What to know about Leopold
- Leopold had 5,401 private dwellings in the 2021 Census. 92.2% of occupied dwellings were separate houses.Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Leopold
- The Bellarine Peninsula local planning policy supports residential growth in Leopold's Ash Road growth area and directs protection of Reedy Lake and Lake Connewarre as areas of ecological value.Source: Greater Geelong Planning Scheme, 11.03-6L-01 Bellarine Peninsula
- In the Ash Road (East) area (DDO46), subdivision stormwater must not harm downstream areas including Lake Connewarre, and no planning permit is needed under the overlay to build a fence.Source: Greater Geelong Planning Scheme, Schedule 46 to the Design and Development Overlay
- The City of Greater Geelong's plant guide places Leopold in Zone 3, the Central Bellarine Hills: a mix of clays, sands and gravels on gently sloping hills, poor to well drained, with 55 to 60 cm average rainfall.Source: City of Greater Geelong, Indigenous plants info sheet, zone 3
What to know before landscaping in Leopold
Leopold is a town of family homes: more than nine in ten occupied dwellings were separate houses in 2021. Its Ash Road growth area adds new estate blocks, where most owners start with fencing, lawn and an outdoor area.
Lake Connewarre and stormwater
Leopold drains towards Reedy Lake and Lake Connewarre, which the Bellarine planning policy protects for their ecological value. In the Ash Road (East) area, the design overlay requires subdivision stormwater not to harm downstream areas including Lake Connewarre (DDO46). At home, permeable paving, rain gardens and keeping soil and mulch out of the gutter all reduce what washes downstream. The same overlay does not require a planning permit for a fence.
Soil and plants
The council's Central Bellarine Hills sheet describes a mix of clays, sands and gravels on gently sloping hills, from poorly to well drained, with 55 to 60 cm of rain a year (zone 3). Original woodland in the zone included Manna Gum and Drooping Sheoke, with Moonah and Yellow Gum, all good starting points for a local planting plan.
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