Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 7th October 2009

Forthcoming Events

Port Phillip Conservation Council Inc Annual General Meeting 16th November, 8.00 pm at 47 Bayview Crescent, Black Rock.

Friends of Edithvale Seaford Wetlands Inc Wetlands Discovery Day Sunday November 22nd 11.00 – 3.00 Duck Inn Edithvale Common also a Wetlands Photography and Art Competition. Walk Against Warming.12 pm, 12 December 2009, State Library, Swanston Street, Melbourne.

Mordialloc Neighbour House 19th November Guest Speaker: Associate Professor, Michael Buxton School of Social Science & Planning RMIT. 7.30 pm.

MBCL’s Celebratory and Thank You Barbecue

25th October was well represented by former Mordialloc mayor & councillors, Peter Scullin & Michael Buxton, current councillors, a Coast Care Coast Action rep, seven former MBCL presidents and many stalwart members who have supported MBCL through demanding conservation campaigns over the last forty years. A major victory in 1975 was the prevention of DVA concreting Mordialloc Creek resulting today in a restful wildlife corridor for our enjoyment .

Mordialloc Creek (Mordialloc Catchment)

Friends of Mordialloc Creek’s task on Saturday 3rd October was weeding a section of vegetation on the north bank along old Wells Road. The bush crew have adopted the Bradley method of vegetation consolidating good areas and working outwards.

Coomoora Woodlands

A campaign has been launched to try and save the reserve threatened by the Dingley freeway extension which will destroy a third of the Reserve. The Reserve contains many indigenous species and mature trees. Two scar trees and an Aboriginal mound are just outside the Reserve. Rosemary, Wal, Nina and Brian attended the meeting.

Bayside Environmental Friends Network Coordination

Barbara Jakob was invited by council to bring together 17 friends groups, schools,land care groups, foreshore protectors and climate change campaigners. Barbara explained how she manages to coordinate activities such as planting sessions, trail paths, plant information events and discovery days involving. schools, traders and women’s groups.Encouraging young members is important.

Kingston Conservation and Environmental Coalition

KCEC is still waiting for Kingston Council to establish a climate change group as promised when the Kingston Foreshore Reference Group was abandoned by Council. Federal Government’s report on the impact of climate change on coastlines around Australia should make interesting reading for local government planners and developers.Buyer beware???

Is Kingston Council considering climate change when drawing up landscape plans for the mouth of Mordialloc Creek, the island, Hazel Pierce Park and Pompei site???

Centreway Mordialloc

Landscaping is almost completed with Banksias planted but unfortunately other plants installed are not indigenous to the area .Indigenous planting was designed to create a link between the station forecourt and the foreshore.,

Major Transport Projects Facilitation Bill

Major Transport Projects Faciliation Bill passed through parliament. Although referring to transport the exemptions can also apply to eleven pieces of legislation (ACTs) including Coastal Management, Conservation Forests and Lands, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and others. The Planning Minister effectively becomes the decision maker. This may have an impact on the EPBC Act also. Nina attended the EDO transport policy meeting.

DPCDS Population Forum

27th October was attended by Walter G. and Jill Quirk at Glen Waverley. Wal also reported on the latest moves at Wonthaggi where the local hotel is being purchased by the Govt? or developer? to house the desal workers!

Beaumaris Motor Yacht Squadron Extension

Ironically MBCL came into existence because of a marina proposal in Beaumaris Bay in 1969. This was refused by Mordialloc Council when Jack Iggulden exposed a fraudulent survey being carried out by the developer. Now BMYS plans to fill the Bay with a massive bluestone wall, hard stands against and as high as Beaumaris Red Bluff cliffs plus a new club house. BMYS has written to Planning Minister Madden asking that an EES not be required for this development. PPCC, MBCL and Beaumaris Conservation Society have all written to the Minister requesting the there is a need for an EES because of the significance of the fossil bearing cliffs, cultural significance because of the Heidelberg painters and, of course, Aboriginal sites and waterholes along the cliff face.

Population Growth

So far only one far sighted Federal politician has had the foresight and courage to challenge the Prime Minister’s claim that Australia could live sustainably with a population of 30 million extra people. Kelvin Thomson, Member for Wills, made a speech in Parliament and been heard on Radio National on this topic. Does the Prime Minister actually understand what climate change is about if he assumes that 30 million more people won’t affect our ability to lower greenhouse emissions?

Bike Path

Kingston is to have a shared bike path along Governor Road between Boundary Road and Springvale Road. This will enable cyclists to ride to Braeside Park and through Waterways. However there is no completion of an extension of the bike track along the SOUTH LEVEE BANK of Mordialloc Creek between Wells Road and the now completed Bowen Road. This extension would also allow riders to continue through Waterways to Braeside.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd June 2009

Meetings Attended

Nina attended a Living Links meeting at Beaumaris. Stage One has been completed with environmental, social, cultural and recreation information provided combined into grids. Information collected from the Dandenong Creek Catchment will be found on a Living Links web site.

Walter attended the Planning Backlash rally on the steps of Parliament House June 10th. The Rally was organized by the Coalition of Concerned Councillors angry about the erosion of our democratic rights as the State Government takes over planning power from councils.Mary attended the Panel Hearing – New Residential Zones for Victoria to listen to the submission from Kingston Council. Walter & Brian attended a Climate Change meeting at Chelsea Heights to hear Mark Dreyfus and Dr Graeme Pearman claim that there is an urgent need for political action to reduce green house gas emissions. Mary attended a Climate Change rally on the steps of the State Library, 13 June where the Greens leader, Bob Brown spoke passionately about the need for Government action .

Gunbower-Koondrook-Perricoota Storylines

Mara, Judy, Sue and Mary traveled to Eaglehawke to attend the premiere of the Environment Victoria project featuring ten story tellers relating their relationship with the Murray River especially Gunbower.DVDs are available from EV. Well worth a look!

Verity McLucas, Mara’s daughter, was one of the organizers of the project.

Waterwatch

Nina and Brian continue to monitor water quality in Mordialloc Creek on a bi-monthly basis down stream from Bowen Road. Road works may curtail this activity until construction is finished. Creation of a wetland in the Industrial Estate between Wells Road and Waterways has commenced-a continuation of Melbourne Water’s plan for a series of wetlands along the full length of the north bank of Mordialloc Creek up to Pillars Crossing.

Attenborough Park

Stephen described Council’s plans for upgrading the park following completion of bridge works. Pleasing to note that the plan includes planting Banksias, casuarinas AND Monterey Cypresses because of their historic significance and because these trees have been a feature a the entrance to Mordialloc for over a century.There will be a Master Plan in 2010.A concrete shared bike path is to be constructed rather than a granitic surface which erodes causing dust to affect bearings in cycles.Cr Dundas queried the salt impact on cable fences around the park and along Beach Road. Galvanised cables can rust in six months.Nina queried the location of the Aboriginal garden which is now much closer to the widened highway.

Natural Resources Report

Lee advises that the Braeside NRA depot is now open and functioning in Industrial Drive. The Bonbeach depot nursery area has been extended with water tanks installed. Twenty Red Gums are to be planted in the Arboretum on the north bank of Mordialloc Creek replacing cypresses which will be removed. Phragmites will be planted to

Reduce erosion caused by watercraft activity leaving the Chute Street boat ramp.

Green Crop Project

Lee reported that planting on the foreshore dunes, 30th May was very successful with 60 volunteers attending & helping to plant 2300 species on top of the sand bag wall. Removing encroaching plants such as lawns from the foreshore was also part of the project. Next planting day will be advertised in the local paper. Nina advises that the Mordialloc health and fruit shops are prepared to display notice of forthcoming working bees.

Friends of Moorabbin Oval are working with the NRA team to plant around the oval.

Replanting is continuing along the south bank of Mordialloc Creek although weed removal and control is the main objective

Bicycle Paths – Wells Road, Bowen Road, Waterways, Bay Trail

Stephen Haines is paying for the construction of a road from Wells Road to, and through Waterways, to enable residents to access Aspendale Gardens. A bike path is to be part of road works. Letters have been written to Kingston Council , unacknowledged and unanswered, suggesting that now might be a good time to construct the bike path shown in Council’s own bicycle strategy, along the south levee bank of Mordialloc Creek between Wells Road and Bowen Road.This path would provide off-road access from Waterways to Mordialloc foreshore, schools, shops and station. A bike track on the levee bank has the advantage of being high enough to give a view across the wetlands to the Dandenongs and won’t become a muddy morass after rain.Not having had a response from Council, a phone call to Stephen Haines resulted in a lengthy discussion about links with other bike paths – Patterson River trail on both banks of the river providing a link to Dandenong to which Stephen seemed interested.He also advised that there is a bike trail through Waterways wetlands open to the public! The plan is to eventuallly provide a link to Braeside Park through Waterways by crossing busy Governor Road.

Bay Trail

Cr Dundas raised an interesting idea of widening the existing concrete shared bike/pedestrian path from Parkers Road to Charman Road utilizing that track rather than attempt to install a bike track on the fragile cliff tops. If this plan is feasible pedestrians would still have the advantage of an informal cliff top path free from cyclists. Significant engineering works would be required to widen sections of the existing path which has a blue stone wall on the beach side but widening might be possible on the cliff side of the promenade.

Glen provided DVDs illustrating hazards encountered in some of the bike tracks constructed by neighbouring councils.

Desalination Plant

Walter provided an excellent DVD outlining the issues resulting from the construction of this controversial project. Members may like to borrow the DVD and consider the implications such as pollution of the ocean, greenhouse emissions and visual pollution of pylons.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd September 2008

Reports Received

Kingston Cycling & Walking Plan 2009-2013 (plus Kingston’s Leisure Planners comments on MBCL and Johanna’s subs!) Standing Committee’s on Finance & Public Administration into Port Phillip Bay Channel Deepening. Select Committee of the Legislative Council on Public Land Development. The Labor Government’s inquiry into management and disposal of public open space. (Kew Cottages, Chiquita Park and Green Wedges referred to.) Climate change and infrastructure – Planning ahead is available form DSE or on the web. Changes to Native Vegetation Provisions in Planning Schemes. New provisions and exemptions came into effect 15 September 2008. Copies may be obtained from Dep. Planning & Community Development.

Forthcoming Meetings

VLGA Annual General Meeting to be held 2 October in the Ground Floor Meeting Room, 60L Green Building, 60 Leicester St. Carlton. Topic for discussion:- Strengthening Community Organisations: Why it Matters Locally.   7.00pm.

Tony Collins, Kingston Parks & Urban Design has agreed to attend our November meeting. He will be most welcome.

Cycling & Walking Plan

According to the report the proposed cycle path will be located on the south levee bank of Mordialloc Creek as far as Bowen Road. Interesting to read the comments from submitters on the shared cycle/walking plan – neither cyclists nor pedestrians are in favour of a shared path because of the possibility of accidents arising from speeding cyclists and/or meandering pedestrians.

Waterwatch

Mordialloc Creek water quality monitoring at the Bowen Road site continues with Brian and Nina’s return from the UK. They report that salinity was low although the water was quite turbid possibly due to rain.Would it be interesting to look at tide levels to check that influence on water quality or salinity? Melanie is keen to record bird sightings.Testing is now to take place on the second Wednesday of the month rather than the first because of the MBCL meeting in the afternoon.

Bay to Rail Station Forecourt and Centreway Mordialloc

The official opening of the station forecourt occurred September. Unfortunately there is already evidence of graffitti on the slats of the seat under the Canary Island palm. Nina has suggested additional bike racks at the southern entrance to Centreway. We have suggested a continuation of bike racks at the station. The spiky back rest of the slatted seats is not popular with everyone and could indeed be dangerous.

Secondhand Site in Albert Street

Secondhand Site in Albert Street is being cleared. Is this to be the next four storey ( or more) in Mordialloc as per the Mordialloc Structure Plan?

530 Main Street Mordialloc

The VCAT Hearing for the NQR site development is listed for 20 November. At present there is a VCAT Hearing for the Le Gym site in Mentone – another Pace development with similar problems to the Mordialloc site. E.g insufficient underground parking ,potential horrific traffic problems because of the rail crossing and busy Balcombe Road. The four storey development includes 39 units, a hotel and an Aldi supermarket.

NQR has opened a shop in Chelsea but is not leaving the Mordialloc store as soon as originally intended. There will need to be a meeting of the objectors prior to the VCAT Hearing.

Mordialloc Creek Dredging

All quiet at the moment. No leaks possibly due to the forthcoming council elections.

Kingston Foreshore Reference Group

The committee members met expecting to be part of a review of the Terms of Reference. However it seemed that the hidden agenda was to dispense with the group despite the good work undertaken in the three years of its existence and the ongoing work required- for instance the matter of climate change and sea level rise. The CEO certainly expressed his view that there will need to be community involvement in planning for the impact of climate change on the foreshore houses and infrastructure. Despite this it seemed that some members wanted to go off and do their own thing on the foreshore – without too many pesky greenies checking them out! Any mention of planting trees on the foreshore gives these people a severe case of apoplexy!

Climate Change References

Two further items well worth reading are Now or never: A sustainable Future for Australia? by Tim Flannery in Quarterly Essay and Blue Covenant – The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water. by Maud Barlow.

Kingston’s Non Urban Area

The recently reported methane gas hazard at Cranbourne should give pause for thought given proposed plans to build warehouses and factories over filled sand quarries in Kingston’s northern section of the green wedge. Plans also included a residential estate.

Desalination Plant at Wonthaggi

Another excellent article in the Age 25 September highlighting the flawed water projections carried out by DSE .Their water projections were based on three drought years from 2004 to 2006 whereas it is claimed that statistical analysis over at least 10 years is necessary to get an accurate picture of rainfall and the need to spend $4 billion on a desal plant and a north south pipeline. Of concern also is the sale of the plant to a foreign company leading to privatization of our water supply.

Yammerbook Nature Reserve

A very pleasant Saturday morning 6th September was spent at the Reserve weeding and planting in enjoyable company. Vegetation on the western boundary of the Reserve is now quite noticeable. Work on the northern bank of Mordialloc Creek has been rewarded with an abundance of trees and bird life. A number of those present expressed their delight with the creek environs as a relief from the built environment.

Office Equipment Grant?

Federal Member for Isaacs advises that grant funds are available to community groups for office equipment etc. Any Suggestions?

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 7th November 2007

Forthcoming Events

Saturday 8 December Brunch for Peace. Peter Scullin Reserve from 12 midday onwards. BYO drinks. Watercolour cards and KAN calendars for sale. Organized by Union of Australian Women.

Friends of Bradshaw Park 15 December 10am Christmas break up party. at the park.

Sunday 16 December Blue Wedges Polperro Dolphin Swim Fund raiser Leaving from Sorrento Pier at 1.30pm Bookings essential 5 988 8437. Only 20 places available

Channel Deepening

Blue Wedges Coalition lawyers have filed an application in the Federal Court to prevent the Federal Environment Minister from approving the proposed Channel Deepening project. Court action is costly. If you would like to assist Blue Wedges donations could be sent to Blue Wedges PO Box 162 Dromana 3936.

Waterwatch Project

Judy has completed the Waterwatch training program and will join Nina and Brian in checking water quality in or near major drains flowing into Mordialloc Creek upstream from Wells Road bridge.The equipment has been ordered through Melanie from Waterwatch. The crew will be testing for Turbidity, Suspended Solids, Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrogen.

Mordialloc Creek Bridge

VicRoads advises that the pedestrian and cycle path on the east side of the bridge will be fenced to separate the path from the traffic lanes. Presumably the shared path on the west side will also be fenced.

Green Wedge

Meeting 29 November at Dingley Community Centre was well attended by residents who voted to retain the section of Kingston’s Green Wedge above Kingston road as open space rather than have this area rezoned by council for resource recovery, (concrete crushers) facories and housing. Cr Alabaster advised that there were insufficient sports grounds in the city. 13 cricket clubs were unable to obtain grounds to compete this year. There is clearly a need to retain all available open space to compensate for loss of private and public open space due to increased housing density in Kingston.There were presentations by Mara and Mary to respective village committees during November concerning rezoning of the green wedge.

Bay Trail

The local member organized a meeting with Gavin Jenning’s Min for Environment’s personal adviser, DSE’s Wayne Malone, and Russel Costelloe to present our case for the bike track to be located on the verge of Beach Road, not on the dune or cliff tops. We await the outcome of that meeting. We were advised however, that Vic Roads is seeking to increase to four lanes Beach Road in Bayside to cater for truck traffic!! Why? Has this something to do with channel deepening with increased traffic from the docks – or extra traffic from Hastings when that port is redeveloped. What happened to the idea of Beach Road as a Scenic Boulevarde?

Mordialloc Creek Levee Bank Bike Trail

Letters have been sent to Ken Carney and Jonathon Guttman re the possibility of formalizing a bike path from the underpass at Wells Road bridge along the creek levee bank to Springvale road to connect with a bike path along Springvale Road. Council is planning a bike track over the creek through Waterways to Braeside Park. It makes sense to create an off – road trail along the levee bank so that Waterways cyclists and others can ride off- road to Mordialloc beach, shops and schools.

Candidate Forum 15th November

Despite numerous phone calls it proved too difficult to collect all four candidates together at one time and one place but we were privileged to hear two candidates from the Greens and Democrats who would be excellent members of Parliament in future. With a change of Government perhaps climate change and related issues will be given the attention these matters require.

Mentone Unit Developments

Le Gym has been reduced from six storeys to five levels but is still an over development of the site already heavily trafficked with rail and road traffic on Balcombe Road. The old council depot will also be converted to a four storey residential development. This development will further compound traffic problems in the area.. Mentone lacks a structure plan to prevent inappropriate developments such as those mentioned above occurring.

Walkabout at Epsom

October 20 Friends of Bradshaw Park joined a tour of Epsom Estate, Mordialloc Creek and Yammerbook (Drills Land). The tour was conducted by Allison O’Keefe. The 4 hectares of grassland was saved from destruction when the Epsom training track was converted to a residential housing estate. Sun orchids, onion orchids and other species have survived in this fenced area surrounded by houses. Yabbies are still in residence in holes in the dry conditions awaiting rain. The tour continued across the footbridge over Mordialloc creek noting recent revegetated sites before proceeding to Yammerbook. Gannets have taken up residence in a tree on the waters edge of the creek.

Other Business

Joan questioned the cost of dredging the shipping channels in Port Phillip Bay. Although POMC quotes approx. $785 million a more realistic estimate according to others could be $1 billon.

Johanna has taken photos of extremely tall palm trees planted on Waterways. The developer sold this development on the basis that plantings would be indigenous.

A night walk was conducted at The Grange.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc.