026, GeoCatch will be building on this momentum with more workshops, activities and talks where community members can forge connections while learning how to make lasting, positive impacts for the natural environment within their own garden.
Thank you to those already a part of the Bay OK community, and discover tips on how you can garden the Bay OK way on GeoCatch’s website here: Urban Environment – GeoCatch.
This project is part of Healthy Estuaries WA and Revitalising Geographe Waterways. These State Government initiatives aim to support the long-term health of our south-west estuaries.