Thousands of plants were given a new home on National Tree Day

Thousands of trees, shrubs and grasses were planted along The Flume and at Hopkins Falls on Sunday to mark National Tree Day.

Tree planters young and old braved the wet weather which brought driving rain, wind and hail to transform the landscape.

Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network’s Bruce Campbell said it was the 15^th year they had planted around the sand dunes along Warrnambool’s foreshore.

“It’s never been National Tree Day without a few hail storms, so we’re used to it. Us tree planters are tough people,” Mr Campbell said.

“The rain is good for getting the trees well established in the ground so a bit of rain doesn’t bother us.

“If you go back the 1960s then this was all just sand dunes blowing sand and marram grass, 15 years later it looks pretty amazing and we’ve got echidnas and wallabies and all kinds bird life here.”

He said about 2000 shrubs were planted on top of the hill at The Flume, but they were only low growing varieties so they won’t block the view of the ocean.

At Hopkins Falls, about 30 people helped plant 350 native trees, grasses and shrubs.