News & Articles

Our Stories

Scholarship update: aerial silks national competition 

One of our Mentor participants, Olive, has been pursuing her passion for aerial silks through our scholarship program. This experience has provided Olive with some amazing opportunities – she competed in the State Championships last year (you can read about that experience here) and she was selected to compete at the Nationals in Queensland in […]

Our Stories

Cottage by the Sea Annual Boardriders Surf Day over the years

We are very proud of our 17-year partnership with the Boardriders Foundation. Boardriders supports Cottage with product donations for visiting children and their families, along with hosting an Annual Surf Day for our program participants. Our partnership with Boardriders Foundation has been integral in enriching the lives of children on Cottage programs. Boardriders recently donated […]

Events

Giving Day 2024 – together, we will help more kids

“I am delighted to be able to support the great work of CBTS. As Winston Churchill said, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’” Giving Day donor Yesterday, Cottage by the Sea raised $225,444 for its Giving Day thanks to more than 330 supporters. The […]

Our Stories

Rock pool swim on Take a Break

Cottage by the Sea reef is considered by many to be one of the best snorkelling locations in Victoria. Divers from all around the world come to Cottage by the Sea to dive the reef. We are lucky the reef is located right out the back gate and a short walk along the beach. When […]

Our Stories

Barista Training at The Gordon for our Mentors!

The first Old Mentor program for the year is about reconnecting with one another while also gaining some new qualifications. At Cottage by the Sea, we are all about providing opportunities for young people and supporting them to be the best versions of themselves. To be able to give that support, it is important to […]

Our Stories

Scholarship update: LEGO championships

Offering a child the opportunity to pursue a passion can be a life-defining experience, which we are regularly reminded of through our scholarship program. We recently received a letter from scholarship recipients at Woodville Primary School, who have attended our Take a Break program. Cottage by the Sea has had a long-lasting relationship with this […]

Events

ABN Group/Boutique Homes working bee

Last week, we had more than 50 staff from ABN Group/Boutique Homes visit Cottage by the Sea for a working bee. One of Cottage’s volunteers here on the day said that their “contribution and support was significant”. Here are some of the ways they showed their support on the day at Cottage: “It was a […]

Our Stories

Cottage by the Sea Annual Boardriders Surf Day

Our favourite event of the year fell on this week’s Take a Break program – the Annual Boardriders Surf Day! The visiting children all heard whispers of a special event that was coming up on their program, but they didn’t know the finer details. A rumour of a famous surfer and some gift packs had […]

Our Stories

Making new connections on the Mentor program

For Camp Leaders, the first New Mentor program of the year at Cottage by the Sea brings excitement and strikes curiosity. This is because it is the first time two groups come together to start a journey through the Mentor program. For our REEF graduates last year, it was their first program as a Mentor […]

Events

2024 Giving Day – your donation doubled

On Tuesday March 5, 2024, Cottage by the Sea is having a Giving Day that will harness the generosity of our community to raise funds to support more children and their families. For one day only, all donations will be doubled so we can increase our impact and help more young people. Please note that […]

Our Stories

Stingray spotting on Take a Break

Queenscliff Marina is home to giant stingrays, and it is a weekly tradition on the Take a Break program at Cottage by the Sea to see if we can spot some gliding through the crystal blue waters of the harbour. As we walked along the harbour – peering into the water looking for any slight […]

Our Stories

Take a Break from the children’s perspective

The below story was written by Abbie, Muhamed, Zahra, Chloe, Attila and Harmony who attended a recent Take a Break program at Cottage by the Sea. Cottage by the Sea was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for this year’s Grade 5/6s. It was a delightful and enjoyable experience. Boogie-boarding was a favourite activity for the majority of […]

Our Stories

Canoeing fun on Take a Break

For this week’s group of visiting children, we decided to change up our traditional Take a Break program by adding canoeing into the mix. Some students were a little nervous at first when they found out that we were canoeing, and plenty of questions arose. Some students thought canoeing was done in a small tube […]

Events

The Rippers Club annual summer drinks at Cottage

Last Saturday, the Rippers Club held a fun afternoon and “Ripping” event for its members and guests at the annual Rippers Summer Drinks held at Cottage overlooking the Rip.  The Rippers help facilitate and enable support for Cottage by the Sea across their far-reaching business and social networks. As always, their events are packed full […]

Our Stories

First school of 2024 on Take a Break!

It’s always exciting welcoming our first school back for the year on our Take a Break program, and who better to welcome than our friends at Yuille Park CC. We see Yuille Park students a number of times throughout the year, with lots of familiar faces. They always come along with high energy and enthusiasm […]

News Updates

Cottage President Scott Chapman AM appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia

A big congratulations from the entire Cottage by the Sea community to the recently appointed Cottage by the Sea President, Scott Chapman AM. Last week, Scott was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the Victorian community through a range of governance roles, including as a long-standing Board […]

Our Stories

Beach fun on Take a Break

What a perfect week of weather for our first Take a Break program of the year. The sun was shining for the visiting children as they arrived at Cottage, and we wasted no time having lunch and getting into wetsuits. As we made our way down to the beach, we could see the stunning blue […]

Our Stories

Nature-inspired art at Cottage by the Sea

Nature is interwoven into Cottage by the Sea experiences not just through the activities the children undertake outdoors, but through the indoor environment at Cottage too. When the building at Main Cottage was redeveloped in 2020, the design was inspired by nature – emphasising north-facing windows for natural light, ocean views through south-facing windows out […]