Environment

Sandbag works to start
Nov 18, 2025 - Council to begin emergency repair works on sandbag wall near Inverloch Surf Lifesaving Club.

The one that got away
Oct 16, 2025 - The State Government missed its chance to buy the old Holden Proving Ground. Now we have to hope a Chinese car company will do the right thing, writes Neil Rankine.

Holding back the tide
Oct 14, 2025 - Neil Daly asks whether it’s time to let nature prevail at Queensferry.

Nature to the rescue
Aug 16, 2025 - A landmark project will use mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass as the first line of defence against climate change in Western Port.

Slogans won’t save our beach
July 2025 - Trevor Forge makes the case for listening to the experts on Inverloch beach.

The power trip speeds up
July 19, 2025 - Is it finally time to install a home battery? Energy guru Werner Theinert does the sums so you don’t have to.

Wombat woes
Pushed into an ever-dwindling corridor of habitat, San Remo’s wombats need our help, writes Eve Kelly.

Hit them where it hurts!
April 16, 2025 - Too young to vote - but Anabelle Bremner is urging climate action at the ballot box.

Nature notes
March 25, 2025 - Phillip Island Nature Parks is celebrating the fledging of 65 Critically Endangered fairy tern chicks on the island.

Swimming against the tide
Feb 27, 2025 - There may be lessons for Bass Coast in another small coastal town’s attempts to halt coastal erosion.

Russ stands his ground
Feb 1, 2025 - You wouldn’t pick Russ Williams for a typical greenie but he’s ready to defend his patch of bush.

It’s good night, BURT
Most council strategies are entirely un-noticed by the community. BURT was different. It raised hackles before, during and after its short life.

The grevillea whisperer
Oct 14, 2025 - In a sea of concrete, lawn and yucca trees, David Binch has created a sanctuary for birds, bees and humans.

Don’t go into the woods without it!
Oct 16, 2025 - When the pandemic clipped their wings, Jackie and Dave Newman turned their lenses closer to home. The result is on show in Birds of the Western Port Woodlands.

Winding down?
July 22, 2025 - Wonthaggi’s windmills are approaching their use-by date. By Catherine Watson

The Birdman of Cape Paterson
July 23, 2025 - With his camera and a talent for storytelling, David Hartney captures the daily dramas of birds, beasts and humans.

Growing together
May 12, 2025 – Friendship and learning flourish alongside the plants at the Wonthaggi Seed Bank and Nursery.

The birds are back
May 12, 2025 - As our migratory shorebirds depart for their Arctic breeding grounds, the Flyways exhibition opens to celebrate their extraordinary journey.

The miracle chick
April 14, 2025 - It’s been a long and difficult summer for our hooded plovers and their minders, but a fairytale finish to the breeding season has local volunteers celebrating.

Endangered Species
Feb 26, 2025 - On the morning they disappeared, the day was born into a thick sea mist. A short story by Aneta Marovich.

Power plays
Feb 28, 2025 - So you think power lines for offshore wind are ugly? Look around you, suggests Christopher Eastman-Nagle.

Signs of life
Feb 3, 2025 - Four weeks after the Gurdies fire, Dr Sera Blair began documenting the survival and return of wildlife to the fire zone.

In memoriam
Nov 12, 2024 - Scattered in our bushland are tributes to our hard working naturalists and volunteers. Terry Allen reports.

Walking Screw Creek Trail
Dec 9, 2024 – It was destined to be cleared for housing, but after a massive community effort it's now a wildlife refuge and Bass Coast’s newest walking trail. Linda Cuttriss reports.

The koala crew
Nov 15, 2024 - The once common koala appears to be hurtling towards extinction in the wild. Kelly Smith and helpers are working to stop that happening.

Time for action
Nov 16, 2024 - Finally we have a pathway to address Inverloch beach erosion, writes Ed Thexton. Now it’s time for action – and quickly.

Art, the environment and a good glass of wine
Oct 13, 2024 - His name was Warren Thompson and he had big plans. Janice Orchard was part of them.

Saving our beaches
Sept 12, 2024 - Conservation Society pushes for urgent dune reconstruction to prevent further damage to the Inverloch surf beach.

To solar or not to solar - that is the question
Sept 12, 2024 - Tim Herring crunches the numbers on home battery storage.

Call of the wild
Sept 12, 2024 - Sixteen local naturalists share the challenges and joys of working in nature.

Our little battler
June 15, 2024 - The survival of the koala in Gippsland is a modern-day miracle but now, more than ever, they need our help, writes Ed Thexton

Why the secrecy?
June 14, 2024 - Sand miners ride roughshod over our community with mining regulator’s acquiescence, writes Neil Rankine

Penguin chicks come through
June 3, 2024 - Phillip Island’s little penguin population has survived a strong El Nino event, with a higher than expected number of fledgling chicks this breeding season.

The laggard
April 17, 2024 - For every farmer working to retain native vegetation, there are neighbours who continue to clear it, because that’s what Dad did. Ed Thexton reports.

Silver lining for little old penguin
April 3, 2024 - One of the oldest penguins ever seen at the Phillip Island mega-colony has returned to sea after five weeks of intensive rehab.

Lights out for shearwaters
April 12, 2024 - Phillip Island residents and business are being asked to dim the lights to protect short-tailed shearwater chicks on the first leg of their first migration to the northern hemisphere.

The views have it
Jan 24, 2024 - Corinella homeowners have won the right to a sea view, with the long awaited landscape plan. Debate remains whether that's a victory for common sense or environmental vandalism. John Lippmann and Jenny Date put the case for and against.

Leave our trees alone!
Dec 12, 2024 - A classic David & Goliath story … residents of a quiet bushland enclave versus a multinational giant. By Jan Grimes

The back tracks
Nov 16, 2024 - Dick Wettenhall’s new guide book takes visitors to the Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve off the beaten track to discover different worlds of nature’s creations.

Avenues of honour
Nov 14, 2024 - On 11 November, as always, Kongwak’s school children observed one minute’s silence and laid their poppies at the memorial cairn in this Valley of Peace. By Jillian Durance

In plain view
Oct 12, 2024 - Our new rural tourism strategy threatens the very landscape that brings tourists to Phillip Island, writes Linda Cuttriss.

Rich pickings in proving ground
Oct 14, 2024 - The largest stand of critically endangered Strzelecki Gums in existence has been found at the former Holden Proving Ground, confirming its status as a biodiversity hotspot.

Earthly delights
Sept 12, 2024 - Two inspirational Bass Coast native gardens kick off the Open Gardens Victoria spring season, writes Kate Anderson.

The tourist trap
Sept 10, 2024 - Council’s flawed rural tourism strategy could be the death knell for farming on Phillip Island, warns Greg Johnson

Planting into Life
In years to come Inverloch students will remember the day they planted trees on the oval. Ed Thexton reports

Trees that please
Aug 15, 2024 - What’s your favourite local tree: perhaps the Townsend Bluff eucalypt, climbed and loved by many, or the extraordinary Churchill Island moonahs?

Greg Johnson Q&A
April 18, 2024 - The newly elected president of the Phillip Island Conservation Society learned activism from some of the best.

Get used to it
March 22, 2024 - As climate change accelerates, Helen Zervopoulos says it’s time to stop the blame game and get ready.

Nirvana Park
April 19, 2024 - Ivee Strazzabosco created a magnificent garden, but nature always wins in the end. By Catherine Watson

Back from the brink
March 22, 2024 - The astounding recovery of Eastern Barred Bandicoots highlights the potential of the former Holden Proving Ground as a predator-proof sanctuary for threatened species.

The power trip continues
March 22, 2024 - The lights stayed on during our recent prolonger power outage, reports Werner Theinert.

Relief for Ruttle Estate residents
March 23, 2024 - Residents chalk up second victory in their battle to preserve the wetland reserve.

The great ships of Phillip Island Millowl
Jan 19, 2024 - As the Phillip Island Conservation Society marks its first 55 years, Christine Grayden ponders how members have kept up the good fight for decades without wavering.

Take that, Westpac!
“A disgrace … charlatans of the worst order … dirty money …” Cr Michael Whelan explains why council is giving the big four banks the flick.

Punching above your weight
Dec 13, 2023 - Inverloch Surf Beach will feature in a monumental legal case against fossil fuel giant Shell, writes Ed Thexton

The call of nature
Oct 20, 2023 - We call them nature strips but only a few of them deserve that title. Catherine Watson surveys the good, the bad and the ugly.

The mangrove challenge
Sept 21, 2023 - Grand plans for blue carbon sinks in Western Port need to tackle the low success rate of mangrove planting, writes Neil Daly.

Return of El Niño bodes ill for Inverloch beach
Sept 21, 2023 - It's like the death of an old friend, writes Philip Heath, as another old banksia succumbs to the retreating coastline.

Thumbs down for ‘eco-retreat’
Aug 17, 2023 - Questions remain about the council's new rural tourism strategy after councillors reject Kitty Miller Bay eco-resort.

The cars that ate Phillip Island
July 21, 2023 - We’re doing it for ourselves with community energy; now let’s turn our attention to community transport. Christine Grayden lays down her blueprint.

A cautionary tale
June 22, 2023 - Given the vexed history of the Kitty Miller Wetlands, Linda Cuttriss is sceptical about an eco-tourism proposal for the site.

Tenby powers on
June 19, 2023 - Tenby Point might be off the beaten track, but this small community is making strides in its journey to sustainability.

Paul's patch
May 17, 2023 - “I can’t save the world … but I can make a difference locally,“ Paul Speirs told Gill Heal.

This one’s for Nature!
May 17, 2023 - Having worked in concrete for most of his career, artist Phil Henshall calls time on sand mining in woodlands.

Trees versus views
April 22, 2023 - Like most civil wars, the battle over the Corinella foreshore reserve is complicated and goes back several generations. Catherine Watson reports from the frontline.

A chance encounter of the seedling kind
April 19, 2023 - Neil Daly discovers scientists – citizen and otherwise – are working towards the same end on the Queensferry foreshore.

Every seal counts
March 22, 2023 - On International Seal Day, a Phillip Island Nature Parks researcher is appealing to local fishers not to discard fishing line.

Further, wider, stronger
Feb 17, 2023 -Western Port and the hinterland are inextricably linked, writes Neil Daly

Let’s get together
Jan 25, 2023 - Given the lack of political will to protect Western Port, Neil Daly proposes a citizens assembly with the results to be presented as a petition to Parliament.

Tell them they’re dreaming
Dec 13, 2023 - From Bass Coast to the Murray Darling Basin, there’s a credibility gap in our response to the climate crisis, writes Ken Blackman

Bird bonanza
Oct 16, 2023 - The shearwaters are home from Alaska and Phillip Island is alive with birds. Lisa Gilbert rounds up all the action.

Bikers versus orchids
Sept 22, 2023 - Mountain bike riders are cutting a swathe through The Gurdies forest, threatening some of Australia’s rarest orchids.

The battle for Western Port
Sept 21, 2023 - Successive threats to Western Port have been stopped only by massive public opposition, writes Neil Daly.

Albert Ruttle wetlands safe … for now
Aug 17, 2023 - Residents of the Inverloch estate are waiting for the next move in the long-running battle over their wetlands.

Caring for Country, Inverloch style
Aug 15, 2023 - Smoke from Aunty Sonia Weston’s welcome fire swirled around those converging for a Caring for Country celebration. Sally McNiece reports.

Mangrove research bolstered
August 11, 2023 - The State Government is investing $1.2 million into improving mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh habitats in Western Port.

Rural tourism backlash
June 22, 2023 - A proposed ‘eco-tourist resort’ at Ventnor that has attracted over 140 objections is shaping up as a test of Bass Coast’s new rural tourism strategy.

Drones to the rescue
June 13, 2023 - Aerial thermal imaging technology is being used to help save entangled seals at Seal Rocks, writes Lisa Gilbert.

The power trip continues
May 17, 2023 - The renewable energy revolution is taking place somewhere near you, writes Werner Theinert.

Enjoying the ride
April 22, 2023 - Eight months in, EV driver Michael Nugent couldn't be happier, except …

Frog find puts woodlands on map
Discovery of endangered southern toadlets at multiple sites reinforces calls for protection of Western Port Woodlands.

Nature’s cure
April 13, 2023 - An old Post story on Henry’s Creek Sanctuary inspires Margie Matheson to dream big.

Time for a ceasefire
Feb 17, 2023 - Sally McNiece calls for the chainsaw brigade to lay down their arms while there’s still some remnant vegetation left to save.

Operation Fairy Tern
Jan 27, 2023 - Three summers ago, 31 fairy tern pairs fledged 49 chicks on Churchill Island. Since then, not a single chick has survived.

Yes please, more trees
Jan 27, 2023 - Cowes and Inverloch are the standout towns for tree cover in Bass Coast and San Remo is the barest.

Inverloch dune works preferred option
Nov 11, 2022 - Conservation Society supports sand dune renourishment ahead of rock walls, writes Philip Heath.

What's a forest worth?
Oct 20, 2022 - Tim O’Brien questions the local environmental cost of Melbourne’s Big Build.

Hands off Western Port!
Oct 17, 2022 - In the past decade, more than 200 million has been spent on failed attempts to industrialise Western Port. A bold new plan aims to stop it happening again.

Stark choices on coastal assets
Oct 19, 2022 - From Bass Coast to Bells Beach, coastal councils are struggling to respond to local flood risks and coastal erosion, writes Bass Coast Mayor Michael Whelan.

Power to the people
Oct 16, 2022 - From the Andes Mountains to the shores of Western Port, communities and the natural environment are under pressure from governments’ focus on the bottom line. Neil Daly reports.

Shearwaters are back on track
Oct 13, 2022 - Almost 1.5 million short-tailed shearwaters have arrived on Phillip island right on schedule.

Tiny glider knocks ‘em for six
Sept 15, 2022 - Finding the world's smallest gliding mammal in The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve was a dream come true for Dave Newman.

Harmers dustup
August 19, 2022 - Federal Labor MP Ged Kearney was once hailed as “swamp saviour Ged” for buying a swampy bit of land in Harmers Haven to save it from development.

Cape community outgunned
Aug 16, 2022 - Residents are no match for big developers and professional consultants, writes Cheryl Padgett.

My EV journey continues
July 21, 2022 - Michael Nugent asks four local EV pioneers about their experience of owning – and driving – an electric vehicle.

A power for good
June 30, 2022 - Wanted: 100 Phillip Island households to share renewable energy. Zoë Geyer explains the watts and volts of Bass Coast’s first neighbourhood battery tariff trial.

Cycle of life
June 18, 2022 - A walk with Terri Allen is an education. The conversation roams from history to botany to bird watching but it might also cover drainage, swamps and local politics.

The boundary wars
June 16, 2022 - The battle to save Cape Paterson’s ‘sea village vibe’ is half won. Now a group of locals is working to finish the job. Cheryl Padgett reports.

Back to nature
June 4, 2022 - In the 1960s and 70s a dodgy developer sold 337 seaside blocks on Phillip Island, many to overseas buyers. The former housing estate is now a conservation success story.

‘Resolve mining conflict first’
May 20, 2022 -Council challenges Government to fulfil its charter to protect environment and biodiversity.

Spotlight on Coronet Bay
May 20, 2022 - Discovery of five swamp antechinus heartens those working to improve biodiversity.

Harmers swamp 'under threat'
May 4, 2022 - Attempts to subdivide the swamp have been rebuffed for 70 years. John Old hopes the latest attempt will be treated the same way.

Why we do the work
April 22, 2022 - Most of the signs were soon stolen or smashed but the message lives on. Images and photostory by Laura Brearley and Terry Melvin

The more the merrier
May 17, 2022 - Vibrant democracies encourage people to get involved. Christine Grayden suggests six ways we can play our part.

Never mind the devastation; look at the vista
March 9, 2022 - There is nothing in the Distinctive Areas and Landscapes about how to protect our woodlands. There is, however, plenty about how to protect sand mining. Catherine Watson reports

Crunch time for Inverloch
March 25, 2022 - The mapping is done and now it’s time to make some hard decisions on Inverloch’s eroding coastline. Catherine Watson reports

Back to nature
March 25, 2022 - Residents of our coastal hamlets value their connection to nature, writes Emily Clarke, so don’t try to turn them into suburbia.

The good life reimagined
March 10, 2022 - In the midst of a climate emergency and housing crisis, Zoe Geyer imagines a sustainable tomorrow for her daughter.

Same old story
Feb 11, 2022 - When Frank Coldebella saw the front page headlines about a bike path in the Sentinel Times, he had a sense of deja vu.

For Our Future
Oct 19, 2022 - Expect the unexpected when the arts, science and culture come together in a new program celebrating Bass Coast places and people. Laura Brearley explains.

Man of the trees
Oct 17, 2022 - Sally McNiece goes bush with Ringo Gannon and learns that when it comes to significant trees size isn’t everything.

Away with the birds
Nov 8, 2022 - Microlight aviator Amellia Formby drops in to celebrate Western Port’s migratory shorebirds

On the koala trail
Nov 13, 2022 - Genetic analysis confirm koalas in the Western Port Woodlands are a rare remnant population.

When knowledge is power
Oct 21, 2022 - Werner is explaining the miracle of heat pumps, striding the room like one of the old Energizer ads. Catherine Watson reports.

Island powers on
Sept 14, 2022 - Phillip Island’s vision to become fully renewable by 2030 is a step closer, with plans approved for a big battery and a trial of community energy storage.

Caring for Western Port Country
Sept 21, 2022 - Governments and developers will have carte blanche on Western Port until we fix our “box mentality”.

One for the birds
Aug 16, 2022 - When Emma and Steve Plowright bought a small farm, they had no intention of pretending to be farmers.

Hello earthlings
Aug 17, 2022 - Australia is planning to send a robot to the moon, writes Neil Daly. Meanwhile back here on Earth the future of Western Port still hangs in the balance.

Close to home
July 21, 2022 - Covid put a stop to Dave and Jackie Newman’s wildlife safaris around Australia and introduced them to the natural riches just down the road.

In the mood for winter
July 20, 2022 - Winter has a bad reputation but Linda Cuttriss loves its many moods.

All hands on deck
June 30, 2022 - Western Port belongs to all Victorians, writes Neil Daly. Your vote can determine its future.

Locked out
June 17, 2022 - It’s meant to be a conduit for the community to raise issues of concern, but a Grantville mining committee operates more like a secret society, writes Neil Rankine.

On the koala trail
June 3, 2022 - Once koalas were hunted to the point of extinction. Catherine Watson joined a hunt for their survivors.

Together we can
June 2, 2022 - When World Environment Day met Reconciliation Week … Laura Brearley celebrates the transformative power of collective action in Bass Coast.

Leo’s climate action story
May 19, 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

What we’re learning from the woodlands
May 5, 2022 - The woodlands campaign is a living example of active hope, writes Laura Brearley.

How to talk to children about climate change
April 21, 2022 - Meg Humphry hopes her new book offers a gentle way into a very tough subject.

Let’s join the dots
April 20, 2022 - Treating Western Port and the region as an entity is the best way to resolve the issues that plague it, writes Neil Daly.

Blue carbon skies ahead
March 8, 2022 – Restoring mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh ecosystems in Western Port could play a major part in reducing carbon emissions.

The next small thing
March 9, 2022 - Ed Thexton reports on the latest in nest box technology, including new methods to deter Indian mynas and other raiders.

Sign of the times
March 9, 2022 - Clearing vegetation for the new Inverloch pathway reveals a sign erected by the council warning against the clearing of vegetation.

Detours ahead
Feb 23, 2022 - Dave Sutton calls for some fine tuning of the proposed inland pathway route between Inverloch and Wonthaggi to retain mature bushland, while Dave Drummond explains why a coastal route isn’t feasible.

A recipe for fun
Feb 23, 2022 - Bass Valley Primary School students will be watching with interest to see how “their mangroves” perform over the coming years. Neil Daly was there to watch the muddy adventure.

Big cat sighting adds to mystery
Feb 11, 2022 - The Grantville area has long been a hot spot for big cat sightings. Meryl Tobin reports

‘Time is running out’
Dec 15, 2021 - The next few months are critical in the fight to save the Inverloch surf beach, writes Philip Heath.

Swan & Clarke - a visionary team
Dec 3, 2021 - A former cattle grazing property at Rhyll, now a wildlife haven, forever links two great conservationists, writes Neil Daly.

The sea won’t wait
Nov 19, 2021 - There might not be much of Inverloch’s beach left to save by the time a coastal hazard assessment is completed, writes Cr Leticia Laing.

Enjoy the view!
Nov 19, 2021 - Coastal residents who clear public land to improve their sea view could be in for a shock.

The wonder of the woodlands
Nov 5, 2021 - Ed Thexton marvels that this remnant of a lost world has survived against the odds.

Have we got a deal for you!
Sept 24, 2021 - Like to buy an electric vehicle but deterred by the cost? Totally Renewable Phillip Island wants to hear from you, writes Zoe Geyer.

How much is a forest worth?
August 18, 2021 - Local film-makers Terry Melvin and Laura Brearley turn the camera on sand mining in Bass Coast’s last significant forest.

Road to the future
Sept 10, 2021 - A group of South Gippsland citizens are seeking a better way to live, for all in their community. David Arnault reports

Question time
Sept 10, 2021 – Why does Spring Street continue to treat Western Port so differently from its neighbour, asks Neil Daly.

Sand miners on notice
July 29, 2021 - Expert report raises alarm over toxic pollutants from sand mining in Grantville corridor entering Western Port.

Caught in the slipstream
August 27, 2021 - The transition to the renewable economy will be as revolutionary as the move from horse and cart to the steam engine, writes Michael Whelan, but Australia is being left behind.

Has the longest day begun?
July 29, 2021 - MPs take note, the people are ready to protect Western Port once more, writes Neil Daly.

Try again on trail: planning expert
May 7, 2021 – Leaving Cape-Inverloch off the Yallock-Bulluk trail is a cop-out, writes Nicholas Low

Do you hear the people sing?
July 2, 2021 - Laura Brearley invites us to join a chorus of voices for Bass Coast’s last remnant coastal bushland.

Mining opposition gathers force
June 4, 2021 - Hundreds sign petition calling for a moratorium on more sand mines in Bass Coast’s last coastal forest.

Coastal track a planning poser
April 22, 2021 - Creating a walking/cycling trail from San Remo to Inverloch was never going to be easy.

D-day for coastal “lawns”
May 21, 2021 - Residents who have illegally extended their property into Crown land are about to lose their ill-gotten gains.

Hands off our bay
April 9, 2021 - Once more the community has had to ward off an assault on Western Port by big business, writes Jeff Nottle.

A community in action
July 16, 2021 - Laura Brearley is inspired by the community’s willingness to come together and raise their voices to save our local woodlands

Ecological losses “a balancing act”: QC
April 9, 2021 - A Grantville sand mining company does not have to meet the same environmental standards as other land users, the company’s lawyer argues.

On centre stage
Feb 26, 2021 - Western Port is a World Heritage Site waiting in the wings, writes Neil Daly.

Megabits empower the people
Jan 30, 2021 - Thanks to COVID, the inquiry into the AGL/APA proposal for Crib Point was truly democratic, writes Neil Daly, who watched much of it from the comfort of home.

Woodlands the star of the show
Dec 15, 2021 - The joy of walking in our local woodlands is captured in a new film by Terry Melvin and Laura Brearley

Woodlands on song
Nov 19, 2021 - When Colin Hay heard the Western Port woodlands were under threat, he decided to send a message – and a song – down under.

Community gathers for the woodlands
Dec 3, 2021 - Community celebrates the Western Port Woodlands with wine, art and song. Storybook by Laura Brearley, images by Nici Cahill.

Back to the future
Nov 5, 2021 - Neil Daly asks whether the blue carbon method could redress much of the damage to Western Port caused by a century of drainage works and land clearing.

Sifting the plans in play
Oct 7, 2021 – It’s time for a new strategic framework for Western Port and its region, writes Neil Daly.

Island flock prospers
Sept 24, 2021 - While South Australia’s Cape Barren geese are doing it hard, our local geese are looking right at home.

Crunch time for woodlands
Sept 10, 2021 - Sand mining surge threatens Bass Coast’s rare woodlands and threatened species: Victorian National Parks Association report.

A watery makeover takes shape
August 27, 2021 - A seagrass research team goes to great depths in their quest to restore more seagrass meadows to Western Port.

Will your feet be the end of me?
July 16, 2021 - When it comes to walking tracks, it's not all about us, writes Julie Thomas.

Our island home
August 18, 2021 - Twenty-five years after the first edition of their geological history of Phillip Island, Linda Cuttriss and Eric Bird see a growing awareness of how precious the island is. Review by Anne Davie

Parks are for everyone
July 2, 2021 - People need to experience natural beauty before they will grow to love and protect it, writes Leticia Laing.

Winter recess – a time to gather our thoughts
July 2, 2021 - The latest assault on Western Port’s hinterland shows how much we need a complete land and sea management plan, writes Neil Daly.

Yes I’m a Nimby!
June 18, 2021 - What's the point of turning a sublime coastal walk into an industry, asks David Arnault.

‘Listen to the locals’
June 4, 2021 - Yallock-Bulluk coastal trail plan suffers from lack of local knowledge: Alliance

Power deal cuts costs and emissions
May 21, 2021 - Bass Coast Council will be powered by 100 per cent renewable power from July 1 in a landmark deal that also cuts the shire’s energy bill.

Inland pathway back on track
Sept 24, 2021 - 20 years ago Danny Drummond drew a mud map of a cycle and walking track linking Wonthaggi and Inverloch.

Time to draw a line in the sand
June 18, 2021 - New mining projects in Bass Coast are a threat to Western Port’s precious wetlands, warns Professor Dick Wettenhall.

Saving the planet, a paddock at a time
June 4, 2021 - For 20 years Phillip Island carbon farmer Bob Davie has been a voice in the wilderness. Suddenly everyone is listening, writes Catherine Watson.

What’s happening to our bush?
May 7, 2021 - Wonthaggi’s intrepid seed collectors brave the elements and a dwindling supply of seed to preserve our bush. Terri Allen reports

Time to walk with nature
May 7, 2021 - We have to start undoing the damage we have done to the environment, writes Neil Daly.

For the next milestone …
April 22, 2021 - The AGL decision is a breakthrough on the journey towards a Western Port Strategic Management Plan, writes Neil Daly.

A labour of love
March 23, 2021 - Daryl Hook farewells the farm and wildlife haven he has created over 40 years. Story and photos by Geoff Ellis.

Sometimes nothing can happen but fire
Dec 11, 2020 - Max Hayward won third equal prize in the 2020 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction with his essay, written in the wake of the summer bush fires.

Thank you, Dr Mangrove
Nov 13, 2020 - Meryl Brown Tobin pays tribute to Tim Ealey and his wise words about protecting this beautiful part of the world.

Minister steps into mining stoush
Nov 27, 2020 - Planning Minister calls in Grantville sand mine expansion, opening a new chapter in a growing stoush between miners and Bass Coast conservationists.

Holden bushlands ‘safe with VinFast'
Sept 14, 2020 - The new owner of the Holden proving ground has committed to preserving the 880-site, much of it remnant coastal forest.

Who speaks for the trees and creeks?
Nov 13, 2020 - Drouin writer Jeannie Haughton won second prize in the Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction with her powerful essay, part memoir, part polemic.

Our extinction crisis
Sept 4, 2020 - Bass Coast community groups are playing their part in conserving habitat for threatened species, writes Lauren Burns

A watery makeover
Aug 13, 2020 -Three shapes knee-deep in mud off the Queensferry foreshore spark Neil Daly’s curiosity.

Bin there, done that
March 6, 2020 - Bass Coast was way ahead of the pack in 2017 when it introduced an organic collection, Catherine Watson reports.

Enough with the climate gloom
Feb 21, 2020 - Let’s stop the angst about climate change and start talking about the economic benefits of climate action, writes Michael Whelan, who says there is plenty happening locally to give us heart.

It's time for our own national park
April 3, 2020 - The GMH Proving Ground would make a fitting entrance to Bass Coast and a new national park, writes Meryl Brown Tobin

View from the Chamber
March 20, 2020 - A walk along the Grantville beach leaves Cr Bruce Kent fuming.

Councillors can marina plan
June 14 - Bass Coast councillors label $380m marina plan for Mahers Landing “absurd” and “ridiculous”.

Salutations from the high ground
Feb 21, 2020 - Like the climate emergency itself, the Emergency Summit was almost too big, writes Cr Geoff Ellis

Sand fences offer glimmer of hope
May 29, 2020 - Conservation Society calls for extension of wet sand fencing along Inverloch beach.

Ed and the Birds
March 20, 2020 - Karen Bateman was highly commended in the Bass Coast Prize for Non-fiction for her essay Ed and the Birds, a very local response to environmental issues.

Saving the magic forest
July 3, 2020 - Grantville’s spectacular grass trees stand on land earmarked for sand quarrying. Meryl Brown Tobin reports on the threat to this rare forest.

Gaslighting Gippsland
July 3, 2020 - Lauren Burns signs up for a public workshop on the Victorian Gas Program and learns that Gippsland could be in the firing line.

Hello Spring Street, are you listening?
Dec 11, 2020 - Without a long-term management plan, Western Port will continue to be a battleground for industrialists and residents, writes Neil Daly.

In the flow of love and loss
Nov 27, 2020 - Word spread quickly about the loss of hundreds of mature grass trees, writes Laura Brearley, and a community showed itself ready to stand tall on behalf of the fallen trees

Council climate plan zeroes in on 2030
Aug 22, 2020 - Households, farmers, business and council all have part to play in meeting target of zero net emissions.

Not too coastal, urges alliance
July 31, 2020 - Yallock-Bulluk trail between San Remo and Inverloch ‘shouldn’t hug the coast’

Back to the
quiet life
Sept 4, 2020 - Residents celebrate as developers scrap plans for a massive hotel development at Coronet Bay, writes Angela Christa.

Grebe $m community 0
May 15, 2020 - A weary Peter McKenzie counts the cost of objecting to a development proposal at VCAT

Port defenders back into battle
WITH only 40 days to respond to an 11,000-page report on AGL’s proposed gas plant at Crib Point, the Phillip Island Conservation Society faced an onerous task.

The power trip
Oct 2, 2020 – Imagine a future where ordinary householders are part of a virtual power grid greater than Victoria’s coal-fired power stations. Werner Theinert explains

The Cyan Way
May 29, 2020 - The sea is too often seen as the intruder, but it also offers farmers new options for carbon sequestration projects, writes Neil Daly

A force of nature
Feb 10, 2020 - Eulalie Brewster’s inquiring mind and vast knowledge make her a much loved companion and an invaluable resource, well into her 90s, writes Terri Allen

The missing link
Aug 22, 2020 -Two fences now block a wonderful walk from Wonthaggi to the coast. Terri Allen fills in the missing pieces from childhood memories.

Bass Coast embraces green power
July 17, 2020 - Cr Michael Whelan welcomes council commitment to buy 100 per cent renewable energy.

Last gasp for Jam Jerrup
May 29, 2020 - After decades of lobbying, Jam Jerrup residents welcome a plan to protect the crumbling cliffs in front of their homes. Geoff Ellis reports.

Pittosporum Flowering
Feb 21, 2020 - Julie Constable’s memoir of an environmental awakening won second prize in the inaugural Bass Coast prize for Non-Fiction.

Songs for Western Port
Aug 13, 2020 - With AGL planning to build a terminal and gas plant at Crib Point, it’s time to raise our voices for Western Port, writes Laura Brearley

Country comes alive
Place names give voice to Country, writes Laura Brearley, when the language is spoken and sung again.

A line in the sand
Dec 13. 2019 - Results from a trial sand fence on the Inverloch beach are promising, reports Catherine Watson

Reflections on the nature of a climate emergency
August 30, 2019 - If we’re not to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge, we must come together as a community, to listen to the environment and to one another, writes Laura Brearley

It’s our future
September 14, 2019 - Wonthaggi student Jessie Harrison explains why she’ll be joining next week’s global climate strike.

On catastrophe
August 17, 2019 - Ed Thexton fled from the risk of fire in the Yarra Valley into the waiting arms of a flood risk in Inverloch.

Where did our beach go?
August 3, 2019 - The South Gippsland Conservation Society launches a major report on Inverloch’s disappearing beaches.

Sculptures by the Sea
June 14, 2019 - Like the walls of an ancient fort, the Colonnades on Woolamai Beach look impregnable but they too are under siege from the elements, writes Linda Cuttriss.

From little things big things grow
May 5, 2019 - Five years ago someone suggested putting some solar panels up at the State Coal Mine. Yesterday a mini solar farm of 92 kWh of solar panels and 41 kWh of battery storage was switched on.

Power to the people
June 25, 2019 - Tidal generators at San Remo, a biodigester at the Grantville landfill and a floating solar array on Candowie reservoir … just some of the ideas put forward for a local energy roadmap. Catherine Watson reports

This island paradise
June 14, 2019 - Pest or natural asset … debate rages over the place of Cape Barren geese and the Silverleaves pine trees. Catherine Watson reports. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak

Time and tide
February 8, 2019 - Rock walls, groynes, mangroves …Cr Geoff Ellis asks whether anything can save our crumbling coastline, and what we should do about it.

Bay defenders hailed
Nov 8, 2019 - Phillip Island’s eco warriors acclaimed for decades of action to protect Western Port.

Back in action
Oct 25, 2019 - Neil Rankine spent a recent afternoon with his young grandson building a tree house. The next day he caught a bus into Melbourne and got himself arrested. He explains why to Catherine Watson

How do you like that view?
Sept 27, 2019 - Large signs blocking the view should put a dampener on property owners who clear trees on public land, writes Cr Stephen Fullarton

This one's for Seamus, Eliza and Thomas
August 30, 2019 - We owe it to future generations to act on climate change, argues Cr Michael Whelan as Bass Coast joins more than 900 jurisdictions around the world in declaring a climate emergency.

Growing, growing, gone …
September 14, 2019 - Australia’s first auction of carbon insets, held on Phillip Island last weekend, set an Australian record.

Our natural treasures
August 17, 2019 - Some of Phillip Island’s trees are as historic and memorable as our heritage-listed buildings, writes Greg Buchanan

A bolt from the blue
April 5, 2019 - Could Western Port’s mangroves help to tackle climate change? The answer, writes Neil Daly, is in the tea leaves, if only the politicians would take notice.

How much is a tree worth?
April 5, 2019 - To civil engineers and shire planners, a tree is an obstacle to a straight road or rectangular car park. To others, it may be an old friend and object of great beauty. Last Sunday the community gathered in Cowes to mourn the loss of an ancient blue gum.

Let’s stand by them
March 22, 2019 - No more being a bystander on climate change, writes Moragh Mackay. It’s time to stand with our young people.

The weed warriors
March 22, 2019 - Years of hard work to control weeds is being undone by infestations of ragwort, thistles and blackberry on neglected properties. Geoff Ellis reports

The magic of trees
December 14, 2018 - Tree clearing on Phillip Island has reached epidemic proportions, writes Bernie McComb, as new research shows the profound effect of trees on keeping our planet habitable.

The web of life
October 5, 2018 - A garden is more than its plants, writes Anne Heath Mennell. It’s also a refuge for birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, bats, plants, fungi and even bacteria.

The allure of the back lane
August 3, 2018 - Terri Allen walks Wonthaggi’s maze of back lanes and finds a wealth of stories.

Coal-fired hydrogen plan ‘takes prize for stupidity’
July 20, 2018 - The award for the stupidest idea of 2018 goes to Daniel Andrew and Malcolm Turnbull for their plan to turn brown coal into hydrogen and export it out of Hastings, writes Caroline Giles

Walk on the wild side
August 31, 2018 - If you’re lucky enough to encounter a goanna in The Gurdies, don’t stand staring at it for too long, advises Dick Wettenhall

‘Keep your dirty hands off our land’
June 22, 2018 - Fines of $100,000 mooted for landowners who encroach on foreshore reserves.

Coastal follies
November 2, 2018 - Forget saving the whales, it’s the whitebait we need to worry about if a marina is built at Maher’s Landing, writes Mark Roberston.

Enough to drive you wild
October 5, 2018 - The council whipped up a storm when it confiscated signs warning motorists to slow down and watch for wildlife. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak

A force of nature
April 7, 2018 - Many a Phillip Island farmer about to cut down a tree looked both ways to make sure ‘Zing’ Oswin-Roberts wasn’t watching. Zing’s story is told in a new book about 23 women who have fought to protect the island’s natural beauty.

Range anxiety
August 3, 2018 - With the range meter dropping precipitously in their hired electric car, Neil Rankine and Geoff Ellis find themselves somewhere between the shire’s two recharge stations.

In the footsteps of the ancestors
June 22, 2018 - Revegetation of a coastal woodland near Rhyll has special meaning for John Eddy, writes Gabrielle Mahony

Mutton bird special
May 19, 2018 - On one side, a sign warning motorists to slow for young shearwaters; on the other a sign advertising the special of the day: grilled mutton bird.

Oasis on a crowded planet
December 16, 2017 - The strategies are in place to protect Phillip island for future generations, writes Phil Wright. The question now is whether we have the will.

Rich river pickings
December 1, 2017 The fertile river flats of Bass are being put to good use for a community river garden. Joel Geoghegan reports

Wet wonderland
December 1, 2017 - In 2005, it was a paddock with a single tree. Now the Wonthaggi Rifle Range wetlands is home to an amazing variety of wildlife, writes Terri Allen

A work in progress
October 21, 2017 - We should be careful what we wish for Grantville’s future, writes Meryl Brown Tobin, if we don't want to lose what we have.

A wild ride
September 23, 2017 - Behind the scenes of the Summerland peninsula lies a unique history of tourism, development and wildlife conservation. Linda Cuttriss reports.

Paradise lost
August 5, 2017 - The council must rein in over-development that threatens what remains of Phillip Island’s precious natural environment, argue Lorna and Doug Elms.

Queen of the compost
Make compost, not war on weeds, is the advice from veteran gardener Barbara Hallett. Barbara will share her gardening secrets at a session in Wonthaggi this week.

Time and tide
June 24, 2017 - Volcanoes, gold, ‘pudding’ stones and more … last weekend’s information day on the Corinella foreshore was full of surprises. Meryl Tobin Brown reports

The Battle for Western Port
June 3, 2017 - Local action group Preserve Western Port is celebrating victory in a long campaign to prove that Hastings is not the place to build Victoria’s second port.

Down for the count
November 4, 2017 - Local snorkelers head for Shack Bay next month in search of the smooth ray and other local marine species.

Down by the river
December 16, 2017 -Anne Heath Mennell was one of about 80 gardeners, growers and land-carers who gathered at Bass to hear more about our new community river garden.

The Custodian
October 7, 2017 - Marian Quigley called her portrait of Anne Davie “The Custodian” in recognition of Anne’s long custodial role within the Phillip Island community.

Renovator's delight
July 22, 2017 - When Lew Potter discovered a “renovator’s delight” on 50 acres of barren hill country, he was smitten. Geoff Ellis reports.

The power behind the mine
July 8, 2017 - Wonthaggi’s state coal mine has long been a magnet for the history buffs. Soon it will also be drawing visitors interested in new technology. Geoff Ellis reports

Dinosaur hunter
June 17, 2017 – Geoff Ellis meets the legendary Mike Cleeland, who’s been digging for clues for three decades.

Back to nature
September 2, 2017 - With views of Western Port, Scenic Estate was a developer’s dream and a planning nightmare. John Eddy delves into the history of Phillip Island’s new reserve.

Rise and fall
June 3, 2017 - Anyone who regularly walks the beaches along the Grantville waterline can show you how much the foreshore has moved, writes Geoff Ellis.

Down for the count
July 16, 2016 - When Lisa Schonberg found an injured falcon last week, she knew exactly who to call.

A voice for the wilderness
February 20, 2016 - Gurdies residents opposed to a rezoning of their land for tourism are advocating not just for their own futures but for the lives of all the creatures who live around them, writes Liz McDonald.

Wonthaggi at the crossroads
February 27, 2016 - Wonthaggi isn’t just a fast food stop on the way to the penguins or Inverloch, writes Mark Robertson, but a place of hidden delights.

Rabbit control, one bite at a time
February 27, 2016 - If you can’t beat `em, eat `em! Phillip Island Landcare is looking for chefs and home cooks to enter its annual Bunner Boiler Challenge.

Corridors of life
April 22, 2016 - Dick Wettenhall fears for The Gurdies’ unique forest and wildlife if a push for commercial tourism succeeds.

A woman for all seasons
November 19, 2016 - In a Kongwak garden, Carolyn Rowson learned to understand the seasons of her own life. Gill Heal reports.

Copping a spray
August 27, 2016 -Glyphosate might be the world’s most popular herbicide, writes Geoff Ellis, but perhaps we should recall the cautionary tale of DDT.

Rubbish and other useful stuff
April 9, 2016 - A tip shop would have employment, environmental and social payoffs, writes Maddy Harford.

Home and hosed
March 5, 2016 - After 10 years of talk and planning, The Cape estate is starting to take shape. Developer Brendan Condon sells Geoff Ellis on the benefits of eco-houses.

Learned locals combine for field guide
February 20, 2016 - Long before celebrated botanical artist Celia Rosser started on her famous banksia series, she illustrated coastal saltmarsh plants for a university botany class.

The future’s looking bright
October 31, 2015 - Steve Fuery found plenty to inspire him on a Future Homes tour, from solar panels that track the sun to rammed earth walls that trap and store heat.

Taking the long view
June 20, 2015 - Farming is big business for Caleb and Shiona Berry, and that means planning for a more sustainable future.

‘You can’t buy a farm just to watch the roos’
June 6, 2015 - If the place doesn’t pay for itself, all that green stuff is a wasted effort, says Daryl Hook. Geoff Ellis meets a farmer juggling the challenges of sustainability: environmental, financial and personal.

Bimbadeen, place of good view
August 30, 2015 - Climate change is just the latest challenge for Anne and Bob Davie. Geoff Ellis reports on a couple who have always faced up to the ethical, economic and environmental challenges of farming.

The sands of time
June 20, 2015 - Where’s our sand gone and will it come back? Around 80 Inverloch residents gathered last night to hear what an expert made of it all.

A battle of wits
February 14, 2015 - For almost 50 years, Margaret Hancock has been on the front line of a war between developers and conservationists for the heart of Phillip Island. It’s serious business, but it’s also been a lot of fun, she tells Catherine Watson.

Bay battle's not over
December 6, 2014 - The ousting of the Coalition government has put the Port of Hastings plan on hold, but Jeff Nottle warns that the community must be vigilant against the re-emergence of plans to industrialise the bay.

A new row to hoe
July 26, 2014 - In uncertain times, the days of farmers blindly doing what their fathers did are over. Gill Heal spoke to three who are responding creatively to new challenges.

Home remedies from the world of architecture
May 24, 2014 - In Inverloch today, leading sustainable architect Terence Nott will explain how to make our houses more comfortable – and cheaper to run.

Island destiny in the balance
March 29, 2014 - Dredging for the Port of Hastings could be calamitous for Phillip Island, Jeff Nottle fears.

Congratulations, Cape!
April 12, 2014 - Anne Heath Mennell is glad Cape residents won their battle to protect their village. She only wishes she’d been able to do the same for Tenby Point.

Guardians of the bay
February 21, 2014 - Lisa Schonberg’s five-year labour of love photographing the whales and dolphins of Western Port could prove crucial in the battle against plans for a massive
container port at Hastings.

End of the golden summer
November 22, 2014 - Kevin Chambers has fished on Western Port for more than 60 years. He wonders how much longer the bay will be a fisherman’s paradise.

Rural communities mourn demise of Landcare
May 24, 2014 - The destruction of Landcare went almost unnoticed in the federal budget, writes Anne Davie, and local MP and Environment Minister Greg Hunt should have known better.

Finger pointing won't hold back the tide
April 26, 2014 - Instead of railing against the council’s coastal inundation forecasts, perhaps landowners should be demanding government action on climate change, suggests Michael Whelan.

The hoodies of Red Rocks
February 15, 2014 - Dog-owners have joined the ranks of those keeping vigil over Red Rocks ' precious hooded plover chicks. Sue Saliba reports.

A citizen of the Powlett
February 8, 2013 - Paul Speirs realised he couldn’t save the world but he could help to save his own catchment, taking nature as his guide. Gill heal reports.

The dog debates
December 7, 2013 - When Bass Coast councillors voted to trial a new time exclusion for dogs on Inverloch beaches this summer, the debate became red-hot. We hear from two of the many corners.

In praise of dirt roads
November 30, 2013 - Our lives are dominated by metaphorical straight lines: rigid timetables, appointments and deadlines. A meandering dirt road offers relief, writes Liz Low.

Of plastic bags and paper cups
September 28, 2013 - As he carefully separates his bottles, newspapers and plastic from the rubbish, Bob Middleton has a sneaking suspicion he’s being conned.

Garden warriors in a grand tradition
September 28, 2013 - Joy Button delves into Coronet Bay’s history and discovers some wonderful characters, not least among a new garden group, the Horticultural Healers.

The search for order

June 30, 2013 - Meryl and Hartley Tobin’s passions are very different, but they both bring a meticulous approach to their subjects. Gill Heal reports.

Power to the people

March 3, 2013 - When the Wonthaggi Bowling Club installs solar panels, you can guess solar power is no longer the province just of greenies and hippies. Catherine Watson crunches the numbers - financial and environmental - for those still weighing up the pros and cons.

Too much spin

February 9, 2013 - In 2003, it took only a few angry voices to convince Bass Coast councillors and most of the community that wind farms were a blot on the landscape. Has the pendulum swung back?

In Darwin's footsteps
November 30, 2013 - Local snorkellers followed in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and Benjamin Franklin, citizen scientists of their time, when they went below the surface of Shack Bay.

Planning blind in Cape
September 8, 2013 - Nicholas argues against allowing engineers to change Cape Paterson to their version of an urban paradise.

Watching the river flow

May 26, 2015 - For neighbouring farmers, the periodic flooding of the Powlett estuary is a time of some anxiety. For water birds and freshwater fish, it's a time of full and plenty.

Water in the bank

March 16, 2013 - It was fitting that last Sunday’s public tour of the Candowie reservoir was held on one of the hottest days this year, in the middle of a two-week heat wave in one of the driest summers on record.

Nothing to write home about

April 14, 2013 - When it comes to building sustainable houses,
we know what works; we just don’t do it. In fact we seem to
be going backwards, writes Terence Nott.

Holding back the tide
Oct 14, 2025 - Neil Daly asks whether it’s time to let nature prevail at Queensferry.

Local voices ‘ignored’ in subdivision vote
Sept 18, 2025 - Wonthaggi doesn’t rate in councillors’ concerns about the environment, according to objectors to a nine-lot subdivision.

Full speed ahead
Sept 10, 2025 - Bass Coast recognised on national stage for recycling roads.

Ventnor trees get the chop, at a price
Sept 18, 2025 - Council permits removal but orders replanting on bare block.

Community spirit blossoms at Coronet Bay
Sept 3, 2025 - The threat of wild weather didn’t deter locals greening the foreshore.

Calling citizen scientists
Aug 20, 2025 - If you go down to the woods today … take your phone because you never know what you’ll see.

Winding down?
July 22, 2025 - Wonthaggi’s windmills are approaching their use-by date. By Catherine Watson

Slogans won’t save our beach
July 2025 - Trevor Forge makes the case for listening to the experts on Inverloch beach.

Roadkill Island
July 17, 2025 - Stop the slaughter! By Wallaby Wal, as told to Ron Day.

The power trip speeds up
July 19, 2025 - Is it finally time to install a home battery? Energy guru Werner Theinert does the sums so you don’t have to.

The Cape stops here
June 7, 2025 - How a community fought a 20-year battle to preserve their village. By Catherine Watson

It’s official. The Western Port Woodlands matter.
June 8, 2025 - The government has finally recognised their value. Now to turn recognition into protection. By Catherine Watson

Unpopular tourism plan under review
Sept 17, 2025 - Councillors call for rethink of controversial rural tourism strategy “that pleases no one”.

Rabbits in the spotlight
Sept 17 2025 - Councillors call for urgent action on feral animals across the shire.

Local voices ‘ignored’ in subdivision vote
Sept 18, 2025 - Wonthaggi doesn’t rate in councillors’ concerns about the environment, according to objectors to a nine-lot subdivision.

Unpopular tourism plan under review
Sept 17, 2025 - Councillors call for rethink of controversial rural tourism strategy “that pleases no one”.

A photo journal
Aug 17, 2025 - The Mouth of the Powlett teems with layers of life, visual textures, a multitude of species and a restorative force. By Julie Paterson

Nature to the rescue
Aug 16, 2025 - A landmark project will use mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass as the first line of defence against climate change in Western Port.

The Birdman of Cape Paterson
July 23, 2025 - With his camera and a talent for storytelling, David Hartney captures the daily dramas of birds, beasts and humans.

Now for Wonthaggi
June 9, 2025 - With the release of the long-awaited Bass Coast Statement of Planning Policy, 27 of the shire’s 29 settlements now have planning certainty.

Frequent flyers and vagrants
May 17, 2025 - Dave Newman pays tribute to our migratory wader birds and their epic flights, including some that don’t go to plan.

In the line of fire
May 15, 2025 - Managing fire for people and wildlife isn't rocket science, says Professor Mike Clarke. It’s much more complex than that.

Welcome home
May 15, 2025 - As the Gurdies forest begins to recover from fire, the animals are returning

More than water
May 16, 2025 - A spectacular night sky photo by Iryna MacMillan has won first prize in West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority’s photo competition.

Power plays
Feb 28, 2025 - So you think power lines for offshore wind are ugly? Look around you, suggests Christopher Eastman-Nagle.

Growing together
May 12, 2025 – Friendship and learning flourish alongside the plants at the Wonthaggi Seed Bank and Nursery.

The birds are back
May 12, 2025 - As our migratory shorebirds depart for their Arctic breeding grounds, the Flyways exhibition opens to celebrate their extraordinary journey.

Swimming against the tide
Feb 27, 2025 - There may be lessons for Bass Coast in another small coastal town’s attempts to halt coastal erosion.

Living lightly
Feb 28, 2025 - From home battery storage to preserving, council workshops aim to help residents live more sustainably.

No go for sand company
Feb 20, 2025 - Council rejects plans to widen Stanley Road in Grantville for sand trucks to service a new quarry.

Russ stands his ground
Feb 1, 2025 - You wouldn’t pick Russ Williams for a typical greenie but he’s ready to defend his patch of bush.

The mangrove challenge continues
Jan 10, 2025 - Neil Daly asks whether it’s time to give up the dream of using mangroves to arrest coastal erosion along the eastern arm of Western Port.

‘This is an emergency’
Dec 12, 2024 - “LIKE the residents in a valley watching a bushfire approaching …” Cr Tim O’Brien presses for urgent action at Inverloch and Silverleaves beaches.

This film is dedicated to the hundreds of firefighters who worked so hard over many days to save homes, woodland and wildlife.

Leave our trees alone!
Dec 12, 2024 - A classic David & Goliath story … residents of a quiet bushland enclave versus a multinational giant. By Jan Grimes

The inspiration of birds
Dec 9, 2024 - “Every fledgling is like gold …” Bass Coast’s chief hoodie Stephen Johnson explains what keeps him going.

Time for action
Nov 16, 2024 - Finally we have a pathway to address Inverloch beach erosion, writes Ed Thexton. Now it’s time for action – and quickly.

The koala crew
Nov 15, 2024 - The once common koala appears to be hurtling towards extinction in the wild. Kelly Smith and helpers are working to stop that happening.

Across the waters
Nov 15, 2024 - From both sides of Western Port, they gathered as one community, writes Laura Brearley.

Breakthrough in woodlands campaign
Oct 15, 2024 - Bass Coast’s woodlands will no longer be considered a priority sand mining area for the state.

In plain view
Oct 12, 2024 - Our new rural tourism strategy threatens the very landscape that brings tourists to Phillip Island, writes Linda Cuttriss.

Trees that please
Aug 15, 2024 - What’s your favourite local tree: perhaps the Townsend Bluff eucalypt, climbed and loved by many, or the extraordinary Churchill Island moonahs?

Planting into Life
In years to come Inverloch students will remember the day they planted trees on the oval. Ed Thexton reports

Our war on pitto
July 11, 2024 - This enemy overpowers everything in its way, but Jon Temby is equally pitiless. And the tide is turning.

Enviro fund set to launch
June 15, 2024 - Council goes into the property business – but not to make a profit.

Developer tries again
June 15, 2024 - $54 million plan for Mahers Landing gets a bad rap.

Our little battler
June 15, 2024 - The survival of the koala in Gippsland is a modern-day miracle but now, more than ever, they need our help, writes Ed Thexton

What remains
May 16, 2024 - The eroded vegetated dunes of Inverloch hold more than most of us could imagine, writes Ed Thexton

Cemetery clearing backlash
April 17, 2024 - Local naturalists were concerned when they heard an excavator within the hallowed grounds of the Tarwin Lower Cemetery.

The laggard
April 17, 2024 - For every farmer working to retain native vegetation, there are neighbours who continue to clear it, because that’s what Dad did. Ed Thexton reports.

Get used to it
March 22, 2024 - As climate change accelerates, Helen Zervopoulos says it’s time to stop the blame game and get ready.

Relief for Ruttle Estate residents
March 23, 2024 - Residents chalk up second victory in their battle to preserve the wetland reserve.

The thin green line
March 22, 2024 - Ed Thexton visits the Corinella Foreshore and finds the locals have achieved something remarkable.

Flood risk sinks Silverleaves house plan
March 23, 2024 - Should landowners be allowed to build on a site that’s likely to be swamped by rising sea waters?

Art, the environment and a good glass of wine
Oct 13, 2024 - His name was Warren Thompson and he had big plans. Janice Orchard was part of them.

Nature notes
Oct 16, 2024 – An encounter with a sick fox raises troubling questions for Catherine Watson.

A little thing called Tryssglobulus
July 9, 2024 - Only two specimens have ever been collected and one of them was found in the Western Port Woodlands. Ian Pascoe tells the tale of his favourite fungus.

Why the secrecy?
June 14, 2024 - Sand miners ride roughshod over our community with mining regulator’s acquiescence, writes Neil Rankine

Our woodlands, frame by frame
June 15, 2024 - Artists respond to exhibition challenge.

Don’t mess with my miniature creatures
May 10, 2024 - Tiny insects, bacteria and fungi keep our forests functioning, writes Dick Wettenhall in an extract from his guide book to the hidden world of the Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve.

Parrot puzzle
May 15, 2024 - The discovery of a rarely seen Eastern Ground Parrot in Inverloch has local birdwatchers wondering if there might be others around. Dallas Wyatt reports.

Silver lining for little old penguin
April 3, 2024 - One of the oldest penguins ever seen at the Phillip Island mega-colony has returned to sea after five weeks of intensive rehab.

Greg Johnson Q&A
April 18, 2024 - The newly elected president of the Phillip Island Conservation Society learned activism from some of the best.

Nirvana Park
April 19, 2024 - Ivee Strazzabosco created a magnificent garden, but nature always wins in the end. By Catherine Watson

Western Port plan in limbo
April 14, 2024 - The grand plan to protect Western Port is drifting with the four bayside councils losing focus, writes Neil Daly.

The power trip continues
March 22, 2024 - The lights stayed on during our recent prolonger power outage, reports Werner Theinert.

The woman with the x-ray eyes
Feb 23, 2024 - Melissa Lowery sees things that no one else does. And she’s transformed our knowledge of the dinosaurs that once roamed Bass Coast.

Art of the woodlands
March 23, 2024 - Prize money of $2500 is up for grabs in an art exhibition celebrating the Western Port Woodlands.

Council turnaround boosts Cape campaign
Feb 21, 2024 - Community cautiously optimistic that with strong council support it will finally win a decade-long battle to stop a massive expansion of the township.

There goes the neighbourhood
Feb 24, 2024 - It’s only just gone out for public consultation but Bass Coast’s housing strategy is already having an impact.

Farmer fined for illegal land clearing
Feb 12 2024 - Conservationists slam “paltry fine” for Inverloch man who cleared 31 mature trees from his farm.

Across the Narrows
Feb 20, 2024 - Time and tide wait for no man and nowhere is the saying more apt than in the narrow channel between San Remo and Phillip Island, writes Linda Cuttriss

Holden plan wins support
Jan 25, 2024 - Entrepreneur joins forces with conservationists on Holden Proving Ground.

VCAT to rule on Ruttle wetlands
Jan 22, 2024 - Cait McMahon urges council to hold the line on developers’ open space contributions.

Shootout at the RK Homestead
Jan 22, 2024 - You might think they’re cute. Ron Kousal begs to differ.

Not a murder, just an unkindness
Jan 25, 2024 - A mass gathering of ravens at The Oaks intrigues Ed Thexton.

What price clean energy?
Dec 11, 2023 - Western Port is under threat once more, this time from a proposed offshore wind terminal at Hastings. Neil Daly reports.

When worlds collide
Nov 13, 2023 - For the first time in their existence, the Swamp Skinks of Inverloch are experiencing humans in their habitat. Brendan Casey fears it won’t end well.

Action stations on climate
Nov 9, 2023 - Councils unite to help communities build resilience and prepare for future impacts.

The call of nature
Oct 20, 2023 - We call them nature strips but only a few of them deserve that title. Catherine Watson surveys the good, the bad and the ugly.

Lucky Laribee
Oct 17, 2023 - The story starts in July with a very sick wombat. That’s when a dedicated team stepped in.

Bird bonanza
Oct 16, 2023 - The shearwaters are home from Alaska and Phillip Island is alive with birds. Lisa Gilbert rounds up all the action.

Who, me?
Oct 13, 2023 - “Some people call me adorable. Others call me a murderer.” Harry Hyper Highpurr purrs his heart out to Matt Stone

The mangrove challenge
Sept 21, 2023 - Grand plans for blue carbon sinks in Western Port need to tackle the low success rate of mangrove planting, writes Neil Daly.

Return of El Niño bodes ill for Inverloch beach
Sept 21, 2023 - It feels like the death of an old friend, writes Philip Heath, as one of the last old banksias at Flat Rocks succumbs to the retreating coastline.

VCAT rejects Harmers subdivision
Sept 21, 2023 - Fragmentation of the continuous vegetation adjoining next to coastal reserve deemed unacceptable. John Old reports

RACV $13.6m resort plans approved … with caveat
Aug 17, 2023 - Councillors call for government guidance on how to handle coastal development in an age of climate change.

Moments of inspiration
Aug 17, 2023 - Holding wonder and grief together is the work of our time, writes Laura Brearley, of a new exhibition featuring works inspired by Bass Coast’s massive eco arts project.

Mangrove research bolstered
August 11, 2023 - The State Government is investing $1.2 million into improving mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh habitats in Western Port.

The battle for Western Port
Sept 21, 2023 - Successive threats to Western Port have been stopped only by massive public opposition, writes Neil Daly.

Back to the future
Aug 17, 2023 - Wonthaggi’s State Coal Mine was once the engine room of Victoria’s economy. Linda Cuttriss envisages a future where history, community, energy and creativity come together.

Albert Ruttle wetlands safe … for now
Aug 17, 2023 - Residents of the Inverloch estate are waiting for the next move in the long-running battle for their wetlands.

Thumbs down for ‘eco-retreat’
Aug 17, 2023 - Proposed ‘eco-retreat' Kitty Miller Bay rejected by council.

Roaming cats not welcome here
Aug 16, 2023 - The juxtaposition of Picasso’s high art and cat crap got Ed Thexton thinking about the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Felis catus.

Penguin peek for locals
Aug 16, 2023 - Bass Coast residents can watch the Penguin Parade at no charge as part of an open day next month.

Beyond the VCAT experience
July 21, 2023 - The Summerland Estate buyback was about protecting public interest against private encroachment, writes Ken Blackman, and that's relevant to the Glade.

Caring for Country, Inverloch style
Aug 15, 2023 - Smoke from Aunty Sonia Weston’s welcome fire swirled around those converging for the Caring for Country celebration, writes Sally McNiece.

Mangrove research bolstered
August 11, 2023 - The State Government will invest $1.2 million into improving mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh habitats in Western Port.

Silverleaves homes at risk
July 18, 2023 - Works will begin to stabilise the beach after winter storm surges eroded dunes and left houses at risk of inundation.

Paul's patch
May 17, 2023 - “I can’t save the world … but I can make a difference locally,“ Paul Speirs told Gill Heal.

The power trip continues
May 17, 2023 - The renewable energy revolution is taking place somewhere near you, writes Werner Theinert.

Mission Crimson Berry
May 17, 2023 - A team of ecological crusaders salvages critically endangered plants from Wilsons Prom to help regenerate the species on Phillip Island.

Trees versus views
April 22, 2023 - Like all civil wars, the battle over the Corinella foreshore reserve is complicated and goes back several generations. Catherine Watson reports from the frontline.

Frog find puts woodlands on map
Discovery of endangered southern toadlets at multiple sites reinforces calls for protection of Western Port Woodlands.

Sustainability central
The sleepy village of Bass will be a hive of activity on Sunday as the crowds descend for this year’s Bass Coast Sustainability Festival.

One DAL down, one more to go
May 17, 2023 - Bass Coast’s future will be determined by the DAL process, writes Neil Daly. Now it’s time for the other shires around Western Port to get the same treatment.

The art of uncertainty
May 17, 2023 - This year’s Winter Solstice exhibition at ArtSpace Wonthaggi asks artists to respond to the theme of climate change .

This one’s for Nature!
May 17, 2023 - Having worked in concrete for most of his career, artist Phil Henshall calls time on sand mining in woodlands.

Enjoying the ride
April 22, 2023 - Eight months in, EV driver Michael Nugent couldn't be happier, except …

Nature’s cure
April 13, 2023 - An old Post story on Henry’s Creek Sanctuary inspires Margie Matheson to dream big.

On a wing and a prayer
April 19, 2023 - After 10 anxious weeks of looking after eggs and chicks, the adult hooded plovers are exhausted, writes David Hartney. And the hoodie volunteers aren’t far behind.

Rare frog could make a big splash
March 24, 2023 - The rare southern toadlet was recorded near the Holden Proving Grounds in 2005.

Every seal counts
March 22, 2023 - On International Seal Day, a Phillip Island Nature Parks researcher is appealing to local fishers not to discard fishing line.

Adventures at VCAT
After a week spent binge-watching a pivotal case, Ed Thexton concludes that between the theatre and the tedium, a clash of world views is reduced to trivialities.

Let’s get together
Jan 25, 2023 - Given the lack of political will to protect Western Port, Neil Daly proposes a citizens assembly with the results to be presented as a petition to Parliament.

Operation Fairy Tern
Jan 27, 2023 - Three summers ago, 31 fairy tern pairs fledged 49 chicks on Churchill Island. Since then, not a single chick has survived.

Away with the birds
Nov 8, 2022 - Microlight aviator Amellia Formby drops in to celebrate Western Port’s migratory shorebirds

Hands off Western Port!
Oct 17, 2022 - In the past decade, more than 200 million has been spent on failed attempts to industrialise Western Port. A bold new plan aims to stop it happening again.

What's a forest worth?
Oct 20, 2022 - Tim O’Brien questions the local environmental cost of Melbourne’s Big Build.

Labor lags on woodland protection
Oct 11, 2022 - Four of the five confirmed parties fielding candidates in the Bass electorate have committed to significant action to protect the Western Port Woodlands

For Our Future
Oct 19, 2022 - Expect the unexpected when the arts, science and culture come together in a new program celebrating Bass Coast places and people. Laura Brearley explains.

Shearwaters are back on track
Oct 13, 2022 - Almost 1.5 million short-tailed shearwaters have arrived on Phillip island right on schedule.

Forrest Caves and the passing of time
Sept 15, 2022 - Not even the rocks are permanent on this mysterious and constantly changing beach, writes Linda Cuttriss.

The Mighty Ayr
Sept 22, 2022 - “Don’t sweat the small stuff” or “From small things big things grow”? Waist deep in his local creek, Ed Thexton ponders the contradiction as he does battle with a demon weed.

Island powers on
Sept 14, 2022 - Phillip Island’s vision to become fully renewable by 2030 is a step closer, with plans approved for a big battery and a trial of community energy storage.

Environmental love-in-action
August 18, 2022 - The Sybil Disobedients cross the bay to stand with the Western Port Woodlands. Laura Brearley reports

My precious piece of Australia
Aug 17, 2022 - Richard Kemp is privileged to share his patch of paradise with creatures great and small.

My EV journey continues
July 21, 2022 - Michael Nugent asks four local EV pioneers about their experience of owning – and driving – an electric vehicle.

Locked out
June 17, 2022 - It’s meant to be a conduit for the community to raise issues of concern, but a Grantville mining committee operates more like a secret society, writes Neil Rankine.

Cycle of life
June 18, 2022 - A walk with Terri Allen is an education. The conversation roams from history to botany to bird watching but it might also cover drainage, swamps and local politics.

‘Resolve mining conflict first’
May 20, 2022 -Council challenges Government to fulfil its charter to protect environment and biodiversity.

Shock on mine expansion
May 7, 2022 - Mayor says serious community and environmental concerns have been ignored.

Harmers swamp 'under threat'
May 4, 2022 - Attempts to subdivide the swamp have been rebuffed for 70 years. John Old hopes the latest attempt will be treated the same way.

What we’re learning from the woodlands
May 5, 2022 - The woodlands campaign is a living example of active hope, writes Laura Brearley.

The ‘climate first’ election
April 21, 2022 -There was an overwhelming message at last weekend’s climate rally, reports Jessica Harrison

A Day in the Life of the Wonthaggi Wetlands
March 7, 2022 - Photostory by Gayle Marien

Back to nature
March 25, 2022 - Residents of our coastal hamlets value their connection to nature, writes Emily Clarke, so don’t try to turn them into suburbia.

The good life reimagined
March 10, 2022 - In the midst of a climate emergency and housing crisis, Zoe Geyer imagines a sustainable tomorrow for her daughter.

The next small thing
March 9, 2022 - Ed Thexton reports on the latest in nest box technology, including new methods to deter Indian mynas and other raiders.

Where we belong
Feb 11, 2022 - Walking on the Corinella foreshore, Alison Normanton vows to do her bit to preserve it for future generations.

It’s time we set the agenda
Jan 28, 2022 - If Western Port is to be saved, ‘the people’ have to set the agenda for the politicians to follow, writes Neil Daly.

A chance encounter of the seedling kind
April 19, 2023 - Neil Daly discovers scientists – citizen and otherwise – are working towards the same end on the Queensferry foreshore.

Time for a ceasefire
Feb 17, 2023 - Sally McNiece calls for a ceasefire from the chainsaw brigade while there’s still some remnant vegetation left to save.

Further, wider, stronger
Feb 17, 2023 -Western Port and the hinterland are inextricably linked, writes Neil Daly

A feast of good gardening
Jan 25, 2023 - Bass Coast gardeners show and tell all in the second Edible Gardens Weekend.

Yes please, more trees
Jan 27, 2023 - Cowes and Inverloch are the standout towns for tree cover in Bass Coast and San Remo is the barest.

Call of the wild
Dec 14, 2022 - Linda Cuttriss visits Scenic Estate Reserve and finds Nature has reclaimed it despite the best efforts of developers, boy racers, vandals and even conservationists.

The Prom
Nov 28, 2022 - Lucinda Bain's prize winning essay celebrates the beauty of our world and our diminishing hope for the future. It ends on a hopeful, simple, profound fact.

Man of the trees
Oct 17, 2022 - Sally McNiece goes bush with Ringo Gannon and learns that when it comes to significant trees size isn’t everything.

Inverloch dune works preferred option
Nov 11, 2022 - Conservation Society supports sand dune renourishment ahead of rock walls, writes Philip Heath.

On the koala trail
Nov 13, 2022 - Genetic analysis confirm koalas in the Western Port Woodlands are a rare remnant population.

When knowledge is power
Oct 21, 2022 - Werner is explaining the miracle of heat pumps, striding the room like one of the old Energizer ads. Catherine Watson reports.

Bandicoots’ wild anniversary
Oct 20, 2022 - Duncan Sutherland still has vivid memories of the night he and a team of rangers released 67 eastern barred bandicoots on Phillip Island.

Paperbark town
Oct 20, 2022 - When the swamp paperbark is in bloom, the snapper are on the bite, writes Terri Allen.

‘5000 trucks a day’ forecast
Sept 22, 2022 - Bass Coast communities to bear brunt of mining expansion for Melbourne’s Big Build.

Caring for Western Port Country
Sept 21, 2022 - Governments and developers will have carte blanche on Western Port until we fix our “box mentality”.

Harmers dustup
August 19, 2022 - Federal Labor MP Ged Kearney was once hailed as “swamp saviour Ged” for buying a swampy bit of land in Harmers Haven to save it from development.

Tiny glider knocks ‘em for six
Sept 15, 2022 - Finding the world's smallest gliding mammal in The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve was a dream come true for Dave Newman.

Close to home
July 21, 2022 - Covid put a stop to Dave and Jackie Newman’s wildlife safaris around Australia and introduced them to the natural riches just down the road.

In the mood for winter
July 20, 2022 - Winter has a bad reputation but Linda Cuttriss loves its many moods.

On the koala trail
June 3, 2022 - Once koalas were hunted to the point of extinction. Catherine Watson joined a hunt for their survivors.

Together we can
June 2, 2022 - When World Environment Day met Reconciliation Week … Laura Brearley celebrates the transformative power of collective action in Bass Coast.

Spotlight on Coronet Bay
May 20, 2022 - Discovery of five swamp antechinus heartens those working to improve biodiversity.

How to talk to children about climate change
April 21, 2022 - Meg Humphry hopes her new book offers a gentle way into a very tough subject.

Back to earth
April 22, 2022 - We all have a part to play in regenerating the planet we share, writes Christine Grayden, and Earth Month seems a good time to start.

Let’s join the dots
April 20, 2022 - Treating Western Port and the region as an entity is the best way to resolve the issues that plague it, writes Neil Daly.

Blue carbon skies ahead
March 8, 2022 – Restoring mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh ecosystems in Western Port could play a major part in reducing carbon emissions.

Crunch time for Inverloch
March 25, 2022 - The mapping is done and now it’s time to make some hard decisions on Inverloch’s eroding coastline. Catherine Watson reports

Summer of strangeness
March 23, 2022 - Feral tomatoes, transgender nuts and ravenous birds … summer was full of surprises for local gardeners, reports John Coldebella

Crunch time
March 9, 2022 - The old Mazda has served Michael Nugent well but he’s ready for the EV revolution. He invites us to join him on the journey.

Sign of the times
March 9, 2022 - Clearing vegetation for the new Inverloch pathway reveals a sign erected by the council warning against the clearing of vegetation.

Same old story
Feb 11, 2022 - When Frank Coldebella saw the front page headlines about a bike path in the Sentinel Times, he had a sense of deja vu.

Big cat sighting adds to mystery
Feb 11, 2022 - The Grantville area has long been a hot spot for big cat sightings. Meryl Tobin reports

A feast of garden ideas
Jan 28, 2022 - Bass Coast gardeners will show and tell all in the inaugural Edible Gardens Open Weekend.

Rally Round the dunes

Jan 12, 2022 - More than 250 people braved strong easterly winds on the Inverloch surf beach on Wednesday to call for urgent action to save the disappearing sand dunes.

‘Time is running out’
Dec 15, 2021 - The next few months are critical in the fight to save the Inverloch surf beach, writes Philip Heath.

The sea won’t wait
Nov 19, 2021 - There might not be much of Inverloch’s beach left to save by the time a coastal hazard assessment is completed, writes Cr Leticia Laing.

Swan & Clarke - a visionary team
Dec 3, 2021 - A former cattle grazing property at Rhyll, now a wildlife haven, forever links two great conservationists, writes Neil Daly.

The wonder of the woodlands
Nov 5, 2021 - Ed Thexton marvels that this remnant of a lost world has survived against the odds.

Our guide to the future
Oct 22, 2021 - What will a house or farm of the future look like? This year’s Sustainability Festival sets out to answer the question.

Of magic, mystery and monsters
Oct 7, 2021 - Linda Cuttriss joins a woodlands walk and finds a new kind of magic in the hills above Grantville and The Gurdies.

Sifting the plans in play
Oct 7, 2021 – It’s time for a new strategic framework for Western Port and its region, writes Neil Daly.

Have we got a deal for you!
Sept 24, 2021 - Like to buy an electric vehicle but deterred by the cost? Totally Renewable Phillip Island wants to hear from you, writes Zoe Geyer.

Co-operate or perish!
Sept 24, 2021 - When our politicians fail us, writes David Arnault, it’s time to find our own allies. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak

Road to the future
Sept 10, 2021 - A group of South Gippsland citizens are seeking a better way to live, for all in their community. David Arnault reports

Test track back on the market
August 27, 2021 - The proposed resale of the Lang Lang Proving Grounds is a mixed blessing for a group campaigning to protect the region’s last significant forest.

How we see it
August 18, 2021 - Forty people on a mission to nail a vision of Bass Coast in 2041. Here’s what we came up with, writes Harry Freeman. Now tell us what you think.

How much is a forest worth?
August 18, 2021 - Local film-makers Terry Melvin and Laura Brearley turn the camera on sand mining in Bass Coast’s last significant forest.

Sand miners on notice
July 29, 2021 - Expert report raises alarm over toxic pollutants from sand mining in Grantville corridor entering Western Port.

Will your feet be the end of me?
July 16, 2021 - When it comes to walking tracks, it's not all about us, writes Julie Thomas.

Parks are for everyone
July 2, 2021 - People need to experience natural beauty before they will grow to love and protect it, writes Leticia Laing.

The secret life of orchids
July 16, 2021 - Dick Wettenhall delves into the underworld of this miraculous plant (including sexual deception) and reveals the threat posed by sand mining to some of Victoria’s rarest orchid communities.

Time to draw a line in the sand
June 18, 2021 - New mining projects in Bass Coast are a threat to Western Port’s precious wetlands, warns Professor Dick Wettenhall.

Living with creeks
July 2, 2021 - Rivers and waterways are serious, writes Ed Thexton, but creeks are a different matter.

Yes I’m a Nimby!
June 18, 2021 - What's the point of turning a sublime coastal walk into an industry, asks David Arnault.

Mining opposition gathers force
June 4, 2021 - Hundreds sign petition calling for a moratorium on more sand mines in Bass Coast’s last coastal forest.

‘Listen to the locals’
June 4, 2021 - Yallock-Bulluk coastal trail plan suffers from lack of local knowledge: Alliance

Time for action now: students
Local students join national climate protest with a march through Wonthaggi CBD.

The joy of gardens
May 21, 2021 - For young children, gardens are part adventure playground, part moving feast, writes John Coldebella.

Try again on trail: planning expert
May 7, 2021 – Leaving Cape-Inverloch off the Yallock-Bulluk trail is a cop-out, writes Nicholas Low

Songs of praise
May 7, 2021 - In Toe Pecker, Liz Low has found a friend who knows how to greet and farewell.

Coastal track a planning poser
April 22, 2021 - Creating a walking/cycling trail from San Remo to Inverloch was never going to be easy.

The scarlet pimpernel of Wonthaggi
April 22, 2021 - An intrepid young fox doesn’t seem to play by the the rules, writes a half-admiring John Coldebella. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak

Hands off our bay
April 9, 2021 - Once more the community has had to ward off an assault on Western Port by big business, writes Jeff Nottle.

Some have heard the call
March 23, 2021 - Neil Daly is delighted to report that his plan for Western Port has actually made it inside the Victorian Parliament, courtesy of the Sustainable Australia Party.

On centre stage
Feb 26, 2021 - Western Port is a World Heritage Site waiting in the wings, writes Neil Daly.

Tiger, tiger, turning tight
Feb 13, 2021 - A sensor camera in a garden shed catches a tiger snake doing battle with a mouse trap. Video by Gil Smith

‘Councillors must hold their nerve’
February 13, 2021 - Defeatist council report on sand mining expansion ignores council policies and community concerns, writes ex-mayor Neil Rankine.

Swan & Clarke - a visionary team
Dec 3, 2021 - A former cattle grazing property at Rhyll, now a wildlife haven, forever links two great conservationists, writes Neil Daly.

Going, going, gone!
Nov 19, 2021 - Works by some of Gippsland’s finest artists will be auctioned in support of the campaign to save the Western Port woodlands.

Cosy homes made easy
Nov 19, 2021 - Heat pumps, power companies, rebates, insulation, emissions … two locals have done the homework so you don’t have to. Jessica Harrison reports.

The wonder of the woodlands
Nov 5, 2021 - Ed Thexton marvels that this remnant of a lost world has survived against the odds.

Woodlands the star of the show
Dec 15, 2021 - The joy of walking in our local woodlands is captured in a new film by Terry Melvin and Laura Brearley

Season of twists and turns
Dec 15, 2021 - John Coldebella observes a succession of mysterious happenings in the garden this spring.

Back to the future
Nov 5, 2021 - Neil Daly asks whether the blue carbon method could redress much of the damage to Western Port caused by a century of drainage works and land clearing.

Words from the Woodlands
Oct 22, 2021 - Many of us have been walking in the woodlands lately. Now Laura Brearley invites us to share the experience through poetry or prose.

Seven lunches from chaos
Oct 7, 2021 - At last the Murdoch media empire has recognised the seriousness of climate change. Ed Thexton found the evidence at the bottom of Page 25.

How to stay sane
Sept 24, 2021 - In these tense times, nature is our best friend, writes Terri Allen.

Island flock prospers
Sept 24, 2021 - While South Australia’s Cape Barren geese are doing it hard, our local geese are looking right at home.

Crunch time for woodlands
Sept 10, 2021 - Sand mining surge threatens Bass Coast’s rare woodlands and threatened species: Victorian National Parks Association report.

Question time
Sept 10, 2021 – Why does Spring Street continue to treat Western Port so differently from its neighbour, asks Neil Daly.

The good life
August 27, 2021 - How our houses can make or break us, the first in a series on housing by Zoe Geyer.

A watery makeover takes shape
August 27, 2021 - A seagrass research team goes to great depths in their quest to restore more seagrass meadows to Western Port.

My war on pittosporum
Don’t be fooled by the beautiful foliage and sweetly scented flowers, writes Richard Kemp. This plant is a monster.

Alternative energies
Long before wind and solar power, there was elbow grease, carbide and kerosene. Mark Robertson admires a new collection in the Wonthaggi Museum.

Has the longest day begun?
July 29, 2021 - MPs take note, the people are ready to protect Western Port once more, writes Neil Daly.

Treasure island
July 29, 2021 - In June a team of naturalists headed for French Island in search of some small brown bumps on top of some brown bark. What they found there was beyond their wildest dreams, reports Catherine Watson

Rail trail picks up steam
July 28, 2021 - $6m extension fills one more link in the regional Great Gippsland Trail cycling and walking track.

Do you hear the people sing?
July 2, 2021 - Laura Brearley invites us to join a chorus of voices for Bass Coast’s last remnant coastal bushland.

Winter recess – a time to gather our thoughts
July 2, 2021 - The latest assault on Western Port’s hinterland shows how much we need a complete land and sea management plan, writes Neil Daly.

Shelf life
June 18, 2021 - When you dip a camera into a rock pool and fire it off, there’s no telling what you’ll get. But every now and then it’s magic, writes Helen Keellings.

Hail the whales!
June 18, 2021 - Our whales are back, earlier and in greater numbers than usual on their annual migration north to breed. Photo: Lisa Schonberg

Mystery Road
June 4, 2021 - Geoff Ellis and Neil Rankine made good use of their COVID daily exercise time to fill in one of the missing links on the proposed San Remo-Inverloch trail.

Power deal cuts costs and emissions
May 21, 2021 - Bass Coast Council will be powered by 100 per cent renewable power from July 1 in a landmark deal that also cuts the shire’s energy bill.

Melbourne’s big build threatens rare coastal forest
May 7, 2021 – Campaigners threaten to take forest battle to Labor’s inner-city electorates

Time to walk with nature
May 7, 2021 - We have to start undoing the damage we have done to the environment, writes Neil Daly.

What’s happening to our bush?
May 7, 2021 - Wonthaggi’s intrepid seed collectors brave the elements and a dwindling supply of seed to preserve our bush. Terri Allen reports

For the next milestone …
April 22, 2021 - The AGL decision is a breakthrough on the journey towards a Western Port Strategic Management Plan, writes Neil Daly.

A labour of love
March 23, 2021 - Daryl Hook farewells the farm and wildlife haven he has created over 40 years. Story and photos by Geoff Ellis.

Here be dragons – and cows
March 23, 2021 - Picasso and Dali decide on a challenge: who can design the most outlandish and bizarre fish. The wondrous result is living in a bay near you, writes Mark Robertson.

Council pans Dandy Premix plan
Feb 17, 2021 - Dandy Premix’s plan to expand its Grantville sand quarrying operation has been panned by Bass Coast Shire Council.

The incredible journey
February 13, 2021 - A chance sighting prompted Gil Smith to learn more about the short-finned eel and its epic journey from Deep Creek to the Coral Sea. Now he fears the impact of sand mining on the creatures that call this area home.