Bass Coast Environmental news

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Lot 25 Viminaria Road is the densely vegetated area running
along the right side of the road.

By John Old

POST readers familiar with Harmers Haven may remember that right in its centre there sits an extensive low-lying wet area completely covered in dense native vegetation. This is Lot 25, 60-76 Viminaria Road, known locally as the Swamp because it is central to the drainage system of the whole area and every winter much of it is covered with standing water.

In its current condition Lot 25 makes an irreplaceable contribution to the quiet, semi-rural character of Harmers Haven. It stretches for 280 metres along the southern or seaward side of Viminaria Road which is about one quarter of the total length of the road. Its swampy character is probably the reason why it was not subdivided in the 1950s along with the rest of the land on that side of the road.

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Back to earth

22/4/2022

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We all have a part to play in regenerating the planet we share,
and Earth Month seems a good time to start. Image: NASA

By Christine Grayden

APRIL is Earth Month – a time to pause and think about the condition of the extraordinary planet on which we miraculously find ourselves as humans in 2022.

The list of human-caused problems on Earth is long. We can all feel anxious and overwhelmed, regardless of our age. But more than ever before we need to lead by example, listen to our young people and encourage them to ‘think outside the square’. We all need to think and act differently to help us tackle these big issues together.

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The ‘climate first’ election

21/4/2022

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The XR “Sybils” lead the march down A’Beckett Street to the Glade. Photos by Andrew McEwan

By Jessica Harrison

MORE than 120 people rallied and marched for the climate in Inverloch on Easter Saturday.

The Climate Calamity Choir entertained the crowd and the XR “Sybils” – No More Coal, No More Gas and No More Oil – led the march down A’Beckett Street to the Glade.

The rally was organised by the Monash Community Climate Coalition which is urging voters to think of the climate when they vote in next month’s federal election. If they don’t have a policy, ask them - why not?

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How to talk to children about climate change

21/4/2022

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Meg Humphry hopes her new children's storybook offers a gentle way
into a very tough subject. Illustration from Wave of Change

By Meg Humphrys

DANCING light on rolling waves has captivated me for as long as I can remember. Years spent on Victoria’s Surf Coast walking and surfing is infused in my DNA. I’ve always felt water speaks to me;, it’s where I feel most at home, where I feel held.

When I started working for a rural water utility on groundwater management of the Murray Darling Basin, I realised I wanted to write a book about water. Water could bring together a key theme I wanted to explore - our interconnections with the natural world.

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Corinella Foreshore in the spotlight

8/4/2022

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CORINELLA residents and other users of the foreshore reserve have been invited to provide feedback on a draft Landscape Management Plan that will provide clarity around vegetation management within the reserve.

The reserve, which comprises 30-hectares of coastal Crown land on the eastern side of Western Port Bay that encircles the township of Corinella, contains significant features, including geological formations at Settlement Point, a diversity of native vegetation, sites of cultural significance to the Bunurong people as well as areas of historic significance.

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Blue carbon skies ahead

8/4/2022

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Professor Peter Macreadie (Head of the Blue Carbon Lab), left, Glenn Brooks-MacMillan (Program Manager, Western Port Biosphere Foundation) and
Daniel Pleiter (Acting CEO, SECCCA).

LOCAL “blue carbon” projects to maintain and restore mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh ecosystems in Western Port could make a major contribution to meeting local and national targets of net zero carbon emissions.

These marine ecosystems are capable of capturing carbon up to 30 and 50 times faster than terrestrial forests, locking it into the marine sediments for thousands of years.

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Crunch time for Inverloch

25/3/2022

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By Catherine Watson

WOULD you rather save the Inverloch surf beach or the Bunurong Road? Because you probably can’t save both.

The release of detailed mapping of the Inverloch coast as part of the Cape to Cape Coastal Resilience Project has set the scene for some serious decision making over the next year.

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Back to nature

25/3/2022

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Residents of Bass Coast’s coastal hamlets value their connection to nature. Photos: Emily Clarke

By Emily Clarke

WITH bushfires and now floods affecting our nation, it’s become clear that climate change is here. Sadly, we must acknowledge that Bass Coast Shire and the surrounding region is the most denuded in the state with many areas suffering complete removal of native flora and fauna and increasing coastal erosion over the past decade.

In recent years, federal, state and local governments have been changing policy in regards to our environmental values, broadly identifying the urgent need to protect, preserve and expand upon our various working ecologies. In 2018 the Victorian Government released amended Planning Practice Notes for the Planning and Environment Act 1987 setting out the maximum proportion of the site that can be developed on house blocks. This was done to address overdeveloped estates that visually change a town’s character and create localised thermal heat masses with no trees and minimal air flow between buildings.

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Crunch time

10/3/2022

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The Mazda has served Michael Nugent well but he’s ready for the EV revolution. He invites us to join him on the journey. Photo: Trish Nugent

By Michael Nugent

“Get rid of personal motor vehicles if you can – and if not keep hold of your existing vehicle for longer”

This is one of six commitments that, according to researchers, if made by people in well-off countries, would account for a quarter of the emissions reductions needed to keep global warming to 1.5C.

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The next small thing

10/3/2022

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Ed Thexton reports on the latest in nest box technology, including new methods to deter Indian mynas and other raiders. Photo: ABC

By Ed Thexton

WHY bother building a nest box? Nest boxes are constructed tree hollows. Tree hollows take at least 50 years to form naturally. Bass Coast has very few old hollow-bearing trees as only five per cent of the shire remains uncleared. This affects the 50 local species of birds and mammals evolved to use hollows for breeding.

Last Saturday the South Gippsland Conservation Society held a bird nest box workshop at the excellent Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club, the first in a series to develop a greater understanding of biodiversity management in the time of biodiversity crisis.

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Treasures in the woodlands

9/3/2022

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By Tim Herring

I WAS walking deep in the bush a kilometre or two beyond Stanley Road, following the north shore of the Bass River in difficult terrain when I turned around a small tree and stopped dead in my tracks.

There, completely still, regarding me suspiciously was the largest monitor lizard I have ever seen with my own eyes. (Or is that a goanna or lace monitor? Comments please.)

I remained still, reaching only to get my camera phone out of my pocket; the monitor remained statue-like and I nearly jumped when he blinked once. I took my time and got a lovely still portrait, followed by a short video - in which he blinks twice.

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Sign of the times

9/3/2022

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By Catherine Watson

Clearing vegetation for the extension of Inverloch’s shared pathway revealed this archaeological find: a sign erected by Bass Coast Shire Council warning against the clearing of vegetation, obviously in the wake of illegal clearing by residents who wanted a sea view.

“Foreshore vegetation plays an integral role in stabilising the dune system from wind and wave action,” the sign reads in part.

Exactly what the South Gippsland Conservation Society has been telling the council in regard to removing vegetation for the pathway.

The sign has been dated to the early 2000s. Since then, the dune face has receded more than 70 metres.

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Detours ahead

25/2/2022

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By Dave Sutton

THE Wonthaggi-Inverloch inland shared pathway was proposed a number of years ago utilising the unused road reserves between Wonthaggi and Inverloch. I have long advocated that these unused road reserves would be an ideal biolink across the landscape that would retain the existing intact indigenous remnant vegetation, provide good habitat for native fauna and, with careful planning, could double as a cycle/walking trail between the two townships.

The design of the shared pathway could and should retain the existing remnant vegetation and cater for the cycle/walking trail alongside existing vegetation and use the opportunity to plant additional indigenous vegetation that would include overstorey, mid-storey and groundcover plants. I do, however, have serious reservations about the current plan being put forward by the council.

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Just the climate facts

24/2/2022

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90 kW of on-ground solar PV and 25 kW/h batteries were installed at the historic State Coal Mine in Wonthaggi as part of a partnership between the Energy Innovation Co-op and the Victorian Government.

ARE there any community energy projects in Bass Coast? I run a business. How do I reduce energy emissions and costs?

Are rebates available to help residents switch from gas to electrical appliances?

Bass Coast Council has launched its Community Action Portal, known as The CAP, to provide locally relevant climate change information to the community. The portal was developed as part of the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan 2020-2030.

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