The community-driven event was well attended, with about 50-60 people braving a cold wintery morning to care for their local environment.

One of the organisers, Joy Robin, said the group retrieved a massive load road of rubbish from around the coastal estuary and out of waterways.

"It was wonderful in my opinion, because all that would have washed into the water and broken down over time," she said.

"It was a very very cold morning and everyone rugged up - I was surprised how many people were there early, including several children, it was fabulous to see."

ESSCI provided a sausage sizzle and the Twofold Ladies Club sweetened the day with a selection of cakes, enjoyed with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Rubbish and old tyres, which pose a massive problem for the environment, were taken out of the water.

"We realised we were competing with sporting groups, but wanted to hold the event after after the snake season," Joy said.

The clean-up event was funded by a successful community environment grant application to Bega Valley Shire Council.

"We were a bit disappointed there was no-one there from council, though we did request them to attend."

A member of both the Eden Chamber and Eden Recovery and Resilience Alliance, in addition to being very involved with Eden Community Access Centre, Joy said organisers were very happy with how the event went overall.

"I'm great believer, if we build a strong core of a community, the rest will just happen," she said.

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