Weather     Dutyman       
Logo
Sugarloaf Sailing Club
About
   

The Club
Location
Sailing For All
Community
Galleries

The Club

Sugarloaf Sailing Club is a community oriented organisation providing a broad range of sailing activities over the whole year. The club aims to introduce members and the local community to the sport of sailing and to organise and promote social and competitive events.

The club is based at Sugarloaf Reservoir; with a sailing area of approximately 4.5 km by 2.5 km. The surrounding park is home to a variety of animals including grey kangaroos, echidnas, koalas, and black tail wallabies. There are many resident birds and we are visited by sea eagles and pelicans.

Many Sugarloaf members are new to sailing and the club makes sail training classes available which are tailored to any age or ability. It is not unusual for our new sailors to commence racing immediately. The club runs over 40 races throughout the year in three series, "Winter", "Twilight" and "Summer". There is a strong racing fraternity at Sugarloaf who can be found on the lake on race days, rain, hail or shine.

Many members just enjoy sailing the lake or helping out with our sailability program or officiating at races. Whether you want to be on the water for competition or relaxation, the Sugarloaf Sailing Club has excellent facilities and a beautiful location.

We are located at Christmas Hills in the Shire of Nillumbik, just 35 minutes drive from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The club can be found on Ridge Road off the Eltham-Yarra Glen road.

Location

Gate 11, Ridge Road,
Christmas Hills, Victoria, Australia
Melways Reference: Map 273 G3

It is best to access Ridge road at Christmas Hills (not Watsons Creek) via the Eltham-Yarra Glen road from Eltham, Warrandyte or Yarra Glen.


View Larger Map

Sailing For All

Sugarlaof Sailing Club conducts Sailability on the first and third Wednesday of every month during the summer season. Sailability is sailing for all including the young, the elderly and disabled. We have Access dinghies. Unsinkable, uncapsizable and good fun.

At Sugarloaf, Access dinghies have been integrated into our general weekly racing so you can progress from learning to sail an access dinghy to competing against other Access dinghies as well as the rest of the fleet. Racing Access dinghies against every class from our Savage Dolphin 16 to A class catamarans is the norm at Sugarloaf.

If you would like more information about Sugarloafs Sailability programme or want to enrol in one of the sessions, please contact us.

Community

The Club is delighted to have a great relationship with local community groups. Our volunteeers enjoy helping a whole range of people have a great time learning to sail and we proudly show off some feedback below:


Thanks for your time and effort today supporting our clients to have the opportunity to go sailing at sugarloaf. One of our clients parents was amazed that her daughter participated in a sailing program. Again thank you for todays sailing program, we all felt very welcomed. cheers

Brenton - Araluen Rosanna
On behalf of Winston Hills Pre-School, I would like to thank the Sugarloaf Sailing Club for your most generous donation of the beautiful boat Lavendar Lady. The dinghy has been the star attraction since it arrived in our pre-school garden over the September school holidays and fits perfectly into the new surrounds. The children have already had many hours of fun catching "fish" and there will be many more to come! Thank you again. Lavendar Lady will be very much treasured and loved.

Yours Sincerely, Sarah


We had the most fantastic day. Not much wind but that didnt matter at all. Please see comments below from the Araluen carers. Great feedback!! Once again your crew are just brilliant - and I cannot thank them enough for their kindness and great encouragement and support. "I just wanted to say thank you so much for the sailing opportunity yesterday. The guys had so much fun and couldnt stop talking about it on the way home in the bus. Also this morning had some feedback from some parents to say that their adult child that night couldnt stop talking about the experience, and that they felt proud that they went out on the water on their own. Thank-you again"

Julie - Banyule City Council

I would also like to thank you all for such a wonderful and amazing experience. Many of our participants had never been sailing before and for them to have the opportunity to be taught and have the ability to sail themselves was a huge treat!

All the participants went home on such a high and I received verbal feedback from many of the parents about ow great a mood their children were in that evening thanks to the wonderful time they had. Many asked if they could come back every week and even wanted to come back the next day!

Not only was this a fantastic opportunity but the kind and welcoming nature of the volunteers was astounding. They accommodated for each individual and made us feel very welcomed. For this reason, I hope to book in with you and your crew again on a summer program and will most definitely be referring other disability groups to your fantastic service!

Many many thanks!

Susan - Manningham YMCA Inc.

Noraccom Incorporated provides accommodation for young adults with a mild intellectual disability. We receive no government funding and look for ways to increase the residents entertainment and activities which are interesting and in the case of Sugarloaf Sailing Club, a little adventurous.

Several of Noraccoms residents have been fortunate to spend time at the Sugarloaf Reservoir Sailing Club, participating in their activities and enjoying a wonderful day out. The activites are safe and cater for the specific needs of each person. We always seek different ways to provide entertainment for our residents and the Sailing Club gives them that little extra excitement.

Robert - Noraccom Incorporated

SSC has a long history of being an inclusive and welcoming club to people of all abilities. In fact, the club was recognised last year in our annual Community Sports Awards, in the Most Inclusive Club of the Year category, coming in a close second place in a compettive line-up. SSC also featured in the Male Athlete of the Year category with Martin Waller, member of the SSC and World Champion, taking first place. SSC continues to work with Nillumbik Shire Councils Access for All Abilities program, always willing to support initiatives which allow access to the sport of sailing by people with and withour disabilities.

Caroline - Nillumbik Shire Council

The Healsville Living and Learning Centre and our members have benefited form the quality services provided by the Sugarloaf Sailing Club and we certainly intend to continue with our reationship in the future.

We are very appreciative that the Sailing Club supports community initiatives and inparticular our Living and Learning Centre programs for the disadvantaged and people with disabilities.

Karen- Centre Manager

Regent Street Respite, part of the Scope Victoria, often visits Sugarloaf Reservoir for Sailability as part of client participation in Recreation and Leisure programs for people with disabilities. Our sessions of sailing have been such a success, that we have continued over the years to incorporate Sailability into our ongoing programs.

Sailability is by far one of the most popular programs that we run and our participants thoroughly enjoy the day our at Sugarloaf Reserve. Sailing at Sugarloaf not only gives our clients the opportunity to develeop new skills, but it also involves them in an activity that they would normally be unable to particiapate in.

The staff at Sugarloaf Reserve have structured a disability friendly environment, that brings joy to many of our clients, also giving then a chance to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Sugarloaf Reservoir.

Colette - Regent St Respite.