Forthcoming Events
EDO Native Vegetation & Policy Workshop Saturday 3rd March 10am-4pm at Mordialloc Neighbourhood House. BYO lunch.
Friends Seminar 2007. How to Win Friends & Satisfy People,Saturday,14 April 2007, 9.00am- -4pm The Green Building,60 Leicester Street, Carlton. Lunch will be provided by the Port Phillip And Westernport Catchment Management Authority. Phone 770 0996 for further info.
Francis Charles Rimington
Sincere thanks for the many messages of condolences, flowers & letters on the occasion of Francis Charles Rimington’s recent death. Frank supported MBCL during our meetings and on community days when he was a super salesman selling indigenous plants. He was also part of a Public Involvement Group with Shirley Straker and others who were responsible for planting Banksias at the Dixon Street car park at Parkdale foreshore in the 1980s. Sadly missed.
Coast and Creek Scenic Walks
We have been advised that we are eligible to receive a Melbourne Water Grant to assist with newsletters, advertising and hopefully, revising our brochure and booklet, Coast and Creek, containing Scenic Walks along the foreshore and Mordialloc Creek banks which have been wonderfully revegetated by the Natural Resource Crew and Mordialloc Creek Friends Group. Perhaps our way out of date web site could also be upgraded-who knows?
Kingston Round the Bay Bike Trail
G..Goode organized a meeting of reps. from PPCC,KCEC,MBCL and Beaumaris Conservation Society to meet with Janice Munt to check the state of play now that Parliament has resumed. It seems that Kingston planners and the odd councillor had also been to see the MP and issued threats along the lines of “If the bike path can’t be built where we want it on the cliff tops/dune area we won’t build it at all!” The usual arguments were produced by the council crew such as “It will be too dangerous to build the path alongside Beach Road” similar to the Bayside model and the shared pedestrian bike path in Mordialloc from Rennison Street, Parkdale to Mordialloc Creek which has functioned safely alongside Beach Road since 1984. Council intends to” consult the wider community” about the routé for the bike path despite both KCEC and Janice Munt having conducted surveys which proved convincingly that the community wish to retain the soft walking surfaces on the cliff tops under the trees which provides a sheltered attractive path similar to the Art Trail and walking track in Beaumaris Rod will reply to the Minister for Roads letter which also contains the usual reasons for refusing to consider KCEC options.
Peter Scullin Reserve
Thanks to Judy for contacting the local paper about the recent plantings in the denuded Scullin Resrve dying of thirst The 195 mature trees on
the Reserve would have sheltered the new plants long enough to get them established but DSE gave approval for them to be removed to create “more space for the two day a year Wine and Food Festival. It is also possible that Council sees that a Reserve minus trees blocking views is a great selling point for passing developers who may be eyeing the stretch of Beach Road opposite the Pier.
Kingston Coastal Management Policy
to be released this year. Jeff Yugovich’s July 2006 coastal report contains a photo of Aspendale beach 1910 with a Banksia woodland! Meanwhile Kingston Council policy for foreshore management excludes the planting of any trees on the foreshore for FIVE YEARS. MBCL members should ask for a copy of the report.
Parkdale Plaza
Judy reports that since a meat and vegetable outlet has moved into the plaza discarded meat and vegetable waste has been placed in skips at the rear of the plaza abutting Melrose Street thereby creating odour problems. Council Health and safety people have been notified and meetings are to take place concerning excessive noise from delivery trucks throughout the night in Melrose Street. as well.
Parks Report
The Grange was awarded Group of The Year on Australia Day. Well done, Grangers! Yammerbook Nature Reserve has joined the Waterwatch program. Students from Mordialloc College are also involved in
this program. Good to see! Dredging is commencing in Mordialloc Creek. The dredge spoil is to be pumped onto the North Aspendale Beach. Previously the EPA considered the dredge spoil to be too comtaminated with heavy metals to pumped on to the beaches. A pipe carried the dredge spoil upstream above Wells Road bridge to be pumped onto industrial land. Since this land may be re-zoned residential it is apparently no longer possible to use the land as a dredge spoil area.
European Sea Star and Jellyfish Plus Blue Ringed Octopus
Nina and Helen reported sightings of European sea stars while Helen saw someone removing red jellyfish from the water. A blue ringed octopus was seen at Aspendale. Only needs a shark or two to make swimming really exciting.