Peppercorn Tree Puzzle
There was concern when it was noticed that an old pepper corn tree was being removed outside the railway station. It was thought that maybe these trees were planted when the station was opened and therefore worthy heritage survivors. Peppercorn trees can be seen around many stations and public buildings in country towns. Seven peppercorn trees remain. Banksias have been planted in the station forecourt and Centreway to link the town with the foreshore’s indigenous vegetation. A branch of one of the remaining Monterey Cypress trees on the Pompei site blew down in a recent storm. It is disappointing that so many of these trees have been removed from around Mordialloc Creek because they attracted so many artists. Peter Smale’s work, featuring two paintings of the creek and launches, is able to be seen online.
Bay Trail
The Bay Trail is completed in this section of the Round the Bay Trail. Where the cyclists are supposed to go next seems uncertain, unless they ride under the road bridge and then through the Pompei site to reach the foot bridge over the creek to join the Long Beach Trail to Patterson River. Alternatively they could ride over the Pompei Bridge using the left side path, then through Attenborough Park, under the rail line where the rail bridge crosses the creek, along the south bank of the creek to join with the Long Beach Trail behind the Mordialloc Secondary College.
Climate Change Bill
MBCL added our signature to Zahlia Steggle’s (Fed MP) submission to Federal Parliament. This Bill was based on New Zealand and Britain’s climate change policies and supported by the Business Council of Australia, ACTU, AMA and Climate Works Australia with a total of 400,000 signatures.
PFAS in Bacchus Marsh
Moorabool Environment Group have commenced legal proceedings against the EPA’s approval of the plan to dump millions of tonnes of PFAS-contaminated spoil in a quarry in Bacchus Marsh close to a major waterway and school. That PFAS can contaminate waterways has been proved in the Northern Territory where PFAS was used as fire-fighting foam by the Tindall RAAF base. It was discontinued in 2010 when investigations showed that the Katherine municipality was declared a fracking no-go zone. (Sunday Age Extra “A fractured future” Miki Perkins. October 6, 2019)
Disappearing Springs
The South Australian Government has given BHP approval to extract up to 42 million of litres of water per day from the Great Artesian Basin for copper, gold and uranium mines at Roxby Downs. Meanwhile the mound springs, which Aborigines and the pastoral community depend on, are drying up. Rainfall which usually replenishes the mound springs didn’t arrive last year so that the wet season was the hottest and driest on record. People in South Australia and the Northern Territory rely on water contained in the Great Artesian Basin .Yet both the South Australian Government, November 2020 and the Federal Government in October 2019, have given approval for mining companies to withdraw billions of litres of water from this finite source -the GAB .
(“Disappearing springs pose questions for BHP.” Richard Baker. The Age 24-11-2020)