FEATURE ARTICLES
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Our Afghan connection
It started with a single Afghan student studying English at the Bass Coast Adult Learning Centre, writes Harry Freeman. Now he and his fellow students need our help. 
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. 
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. 
The lake with no name
August 27, 2021 - The naming of Coronet Bay’s little lake by Bunurong Elders acknowledges its historic importance. 
Calling green thumbs
August 27, 2021 - Grow your own is back in vogue. Now the search is on for local gardeners to share their knowledge, reports Sharon Willcox |
Lights, cameras, action!
Sept 3, 2021 - Calling local film-makers and wannabe Steven Spielbergs, entries are open for the first Bass Coast Shorts film festival. 
The good life
August 27, 2021 - How our houses can make or break us, the first in a series on housing by Zoe Geyer. 
Last call for entries
August 27, 2021 - Gippsland writers have just over two weeks to complete their entries for the 2021 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction. 
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. 
Researching one war in the time of another
August 27, 2021 - Historical research in the time of Covid brings its own challenges and rewards, writes Christine Grayden. |
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. 
My war on pittosporum
Don’t be fooled by the beautiful foliage and sweetly scented flowers, writes Richard Kemp. This plant is a monster. 
Gliding through lockdown
August 18, 2021 - From her studio in The Gurdies, Trish Hart recalls great albatrosses of her past and dreams of painting life-sized whales. |
On the trail of the dinosaurs
Aug 18, 2021 - 'Hero' dinosaurs, a Gondwana garden, virtual reality fossil hunts, light shows and sculptures are part of the vision for Bass Coast's Dinosaurs Trail. 
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 
A kind of magic
August 18, 2021 - Sue Saliba has done it again with another magical novel of adolescence, set in a place near us. Review by Vilya Congreave 
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. |
Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak
Sand miners on notice
July 29, 2021 - Expert report raises alarm over toxic pollutants from sand mining in Grantville corridor entering Western Port. 
The ghost of Christmas past
July 28, 2021 -How hall fees snuffed out Coronet Bay’s joyous Christmas tradition, by Joy Button 
Hands off Inverloch!
July 29, 2021 - Bass Coast Council will argue that Inverloch should remain in the Bass electorate, along with the rest of Bass Coast shire. 
Tom and the bunnies
July 28, 2021 - Ian Burns turns on the fireworks when his brother-in-law visits Phillip Island. 
Rail trail picks up steam
July 28, 2021 - $6m extension fills one more link in the regional Great Gippsland Trail cycling and walking track. |
Quiet times
July 28, 2021 - Somewhere between pleasure and pain, and necessity and beauty, the making of things is a gift in itself, writes Tim Shannon 
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 
Out of season
July 28, 2021 - Gardening has always been a gamble. Throw in climate change and anything can happen, writes John Coldebella. 
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. |
‘He draws with tears in his heart’
July 16, 2021 - So an old Wonthaggi miner said of Noel Counihan, the renowned artist at the heart of a much-anticipated first exhibition of works from the Robert Smith collection. 
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. 
Here to share
July 16, 2021 - When it’s a choice between heating the house and putting food on the table, Corinella’s food pantry is there to help, writes Kerri Richie. 
Home truths
July 16, 2021 - A touring photographic exhibition opens doors into the world of people living with a disability. 
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. 
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. |
King of the roads
July 16, 2021 - Richard Kemp recalls the glory days of the Lang Lang Proving Ground, when a day at work might include dodging roos, racing with ‘Brockie’ or seeing the greatest collection of pristine Holdens. 
Sounds of disharmony
July 16, 2021 - Silence will reign in the Cowes town square tonight after brazen brass-loving thieves nicked the harmony bells. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak 
Tales of Catwoman
July 16, 2021 - Those much-mocked cat videos served a valuable purpose, writes Joy Herring in her book on the joys, heartbreak and laughter of rescuing cats. Geoff Ellis reports. 
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 
Pictured at the opening of NAIDOC Week exhibition at ArtSpace, from left, elders of the Bass Coast South Gippsland Reconciliation Group Florence Hydon, Mary Mutsaers (also exhibition organiser), Anne Davie and Marg Lynn with exhibiting artists Patrice Mahoney, OAM (also Aboriginal development officer for Bass Coast Shire Council) and Safina Stewart. Front, Samu Stewart and Arieta Fergie. The exhibition is on until July 18.
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Honey, we lost Inverloch
July 2, 2021 - A proposed Victorian electoral boundary realignment divides Bass Coast into two state electorates. 
A symphony of words
July 2, 2021 - Writing long non-fiction is a bit like conducting an orchestra, according to prize-winning author Christine Grayden. 
Living with creeks
July 2, 2021 - Rivers and waterways are serious, writes Ed Thexton, but creeks are a different matter. 
Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak
Yes I’m a Nimby!
June 18, 2021 - What's the point of turning a sublime coastal walk into an industry, asks David Arnault. 
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 |
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. 
The joy of the toy
July 2, 2021 - The sight of an old tin toy can spark a wave of nostalgia in even the crustiest old timer, writes Mark Robertson. 
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. 
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. 
Stories of us
June 18, 2021 - Bushfires, pandemics, and the never-ending battle over urban development … these are our stories. 
Don’t bank on it
June 18, 2021 - If you’ve rung a financial institution lately, Geoff Ellis’s story may reawaken traumatic memories. 
Full and plenty
June 18, 2021 - In Bass Coast, we are lucky enough to be able to plant and harvest all year round, writes John Coldebella. |
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 
In your dreams
June 4, 2021 - All is not as it seems in Ross Vaughan’s new surrealist exhibition, and your subconscious will have to make the connections. 
Doona gymnastics
June 4, 2021 - Miriam Strickland found her research subject close to home. 
Bloomsday comes to Bass Coast
June 4, 2021 -Maggie Millar reprises her legendary reading of the “Molly Bloom” monologue. |
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. 
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. 
Dark days for Wonthaggi
June 4, 2021 - The use of Wonthaggi Town Hall as a vaccination hub has reminded local historians of the time when it served as a hospital last century. 
Cartoon: Natasha Williams-Novak
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$90m pool plan on the table
May 21, 2021 - Councillors call on community to help them decide. 
Time for action now: students
Local students join national climate protest with a march through Wonthaggi CBD. 
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. 
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. 
What happened next
May 7, 2021 - When the Miners’ Rest Caravan Park and Motel was bought for redevelopment, the 90-plus residents faced eviction and possible homelessness. No one predicted what happened next. |
Cartoon: Natasha Williams-Novak
Why I am sorry
May 21, 2021 - In 2007 a direct challenge made Anne Davie realise she was going to have to play her part in the reconciliation struggle. 
When words fail
May 21, 2021 - As a mural takes shape, Jeannie Haughton is reminded of the power of art. 
Eat your heart out, Daylesford
May 21, 2021 - Catherine Watson never expected to see a sea of rainbow umbrellas outside the Wonthaggi Town Hall. 
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 
Our day of days
May 7, 2021 - The old diggers are gone but Anzac Day still troubles Tim O’Brien, who asks what if we made it a day for truth telling? 
Citizenship redux
May 7, 2021 – Anne Heath Mennell realises her Australian passport isn’t all it was cracked up to be. 
Songs of praise
May 7, 2021 - In Toe Pecker, Liz Low has found a friend who knows how to greet and farewell. 
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 |
Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak
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. 
The moments that matter
May 7, 2021 - For all the years of hardship, war and migration, Anna Coldebella declared there were just two stories about her worth telling. 
All that can be desired
May 7, 2021 - Seaside villas, a coffee palace, a shipping port, a railway line and agricultural show grounds … life in Grantville on the Sea was dandy. |
Coastal track a planning poser
April 22, 2021 - Creating a walking/cycling trail from San Remo to Inverloch was never going to be easy. 
Coming to a screen near you
April 23, 2021 - Music, poetry, toe-tapping, sign-dancing … it’s all there in a film of the Coastal Connections Concert, writes Laura Brearley. 
Vale Cam Walker
April 22, 2021 - A link with Bass Coast’s early European history has been broken with the death of Cam Walker, the fourth generation of a family that settled in Glen Alvie in 1883 |
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. 
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 
United we stand
April 22, 2021 - Joy Button calls for a Waterline alliance to make the council listen to a growing but neglected community. 
The loneliness of the long-distance writer
April 22, 2021 - Ian Robinson pays tribute to Ibis Writers, which for 30 years has provided a community for writers to share their work and discuss their craft. |
How Labor’s women saved their party
April 9, 2021 - Labor veteran Kay Setches has some words of advice for Liberal women if they want to change the culture of their party. Catherine Watson reports 
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. 
From the desert
to the coast April 9, 2021 - Beauty and drama co-exist in exhibitions Mandy Gunn and Karen Chugg opening at ArtSpace next week. 
Tales of Tent Town
April 9, 2021 - From the moment Christine Bell stepped into the Wonthaggi Museum, a little voice told her ‘There’s a story here’.” 
Our home-grown university
March 23, 2021 - Bonnie James is the first person in her family to study for a degree. She never dreamed she could do it in her home town of Wonthaggi. 
The winds of change
March 25, 2021 - Two local productions prompt Robyn Arianrhod to consider how we protect the best of a place we love. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
When Whitney replaced Julie
March 23, 2021 - Necessity forced Pamela Jacka to give up her car; she hasn't looked back, except to make a right hand turn. |
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. 
Fire in the belly
April 9, 2021 - Bright smiles and yellow flowers belie the bravery of the participants in a recent forum at Corinella, writes Geoff Ellis. 
Lost and found
April 9, 2021 -Two strangers connect at a moment of great sadness. One of them was Etsuko Yasunaga 
The heart of our town
April 9, 2021 - The liquor and gambling industry should not be telling us how to use our public space, writes Frank Coldebella, who backs a plan to make McBride Avenue a gathering place. 
Caution – slow ahead
April 9, 2021 -We need more than a speed sign swap to untangle Phillip Island’s traffic, writes public transport operator Michael Wright. 
It’s taken me years
April 9, 2021 - Christine Grayden reflects on the amount of wasted time and energy LGBQTI people have to spend to be accepted for themselves. 
A touch of magic
April 9, 2021 - Don’t ask Stephen Jansen to explain his prize-winning work. That would only ruin the magic, he tells Catherine Watson. 
Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak
From Burma to Wonthaggi
March 23, 2021 - On her first morning in Wonthaggi Mue Hsay saw a policeman and burst into tears because she was so frightened. |
A home of one’s own
March 11, 2021 - In the second part of his article on the housing crisis in Bass Coast, Geoff Ellis looks at the response from community, council and government. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak 
The day my mother said ‘Enough!’
March 11, 2021 - How Aunty Doseena Fergie’s mother found the courage to call out racism. 
A world apart
March 11, 2021 - Volunteering at ArtSpace Gallery gives Ellen Hubble a chance to clear her mind and slip into a quiet place of art and space. |
The next edition of the Post will be published on March 26.
Nothing We Liked Better
March 12, 2021 - Jillian Durance was highly commended in the 2020 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction for Nothing We Liked Better: a house remembered, a home restored, 
‘There was a storm in me’
March 11, 2021 - There was nothing in Agnes Doig’s middle class family background to indicate that she would become a champion of the poor and downtrodden, writes Carolyn Landon. 
Destination nearby
March 12, 2021 - Forget cheap air tickets and long queues. One of Miriam Strickland’s favourite destinations, Mt Worth State Park, is just down the road and over the hill. |
No place like home
Feb 26, 2021 - Beneath the surface, many of Bass Coast’s most disadvantaged residents are on the brink of a housing crisis. Geoff Ellis reports. 
On centre stage
Feb 26, 2021 - Western Port is a World Heritage Site waiting in the wings, writes Neil Daly. 
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. 
Coloured by COVID
Feb 26, 2021 - Two of Bass Coast’s most respected artists emerge from lockdown with a surprising new exhibition. 
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Cape Connection
Feb 26, 2021 - Lauren Burns was highly commended in the 2020 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction for her memoir Cape Connection. 
The next chapter
Feb 26, 2021 - Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction spreads its wings with new collaborations and ventures in 2021. 
A generous community
Feb 26, 2021 - A sudden cut in audience numbers, a ban on community singing … the Coastal Connections concert survived it all, writes Laura Brearley, 
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‘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. 
Looking for Wonthaggi
Feb 13, 2021 - It’s too easy to lose what you can’t identify, says Gill Heal. Her new play is a search for the character and values of a town that is at a crossroads. 
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. 
Dog versus snake
Feb 13, 2021 - Roy likes to push his luck, writes Geoff Ellis, but then he was born lucky. 
Smooth moves
February 13, 2021 - When it comes to Vinyasa yoga, it’s all about the belly button, Amy Wallace explains to Liane Arno. 
Oz Day blues
Jan 30, 2021 - The majority rules, or should do, writes John Cobbledick. Not fair, writes Marg Lynn. Aboriginal people have been adapting since 1788. Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak 
Thank you for visiting!
Jan 30, 2021 - They have gone at last, writes Catherine Watson. Come again – but not till next summer! 
Our dearly departed
Jan 30, 2021 - It’s not just our family and friends we mourn, writes Jill Nicholas, but those we trust to run our affairs. 
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. 
Remo revisited
Jan 30, 2021 - More tall tales (and true) of San Remo by Kevin Chambers 
My day in court
Jan 30, 2021 – The attack on Capitol Hill reminded Liane Arno of the day she found herself turning from witness to accused. |
On the Shore of the Wide World
February 13, 2021 - A wry account of growing up in Bass, on the edge of Western Port, Fiona Power’s essay was highly commended in the 2020 Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction. 
Shame on YOU!
Feb 13 2021 - Gay and transgender people know all about shame, says MP Harriet Shing, as she turns an accusing finger to MPs who abstained from voting on a bill outlawing the attempted conversion of gays. 
Gotta Love Librarians
Feb 13, 2021 - Coastal Connections director Laura Brearley gives thanks for the librarians who keep our community connected. 
The best of company
February 13, 2021 - After our year of hibernation, Etsuko Yasunaga savours the special pleasure of sharing an experience with good friends. 
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 
No Place Like Home
January 28, 2021 - Karen Bateman was highly commended in the Bass Coast Prize for Non-Fiction for her essay No Place Like Home. 
The Bass Coast sound
Local musicians add the finishing touches to seven short films celebrating our special places. Laura Brearley reports. 
Picture this
Jan 30, 2021 - Geoff Ellis focuses between the squalls on the first outing of the revamped Bass Coast Camera Group. 
History draws a crowd
Jan 30, 2021 - A season of short talks on Wonthaggi’s secret history proved an unexpected visitor attraction. |
