News & Articles
Stories From Camp Here comes Santa
We had a special guest arriving for an early stop on Tuesday night! It was SANTA! He rolled in on a big red fire truck with all sirens blaring. The children didn’t know what was happening. One camper thought it was an emergency evacuation and started to gather her things. The smile on the children’s […]
News Updates Respite by the Sea
In June 2020, during Victoria’s COVID-19 second wave, Cottage by the Sea put particular focus on opening up our Riptide facility to host families in need of a break from their everyday lives. The first two of many families booked to benefit from this service were referred to us by Justice Connect; an organisation who […]
Stories From Camp Dolphins! I See dolphins!
Young camper Bryce yelled at the top of his lungs, Dolphins! I see dolphins! As we were walking along the Queenscliff pier the young boy spotted the dolphins about 10 metres off the end of the pier, all of the anglers looked in distress as they saw the dolphins swim past their lines, they all […]
Newsletters 2020 Summer Newsletter
In the second week of November, we welcomed children back to the Cottage after a seven month closure due to the pandemic. Happiness was indescribable. Our Programs Team and all staff were delighted to see and hear cheerful children enjoying the Cottage experience again.
Stories From Camp Welcome aboard!
What an entrance! Merrijig had to our new building, as they arrived by bus we had camera crews set up and ready to go filming that WOW factor to our new building. The camera man had the children driving in on the bus and unpacking the trailer with their luggage for the week. The money […]
Stories From Camp GIRLS RULE!
This week we welcomed our first camp back post-COVID! The entire school of Natte Yallock a small country town located between Ballarat and Bendigo. All 5 students from the school are girls! They were so excited to take over Riptide Cottage for the week. It was only a short stay so we made the most […]
Annual Reports 2020 Annual Report
Welcome to our Annual Report for the Financial Year ended 30th June 2020 and congratulations to everyone involved at the Cottage for delivering the outstanding programs for 670 children over 32 camps during this shortened year.
News Updates Cottage makeover
Cottage by the Sea CEO Adam Wake recently showed journalists from the Geelong Advertiser a sneak peak at our renovation. You can read the article here.
Our History Let them be young and happy
“For a great many years this refuge has been known to teachers and parents here as ‘The Magical Place,’” states Mrs McEvoy, principal at West Heidelberg Olympic Village Primary School, writing of Cottage by the Sea in 1977. “The holiday is an exciting adventure for small children from the moment they are met at the […]
Newsletters 2020 Winter Newsletter
It seems almost superfluous to say that 2020 has been a challenging year so far. Without even a chance to recover from horrendous bushfires that swept through Victoria and NSW over the summer months; we have since been overtaken by the unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19. Responding to the pandemic by keeping our people healthy and […]
News Updates Supporting our community in times of need.
In response to COVID-19 restrictions Cottage by the Sea has been delivering remote children’s programs as well as providing food relief to our local community. Food relief response While we are unable to have children onsite, our Chef has continued to produce remarkable meals from rescued and donated food. We have been delivering approximately 600 […]
Capital Works We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us
From inducing a sense of well being to inspiring great thoughts, the spaces we inhabit have a vast impact on what we feel and how we act. At Cottage by the Sea, we know that as soon as children arrive at Queenscliff their mood is uplifted. This sense of wellbeing increases tenfold when the children […]
Capital Works Foundation for a brighter future
To continue Capital Works at the Cottage, building contractors on site have boosted their site safety procedures to comply with strict social distancing practices and increased hygiene procedures. And while we are saddened to have postponed children’s programs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased that contractors can keep working to make […]
News Updates Supporting the community that always supports us
In early March, the Department of Education and Training announced that all school camps were to be postponed until further notice. With great sadness, Cottage by the Sea closed its doors to children for the second time in our 130 year history, the last being when the Australian Army took over the Cottage as a […]
Stories From Camp Rain, Rain Go Away!
It was a drizzly Thursday morning as camp leaders discussed the day’s program. Should we stay indoors, or head outside and hope the drizzle clears? It was decided that although it was a tad wet, it was not cold, so we loaded everyone on the bus, connected the SUP trailer and headed to Barwon Heads […]
Stories From Camp Driving Day!
This week at Cottage, 8 Mentors participated in a morning of driver education. The morning started with a short presentation from the RACV’s Youth Motoring program before the team from ‘I drive safely’ arrived to take the Mentors for a drive on the roads around Queenscliff. After a quick introduction to Craig, Lisa and Robin, […]
Capital Works Cottage gets modern makeover
Cottage by the Sea’s historic building is currently undergoing a modern transformation costing in excess of $3 million. Work, which commenced prior to Christmas, has stepped up in recent weeks with the removal of the back deck and extensive internal modifications.
Stories From Camp The Adventures of Bentley (The Therapy Dog)
This week we welcomed a different camper, one with some extra fur. Bentley the therapy dog attended camp all week with the Yuille Park children. We drove into the school to see a wagging tail waiting. Bentley had his own harness and seat belt for the bus ride to camp! Once arriving to camp, Bentley […]
