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Archives
![]() Worth the wait
Oct 30, 2023 - Anne Davie waited 31 years for her vision of a cultural centre for Phillip Island to become a reality. ![]() Dinosaur dream takes shape Oct 13, 2023 - Designs for Bass Coast’s $18 million dinosaur trail feature gardens, sculptures, towers and playgrounds, along with virtual reality and immersive 3D animations.
![]() 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. ![]() Story time, at last
Oct 20, 2023 - After a three-year break, the Phillip Island Festival of Stories returns next month in Bass Coast’s new cultural home, Berninneit. ![]() We shall remember
Oct 20, 2023 - Jane Ross and Christine Grayden call for a brief pause to remember the harsh impact of world wars on so many service people and civilians. ![]() The Naming of Cultural Centres
Oct 18, 2023 - The Shard, the Roxy, the Old Vic … and Berninneit? Ian Robinson objects. |
![]() Lucky Laribee
Oct 17, 2023 - The story starts in July with a very sick wombat. That’s when a dedicated team stepped in. ![]() Everyone is Welcome
Oct 18, 2023 - You’ll need to be quick for tickets to The Living Circle Concert, the historic first community event to take place in Berninneit. ![]() From Caridà to Wonthaggi
Oct 14, 2023 - Sam Gatto’s memoir of his family’s migration from an Italian village to an Australian coal town was written for his descendants, but it’s also a great story for the rest of us. ![]() ‘Are we home yet?’
For Belinda Henderson, low house prices + services - not middle of nowhere + she sort of knew the place + six months pregnant = Wonthaggi. ![]() 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 |
![]() Your voice
Sept 22, 2023 - Post readers have their say on the Voice. Tell us what you think. ![]() 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. ![]() The battle for Western Port
Sept 21, 2023 - Successive threats to Western Port have been stopped only by massive public opposition, writes Neil Daly. ![]() The homing instinct
Sept 22, 2023 - A lifelong Phillip Islander, Cherry McFee didn’t like to go too far from the sea. Story by Gill Heal ![]() His master’s voice
Sept 21, 2023 - Ellen Palmer-Hubble’s soulful portrait of Bass Coast Mayor Michael Whelan and his kelpie Grouse has been selected for the 2023 Victorian Salon des Refusés Exhibition. |
![]() 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 last goodbye
Sept 21, 2023 - To be present at the death of a loved one is a precious and profound experience, writes Etsuko Yasunaga. ![]() 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. ![]() Welcome to my world
Sept 21, 2023 - Volunteer aged care visitor Antonietta loves sharing good times with a special friend. And so do her dogs! |
![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() ‘What’s on at Berninneit?’
Aug 19, 2023 - Better get used to saying and hearing it because we’re going to be using it a lot. ![]() 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. ![]() Geoff Ellis Q&A
Aug 11, 2023 - The resignation of Cr Bruce Kent means the return of Cr Geoff Ellis, who tells the Post he’s delighted to take on the role of councillor for a second time. ![]() Painting with words
Aug 18, 2023 - What happens when 12 writers are randomly matched with a painting, a drawing and a word and asked to tell a story? |
![]() Back to the future
Aug 17, 2023 - Linda Cuttriss envisages the State Coal Mine as a place where history, community, energy and creativity come together. ![]() Best of luck
Aug 18, 2023 - Almost $20 million was lost on Bass Coast’s pokies in 2022-23. Catherine Watson asks how local clubs are protecting their most vulnerable members. 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. ![]() 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. ![]() Hanley’s Dairy
August 11, 2023 - Long before dawn, the milkmen and horses of Hanley’s Dairy criss-crossed Wonthaggi to deliver the daily pint. ![]() Mangrove research bolstered
August 11, 2023 - The State Government is investing $1.2 million into improving mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh habitats in Western Port. ![]() 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. |
![]() Missing in action
July 21, 2023 – Some of Bass Coast’s councillors seem to have lost interest in the job. ![]() Enough talk
July 21, 2023 - We’ve been talking about the revitalisation of the Wonthaggi CBD since 2015. And now we’re going to talk some more. Catherine Watson reports ![]() 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. ![]() Our whale turns 100
July 19, 2023 - How a beached whale became a Wonthaggi icon. ![]() Homecoming
July 19, 2023 - Etsuko Yasunaga experiences the joy of reunion with loved ones and completes a pilgrimage. |
![]() Ali Wastie: the exit interview
July 22, 2023 - Our departing council CEO reflects on the good, the bad and the memorable in Bass Coast. ![]() Opening arts and minds
July 21, 2023 - Adult students have discovered unexpected talents in an art class with a difference, writes Laura Brearley ![]() 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. ![]() John Frohlich Q&A
Juny 19, 2023 - The Post caught up with the director of the Bass Coast Shorts Film Festival while he was en route from Berlin to Wonthaggi for the second festival from August 4-6. |
![]() What happened to our cultural precinct?
June 23, 2023 - Five years ago the State Government announced the old Wonthaggi high site would be handed to the council for a cultural precinct. Catherine Watson asks what's gone wrong with the deal. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() Part of the family
June 22, 2023 - The Ali family’s arrival marks another chapter in Bass Coast’s long history of welcoming refugees, writes Maddy Harford ![]() Flying high
June 20, 2023 - The Bass Coast Chorale’s mid-year concert looks to the heavens, writes musical director Larry Hills. ![]() 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 hut people
June 20, 2023 - Long before holiday houses were million-dollar mansions, the hut people of Shack Bay lived like kings. Frank Coldebella recalls those carefree, dreamtime days. ![]() Adventures with an AI writer
June 24, 2023 - Artificial intelligence is supposed to reduce the drudgery in our lives, writes Christine Grayden, but sometimes it just wants to take over. ![]() Historic hospital plans return home
June 23, 2023 - Architectural plans for the first permanent Wonthaggi Hospital dating from 1913 have been returned home after a surprise find at a church sale in regional Victoria. ![]() Wanted: 12 brave writers
June 12, 2023 - Inverloch artist John Mutsaers has a new challenge for Gippsland writers. ![]() Q&A with Indigo Aurora
June 22, 2023 - On Tuesday, local students took time off school to join a Wonthaggi rally protesting at the NAB's financing of the coal industry. We asked Indigo why she was there. 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. ![]() The power trip continues
May 17, 2023 - The renewable energy revolution is taking place somewhere near you, writes Werner Theinert. ![]() Tall tales and true from island’s past
May 17, 2023 - Have you ever wondered why the main street of Cowes is called Thompson Avenue, or when motorsport became part of Phillip Island's culture? ![]() The good oil
May 17, 2023 - You’d hate to be paid by the litre for picking olives, but OMG, what olive oil! Catherine Watson was there for the first pressing of Wonny Olives. ![]() 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. |
![]() Beneath our shifting sands
May 19, 2023 - Walk around Inverloch with Aunty Sonia Weston and you see her ancestral links to Country are lived every day, writes Sally McNiece. ![]() More than memories
May 17, 2023 - Like many descendants of Wonthaggi coal miners, the State Coal Mine is in Linda Cuttriss’s DNA. ![]() Lost and found
May 17, 2023 - As her mother’s memory declines, Liane Arno forges a new relationship with her. ![]() One step at a time
May 18, 2023 - Some magical days the mind clears and Etsuko Yasunaga feels like she could run forever. ![]() 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. ![]() 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 . |
![]() That’s a wrap!
April 22, 2023 - As the DAL hearings draw to a close, Catherine Watson looks back on a tumultuous two months in which our community has been probed, questioned, pondered and revised as never before. ![]() Give us a go!
April 22, 2023 - The State Government should hand the State Coal Mine back to the Wonthaggi community that values it, writes Brett Tessari ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() Lowest prices are just the beginning
April 20, 2023 - Herds of metal dinosaurs lumber across the landscape, issuing plaintive beeps, as if calling for mates. Mark Robertson has a ringside seat for Bunnings’ big build. ![]() Creative conversations from afar
April 21, 2023 - Inverloch artist Susan Hall enjoys a rich creative collaboration with Melanie Yazzie, a Navajo artist. The two artists exchange creative messages – by post. ![]() 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. |
![]() In the flow
April 22, 2023 - In his 81st year, John Mutsaers’ stamina might be diminishing but his creativity is blossoming. ![]() Listen carefully: Broadbent
April 17, 2023 - Liberal MP says an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is the start of Australia’s healing. ![]() 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. ![]() ![]() Short and sharp
April 13, 2023 - “Anyone can make a short film,” says the director of the Bass Coast Shorts Film Festival. And he hopes locals will take up the challenge. ![]() Fig favourite
April 13, 2023 - There are so many delicious things to do with figs and apples, writes Liane Arno. Here’s her favourite. ![]() Nature’s cure
April 13, 2023 - An old Post story on Henry’s Creek Sanctuary inspires Margie Matheson to dream big. |
![]() ‘This is our story!’
March 25, 2023 - A double blow has left Wonthaggi’s premiere – and only – tourist attraction reeling. Catherine Watson reports ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() Call this a compromise?
Feb 18, 2023 - After years of community consultation and planning on McBride Avenue, the Wonthaggi Club takes all. Catherine Watson reports ![]() Further, wider, stronger
Feb 17, 2023 -Western Port and the hinterland are inextricably linked, writes Neil Daly ![]() Dino team return to their happy hunting ground
Feb 17, 2023 - “Dino hunters” embark on the first dinosaur dig at Inverloch since the COVID-19 pandemic. ![]() What is calling through this art?
Feb 18, 2023 - Darug artist Daniel Church will be a special guest at a Deep Listening Circle being held to accompany his exhibition at Wonthaggi ArtSpace. ![]() The colonial curse
Jan 25, 2023 - Christine Grayden’s great-great-grandparents were brutalised by the British Empire but at least their descendants were born into freedom. Unlike many Aboriginal people. |
![]() The story teller
March 24, 2023 - Olive Justice never lost her adventurous spirit, positive attitude and love of a good story. Christine Grayden celebrates one of Phillip Island’s great characters in Women’s History Month. ![]() Good as new
March 24, 2023 - Wonthaggi’s Fixit Café is about more than recycling and reducing waste; it’s also a great way to connect to Wonthaggi’s social grid, writes Hilary Stuchbery. ![]() The art of the matter
March 23, 2023 - Ken Griffiths’ “Hippeastrums” will be raffled at the Inverloch Art Show to raise money to buy food boxes for local people in need. ![]() The numbers are good today
March 23, 2023 – These days Geoff Ellis’s morning routine starts with a finger prick and ends with toast. ![]() As good as Melbourne!
Feb 16, 2023 - Since the new Wonthaggi Hospital opened in December, previously healthy locals seem to have become strangely accident prone. ![]() Why I’m disappointed
Feb 17, 2023 - The National Anthem was a serious omission from Bass Coast’s recent citizenship ceremony, writes John Cobbledick ![]() Something to chew on
Feb 17, 2023 - How tooth decay led Matt Stone on an exotic holiday. ![]() No. 5 Brace
Feb 17, 2023 - The decaying bones of Wonthaggi’s last remaining mine brace are a moody reminder of the town’s early history, writes Carolyn Landon. |
![]() 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. ![]() A feast of good gardening
Jan 25, 2023 - Bass Coast gardeners show and tell all in the second Edible Gardens Weekend. ![]() Once upon a time in Inverloch
Jan 25, 2023 - Etsuko Yasunaga could have said no but a small voice whispered to her that adventures lay ahead. ![]() Flights of fancy
Jan 26, 2023 - Tim Shannon looks back to an era when airports celebrated the wonder of flight, rather than being shopping malls flanked by giant carparks. |
![]() Guide Park: the review
Jan 26, 2023 - Adventure playground experts Esme and Clem check out the $1.77m makeover. ![]() The men who could make anything
Jan 26, 2023 - Trained in the Wonthaggi mine workshops, Danny Carr and his workmates proved a boon to the district after the mine closed. ![]() 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. |