Bass Coast Environmental news

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

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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

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Churchill Island is crucial in survival of endangered fairy tern population. Photos: Phillip Island Nature Parks

By Lisa Gilbert

THREE summers ago, 31 fairy tern pairs fledged 49 chicks at Observation Point on Churchill Island. Since 2019-20, as far as researchers know, not a single fairy term chick has fledged in the Western Port and Port Phillip Bay region.

The fairy tern is critically endangered in Victoria and its population has drastically declined in recent decades. Now Phillip Island Nature Parks will embark on a $200,000 conservation project to support the recovery of the population around Phillip Island.

Nature Parks staff and volunteers will partner with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation to improve and expand suitable breeding habitats for fairy terns, and install cameras to monitor the species and to better respond to feral cats and other threats such as storm surges.

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A feast of good gardening

25/1/2023

Paul and Fran Kirkpatrick's beautiful small-space garden in Cape Paterson
is one of 15 very different gardens opening for the weekend.

By Sharon Willcox

THE bees are buzzing and producing honey and gardeners are pruning and mulching their gardens, getting ready for the return of the Bass Coast Edible Gardens Weekend.

The inaugural event in 2022 attracted about 600 people and it returns on Saturday and Sunday, February 4-5. Once again, 15 food gardens will open over the weekend, with the gardeners keen to share their tips and advice on what grows well in Bass Coast.

Nine of the participating gardens are opening for the first time this year. They are joined by six of the crowd favourites from 2022, including Bhavani and David’s permaculture farm in Ventnor, Mary and John’s food forest in San Remo, and Peter and Lyn’s rambling rural property in Glen Forbes.

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Walk this way

16/12/2022

A warm welcome – and beautiful new information boards – await visitors to Coronet Bay’s
foreshore walk, writes Angela Christa (above).

By Angela Christa

LOOK, everyone! Our beautiful signs have been installed. The Coronet Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association is very pleased to announce that the three educational signs are now along the foreshore walking track.

The first at the Norsemens Road carpark end shows some of the native birds that use this habitat. The range includes migratory shore birds, water birds around the lake, large visiting raptors that feed on roosting birds in the trees and smaller bush birds that live in the middle-storey vegetation.

Walkers can scan a QR code to link to nearby bird walks and historical information.

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Wind powers savings

14/12/2022

The 99-turbine Murra Warra II wind farm is constructed on sheep grazing and grain growing country near Horsham.

BASS Coast Shire Council has saved almost $30,000 and almost 2000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the past 12 months by powering its municipal offices, streetlights and community buildings with 100 per cent renewable energy.

Bass Coast is one of 51 local governments to have switched council buildings and facilities to renewable electricity through the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO).

The renewable energy is provided by two wind farms – the 80-turbine Dundonnell wind farm near Mortlake, which started exporting power to the grid in March 2020, and the 99-turbine Murra Warra II wind farm near Horsham, which has just come into operation.

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On the koala trail

13/11/2022

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Koala poo hunt, Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve, June 2020

By Catherine Watson

GENETIC analysis has confirmed a researcher’s hypothesis that koalas in the Western Port Woodlands are descended from the original Victorian population, known as the Strzelecki koalas.

Kelly Smith, who is completing a thesis on her research at Federation University, says the proof came from scat samples collected by volunteers in Bass Coast and South Gippsland in June.

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Inverloch dune works preferred option

11/11/2022

The shaded area shows dune vegetation on the Inverloch beach that has been swept away
between 2010 and 2020.

By Philip Heath

THE South Gippsland Conservation Society (SGCS) supports the Inverloch Surf Beach dune renourishment option outlined in the Coastal Hazard Assessment summaries that were recently released by the Victorian Government’s Cape to Cape Resilience Project team.

It is critical to the future of the surf beach, the ecological and cultural values of the vegetated dunes and the safety of adjoining residences that the remaining dunes are protected.

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Away with the birds

8/11/2022

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By Geoff Brooks

MICROLIGHT aviator, zoologist and artist Amellia (Milly) Formby swooped into the Western Port Biosphere Reserve last week to pay homage to the more than 20,000 migratory birds that visit annually as part of their endless transition around the East Asian-Australasian Flyway – a 25,000km round trip bookended by Australia and the Arctic.

Amellia met students from Mornington Peninsula primary schools at a special presentation and bird-spotting event at Parks Victoria’s Coolart Wetlands.

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Bandicoots’ wild anniversary

20/10/2022

By Lisa Gilbert

DUNCAN Sutherland still has vivid memories of the night he and a team of rangers released 67 eastern barred bandicoots on Phillip Island.

“We split up into teams and took the bandicoots out into the various release locations. The thing that really captured the night for me – just the excitement of seeing the bandicoots being released into the Summerland Peninsula which was new territory to them. The juxtaposition of releasing the bandicoots and hearing the penguins at the same time.

“It was a special moment to realise we’d actually got there.”

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Hands off Western Port!

19/10/2022

The community wins - for now. A bold new community plan aims to make it permanent.

By Jeff Nottle

COMMUNITY action to preserve and protect Western Port from inappropriate industrial development has a long history. The Phillip Island Conservation Society has been involved in defending Western Port since it was formed in 1968. Key community champions have also weighed in, including Neil Daly writing in the Post.

The engagement and unity of our community hit a high water mark with the unprecedented unity and strength shown in opposing AGL’s plans to build a gas import terminal at Crib Point. In a record response, more than 10,000 people, key stakeholder groups, councils and tourism operators either signed a petition or made representations to the independent planning panel.

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Shearwaters are back on track

13/10/2022

Short-tailed shearwater fledgling

By Lisa Gilbert

SHORT-tailed shearwaters have arrived at Phillip Island this year to find newly improved nesting habitat for their breeding season.

About 1.4 million of the seabirds return to Phillip Island in late September each year from the waters around Alaska. The timing of their return is usually quite predictable. While they arrived late for the 2019-20 breeding season, the birds are back to their usual schedule this year.

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Tiny glider knocks ‘em for six

15/9/2022

Feathertail glider, Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve,
September 2022. Photo: Dave Newman

By Dave Newman

Jackie and I went out to The Gurdies reserve in search of powerful owls. After several hours of looking, we failed to see or hear any. We did, however, count 28 ringtail possums which are the staple diet of powerful owls, so there is plenty of prey for them. We also heard an Australian boobook owl calling, and observed several bats and a common wombat.

But then I had what I suspect was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Jackie was standing a few metres behind me, when we both stopped walking to listen for any sounds in the forest. We often do this, as we find we sometimes we hear sounds we may miss while walking, particularly distant owl calls.

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Island powers on

14/9/2022

PHILLIP Island’s bold vision to become carbon neutral and fully renewable by 2030 is a step closer, with plans approved for a revolutionary community energy storage system.

The Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) has given planning approval for the installation of the 5MW/10MWh battery, affectionately dubbed the Big Battery by locals, on a council-owned site near Wimbledon Heights.

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My precious piece of Australia

17/8/2022

Richard Kemp is privileged to share his patch of paradise with
creatures great and small.

By Richard Kemp

I BOUGHT my acre and three-quarters bush block at The Gurdies in 1971for $1000. Back then nobody wanted this bit of worthless land. It was covered with a variety of tall trees, bushes, wild grasses, sword grass, wild orchids and dozens of species of ants, some not so nice.

I did have to clear an area to build my house but kept it to a minimum. I have tried to live with nature and damage as little as possible. A wide variety of creatures share my place, like black snakes, copper head snakes, tiger snakes, monitor lizards, blue tongue lizards, a variety of beautiful small lizards, echidna ant eaters, ring tail and brush tail possums and koalas (until people arrived with cats). I have had several wallabies and kangaroos come in and out of the property, along with wombats and marsupial rats.

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My EV journey continues

21/7/2022

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Michael Nugent asks four local EV pioneers about their experience of owning – and driving – an electric vehicle.

By Michael Nugent

BACK in March I wrote about the start of my Electric Vehicle (EV) journey. My Nissan Leaf arrived in June, and as I get to know its intricacies over the next few months I’ll write about my experience with it.

In the meantime, I’d like to share what some of the pioneer EV drivers in Bass Coast say they have discovered about going all-electric, which might help you fill in a few gaps if you are thinking of making the leap.

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Close to home

19/7/2022

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Lace monitor, Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve, 2021.
Photo: Dave Newman

By Catherine Watson

COVID changed all our lives. For Jackie and Dave Newman, it put a stop to their annual wildlife safaris around Australia. During the long lockdowns, their world was constrained to a 5km radius around their home in Lang Lang.

But as their world got smaller, they made a magical discovery. The nearby Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve was a biodiversity hot spot.

They’d visited the reserve once or twice in the past but perhaps they were looking the wrong way when something amazing flew past. They didn’t see much of interest and forgot all about it while they explored more exotic spots around this great continent.

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A power for good

29/6/2022

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Wanted: 100 Phillip Island households to share renewable energy.

By Zoë Geyer

WHAT is the future of renewable energy in the local community? How do we manage the transition to renewables without leaving any of our community behind?

These questions are front of mind at Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI) as we start recruiting 100 households on Phillip Island to take part in a 12-month tariff trial using a community battery for virtual storage. Indeed, topical questions of these times, as the Australian Energy Market Operator hit the headlines this month with the unprecedented suspension of the national electricity market.

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Spotlight on Coronet Bay

20/5/2022

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THE discovery of five swamp antechinus in a Coronet Bay reserve has heartened those working to preserve and improve remnant vegetation in the area.

The species was listed as vulnerable under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2016.

The fauna survey of the Wang toolome Parnung (Norsemens Road Pond), reserve and surrounding foreshore was commissioned by the Coronet Bay Ratepayers & Residents Association.

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Still no on Harmers subdivision

19/5/2022

By Catherine Watson

THE council has rejected the latest attempt to subdivide a large swamp block at Harmers Haven, declaring the proposal would contribute to the decline and fragmentation of indigenous vegetation and degradation of the coastline.

The 1.3 hectare block at 60-76 Viminaria Road adjoins the Kilcunda-Harmers Haven Coastal Reserve, which is part of the Yallock-Bullock Marine and Coastal Park.

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Leo’s climate action story

19/5/2022

Attending his first climate strike on Phillip Island, Leo Wood-Ingram realised he was part of
something important. Photos by Laura Brearley and Terry Melvin

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Harmers swamp 'under threat'

4/5/2022