Day: February 23, 2015

PRESSURE is building on South East Water and Mornington Peninsula Shire to create a nature reserve instead of a housing estate on land occupied by an old reservoir at Mt Eliza. Last year the government water authority asked the shire to rezone 2.8 hectares on the corner of Barmah and Kanya roads, east of Kunyung Rd, for 24 blocks of about 1000 square metres. The shire called for public comment and is likely to consider the matter at its 23 March meeting in Mt Martha. Several of more than 75 submissions point out this part of Mt Eliza has just…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire would have to spend $56.5 million to build new headquarters in Rosebud or $51.7 million at Mornington. The shire bought Rosebud Central shopping centre on Wannaeue Place in 2012 as a possible site for Southern Peninsula Aquatic Centre (SPA) and is now looking at housing all shire staff there. Employees would be moved from the shire’s three existing offices in Bes­grove St, Rosebud; Queen St, Morn­ing­ton; and Marine Parade, Hastings. Councillors were briefed about the radical change to shire office ar­range­ments on Monday last week. They have been offered six options ranging from retaining the three offices…

THE opening of Frankston’s Hospital’s new $81 million building has been hailed “an important milestone” by Peninsula Health. Health Minister Jill Hennessy visited the hospital last Tuesday (17 February) to officially open the new emergency department and three additional wards. Patients began being accepted to the new wards last Thursday. “The opening of this new building marks an important milestone in Frankston Hospital’s proud 74 year history. The last five years have seen more than $150 million invested in capital works for critical care, emergency medicine, and general medical services,” Peninsula Health chairwoman Nancy Hogan said. Known as Frankston Stage…

MAIN St Mornington will be a hive of activity on Tuesday (24 Feb) as locals welcome passengers from the P&O cruise liner Pacific Pearl. The 63,875-tonne ship is due to arrive from Eden, on the NSW south coast, at 8am and berth about 1.6km off shore – weather permitting – or 3.2km out if it is too rough near shore. Its 1800 passengers will be ferried to shore in tenders for a day’s sightseeing and shopping in the town, bus trips to Sorrento and Portsea, drinking at wineries, as well as dolphin, swimming and paddling excursions. A Plan B scenario,…

THE sound of screeching seagulls is nothing new over the shops at Mt Martha. The birds are masters of the air and making the trip across the road from beach to scavenging on the footpath is just a wingbeat away. But on a Sunday afternoon in early January a glance upwards would have shown shoppers that the screeching of the gulls had nothing to do with squabbles over food. Not too far above the shops glided a wedge-tailed eagle, its characteristic silhouette raising alarm among the birds underneath. Sightings of Australia’s largest bird of prey are becoming more common on…

THE Between the Bays festival at Penbank School on Saturday is more than just a music treat – it has a much higher calling… Money raised goes towards fostering the close relationship between the Moorooduc school and Wugularr Primary School in the Northern Territory. It helps pay for the airfares, accommodation, food and activities of the Aboriginal students who visit Penbank on cultural exchanges and for the whole Wugubank partnership – an amalgam of the schools’ names. Popular singer James Reyne will headline this year’s festival, alongside Mark Seymour, Custard, Wagons, Sweet Jean, Combo La Revelacion, Indiginous Hip Hop Projects…

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott made a flying visit to Frankston last Thursday afternoon for “an afternoon tea with community members”. Mr Abbott addressed the invited guests – including Liberal Party members, school principals and council representatives – at Frankston RSL flanked by Dunkley MP and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson. Mr Billson has been highly visible in his support for the embattled Prime Minister both before and after this month’s failed Liberal leadership spill vote last Monday (8 February). Mr Billson told The News he knew the Prime Minister would be visiting Frankston “a few weeks ago”. Mr Abbott made…

AFTER years of battling development in Tootgarook Swamp, defenders received good news earlier in the month when Mornington Peninsula Shire released a planning amendment designed to protect the iconic wetlands. Save Tootgarook Swamp president Cameron Brown said Amendment C188, if approved, would create a new Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO). “For the first time the wetlands will have a site-specific overlay specifically designed for the needs and issues of the Tootgarook Swamp,” he said. “The ESO will acknowledge the unique characteristics and values of an area in need of protection and preservation. “It will provide concise direction for appropriate planning and…

IT DOESN’T take much to get a plein-air painter out of the house. If it’s a Thursday and there’s a chance of the sun coming out it’s a safe bet the Mornington Peninsula Plein Air Painters are someplace scenic putting on canvas what they see before them. Asked why they choose to paint in the open away from their studio they will say that you can never capture the feeling and the colours from a photo or a pre-determined image that you can on site. Visitors can see this for themselves over three days from Friday 6 March at the…