The future course of a Mornington Peninsula-based study into the causes of the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer could depend on the outcome of a public meeting next Saturday. Organisers are hoping for “a reasonably civilised event” to fully explain the Buruli study so “concerned groups and individuals can decide where to take it from there”. In a letter to the mayor Cr David Gill last week, Flinders MP and Health Minister Greg Hunt said Mornington Peninsula Shire had “total control” over “mosquito control activities” and “a broader public health responsibility to its residents to ensure that all necessary actions are being…
Author: Keith Platt
ALTHOUGH the mayor is Mornington Peninsula Shire’s “lead spokesperson”, councillors have been cleared to “express their own independent views” in the media. The new media policy adopted by councillors earlier this year came nearly two years after they rejected moves by senior management to limit the release of information about the shire to three people, the mayor, CEO and the media and events manager (“Revolt over shire ‘muzzle’ bid” The News 19/6/19). The CEO at that time, Carl Cowie and the media and events manager, Mark Kestigian, are no longer with the shire. The media policy now followed by the…
THE oldest house on the Mornington Peninsula is being used as a base from which to teach schoolchildren about the contrasting lives of early European settlers and Aboriginals. A traditional Bunurong dwelling, or willum, will be built alongside McCrae Homestead. The willum and remnant camp site complete with traditional Indigenous tools will serve as an interpretive installation alongside the wood drop slab hut built in 1844 by lawyer Andrew McCrae and his two eldest sons. The National Trust-owned McCrae Homestead, in Beverly Road, McCrae – one of the oldest homes in Victoria and the oldest owned by the trust –…
LOOTERS have stolen irreplaceable items from a shipwreck lying 80 metres under the sea about 10 kilometres south of Cape Schanck. The loss in 1893 of 16 of the SS Alert’s crew is one of the worst shipwrecks in Victoria’s maritime history. A 500-metre radius around the wreck was declared a Commonwealth Protected Zone within weeks of the discovery of the Alert on 3 July 2007. But thieves have now invaded the fragile archaeological site, stealing such things as navigation lights, bottles, plates and a lamp shade. The theft was discovered by specialist divers undertaking a routine inspection of the…
FEARS over the environmental effects of using chemicals to kill mosquitos have raised questions about the methods being used on the Mornington Peninsula to investigate the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer. The Beating Buruli in Victoria: Mosquito Control Study was launched on the back of a $2.4 million federal government grant announced by Flinders MP and Health Minister Greg Hunt in September 2017 to “get to the bottom” of the causes of the ulcer. Increasing numbers of Buruli ulcer cases are being reported, mainly on the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, but also extending as far north along the coast of Port Phillip…
ANGRY traders in the Mt Martha shopping strip were reeling on Thursday after United Energy cut the power from 8am-5pm. Most of the 41 businesses were forced to close their doors and restrict staff hours on what would normally be a busy trading day. United Energy said the outage affected 224 customers – most residential – and turned the shopping centre into a ghost town. Mr Curtis Cafe proprietor Lyndal Barnes, who met with 25 aggrieved traders on Tuesday night, said the “fact-finding session was all about where we could go from here”. “They [United Energy] have been dismissive of…
AN official ground breaking ceremony was conducted at Hastings on Friday (19 July) to mark the start of building a plant to liquefy hydrogen gas for export to Japan. The plant in Bayview Road is an integral part of the supply chain for hydrogen made from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley to be exported to Japan. The state and federal governments have each given $50 million towards the $400 million trial that Kawasaki predicts “will create a new innovative technical foundation for the development of an exciting hydrogen export industry for Australia”. Protesters from eight environment and community groups…
ARTISTS are being invited to apply to stay at Point Nepean where others have already been inspired by the area’s relative isolation and the coastal environment. The offer by Mornington Peninsula Shire is for emerging and established artists, writers, musicians and “creatives” to apply for a two to six-week residency in the Gatekeepers Cottage at the shire’s Police Point park from January 2020 to December 2022. Residences can be supported and fee-paying residencies. This year the shire awarded 34 residencies at the cottage, with more than half going to peninsula-based artists. “The Police Point residency provided numerous opportunities for exploration…
FEES, restrictions, permits and zoned areas are all under review as part of an investigation into parking across the Mornington Peninsula. Results of a study into “a range of [parking] issues” will be handed to Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors before year’s end. However, the problems caused by parking may not end there as infrastructure strategy and climate change executive manager Davey Smith sees “potential to further investigate parking management in more detail as a second stage”. News that the study is underway is too late and misdirected, according to Joe Lenzo. “They have done nothing for 10 years and now…
TOURISM is being suggested as a way for Mornington Peninsula Shire to pay for the $56 million Rosebud aquatic centre. There seems no end to the peninsula’s popularity with tourists and visitors and, for one former council aspirant, charging for parking their vehicles is a cash cow waiting to be milked. Joe Lenzo wants to “make the whole of the shire a parking permit zone”, with free parking for residents and discounts for businesses. He says the shire would have “money to burn” if visitors paid parking fees and were relentlessly pursued and fined if they did not have a…
SMALL shovelfuls of earth last week ceremoniously marked the start of construction work on the Rosebud Aquatic Centre. No hard hats or hi vis work wear was needed when the mayor, Cr David Gill was joined by Crs Kate Roper and Antonella Celi and Nepean MP Chris Brayne to break ground for the $42 million centre. Mr Brayne noted that the project’s “long history” almost equalled his own lifespan of 25 years. The turning of the sod follows the awarding last month to Port Melbourne-based Buxton Constructions of a $39.4 million contract to build the aquatic centre. Council also agreed…
THE owners of an art gallery say a telecommunications tower planned to be built within the Mornington Peninsula’s green wedge-zone will be a blot on the landscape. Emily and Susan McCulloch say they received a “notification letter” about the planned tower in May “seven months after the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council had received the planning application”. The shire’s principal planner Hugh Pierce said on Friday the tower came under the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Program “which exempts such a facility from both formal notification … and removes the ability for any potential objector to appeal council’s decision to VCAT”.…
Emergency crews have rescued three young men trapped on cliffs near The Pillars, off the Esplanade, Mt Martha. A fence limiting access to the internationally-renowned cliff jumping spot was recently removed and Mornington Peninsula Shire is awaiting a report before deciding if it will be erected again next summer. About seven rescue vehicles and their crews responded to a call for help at the cliff just after 4pm today (Friday).
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s requirement that Peninsula Aero Club conform to planning rules could jeopardise the staging of next year’s air show at Tyabb airfield. Club president Jack Vevers sees the shire’s insistence that the club seek a planning permit – as normally required for big events – as “blackmail”. The mayor, Cr David Gill, says the club and businesses associated with the airfield should conform to planning regulations. Mr Vevers on Sunday issued a news release claiming the shire had told the club it “will not be supporting a permit application to run the air show in 2020”. Not so,…
AN announcement that AGL is delaying its plans to import gas through Crib Point by one year has renewed calls for the power companies and governments to work towards “a real renewable energy future”. “The delay comes amid nationwide fury that Australians are paying some of the highest gas prices in the world while Australia remains the number one gas exporter,” Save Westernport president Louise Page said. While the community group and Environment Victoria want the planned floating gas import terminal “scrapped altogether”, Ms Page said the delay was “an opportunity to do better”. “We call on the Premier Daniel…
THREATS to a scout hall caused by waves at Canadian Bay, Mt Eliza have been overcome with a beach protection barrier designed by engineer, John Scholes. The building, previously occupied by sea scouts and since taken over by the Baden Powell Park Scout Group, was in danger of being undermined when waves eroded the sand dune in was sitting on. Mr Scholes, “a civil engineer, not a hydraulics man”, saw the danger erosion was causing to the hall in 2009. His solution was to design a sand-filled wooden beach protection barrier that is being credited with stabilising the beach and…
FLINDERS MP Greg Hunt was back at The Bays Hospital, Mornington last week signing off on the federal government’s $10 million promise for a “comprehensive cancer centre”. The money, announced by Mr Hunt in the lead up to the May federal election, will go towards “a new multi-storey centre on the current hospital footprint in Mornington to provide the local community with world class comprehensive cancer care and support”. The hospital must now raise $10m to match the government’s contribution. “Every day, doctors and nurses here at The Bays are striving to improve community health on the Peninsula,” Mr Hunt,…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is opposing state government moves to relax planning rules for quarries. The shire’s opposition to extending the time within which an extractive industry must start operating and how long a quarry can remain idle comes at the same time that the government is considering the opening of another quarry in Boundary Road, Dromana. With the planning decision taken out of its hands, the shire has already voiced its opposition to Hillview Quarries’ plan for the 38 hectare, 190-metre deep quarry, but the government will make the final decision. The government says it is committed to changing planning…
WINNERS and losers in Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 2019/20 budget include $25 million towards the Rosebud Aquatic centre and beach box owners being hit with increased annual fees. The state government has set a 2.5 per cent cap on rate rises, although the shire has changed its rating strategy – and raise more money – to “focus on green wedge protection” and increased the waste collection costs. The mayor Cr David Gill said the budget was “balanced and community friendly”. Money too for boat ramps had been left out of the budget in anticipation of them being taken over in spring…
“STREAMLINED” planning controls look set to be adopted to create a “marine industry precinct” between Hastings and Somerville. The proposed 50-hectare site is on Bungower Road West, about four kilometres inland from the privately-owned Yaringa Boat Harbour. The marine industry is seen as a key economic growth area for the Mornington Peninsula, having over the past 10 years increased its output from 3 per cent to 13 per cent of the peninsula’s total manufacturing production. There are existing plans to extend Yaringa and Mornington-based Hart Marine is moving to the harbour’s existing marine services area (“Shipbuilder setting sail for Yaringa”…
THE final figures from last month’s federal election confirm what was known early on voting night: Flinders was easily retained by the Liberal Party’s candidate, Greg Hunt. The poll results officially declared last week showed Mr Hunt’s hold on the seat loosened by 1.37 per cent, but he remains well ahead of his nearest rival, Labor’s Josh Sinclair. After the allocation of preferences Mr Hunt received 53,943 votes, or 55.64 per cent (previously 57.01 per cent) compared to Mr Sinclair’s 43,009 votes (44.36%). On these figures, the Labor vote was 1.37 per cent higher than in the 2016 election. Mr…
THE heady days of the TV show Hey Hey It’s Saturday last week had a revival of sorts, and a round of applause, in Mornington. While it may not have been the entire program, one of the most bizarre and irreverent segments of the acclaimed show was performed before an appreciative live audience. Plucka Duck made a surprise entrance and took centre stage as Chris Pyke pedalled the wheels of a bike in time with 24 spinning Plucka Duck dolls. The mini show marked the handing over to Mr Pyke on Thursday (13 June) of an exercise bike, complete with…
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council sees the release of 400 hectares of land near Hastings for light industry as the key to creating jobs and “increasing economic output”. The land has been virtually “frozen” for decades because of the expectation of its development alongside the Port of Hastings. However, plans for a major container port have been shelved due to lack of international demand and expansion of the Port of Melbourne. The shire says the land – part of 3500 hectares set aside for port related purposes – may be freed up for light industry under the latest strategy released by…
IT was as if the first day of winter was arranged by central casting. Right on cue, humpback whales appeared in Port Phillip and along the Phillip Island coast. A pod of killer whales was reported at Port Phillip Heads. In the know whale watchers have been awaiting the annual arrival of the marine mammals as they move from the wild Southern Ocean into warmer waters along Australia’s coastlines. For many years, Victoria mostly missed out on seeing these whales, however over the past decade, whale numbers have grown and the migration of humpback whales regularly spills into the coastal…
TAKING a close look at the history of a cement works at Mornington can easily turn into probing ancient geological formations and life forms. Fossil Beach, which lies at the end of a short path off the Esplanade just north Bentons Road, has long interested historians and geologists, but an insight into its history is now revealed to the public with new interpretive signs. The four signs tell the story of Aboriginal use of the area, the value of clay deposits for making cement, which were discovered in the mid-1800s, and the fossils embedded in the clay dating back eight…
NEW boundaries have been adopted for the Tootgarook Wetlands, along with protective buffer zones and an environmental significance overlay. The wetland – home to 160 species of permanent and migratory birds and 248 plant species – is the largest shallow freshwater marsh in the Port Phillip and western Port region. The latest defined wetland area sits between Truemans Road in the west, Boneo Road to the east, and extends north from a narrow point near Maxwell and Limestone roads in the south to Gannett Avenue and The Village Glen on the outskirts of Capel Sound. More than 5000 years ago…
SOME of the Mornington Peninsula most idyllic beaches have become an unlikely battleground between beach box owners and shire councillors. The councillors want to increase annual licence fees for beach boxes, while their owners say the increases are too steep and they should also not be billed for waste charges. The mayor Cr David Gill says the beach box owners should understand their occupation of publicly owned land is a privilege that also gives them a chance to make “hundreds of thousands of dollars”. “Beach boxes are luxury items,” he said. Without any mention of past values, size and condition…
MANY words have been spoken in McCrae on Sunday nights between March and November over the past three years. The words, strung together in rhyme to create a rhythm, belong to a group of people collectively known as a lamb, obscurity or rhyme. They are, of course poets. And these poets who meet so regularly at Poets’ Corner at the BBC Cafe, have now published their first anthology: “Gatherings By The Lighthouse”. The masters of verse were first brought to Poets’ Corner by its convener Heather Forbes-McKeon who, at the end of 2018, invited poets who had presented at least…
THE 21,000-tonne gas rig Ocean Monarch is anchored for maintenance between Cowes and Observation Point, Phillip Island. The 107-metre-long rig was towed into Western Port last Tuesday (21 May) afternoon by two 4000 tonne, 87 metre offshore tug and supply vessels, the Far Saracen and Far Senator. Michael Harvey, chief executive officer of the Victorian Regional Channels Authority, said the Ocean Monarch needed “sheltered waters” so divers could work on “some issues” that had been found with its lower hull trim tanks. The rig is likely to stay in Western Port for three to four weeks before being towed back…
PENINSULA Aero Club is blaming “a small noisy anti-airport lobby group” for making it observe a “holy hour” ban on flying. The 9.30am-10.30am restriction on Sunday take-offs and landings from the Tyabb airfield has been ignored for more than 40 years. The All Saints Church, which the flying ban was supposed to protect from noise, ended its Sunday services in the 1970s. But an unholy row lit up last week when the aero club suddenly withdrew its request for Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to delete the restriction from its permit. Aero club president Jack Vevers said planes were now “forced…