By Neil Daly

QUEENSFERRY, Tuesday 9 September, 2025.

The dawn sun was hidden by the menacing dark clouds.

The tide was out.
​
RMIT’s Centre for Nature Positive Solutions (CNPS) project team emerged from their dual cab ute – they were here to count mangroves.

By about 7.45am they were half way through counting, measuring and inspecting the remaining mangroves from the Blue Carbon project first started in October 2022 and now approaching its conclusion.   The scene was reminiscent of my first meeting with the team as I recorded in A chance encounter of the seedling kind. ​

By Neil Daly

FOR those who have followed my mangrove adventures along the Queensferry foreshore, what happened on June 2 must be one of the most memorable.

On a mild winter’s morning, Melina Bath, Shadow Minister for Public Land Management and Aboriginal Affairs, John Carney (property owner), Dave Bateman (executive general manager, Bass Coast Landcare Network), Jason Noonan (mangrove citizen scientist) and I gathered on Queensferry’s foreshore. 

Garbed in gumboots and winter jackets, we strolled along the foreshore from the naturally growing mangrove stand at the eastern end where Landcare had planted mangrove seeds protected by the brush structures, towards the western end where the established mangroves and the mangrove projects being undertaken by Deakin University, Landcare and Jason can be found.  ​

By Neil Daly

APART from one or two small isolated coves along the Lang Lang foreshore, the goal of restoring mangroves in sufficient numbers to arrest coastal erosion along the eastern arm of Western Port may be over.

This was the message I took away from the Western Port Biosphere Foundation's mangrove symposium, “Mangrove planting around Western Port: past experience and future potential”. Held at Grantville on 2 December 2024, it featured key speakers from the Western Port Seagrass Partnership and Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab.

The Bass Coast Landcare Network, Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, The University of Melbourne and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) were invited but did not attend. OzFish, AgPath Pty Ltd and the Corinella Foreshore Reserve Committee sent apologies.  Melbourne Water was represented. ​

By Neil Daly

When it comes to Western Port, the story of Robert the Bruce comes to mind as he watched the spider trying to spin its web.  It eventually succeeded and Robert taking heart from this returned to the battle and eventually overcame the English.

In this scenario, the English are our politicians. 

Throughout the long Western Port campaign spanning some 50 years, the community has faced one battle after another.

For example, the current Save the Western Port Woodlands conflict has escalated, but so far the politicians still hold the high ground and are not likely to yield or seek a peaceful resolution.  This is an unfortunate situation and now lawyers have been engaged to argue over what could be considered a “Rights of Nature” case. ​

​By Neil Daly

HAVE you ever had a chat with Matt?
 
I haven’t, though he invited me, and I imagine many others, to contact him.  His email of April 23 2022 said:
 
“Dear Neil,
As Victoria heads towards a State Election in November this year, it is more important than ever that I hear from you on what matters most and how we can rebuild following two years of lockdowns, lost learning, a mental health crisis, cost of living pressures and attacks on small business.” 

By Neil Daly
 
LAST year I invited all political parties in the Victorian State Parliament to nominate for the Western Port Strategic Management Plan Group 1 Handicap to be run on Saturday, November 26.
 
Prize: The satisfaction that comes from helping the people of Victoria safeguard Western Port and its bioregion.

The acceptance requirements are:

• an election policy plank presenting a visionary concept for Western Port and its region;