Walkers enjoying the tree fern grove in The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve. Photo: Meryl Brown Tobin By Meryl Brown Tobin
THE imminent closure of the GMH Proving Ground at Lang Lang could be the catalyst for major conservation and eco-tourism initiatives with economic spin-offs for our shire.
The proving ground site could become the entrance to Bass Coast Shire as well the entrance to a new national park, possibly called the Western Port National Park or the Bass Coast National Park, depending on its breadth and scope.
THE imminent closure of the GMH Proving Ground at Lang Lang could be the catalyst for major conservation and eco-tourism initiatives with economic spin-offs for our shire.
The proving ground site could become the entrance to Bass Coast Shire as well the entrance to a new national park, possibly called the Western Port National Park or the Bass Coast National Park, depending on its breadth and scope.
At 877 hectares, it could also be used for other uses as long as protection of the natural environment is the primary one and all other uses are compatible with that.
Many people value our remnant pre-European native bush, the largest stand on the eastern side of Western Port Bay. While past governments set up some nature reserves, more recently locals have wanted to ensure more lasting protection. The Gurdies and Grantville reserves are home to grass trees, tree ferns and 54 different species of orchids. Wildlife includes the powerful owl and lace monitor, and marsupials such as the bobuck, common wombat, black swamp wallaby and eastern grey kangaroo.
In 1996 the then Bass Valley & District Branch of the South Gippsland Conservation Society and the Coronet Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association got up a petition for the creation of a new national park fronting Western Port. The park was to be developed progressively from a core of several existing reserves – the Hurdy Gurdy, The Gurdies, Colbert Creek and Grantville reserves – and other Crown land in the Grantville district. Proponents believed it would become a major new tourist attraction.
Many people value our remnant pre-European native bush, the largest stand on the eastern side of Western Port Bay. While past governments set up some nature reserves, more recently locals have wanted to ensure more lasting protection. The Gurdies and Grantville reserves are home to grass trees, tree ferns and 54 different species of orchids. Wildlife includes the powerful owl and lace monitor, and marsupials such as the bobuck, common wombat, black swamp wallaby and eastern grey kangaroo.
In 1996 the then Bass Valley & District Branch of the South Gippsland Conservation Society and the Coronet Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association got up a petition for the creation of a new national park fronting Western Port. The park was to be developed progressively from a core of several existing reserves – the Hurdy Gurdy, The Gurdies, Colbert Creek and Grantville reserves – and other Crown land in the Grantville district. Proponents believed it would become a major new tourist attraction.
Alan Brown, second from right, receives the Western Port National Park petition from Meryl Tobin, Bill Sims and Rita Pearce. The first stage would see all native vegetation preserved south of Lang Lang to southeast of Grantville to the Corinella turnoff and also the coastal strip from Bass Landing at the mouth of the Bass River back to the mouth of the Lang Lang River.
In 1996, the leader of the local branch of the SGCS, Rita Pearce, and members Bill Sims and Meryl Tobin presented the petition to Gippsland West MP Alan Brown at Parliament House. They asked him to present the petition with 1139 signatures to Parliament and discussed the park with him.
Alan Brown had two concerns: the park’s relatively small size and the extent of private ownership. Rita Pearce pointed out there were precedents for small national parks, including the Nepean, Churchill, Organ Pipes, Port Campbell, Mt Richmond, Morwell and Dandenong National Parks, all of which were viable. Not counting the foreshore land, she said the native bush involved in the proposed Western Port National Park would come to 59 square kilometres.
The park proponents were opposed to adding to the park by compulsory acquisition but said native vegetation on private land which was part of the wildlife corridor should be protected. Then, as private land came up for sale, the State Government could purchase it with assistance from public donations and appeals.
In 1996, the leader of the local branch of the SGCS, Rita Pearce, and members Bill Sims and Meryl Tobin presented the petition to Gippsland West MP Alan Brown at Parliament House. They asked him to present the petition with 1139 signatures to Parliament and discussed the park with him.
Alan Brown had two concerns: the park’s relatively small size and the extent of private ownership. Rita Pearce pointed out there were precedents for small national parks, including the Nepean, Churchill, Organ Pipes, Port Campbell, Mt Richmond, Morwell and Dandenong National Parks, all of which were viable. Not counting the foreshore land, she said the native bush involved in the proposed Western Port National Park would come to 59 square kilometres.
The park proponents were opposed to adding to the park by compulsory acquisition but said native vegetation on private land which was part of the wildlife corridor should be protected. Then, as private land came up for sale, the State Government could purchase it with assistance from public donations and appeals.
Grass tree forest in Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve. Photo: Meryl Brown Tobin Photos of goannas two metres long, echidnas, koalas, the bobuck and attractive flora demonstrated the tourist appeal of the land targeted for a national park.
With the purchase of the GMH proving ground, Alan Brown’s concerns would be alleviated.
Another reason to suggest it is now time to create a local national park is concern to protect the grass tree forest at the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve. In spring 2019, as I reported in the Bass Coast Post, hundreds of grass trees badly burned in the February 2019 fires sent up a forest of glorious creamy-white flower spikes, many as thick as an adult’s arm.
Locals are concerned the most significant part of the grass tree forest appears to be under the control of a sand company with a works permit to mine part of the reserve.
Recently, local geologist and Bunurong Coast education officer Mike Cleeland proposed a dinosaur trail, presumably from San Remo to Inverloch ('Dinosaur trail could put our coast on the world map', South Gippsland Sentinel-Times, February 18, 2020). The shire is home to the Dinosaur Dreaming dig site in Inverloch and there have been numerous fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals found in other places in the shire, such as Kilcunda and San Remo. It is a worthwhile proposal that could greatly benefit locals.
On March 13 the Grantville Business and Community Association discussed the future of the Proving Ground and the vision for it to become part of a national park. Members unanimously passed a motion asking Bass Coast Shire Council to hold a meeting to discuss the future of the site.
Firefighters are also interested in the site, which has 44 kilometres of sealed and unsealed roads. "We see it as the ideal off road site to train fire fighters to drive fire engines in bush conditions," Kernot-Grantville CFA captain Andrew Blackney said after the meeting. This excellent use of the facility could be implemented so it is compatible with the site becoming a national park.
The State Government recently introduced a bill into Parliament to create the Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park to amalgamate existing parks and reserves along the 40 kilometre coastline between San Remo and Inverloch
These developments give the option of expanding the vision for a Western Port National Park into one for a bigger national park, a Bass Coast National Park. The GMH Proving Ground, along with the various local reserves, could be a major part of Stage 1. However, it could also include the Dinosaur Trail and the beaches of Inverloch, Cape Paterson, Kilcunda and San Remo and the George Bass Coastal Walk, the Rail Trail and other existing eco-tourism attractions.
Of course Phillip Island could readily be part of any big Bass Coast National Park but it deserves to have a national park in its own right.
Through its biolinks projects Bass Coast Landcare also has an interest in the GMH site and some other sites mentioned in this article. Their project sites include five public land sites: Mouth of the Bass River and Reef Island (195ha), Mouth of the Powlett River (161ha) and the Western Port Inter-tidal reserve (34ha), all managed by parks Victoria, and The Gurdies (52ha) and Wonthaggi rail-trail (5ha) (managed by Bass Coast Shire Council).
The Holden Proving Ground (875ha) is one of six private land sites in which it has an interest. Last year they held a tree planting day with Holden staff in an abandoned quarry on the site to provide habitat for threatened species such as swamp skink, swamp antechinus and powerful owl. Collaboration with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation is an important facet of the program.
The area has also attracted the interest of the Victorian National Parks Association. “Parts of the GMH proving ground have very high conservation values and the site is a likely home to a range of threatened species,” VNPA executive director Matt Ruchel says. “It could be a great addition to the conservation estate in a region which has lost a lot of its native vegetation."
If enough interested people and groups show a united front, they could work together to approach Bass MP Jordan Crugnale, or even the Federal Government, and see if funding could be made available.
With the GMH Proving Ground coming on the market, it is time to tie various initiatives together and create a Western Port National Park or a Bass Coast National Park (with or without these particular titles). So, over to the decision-makers to get things moving.
A working group has formed to try to preserve the woodlands of the Holden Proving Ground. Email [email protected] if you would like to be part of the group or simply to be kept up to date.
Reference
Sites of zoological significance in the Westernport region by D.L. Andrew, L.F. Lumsden, J.M. Dixon, Dept of Conservation, Forests and Lands, Melbourne, 1984.
With the purchase of the GMH proving ground, Alan Brown’s concerns would be alleviated.
Another reason to suggest it is now time to create a local national park is concern to protect the grass tree forest at the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve. In spring 2019, as I reported in the Bass Coast Post, hundreds of grass trees badly burned in the February 2019 fires sent up a forest of glorious creamy-white flower spikes, many as thick as an adult’s arm.
Locals are concerned the most significant part of the grass tree forest appears to be under the control of a sand company with a works permit to mine part of the reserve.
Recently, local geologist and Bunurong Coast education officer Mike Cleeland proposed a dinosaur trail, presumably from San Remo to Inverloch ('Dinosaur trail could put our coast on the world map', South Gippsland Sentinel-Times, February 18, 2020). The shire is home to the Dinosaur Dreaming dig site in Inverloch and there have been numerous fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals found in other places in the shire, such as Kilcunda and San Remo. It is a worthwhile proposal that could greatly benefit locals.
On March 13 the Grantville Business and Community Association discussed the future of the Proving Ground and the vision for it to become part of a national park. Members unanimously passed a motion asking Bass Coast Shire Council to hold a meeting to discuss the future of the site.
Firefighters are also interested in the site, which has 44 kilometres of sealed and unsealed roads. "We see it as the ideal off road site to train fire fighters to drive fire engines in bush conditions," Kernot-Grantville CFA captain Andrew Blackney said after the meeting. This excellent use of the facility could be implemented so it is compatible with the site becoming a national park.
The State Government recently introduced a bill into Parliament to create the Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park to amalgamate existing parks and reserves along the 40 kilometre coastline between San Remo and Inverloch
These developments give the option of expanding the vision for a Western Port National Park into one for a bigger national park, a Bass Coast National Park. The GMH Proving Ground, along with the various local reserves, could be a major part of Stage 1. However, it could also include the Dinosaur Trail and the beaches of Inverloch, Cape Paterson, Kilcunda and San Remo and the George Bass Coastal Walk, the Rail Trail and other existing eco-tourism attractions.
Of course Phillip Island could readily be part of any big Bass Coast National Park but it deserves to have a national park in its own right.
Through its biolinks projects Bass Coast Landcare also has an interest in the GMH site and some other sites mentioned in this article. Their project sites include five public land sites: Mouth of the Bass River and Reef Island (195ha), Mouth of the Powlett River (161ha) and the Western Port Inter-tidal reserve (34ha), all managed by parks Victoria, and The Gurdies (52ha) and Wonthaggi rail-trail (5ha) (managed by Bass Coast Shire Council).
The Holden Proving Ground (875ha) is one of six private land sites in which it has an interest. Last year they held a tree planting day with Holden staff in an abandoned quarry on the site to provide habitat for threatened species such as swamp skink, swamp antechinus and powerful owl. Collaboration with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation is an important facet of the program.
The area has also attracted the interest of the Victorian National Parks Association. “Parts of the GMH proving ground have very high conservation values and the site is a likely home to a range of threatened species,” VNPA executive director Matt Ruchel says. “It could be a great addition to the conservation estate in a region which has lost a lot of its native vegetation."
If enough interested people and groups show a united front, they could work together to approach Bass MP Jordan Crugnale, or even the Federal Government, and see if funding could be made available.
With the GMH Proving Ground coming on the market, it is time to tie various initiatives together and create a Western Port National Park or a Bass Coast National Park (with or without these particular titles). So, over to the decision-makers to get things moving.
A working group has formed to try to preserve the woodlands of the Holden Proving Ground. Email [email protected] if you would like to be part of the group or simply to be kept up to date.
Reference
Sites of zoological significance in the Westernport region by D.L. Andrew, L.F. Lumsden, J.M. Dixon, Dept of Conservation, Forests and Lands, Melbourne, 1984.
2.5 metre long lace monitor disturbed during hibernation in a hollow log at the Hurdy Gurdy reserve. Photo: Hartley Tobin