Bass Coast Environmental news

Councillors and CEOs from across the nine member councils endorsed the four-year action plan at SECCCA’s annual leaders’ breakfast.

The South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA) has pitched a blueprint to change the way climate impacts are managed in the south east of Melbourne.

The action plan was launched to an audience of federal and state members of parliament, industry and business groups, peak bodies and councillors from across the nine member councils at SECCCA’s annual leaders’ breakfast on Wednesday.

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The call of nature

20/10/2023

By Catherine Watson

IS THIS Wonthaggi’s most beautiful nature strip? The big trees were there when the current residents moved in a couple of years ago but they have taken it to a whole new level with understorey plantings of shrubs and ground cover.

I love walking through this miniature woodland. It’s deliciously cool on a hot summer day and sheltered from the brutal south-westerlies in winter. (The only drawback is the colony of noisy miners that consider it their territory.)

There are multiple benefits to urban plantings. They cool their surroundings, they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They provide habitat and food for birds, lizards and invertebrates. They look good and they make us feel good.

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Lucky Laribee

17/10/2023

Story by Liz McDonald
Photos and captions by Richard Kemp

The story starts in July with a very distressed wombat, continuously scratching and covered in a thick scab. That’s when a dedicated team stepped in to help Laribee.

I’M VERY happy to encourage native wildlife to my 1.2 ha property in the Gurdies hills. There are at least five wombat burrows on the property used sporadically, and usually scrapings and their prominent poo piles to be seen somewhere each day.

In July I was sorry to see a large wombat grazing voraciously and constantly in full daylight, and scratching his/her side. This was one of the very few sightings in the nearly four decades I’ve lived here. (Alas, we quite often see carcasses on the roadside caused by speeding cars and trucks). I knew that this daylight sighting of a usually nocturnal animal probably meant it was suffering from a dose of mange.

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Bird bonanza

16/10/2023

After a mammoth flight from Alaska, over a million short tailed shearwaters have arrived home to their breeding grounds on Phillip Island.

By Lisa Gilbert

SPRING is such an exciting time in the natural world of birdlife on Phillip Island (Millowl). We farewelled the short-tailed shearwaters in April and now, after spending the last five months around the Bering Sea near Alaska, over a million birds have arrived home to their breeding grounds on the island.

Keep your eyes on the sky at sunset along the coast to see these incredible birds returning home to feed their young after a day’s fishing. Remember to keep to tracks in the dunes so you don’t accidently trample their sand dune burrows.

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Riders versus orchids

22/9/2023

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Parks Victoria is investigating the unauthorised construction of bike trails in
The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve.

By Catherine Watson

FIRST it was the Wonthaggi Bushland Reserve, then the Cape Woolamai foreshore. Now mountain bike riders are cutting a swathe through The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve, threatening colonies of rare orchids.

While there have always been a few illegal riders in the reserve, over the winter months it has reached a whole new scale, with an extensive network of circuits constructed with named jumps, switchbacks and drops.

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VCAT rejects Harmers subdivision

21/9/2023

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Part of the subject site, left, immediately adjacent to the Harmers Haven Coastal Reserve.

By John Old

BASS Coast Post readers will probably recall previous items regarding an application for a subdivision and clearing of native vegetation at Harmers Haven (Harmers swamp under threat, May 4, 2022).

The application was unanimously rejected by the Bass Coast Shire Council (BCSC) in May 2022. The applicants then appealed this decision to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Last week, VCAT upheld the Council’s rejection of the application and refused to issue a permit for the subdivision.

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Return of El Niño bodes ill for Inverloch beach

21/9/2023

By Philip Heath

IT FEELS like the death of an old friend – another magnificent 80-plus-year-old coast banksia at Flat Rocks, Inverloch, has finally succumbed to the retreating coastline and crashed into the ocean. Like its neighbours, it used to sit happily at the back of the dunes in the coastal reserve. After 10 years of sustained coastline erosion, it was the only living thing that stood between the ocean and Cape Paterson Road.

It might have lasted longer had it had a helping hand, but no, it was left to fend for itself, and then it was really only a matter of time …

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Penguin peek for locals

14/8/2023

Bass Coast residents will get free entry to the Penguin Parade on two nights during September as part of this year's community open day.

PHILLIP Island Nature Parks will throw open its doors to locals in September, providing an opportunity for us to get behind the scenes and gain an insight into the island’s important conservation and eco-tourism work.

This year marks the 12th annual community open day where Bass Coast residents can discover all Nature Parks’ attractions, celebrate the unique and remarkable conservation work being done on Phillip Island, and connect with local rangers, volunteers and staff.

For the first time, the community can attend the general viewing of the Penguin Parade at no charge over two nights – Sunday, September 10 and Monday, September 11.

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Mangrove research bolstered

11/8/2023

Photo: Neil Daly

THE State Government will invest $1.2 million into improving mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh habitats in Western Port.

The funding will be shared between the Western Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation and the Bunurong Land Council. Environment Minister Ingrid Stitt said it would be used to identify options for protecting and enhancing mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh habitats, while also delivering on-ground works including planting, fencing and pest and weed control.

“The funding will not only help future proof Western Port’s unique coastal biodiversity but will work towards optimising the blue carbon storage capacity the reserve provides through its extensive mangroves and wetlands.”

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Tenby powers on

19/6/2023

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Tenby Point might be off the beaten track, but this small community is making strides
in its journey to sustainability.

By Anne Heath Mennell and Margaret Golder

TENBY Point? Where’s that? There are people in our shire who haven’t heard of it. Residents are happy to keep a low profile and maintain the tranquil nature of their small settlement. But things are stirring in Tenby Point – good things.

The story begins with an open-air community gathering in April 2022 to gauge interest in making Tenby Point a totally renewable community. Inspired by the achievements of Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI), 30 households expressed interest in hearing more about the project. Totally Renewable Tenby (TRT) was off and running, with a voluntary working group doing all the groundwork.

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Q&A with Indigo Aurora

16/6/2023

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On Tuesday, local students took time off school to protest at the NAB's financing of the coal industry. The Bass Coast Post asked Indigo Aurora why she attended.

Post: Why did you get involved with School Strike for Climate (SS4C)?

Indigo: I only got properly involved with SS4C this year, but I’ve been passionate about fighting for climate justice for years. When I joined Newhaven College at the start of 2023, my amazing friend and activist Joey Thompson introduced me to a local climate action group, and I’ve been helping to organise and attend local actions ever since. It makes me feel so empowered to get out there and fight for our environment, alongside other passionate individuals. Although we live rurally, it’s important that we join this national movement, as we can still achieve great things that will make an impact.

Post: Climate change makes me feel …

Indigo: Trapped, like my generation’s future is hopeless. It’s sometimes hard to maintain a positive mental attitude when it feels like the world is slowly crumbling around us.

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Drones to the rescue

13/6/2023

Marine scientist Rebecca McIntosh disentangles a seal pup on Seal Rocks.

By Lisa Gilbert

A LANDMARK study aims to save more Australian fur seals from entanglements by using thermal imaging technology on aerial drones to detect injured animals.

In what is believed to be a world first, the study, led by Monash University PhD student Adam Yaney-Keller and Phillip Island Nature Parks, is testing the ability of thermal imaging technology on drones to find entangled seals at Seal Rocks, off the coast of Phillip Island.

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Balance of power

19/5/2023

By Sierra Dunton

THE renewable energy transition is gathering pace across Australia. Homeowners are lapping up opportunities for solar and/or battery installations, with plenty of financing options, timely government incentives, and reduced energy bills for years to come.

For renters, low-income earners, people living in flats or other dwellings unsuitable for rooftop solar, the outlook is less promising, with energy bills expected to spike over the next few years. While most power companies offer “green energy”, it’s often at a premium price, further excluding low-income earners from accessing renewable energy.

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Sustainability central

18/5/2023

Uncle Steve Ulula Parker will run an ‘Eel Dreaming' Listening Circle
at the Bass Coast Sustainability Festival.

THE sleepy village of Bass will come alive on Sunday as the crowds descend for this year’s Bass Coast Sustainability Festival.

A gold coin donation gets you into a full day of free activities.

It’s a great chance to connect with community groups and organisations, including the Energy Innovation Cooperative, Totally Renewable Phillip Island/Tenby Point, the Wonthaggi Fixit Café, South Gippsland Beekeepers, Mycelia Renewables, Bass Coast Climate Action Network, Bass Coast Adult Learning, the Bass Coast Landcare Network, the Western Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation and the Earthworker Cooperative.

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Paul's patch

17/5/2023

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Paul Speirs: “I can’t save the world ... but I know I can
make a difference locally."

By Gill Heal

YEARS ago it was a bare watercourse strangled by blackberry.

Today this stretch of creek in Glen Forbes is dynamic bushland. Beneath the blackwoods and eucalypts there’s an understorey of hazel, musk and prickly currant. And under those, ferns, moss and lichens. Fish swim in a spring-fed rock pool overhung with creepers. A Pandora vine is a nest for a ringtail possum. There’s even a Gondwana species, the Austral mulberry. The place is a roll call of lost plants.

This stretch of the west tributary of the west branch of Archies Creek is Paul Spiers’ backyard. It’s a riparian revegetation project he and the owners of several connecting properties have been working on for up to 20 years.

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The power trip continues

16/5/2023

By Werner Theinert

WHAT an amazing journey it's been since The power trip, my first Bass Coast Post article on October 1, 2020.

The Nissan Leaf e+ discussed in that article is still going strong with over 46,000 kilometres on the clock. It has only been charged away from home twice, at a cost of $8 each time at the fast chargers at Moe Folk Museum. That equates to an expenditure of $16 for nearly three years and 35,000kms of travel.

The rest of the power came from home, with most of it coming from the 12kW Solar PV on the roof. The addition of a Zappi car charger last year provides us with the ability to transfer all our excess solar power into the car’s battery.

The blue curve is the power being transferred to the car battery. The first two yellow “exported” power spikes on the top graph represent the two trips into town.

Our state and federal regulators still haven’t approved bidirectional chargers for battery electric vehicles, though the South Australian Government has approved them and smart solar PV inverters for use in the home.

Basically this means that we are allowed to install large-scale batteries in our homes but not if those batteries have wheels, lights and a steering wheel!

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Mission Crimson Berry

9/5/2023

Crimson Berry (Leptecophylla oxycedrus) is rare in Victoria

By Lisa Gilbert

A TEAM of ecological crusaders last month embarked on a mission to salvage critically endangered plants from Wilsons Prom to help regenerate the species on Phillip Island.

Crimson Berry (Leptecophylla oxycedrus) is a prickly shrub that only grows to two metres tall but can be hundreds of years old. The spectacular red berries are edible, making them a good food source for animals and the thorns protect small birds from predators.

While prolific in Tasmania, the plant is now extremely rare in Victoria, only found on Phillip Island (Millowl), Wilsons Promontory and Corner Inlet.

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Enjoying the ride

22/4/2023

Eight months in, EV driver Michael Nugent couldn't be happier, except …

By Michael Nugent

THIS is Buzz, an imported Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle (EV) I’ve been driving Buzz for about eight months now and I thought it was about time to fulfil the promise I made last year in the articles Crunch time (March 10, 2022) and My EV journey continues (July 21, 2022). I promised then to write about my experiences with Buzz to help others make up their minds about whether, or when, to get an EV themselves. So here goes.

Let’s start with the end in mind, and that is: after a few teething issues, I am completely happy with Buzz and wish I had bought it (Buzz identifies as gender-neutral) sooner.

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Frog find puts woodlands on the map

22/4/2023

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The endangered southern toadlet is well camouflaged. Photo: Dave Newman

LAST month local frog expert Brendan Casey asked visitors to the Western Port Woodlands to listen out for and record frog calls in hopes that they might record endangered a southern toadlet.

It seemed a long shot at the time. The last verified call of the frog in Bass Coast was in 2005 near the Holden Proving ground. It was also recorded within the HPG in 2012.

Just two weeks after Dr Casey's call, the Australian Museum’s Frog ID confirmed a recording of a southern toadlet in the Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve. Since then, Dave and Jackie Newman have made more than a dozen recordings at a number of sites throughout the Western Port Woodlands.

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On a wing and a prayer

20/4/2023

Hooded plover, fledged after 47 days at the Second Surf Beach blowout.
Photos: David Hartney

By David Hartney

AFTER a very slow start to the 2022-23 breeding season, Bass Coast’s hooded plovers had their best season for many years, with a record-equalling 22 fledged juveniles between Cape Paterson and San Remo.

Four chicks fledged at the Cape Paterson breeding sites, the first to fledge along this section of the coast since 2019. They included one at Pea Creek estuary, the first since 2012, and one from the Second Surf dune blowout, the first since 2018.

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Rare frog could make a big splash

25/3/2023

The rare southern toadlet was recorded near the Holden Proving Grounds in 2005. Photo: John Wombey, courtesy of CSIRO

LOCAL frog expert Brendan Casey is calling for volunteers to listen out for a rare frog that’s about to start calling.

The southern toadlet was advisory listed as endangered in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act in 2021. “That’s when the authorities realised the known populations were crashing,” Dr Brendan Casey said during a talk at the South Gippsland Conservation Society on Saturday.

The species decline can be linked to habitat destruction with land development threatening the remaining populations in southern Victoria.

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Every seal counts

22/3/2023

Seal Rocks resident. Photos: Marcus Salton

By Lisa Gilbert

ON International Seal Day, a Phillip Island Nature Parks researcher is appealing to local fishers not to discard fishing line.

Marine scientist Rebecca McIntosh says the most common entanglement for seals is recreational fishing line. “If people put their rubbish – like fishing lines and bait bags in the bins – we’ll make a real difference to the health of the seal population.

“There could be up to 300 seals a year who are trapped and injured by marine waste across the population. At Seal Rocks, we can see up to 11 individuals per field trip and we release about half of those we see.

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Yes please, more trees

27/1/2023

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WHEN it comes to urban tree cover, Cowes and Inverloch are the standout towns in Bass Coast with 32 and 30 per cent tree cover respectively on public and private land. San Remo is the most barren, with just 14 per cent tree cover.

The council’s draft Urban Forest Strategy, released for community comment just before Christmas, sets out a plan to protect and grow the shire’s urban forest with a target of a 40 per cent tree canopy coverage by 2040, with a minimum 25 per cent for every neighbourhood.

Urban forests include all trees and vegetation in an urban area, including street trees, nature strips, parks, open space as well as backyards, industrial areas and conservation sites.

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Operation Fairy Tern

27/1/2023