Cookie Policy — Gardening Victoria

Gardening Victoria is committed to transparency about the small data files stored on your device. This Gardening Victoria cookie policy explains what cookies and similar technologies we use, why we use them, and how you can control them. The terms used here — cookies, local storage, and trackers — relate to tools that help the site operate, improve performance and tailor content to visitors.

We categorise cookies to make management straightforward. Essential cookies are necessary for the site to function and for secure access to certain features. Analytics cookies help us understand usage patterns and monitor performance so that Gardening Victoria can deliver a smooth experience. Marketing cookies enable relevant communications and promotional activities while respecting user privacy.

This cookie statement applies to all pages where GardeningVictoria cookies may be deployed. It describes the lifecycle of a cookie: placement, duration, and purpose. It also outlines the controls available to you, such as rejecting non-essential cookies or managing preferences in your browser. Our GV cookie policy aims to be clear, concise and respectful of your choices.

Types of cookies we use

The following categories are used across the site and services:

• Essential cookies: These enable core site functionality, including navigation, account security, and form submissions. They cannot be switched off without affecting how the site works.
• Analytics cookies: Used for performance monitoring, they collect aggregated information about how visitors use the site — which pages are visited, how long users stay, and technical issues like broken links or slow pages.
• Marketing cookies: These help deliver relevant messages and promotions and may be used to measure the effectiveness of campaigns.

Analytics and performance monitoring are central to improving our services. By measuring page load times, interaction rates, and error occurrences, analytics cookies support continuous improvement of GardeningVic resources and pages. Data is anonymised and used in aggregate to identify patterns and trends without exposing individual identities.

User control and cookie choices

You have control over non-essential cookies. Most modern browsers provide settings to block or delete cookies; you can also set preferences for individual cookie categories. If you opt out of analytics cookies, performance monitoring will be reduced, which may limit our ability to diagnose slow pages or intermittent issues affecting the Gardening Victoria experience.

To exercise control, use your browser settings or the site cookie banner where available. Opting out of marketing cookies will stop personalised advertising but will not prevent you from using the main features of the site. Remember: deleting cookies may remove saved preferences and sign-in tokens.

The policy is designed to protect your privacy while enabling Gardening Victoria to maintain site reliability and relevance. We use industry-standard approaches for storing cookies and respect privacy best practices. Essential cookies remain active only as long as required for security and session management, while analytics and marketing cookies have defined retention periods and can be managed by you.