Coast Magazine Spring 2012

magazine

Coastal living at its best! tarra bulga rainforest magic steve parker journey into dreamtime green feature sustainable living

edition 28 Spring 2012

A magazine for living, relaxing & enjoying life by the coast coast 1

Superbly located only 800 metres from the main street of Cowes and even closer to the beach, Seagrove is Phillip Island’s most sought after environmentally-sustainable address.

Master-planned by award-winning designers, Seagrove features over eight acres of landscaped parks, wetland habitat, underground services, including gas and broadband, rich birdlife and regionally significant eucalypt woodland.

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Join a solar powered sustainable community over

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looking the beauty of Bass Strait

The Ecovillage will be a place where people can enjoy a strong sense of community, an active healthy lifestyle and contribute to the restoration and ecological values of the coast. The project will combine beautiful parks, ocean views and open space, walking and cycling tracks, and the light footprint solutions of modern sustainable architecture, solar energy and water sensitive design.

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Wilsons Prom & surrounds Accommodation Booking Service

Corrigan’s Suspension Bridge at Tarra-Bulga National Park

Tarra-Bulga Guest House Adjacent to Tarra-Bulga National Park

Emerald Hills Cottage 2.5km To Koonwarra Village

Koonwarra Cottages Adjoining Koonwarra Village

Percanta B&B, Koonwarra 1km from town centre

Benaway Cottages 10 minute drive to Korumburra

Bentley’s B&B 10 minute drive to Korumburra

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Carrelly Garden Accommodation 10 minute drive to Leongatha

Leongatha Country Cottages 2km to town centre

Opal Motel, Leongatha Opposite Hospital on the edge of town

Birchwood Retreat Country Cottages, Mirboo North 5 minute drive to town centre

Loves Lane Cottages, Mirboo North 10 minute drive to town centre

Blithe Spirit On the waters edge at Port Albert

Blue Oar Cottage, Port Welshpool Opposite the boat ramp

Toora Lodge Motel Walk to town centre

Venus Bay Eco Retreat Advanced Ecotourism CertiďŹ ed

90 places to stay. Book online or phone the property.

Availability calendar and secure online bookings.

Properties in and around all South Gippsland towns on the way to the Prom...

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Mobile & iPad friendly website Scan the QR code with your smartphone or iPad using a QR reader app. coast 9

Spring, Spring, wherefore art thou, Spring?

the coast team

It’s certainly been a long, cold, wet winter and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the bud-bursting and warmer days of Spring. It’s time to come out of hibernation and greet the new season Coasters!

publisher/editor Maria Reed

As it is the season of new life, growth and change, it is with a tear in our eye that we say ‘bon voyage’ to our editor Sally O’Neill. Sally is taking up a new challenge managing a café with her partner in Tasmania, but she promises to keep Coast readers up to date with regular stories from across Bass Strait.

For myself, it’s exciting to be back in the hot seat.

sub editor Anne Roussac-Hoyne words Katie Cincotta, Maria Reed Sue Webster, Sally O’Neill

We’ve managed to get out and about this edition and we’re showing off two magnificent spots in the Bass Coast and Gippsland regions. We tour the Grand Ridge Road and Tarra Bulga National Park (which is absolutely stunning) and then put on our walking boots and take a hike along the coast on the George Bass Walk from San Remo to Kilcunda.

photo editor Warren Reed photography Warren Reed, Lucas Piera coast photography - 0414 753 739

This is our green/sustainable living issue, and we have so many stories and people that will inspire you to do your bit for the environment. We meet jeweller Ina Barry who is living the dream in her ‘off the grid’ holiday shack. Then we chat to two inspiring individuals from the opposite ends of Australia who are protesting against inappropriate gas mining.

design Ryan Thomas print manager Nigel Quirk

from the editor

advertising Call Paul on 0432 273 107 ads@coastmagazine.net

coast magazine PO Box 104, San Remo, Victoria 3925 Phone. (03) 5678 5600 Ads. 0432 273 107 Email. editorial@coastmagazine.net Web. www.coastmagazine.net Coast Magazine is published by Coast Media Pty. Ltd. on a quarterly basis.

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coast magazine - edition 27 Winter 2012

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Coastal living at its best! live the dream

dugga warren surfing gypsy cape woolamai magic lands love, love, love our ultimate wedding guide

We talk to effervescent and inspired musician Rob Gray about his life journey, and get on the road with William Playne on his soul-searching mission back to his childhood home.

We are blessed to live in such a beautiful part of Victoria, and it’s Spring . . . so get out and enjoy it!

Maria :)

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• A stunning natural history gallery showcasing banksias, fish and birds • An Australian inspired giftshop • Organic cafe in a most beautiful setting, coffee, cake & lunch

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Tel. +61 3 5683 2628

contents &features

regulars

features

16.

Coast life

19.

Lanie lane – Music’s rockabilly rebel

20.

15 minutes of fame – Saqib Malik

24.

Journey into dreamtime – Artist & surfer Steve Parker

22.

2 (coast) people – Emma Kennedy & Leigh Caffery

28.

Artist profile – Lisa Burrell’s inspired work

33.

Arts & events guide

34.

Island dreaming – Surfing the Maldives

40.

Feature area – George Bass walk

46.

The long road home – William Playne’s journey home

63.

Book review – Spring’s best reads

52.

Woman of sustenance – Eliza Della Rosa

67.

What’s new this Spring

58.

Rock n rollin life – Rob Gray’s musical odyssey

68.

Grand Ridge Rd & Tarra Valley – A beautiful journey

81.

Saving the Kimberley – Protecting James Price Point

74.

Winery review – Toms Cap Vineyard

87.

Green feature – Green & sustainable living

132. Where to eat guide

101. Caring for country – Stop coal seam gas mining

138. Dine out – Terminus @ Flinders Hotel

104. Harmony of contrasts – Life ‘off the grid’ with Ina Barry

143. My favourite recipe – Esplanade Hotel Inverloch 154. Coast directory & stockists - Find what you need

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The OTIS Foundation provides retreats for women and men living with breast cancer (at no accommodation charge). The Foundation currently has properties in Victoria, New South otis foundation Wales and South Australia and is strongly committed to ongoing growth, with plans to evolve into a national network. OTIS retreats offer time out to relax, reconnect and regroup for those dealing with the challenges that come alongside serious illness. If you would like to help, or find out more information.

www.otisfoundation.org.au

woollahra small sculpture prize

coastlife The Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize is a national prize for freestanding sculptures up to 80cm that draws dedicated support from artists, critics and collectors alike. This year the Prize has attracted 494 entries from Australia and other countries including New Zealand, India, Ireland, USA, UK, Ireland, Latvia and Japan.The winner of the $10,000 Prize will be announced on Friday 26 October, followed by a free public exhibition showcasing the finalists which will run for two weeks from Saturday 27 October to Sunday 11 November.

half dozen exhibition 5 painters and 1 sculptor will make up the exhibition ‘Half Dozen’ – which opens at Saraghi Art Space @ Café Lugano, 71 Thompson Ave, Cowes, Oct 20th (2.30pm) until the 9th Dec. Artists include John Adam, Roger Breen, Sian Adnam, Bill Binks & Peter Walker.

gippsland tour 2012 It was an unseasonably, beautiful sunny day in August as 168 riders took their place at the start line for the five day cycling race event, over 490km.

The Tour, which has seen previous competitors go on to ride in the Tour de France and the Olympics, was in its eighth year with many talented riders. It was a spectacular site for the township of San Remo.

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if I could talk to the animals Australia’s iconic vet and RSPCA president gives a frank and lively account of the pets and animal welfare issues that have shaped his life in this new book, Doctor Hugh, my life with animals, co-authored with journalist, writer and photographer Anne Crawford. Anne writes from her seaside idyll in South Gippsland that she shares, in part, with Poppy(6), Indi(6), and Jason(4) - her horse, dog and sheep.

lucas wins silver Coast super photographer Lucas Piera won a silver award won at the Canon AIPP national awards. His spectacular image below was shot on location at a wedding at Boolara. Congratulations Lucas!

help beau . . .

Leongatha Football Club Vice Captain Beau Vernon was injured in a tragic onfield collision and suffered a crushed spinal cord and damage to his vertebrae, leaving him a quadriplegic. At only 23 years of age it is expected Beau’s hospital fees, along with carers, equipment and aid for his lifetime will exceed $3.2 million. The family hope to receive between $150,000 - $200,000 in insurance, leaving them far short of the funds they desperately need. But even this is not guaranteed. If you can help the family with a donation (no matter how small) it would be greatly appreciated. Beau Vernon BSB 033 237 A/C 179 142

beach festival by south coast access alliance This year the International Day of people with a disability is planned to coincide with SCAA’s annual beach festival, December 8th on the Cowes Foreshore. The day is used as a way to lobby for increased awareness and access to the beach for disabled people. The SCAA was formed in 2008 to create opportunities for people with a disability to participate in local sport and active recreation through clubs and community activities. For more information www.southcoastpcp.org.au

training beautiful gardens

Korumburra Community Development and Action are having Open Gardens on the 4th Nov. to coincide with the Tourist Railway Garden Competition. There will judges awarding prizes donated by Korumburra Rotary and the Koringal Ladies.

Tickets can be purchased at Korumburra Station for $10 and includes three gardens and sausage sizzle.

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Rockabilly pin-up gal Lanie Lane wowed audiences on the coast Rockabilly pin-up gal Lanie Lane recently with her solo tour of the wowed audiences on the coast regions. Coast magazine caught up recently with her solo tour of the with her for a chat about her music regions. Coast magazine caught up and her secret love of crystals. with her for a chat about her music and her secret love of crystals.

Tell us a little bit about yourself – something that people don’t know about you?

I’m bit aoflittle a hippy I loveyourself being at home.

It’s great that hanging out with Tellaus bitand about – something people my flatmates just you? doing regular things like the washing, but I also don’t knowand about lovea being tour.and I love being at home. It’s great hanging out with I’m bit of aonhippy my flatmates and just doing regular things like the washing, but I also I’ve got a bit of a thing for crystals at the moment. I’m going to go love being on tour. fossicking in Rockhampton soon. My boyfriend knows all the tricks to finding quite obsessed really.

We’ve done a bit of I’ve got them a bit of. . a. he’s thing for crystals at the moment.

I’m going todigging go and siftingininRockhampton the rivers and found sapphires.

It’s knows a little fun pastime fossicking soon. My boyfriend all the tricks to ours. them I love riding out in nature too, but done I don’taget do that fiofnding . . . he’shorses quite obsessed really.

We’ve bit to of digging too often. and sifting in the rivers and found sapphires. It’s a little fun pastime of ours. I love riding horses out in nature too, but I don’t get to do that To the Horses – an amazing debut album! What’s your too often.

favourite song and why?

To is my favourite song.

It’s about beingWhat’s able to your explore life ToThe theHorses Horses – an amazing debut album! and all its possibilities my own way. Horses for me are a representation favourite song andinwhy? of aThe freeHorses and fierce It’s very personal, stripped and raw. I love To is myspirit. favourite song.

It’s about being back able to explore life the slide and the It’sway. an evocative Malibu by a and all itsguitar, possibilities in video. my own Horses forclip meshot are in a representation friend onand an old Super8 of a free fierce spirit.camera.

It’s very personal, stripped back and raw. I love the slide guitar, and the video. It’s an evocative clip shot in Malibu by a You have an amazing look. Where did that come from? friend on an old Super8 camera.

I’ve always been someone who’s experimented with lots of different styles.have I lovean vintage, but I’m not strict about I’ve learnt tricks along You amazing look.

Where didit.that comelittle from? the always way with mysomeone hair – it’s fun.

I’ve been who’s experimented with lots of different styles. I love vintage, but I’m not strict about it. I’ve learnt little tricks along What is your earliest musical memory? the way with my hair – it’s fun.

There was always music in the house when I was growing up.

My parents wereearliest cool andmusical played amemory? lot of different kinds of music, What is your and I loved watching Video Hitshouse and RAGE. There was always music in the when I was growing up.

My parents were cool and played a lot of different kinds of music, I love classical guitar. My guitarist Aidan Roberts has a musical partner and I loved watching Video Hits and RAGE. Danny, and they do a show called “Tubular Bells for Two”. It was Aidan’s the other night and we were at his house in the Blue Ibirthday love classical guitar.

My guitarist AidanupRoberts has a musical partner Mountains. outside playing classical and it was just Danny, and Danny they dowas a show called “Tubular Bells guitar for Two”.

It was Aidan’s so beautiful. live with musicians in a share in Broadmeadows birthday the Iother night and we were up athouse his house in the Blue (which is close to the – very handy).

We’ve got aand studio and there Mountains.

Danny wasairport outside playing classical guitar it was just arebeautiful. always musos coming round to and record.

Never a dull so I live with musicians in arehearse share house in Broadmeadows moment! (which is close to the airport – very handy). We’ve got a studio and there are always musos coming round to rehearse and record. Never a dull Does your music reflect your life? moment!

I just try to live music and art. I’m always drawing, or writing songs, touringyour and performing.

It’s ayour creative life and I love it.

Does music reflect life?

I just try to live music and art. I’m always drawing, or writing songs, touring and performing. It’s a creative life and I love it.

words as told to maria reed photo supplied

An important thing you’ve learnt about being a musician?

As with anything, you have to have a passion to enjoy what you’re doing -An andimportant determination.

Youyou’ve need tolearnt persevere, andbeing the songs are number thing about a musician? onewith – they are theyou most important As anything, have to have thing. a passion to enjoy what you’re doing - and determination. You need to persevere, and the songs are number Something random that people don’t know about you? one – they are the most important thing.

Well, I’m a really good object arranger. I used to work at a florist’s and my job was torandom set up thethat frontpeople windowdon’t displays.

I hadabout beautiful things Something know you? to play like good driftwood, rustic tablesI used and gorgeous I like Well, I’mwith a really object arranger. to work atold a flthings. orist’s and making lovely Even with stage design, if I can propsthings I like my job was to spaces. set up the front window displays. hadhave beautiful makewith things beautiful. to play likelook driftwood, rustic tables and gorgeous old things. I like making lovely spaces. Even with stage design, if I can have props I like Worst job. to make things look beautiful.

Mmmmmm. I’ve had lots of jobs. My first job was at Payless Shoes in Bondi Junction Worst job. and that was pretty bad. I’ve done a lot of things, really.

I’ve been a barista, hotel waitress and of other things.

Mmmmmm.

I’ve had lotshousekeeper, of jobs. My first job was at lots Payless Shoes in Now I think of it,and probably thepretty worstbad. job II’ve haddone was working in a bottling Bondi Junction that was a lot of things, really. line been in Margaret River.

Labelling the bottles and and packing them in things. boxes I’ve a barista, hotel housekeeper, waitress lots of other was pretty but luckilythe it was just Now I thinkbad of it,–probably worst jobshort-term.

I had was working in a bottling line in Margaret River. Labelling the bottles and packing them in boxes Favourite joke? was pretty bad – but luckily it was just short-term.

(Laughs) The jokes I’ve got are way too dirty. Seriously, I’m not very good at jokes.

If something goes wrong on stage and I need to kill time, Favourite joke?

I’m like…The ‘I don’t have , buttoo I need come upI’m with repertoire, (Laughs) jokes I’veany gotjokes’ are way dirty.toSeriously, notavery I think.at jokes. If something goes wrong on stage and I need to kill time, good I’m like… ‘I don’t have any jokes’, but I need to come up with a repertoire, Favourite moment at a gig?

I think.

Lots of funny things happen. At the end of the gig I do a signing, and when I played in Brisbane the last tour, a guy came up and he didn’t Favourite moment at aongig? haveof anything to sign.

He finally asked and I was Lots funny things happen.

At the endme of to thesign gighis I dopassport, a signing, and like “What?

I can’t sign youron passport!

“Why not?” said, “It’s when I played in Brisbane the last He tour,says, a guy came upAnd andI he didn’t your passport legalHe document!”

Okay. nexthis daypassport, his wife wrote on have anything–toa sign. finally asked meThe to sign and I was my “What? facebook page, ‘Thank for notHe signing my husband’s like I can’t sign youryou passport! says, “Why not?” Andpassport.

I said, “It’s Whatpassport was he thinking?!’

I’ve had lotsOkay. of great other on your – a legal document!”

Thegigs, nexttouring day his with wife wrote people and onpage, my own.

I really enjoy company of other musicians. my facebook ‘Thank you for notthe signing my husband’s passport.

What was he thinking?!’ I’ve had lots of great gigs, touring with other What do you love about the coast? people and on my own. I really enjoy the company of other musicians.

I love the ocean and I love nature. Being by the water or the bush, I’m quite nature-driven. an inspiring place.

What do you loveIt’s about the coast?

I love the ocean and I love nature. Being by the water or the bush, I’m quite nature-driven. It’s an inspiring place.

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fifteenminutesoffame

“Everything changed after 9/11 – then there were so many terrorists and bombs.

I witnessed people dying right in front of me – it was very terrible and scary.”

words as told to sally o’neill photo warren reed

Saqib Malik born was born in Lahore, Pakistan’s biggest city, on 14 February 1976. He talks to coast about 9/11, moving to a new country and being far from his beloved family.

I grew up with my mother and my father in the countryside in a small town called Sharaqpur. I had two brothers and one sister. We walked to school and sometimes travelled in a horse and cart. At school there were no seats, not even a roof; we just sat on the floor and when it started to rain, we were sent home! We were very happy: life was peaceful then.

We moved into Lahore and my father started his own business making and distributing the chemicals used to produce tyres, balloons, fan belts etc. My father had been an army man and was a very disciplined person. I went to a big co-educational school with about 40,000 students – there were over 100 students in each class with one teacher.

I passed my matriculation then studied commerce. I worked hard to pass my exams and to get good marks. I got into Punjab University – one of the biggest universities in Pakistan.

Everything changed after 9/11 – then there were so many terrorists and bombs. I witnessed people dying right in front of me – it was very terrible and scary.

My parents selected my wife Fatima in 2004. I only met her once before we got married – for ten minutes – just after we were engaged. It is our custom and tradition that your parents select your wife because they know everything and are more experienced. Fatima was good, pretty and very nice. We had a full Indian wedding. We have two children, Rebessa and Muhammad and we lived in Lahore with my parents for five years and I ran a successful telecommunications business.

I met my second wife, Asma Butt, at work, and it is a ‘love marriage’. Asma is very loving and very caring. We had a simple wedding with only five guests in the church. I hid it from my family at first, then I told them that I had one more wife. They were angry and didn’t talk to me for months. They asked me why. What could I say? I love her.

The Indian culture does not accept two wives, but my religion does if you are sincere with them and fulfil their requirements equally. It is 100% legal.

I have promised in the name of God to take care of my wives’ needs for the rest of their lives.

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I sold my business and moved to Australia one year ago. I have a five-year temporary visa to establish my business and then I will get permanent residency. Both my wives are unhappy that I am here because they need me, and my children need me. I moved because there is no peace in Pakistan and also because I have two wives and it’s difficult to meet my expenses.

I can bring Fatima here as she has a visa, but Asma does not. When Asma can get a visa, I will bring both wives and my children here. Both Asma and Fatima are equal to me, so when I am established here, I will call them both and we will have a happy family life together (by the blessing of God).

I started in NSW, then moved to Gippsland and I am now working in a petrol station in San Remo to survive until I get my own business. I think Australia is so beautiful and peaceful. The people are good and there is no tension.

Doing the service station job is hard for me. I don’t really have the temperament to have bosses, but I have to do it until I get my own business going. In Pakistan I was basically a businessman – I had 10-12 people under me. I would go to the office and work as a boss and never have to do manual work myself. I even had someone to get a glass of water for me!

Here I have to do all the work and it’s hard for me to get used to.

I like the fact that there is no class system in Australia – everyone is equal. A man on a bike and another in a BMW are both equal. In fact the bicycle has more rights – the BMW has to give way to the bicycle!

When I first came to San Remo, I slept in my car for a week and didn’t eat for the first three days – I just drank cups of tea. Then my boss found me a house to live in and it got a bit better.

Now I am very stressed and working all the time. I have to work for my wives and family. I was very social over in Pakistan. I would work all day, then spend 2-3 hours with my parents and friends, playing cards and eating.

Sometimes I think I have to go back to Pakistan – there is no social life here for me, just work, sleep and work again. Sometimes I am sad and feel very alone, but what can I say, that is life… I just have to keep waiting.

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Emma: I grew up in Melbourne and Kyneton, but eventually moved down to Phillip Island to work as a vet at the local clinic.

Funnily enough, a dog brought Leigh and I together. I was having my regular wine and focaccia night with work mates at Sandbanks, when my beloved dog Shep was attacked by a roaming stray. Leigh was a chef at the restaurant, and he raced outside and pulled the dog off Shep.

I loved him to bits for saving Shep’s life. That’s definitely one way to win a girl’s heart if she’s a vet and a dog-lover! We started going out, and about a year later we decided to take a year off to go around Australia . . . and that was about 5 or so years ago!

We set off in Betty (our Kombi) with two dogs, a blind kitten and a very limited budget. The journey has been one big memorable moment. We lived on next to nothing as we travelled up the west coast with plans to purchase a tinnie. We managed to buy one and we’ve both become hooked on fishing. I managed to land a giant trevally (1.13m) after an exhausting hour fighting the line. I’ll never forget our first few adventures around the ocean and rivers of Broome.

When Betty retired (sent home to rest in the garage in Melbourne) we found an old dilapidated 40series Land Cruiser for sale by the side of the road. What started as a $1450 wreck was transformed into an amazing piece of machinery after many weekends of re-building. ‘Brucey’ soon became one of the family as we weaved our way along the west coast, along the top of Oz, down the east coast and back up the middle. We’ve had massive river crossings and made it up to Arnhem Land where we are currently working.

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I work as a vet for the East Arnhem Shire, servicing remote indigenous communities in East Arnhem Land. Life right now is pretty challenging – I am consumed by my work, which is quite against my philosophy. I’m really happy, though, as I am doing exactly what I am most passionate about – bringing about positive change for animal health and welfare in remote communities. Things are progressing extremely well and I couldn’t be happier. I am proud to be involved, and I hope the foundations laid will ensure dogs in Arnhem Land live much happier lives.

It’s important to create an awareness about the issues of animal welfare (particularly dogs) in indigenous communities. 12 months ago my old boss, Newhaven vet Jenny Hibble, came to volunteer here, which was just amazing. We always need help, and if anyone is interested in finding out more about the Animal Health Programs, or how they can help, they can email me at Emma.Kennedy@eastarnhem.nt.gov.au for more information.

We want to enjoy life up here for a while, but hopefully not too far in the distant future, we’ll start our own (2- legged) family and raise some free-range kids. I love the fact that Leigh is a genuine and friendly guy who would do anything for those he loves, and he has such a positive and passionate outlook on life. I doubt I would be doing the work I am doing without his support.

For the moment, Leigh and I have committed to living a remote life together, but we have managed to buy our dream home amongst the trees and by the ocean. This is a place where we look forward to growing old together.

words as told to maria reed photos supplied

Phillip Island expats and fellow travellers Emma Kennedy and Leigh Caffery have spent several years roaming Australia and are currently working in East Arnhem Land. Emma is working as a remote veterinarian, while her partner Leigh is the municipal services supervisor for Yirrkala. We talk to the couple about love, life on the road, and improving animal health in remote indigenous communities.

Leigh: I grew up in a small town, Innes Park, just outside of Bundaberg. I moved to Phillip Island after a holiday when I just fell in love with the place. It reminded me that I needed to be able to smell and hear the ocean. It seemed like it was meant to be: I got a job straight away – and a great house at Surf Beach. So I packed up my life and was there two weeks later . . .

I was working as a chef at a restaurant in Newhaven when I first met Emma. A big dog was walking past and attacked her dog, so I ran outside and pulled it off. That was the first time I spoke to her, but to be honest, I’d noticed Em about a month before that. She would come in regularly on a Friday night with her friend.

I thought she was confident and beautiful, with a smile that just makes you want to smile. She came in the next day with a six-pack of Crownies and a little handmade card to say thanks. I thought I’d take the opportunity and said ‘You should help me drink them sometime’ – but she kind of blew me off. It wasn’t until 2 weeks later that we actually went on our first date.

About 6 years ago we decided to travel around Australia. It was hard at first to just drop everything and go, but we said we were going to live our dreams – not dream them. It’s the greatest thing we could have

done, and I would recommend it to anyone. We’ve surfed, camped and fished our way around Australia. So many amazing waves and friends met along the way.

I think I’ll always remember looking out the window as our plane was about to land on Elcho Island, thinking ‘I have no idea what we are in for.’

We’ve discovered so many new friends and (adopted) family in Arnhem Land. It really is one of the greatest places in Oz. At the moment we are living with the Yolngu people in Yirrkala on the coast. Everything that we love doing is right at our front door. This place is virtually untouched.

I work with a local team and together we keep Yirrkala beautiful. It’s a place rich in customs and culture.

I love Em’s passion and dedication for anything she applies herself to.

We are the ultimate team and we have proved time and time again that we can do anything together, whether it be learning or teaching each other to sail or scull, dragging our tinnie up croc-infested waters, or being bogged up to our axles on mud flats with 10m tides trying to get us. When we put our minds together there is no problem we can’t overcome. Em has only good, honest and pure thoughts and feelings.

She is my angel.

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surfer profile

Journey into the dreaming

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Surfing led Steve Parker on a personal journey to discover his culture and become the leader he was destined to be.

Growing up in Gippsland, Steve always knew he was different. Adopted as a baby, his non-Indigenous parents taught him to be proud of who he was. “I was always told I was adopted, but I could see that I was darker than my family, so I was always wondering …”

Steve wanted to meet his birth mother and family. “When I was a kid I’d look in the mirror and wonder what my mum looked like. I would see a young woman walking down the street and wonder if she was my mother… just little things like that.”

Living in Buln Buln near Warragul, Steve grew up playing footy (he went on to play AFL Under 18s) and hassling his parents to take him surfing with his mates. “I was hooked from my first wave.”

When Steve moved to Brisbane at the age of 17, he started a building apprenticeship. “I would spend all my pay going up or down the coast to surf.” After completing his apprenticeship, he took off on a road trip to WA to surf the west coast, and ended up in Perth for 12 months.

Back in Victoria, the ocean was calling and he moved to Phillip Island.

Steve worked on building projects and surfed, but there was something missing. At the age of 11 he met his mother – a Torres Strait Islander, Yorta Yorta woman – but was still coming to terms with his culture.

One day out the back at Flynns, he paddled up to a guy with a Koorie flag painted on his board. “I said, ‘Good flag, brother’ and he said, ‘Good colours, cuz’.” Anthony Hume and Steve were immediate friends. “He grew up in Inverloch and was a tribal cousin of mine.”

When Steve became a Level 1 surf coach, his life began to transform.

“Max Wells from Surfing Victoria found out that I was Indigenous – he’d just thought I was a bronzed surfer!” Max asked Steve to run surfing and swimming programs with Indigenous communities. His mate Anthony Hume, who had done the same coaching course, worked beside him. “I was taking time off building but I had great bosses who supported me,” he recalls.

All along, Steve’s adoptive parents were his biggest supporters. His father, a CFMEU organiser, modelled leadership and standing up for what you believe in, and is Steve’s greatest role model. He had provided a solid basis for things to come: Steve was offered a full-time role running the program. “I took it. It was life-changing to go from swinging the hammer to surfing.” He never looked back.

The demands of learning to surf promote a healthy lifestyle and build skills for coping with the challenges that kids will face in life.

“We have about 12 Indigenous surf coaches around Victoria who run the programs and act as local role models, and that has been really powerful. These kids have natural ability: even those who have never seen the ocean stand up on their first try – it’s astounding.”

It’s been an emotional experience. When Steve spends time in the Indigenous communities he feels at home amongst the family he has been missing. And there have been many mentors along the way. Four years ago he discovered that he is related to the local Phillip Island Boon Wurrung people. “My aunties have given me the go-ahead to speak on their behalf and they are teaching me language and things like that. I felt I had a connection to Phillip Island, so it’s been great.”

words sally o’neill photos warren reed

Steve built up the Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program that had started with a $750 budget into an entity with funding of well over a quarter of a million dollars. “Our program runs second to AFL programs in terms of participation in Victoria.”

Steve explains that Boon Wurrung country extends from the Werribee River down to Wilsons Prom. “There is a really good vibe about the area and people are really hungry for knowledge about its indigenous people. “You mightn’t see too many around, but there are 120 kids registered as Indigenous in South Gippsland schools.”

He sees part of his role as educating people to identify as Indigenous. “I find the kids who do get into trouble aren’t aware of their identity. There is something really bugging them and they don’t know what it is. We teach kids to be proud of who they are and to live their culture.” >

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It wasn’t until I was about 22 that I realised that there are people who look like me and are my real family. It was really overwhelming to look around and to know I was connected to these people.

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His reawakened identity also found a creative outlet. “I’ve always been interested in art. As a teenager, I did a lot of graffiti (legal stuff ) and through that, when I was about 23, I began creating a lot of indigenous art.” He started painting mystical surfboard designs and then moved to canvas with his traditional/contemporary art style. He has pieces displayed in venues and locations such as Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station and London. “Painting is a good way of expressing my own and other people’s journeys.”

Steve’s son is now carrying the flag for his culture – and is also a good little surfer. He’s currently Victoria’s Under 10 Indigenous surf champion.

As site manager for the Rip Curl Pro at Bell’s Beach, Steve ensures that his culture is acknowledged and protected. “The first flag we raise on site is the Indigenous flag.” And his son proudly gets painted up and dances at the welcome to country ceremony. “He takes me back to my culture and makes it stronger.”

The struggles and courage of his elders are a constant source of inspiration. “I hope I can make it easier for my children – it’s about education and telling the truth of our history. I never learnt anything about our culture at school when I was a kid. We can’t change what happened, but we can’t forget.”

It’s been a lonely road for Steve without his real family beside him. “It wasn’t until I was about 22 that I realised that there are people who look like me and are my real family. It was really overwhelming to look around and to know I was connected to these people.”

And it always comes back to surfing – the passion and profession that brought Steve back to his family and culture. “It’s made me a stronger person and led me to find my identity – it’s been quite a long journey.”

For information on the Indigenous Surfing Program or Steve’s art, call 0447 388 001 or steve@surfingvic.com coast 26

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artist profile

purplehaze

Fish Creek’s rolling green hills were purple in the young artistic mind of Lisa Burrell. Growing up in the small dairy town, it was indigenous painter Albert Namatjira that coloured Lisa’s youthful mind. “I used to love a print of his we had in the sunroom – I’d try to emulate its colours in my own landscapes.

Mum would tell me off for painting the hills purple – because they were bright green!” laughs Lisa.

At 17, she ventured to Melbourne to attend Swinburne art school. “It was a big eye-opener. I was a naïve country girl, still dressed in peasant skirts and other daggy clothes.” It was the late seventies and her fellow students sported bright pink miniskirts and orange Mohawks. “The Punk era had started and I thought ‘How cool – it’s amazing what happens in the city!’ ” Art school was inspiring, yet a little directionless. “You were kind of left to your own devices and had to make you own foray into the art world and know what you wanted, but I was too young and really didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

The course complete, she moved to Inverloch to “live the Bohemian lifestyle”. Her real education began. She mixed with artists like Peter Cole, Colin Suggett and Susan Purdy. “It was amazing. We were surrounded by the likes of actors, musicians and refugees from Chile.

We just went from house to house, making music, going to gigs and painting…”

She describes those six years in Inverloch as her formative years. “We were free, naïve in a way, and definitely anti-establishment!” she laughs.

“I reckon people are very conservative these days. There is more of a push for kids to grow up and know which career they will get into – they are channelled and helped and made to be more disciplined – we had none of that.”>

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words sally o’neill photos lucas piera

Like a band of gypsies they roamed. “We learned how to grow fruit and vegies and cook a hundred rice dishes, and travelled to find work – there was always a pack of dogs with us, too.” She pulls out a sketchbook from that era – wild colours, unfinished sketches of faces, places – a man with a guitar, a girl looking pensive (self-portrait perhaps), and her impression of a hippie commune they visited.

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The group disbanded and Lisa moved to Phillip Island, got married and had a daughter, Hannah. “I definitely settled down – we built a beautiful big house near the beach and it was the best thing ever – it was beautiful.” Her art expanded along with her life. She developed a desire to paint big canvasses – huge, wild masses of colour strung with beachwashed objects.

“My works are always about organic, natural objects and looking closely at things and seeing the form within the big picture. That’s my style – the internal within the big picture,” explains Lisa.

This ‘abstract expressionism’ takes the familiar and makes it unfamiliar.

Always the nature girl, she is forever attracted to patterns in rocks, sand, reflections, veins in leaves, spider webs, nests…

I definitely settled down – we built a beautiful big house near the beach and it was the best thing ever – it was beautiful.

Island life “ran its course” – it was time for the next chapter. She had always wanted to live on a property again, and bought a rundown farmlet in Bass. She has spent the past five years nurturing the property and bringing it back to life and, most importantly, creating her own studio. She also discovered her “lovely partner in life – yes, it can even happen in Bass!”

The farm has reinforced her childhood memories and kindled her creative fire. Last year, she returned to Fish Creek to present an exhibition titled ‘Bulls and Bones’. In an exquisite piece of synchronicity, the exhibition was mounted in a gallery that was once her father’s butcher shop.

Lisa is now formally making a career of her art. At 50, she commenced a Diploma of Visual Art and is now completing an Advanced Diploma of Product Development and Design. “There are a lot of women like me doing the course. They’ve done their life stuff and are now concentrating on their own personal journey.”

Lisa agrees that she is finally blossoming as an artist. “It’s been a big journey. But now what I have been through gives me so much to draw on . Everyone is different and has had their own journey and has something unique to say in their art.”

In more ways than one, life has come full circle. She is now living the life of those Inverloch days once again. The naïve, free girl is back, but with a lifetime of experience behind her. “It wasn’t a deliberate move, but I guess you can’t help going back to your original self after doing all the ‘right things’ that are expected of you. But I don’t have any regrets in my life – and I always draw on the good and bad of life in my art.”

In the future, Lisa hopes to travel to the deserts of central Australia. The now fully- evolved artist will return to the purple skies of the Albert Namatjira painting in the sunroom…

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September

October

November

Woodwork exhibition featuring Reg Marshall When: 23 Aug till Christmas Where: Leongatha Gallery, Cnr Michael Pl & McCartin Sts Who: lacs@live.com.au leongathagallery.org.au

Hinterland Scarecrow Festival When: 1-30 October 2012 Where: Mornington peninsula Hinterland, Red Hill Who: Ph: 5987 3078

Meeniyan Art, Craft & Photography Exhibition When: 2 Nov at 8pm - 6 Nov Where: Meeniyan Hall, Meeniyan Who: Ph: 5664 7473 or tarnyawilson@bigpond.com

Botanical reflections - Lucy Chapman When: 1-30 October 2012 Where: 243 Lillico Rd, Lillico Who: Ph: 5623 1592 lillicoglassstudio.com.au

Phillip Island Patchworkers Display When: 4-6 Nov 10am - 4pm Where: Newhaven Hall, Cleeland St, Newhaven Who: Ph: 5952 3477

Melbourne Arts Festival When: 10-27 October 2012 Where: Flinders street, Melbourne Who: Ph: 9662 4242

Phillip Island Jazz Festival When: 16-18 Nov Where: All Seasons Resort, 2128 Phillip Island Tourist Road, Cowes Who: Call Robin 0432 814 407 www.phillipislandjazzfest.org.au

‘Liberated Books’ Exhibition When: 1- 27 Sept Where: Whitelaw St, Meeniyan Who: lacs@live.com.au leongathagallery.org.au A bunch of blokes (chorus) When: Sept 15 & 16 Where: Wonthaggi Town Hall Who: Carmel Slater 0428 622 801 Royal Melbourne Show When: 22nd September – 2nd October 2012 Where: Melbourne Showgrounds Who: Ph: 9281 7444 www.royalshow.com.au Spring Racing Carnival When: 15th September – 18th November Where: Metropolitan courses at Flemington, Moonee Valley, Who: Caulfield & Sandown and country race courses all over Victoria.

McClelland Gallery - Clive Stephen Sculptor When: July 29 - 28 October Where: 390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin Who: Ph: 9789 1671 Kongwak Market When: Every Sunday Where: Kongwak General store Who: Jane Call 0417 142 478

Exhibition - Half Dozen When: 20 Oct - 9 Dec Where: 71 Thompson Ave, Cowes Who: Ph: Bill Binks 5967 7634 Halloween at Coal Creek When: 27 October 2012 Where: Coal Creek, Sth Gippsland Hwy, Korumburra Who: Ph: 5655 1811 www.coalcreekvillage.com.au Lyrebird Arts Council - Josh Pyke When: 27th October Where: Meeniyan Hall Who: Ph: 5664 9239 lyrebirdarts@hotmail.com Kongwak Market When: Every Sunday Where: Kongwak General store Who: Ph: Jane Call 0417 142 478 2012 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix When: 26-28 October Where: Phillip island Grand Prix Circuit Who: www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au Somers Art Fair 2012 When Sun 28th Oct 2012 10am – 4pm Where 87 Camp Hill Road, Somers Who Karina Smith on 0427 590 730 www.somersps.vic.ed.au

Dandenong Show When: 10 - 11 Nov Where: Dandenong Showgrounds Who: Ph: 9794 0562 www.dandyshow.com.au St Joseph’s Primary School Fete When: 18th Nov Where: 1–3 Bridge St Korumburra Who: Ph. 5655 2040 Warren Reed Photography Exhibition When: 23Nov - 20 Dec Where: Meeniyan Art Gallery Who: Ph. 5664 0101 www.meeniyanartgallery.com.au Kongwak Market When: Every Sunday Where: Kongwak General store Who: Jane Call 0417 142 478 Lyrebird Arts Council - Vika & Linda Bull When: 8th December Where: Meeniyan Hall Who: Ph: 5664 9239 lyrebirdarts@hotmail.com

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Where would you expect to access the world’s most idyllic waves? California, Hawaii,... maybe South Africa?

Nope, it’s a quaint little place in country Victoria, just down by beautiful Wilson’s Promontory.

island dreaming In a travel agency tucked away in the leafy town of Foster, there are no pictures of scantily-clad girls, just superb shots of sublime waves and stunning islands. I’m told that the best can be viewed by a trip to the toilet. For those in the know, this is the surfers’ holy grail: a place where surfing trips to unimaginable waves and crystal clear waters await in the Maldivian Islands, Indonesia and the Pacific.

So how did an agent on the quiet Prom Country coast end up sending surfers to the far seas? Good question. It’s a long story, but if you’ve got the time...

It began with a friendship, a shipwreck and one lonely, perfect wave.

“It’s more a story about Tony than me,” smiles Ian Lyon, as he sits in his small tearoom at Atoll Travel. Framed by a large picture of a perfect wave, he says, “Classic wave. Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. I spent six weeks there in 1981, back in my travelling days.”

Ian grew up on a farm outside Inverloch, and spent most of his youth mucking about in the surf. When he left school his wanderlust bought him a one-way ticket – via Asia and Africa – to London. “I never made it to London,” he laughs. “I ran out of money and was stuck in South Africa for eight months working and surfing, and had nearly two years

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words maria reed photo supplied

exploring Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, India, Nepal and Bali. The experience was so good I headed off again for 1983 and 84; the folks weren’t too impressed, though, as they expected I would take over the farm!”

The first place he landed in 1980 was Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka, where he met fellow surfer Tony ‘Honky’ Hussein Hinde. It was a fateful meeting that would unknowingly give Ian access to a very small, (unintentionally) exclusive club. “After becoming friends over a few seasons at ‘The Bay’ he let me in on the secret of the Maldives, and it was probably the best-kept surfing secret in the world.” By 1984, Tony figured that Ian was only the tenth foreign person to surf ‘Honky’s – a perfect left-hand break off the island of Thamburudhoo. How this wave was discovered? . . . Well, that’s another story.

Tony found this hallowed break by complete (mis)adventure. In 1973, he was travelling with a fellow surfer, Mark Scanlon, and they became restless when they arrived in Sri Lanka to a dead flat sea. On a day-trip to Colombo they bumped into an eccentric Californian skipper named Bill Wallace. The odd-looking, weather-beaten captain and his pet monkey had sailed from Hawaii to Sri Lanka. He was looking for crew to sail with him to Africa via the Seychelles – and the boys just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

The young lads jumped at the chance. They were so excited by the prospect that they would’ve jumped on a raft, but when Bill led them to Whitewings, they almost hugged each other. The ketch featured teak decks with polished rosewood trimmings and red velvet accents. They couldn’t believe their luck. They sailed off, but after three and a half days at sea (seemingly going in circles), they discovered Bill was an opium addict and seriously lacking in seafaring skills.

On their fourth night at sea, they hit a shallow reef off the Maldives.

Captain Bill was at the wheel in his opium daze, announcing ‘We’ve hit a whale!’ White water rushed everywhere. His monkey went troppo, bouncing around the cabin, and the boys realised they were shipwrecked somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

What appeared to be a disaster turned into a stroke of luck (for the lads).

They were greeted at dawn by the sight of a string of coral atolls* in cerulean seas. They were marooned in one of the most beautiful areas in the world – the Maldives. Later that day, local sailors on their traditional dhonis (small boats) raised the alarm, and a local police boat came to their rescue.

The boys spent months trying to salvage what they could from Whitewings. When five local fishermen offered to try and float the wreck, Cap’n Bill jumped at the chance. In five short days – with the help of 44-gallon drums, ropes and coconut-palm logs – they managed to tow the boat back to the capital, Malé. Captain Bill negotiated to have the boat repaired in 9 months, and the three unlikely sailors agreed to regroup in the Maldives when the boat was ready to sail.

When they returned from Sri Lanka Cap’n Bill hadn’t arrived, so Tony and Mark spent the time enjoying the Maldivian hospitality, surfing the beach breaks around Malé and travelling on local boats down through the atolls to the south. Over the months they started to assimilate into the Maldivian way of life, but even though they were having a wonderful time, they were keen to continue their global adventure. While trekking in Nepal, Tony realised he was feeling homesick . . . …not for his actual home, but for the Maldives. He had fallen in love! The pair parted ways and Tony made his way back to his atoll paradise.

It was when he ventured back on his third trip that he found surf outside Malé. It was the start of the off-shore season and one day he took a friend to check out a spot that he had a feeling about. The planets aligned and what he found would change his life forever. It was not one, but two perfect waves breaking off an uninhabited island. The waves wrapped their watery limbs around this tiny island and created a perfect break that extended 100m or more. Tony had found his spiritual home.

As he gazed out, sitting atop the dhoni, he located the nearest inhabited island (Himmafushi) and knew this would be his home. In his own words: “I’d found the end of my road.”

He met the island chief at Himmafushi and they soon became friends.

The chief helped him find a small house to rent for $6 a month. He taught him about the winds, the currents, and – most importantly – how to sail, as it took half an hour to get to the break if the conditions were right. Tony quickly picked up the local language of Dhivehi* and was essentially adopted by the village chief as his ‘Aussie’ son. He spent his days surfing perfect waves, completely on his own.

His friendship with the chief (who he fondly called ‘Boppa’ – Dhivehi for ‘father’) continued to grow, and the chief gave Tony his rental house as a gift – an expression of love. He realised the gift changed his status from barefoot traveller to (expat) resident, and understood that his decision to stay was made. He immersed himself in Maldivian culture >

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‘There was no electricity on the island and the dhoni boats made a trip out to the surf an arduous journey.’

L-R Ian Lyon, Tony Hussein Hinde & friends

and converted to Islam. His friend Ian says, “It was his way to give thanks for the incredible life he had in the Maldives, and feeling like a prince in a wave-rich kingdom.” He added Hussein to his name in recognition of his faith. He met his wife Zulfa and they had a couple of kids, Ashley and Mishal. The Maldives became his whole life. Tony used to say, ‘I thank Allah for that shipwreck because it changed my life!’

While this may sound like paradise (and it was), life in the early days was not always an easy ride, so to speak. There was no electricity on the island and the dhoni boats made a trip out to the surf an arduous journey if the conditions weren’t right. There were few social outlets, fresh water shortages, heat exhaustion, coral infections and even scurvy (due to an exclusive diet of rice and fish-head soup). Tony experienced malaria, hepatitis, dengue fever and elephantitis.

The paradise earned was hard-won, and Tony was very good at keeping secrets. Only a handful of friends became part of his trusted inner circle and surfed Honky’s, Sultan’s, Jails and Pasta Point. Ian counts himself as one of the lucky few. He travelled from Mauritius in early 1984 to spend a couple of months with Tony at Himmafushi. Smiling, he says, “Tony said that if we were out surfing and spotted a western sail we had to paddle in and hide in the bush till the boat went past. That’s how serious he was about keeping it secret!”

By the late 80s, tourism in the Maldives was growing and Tony knew it was only a matter of time before the word got out. By then only about 60 people knew about the surf, including Brian Singer from RipCurl, and Brian Cregan from Ocean and Earth. Ian says, “Tony knew it was going to happen eventually, so rather than ignoring it he decided to make something for himself and his family. He and Zulfa started the first surf

L-R Tony & Boppa

tour company in the Maldives, Atoll Adventures.”

Tony called Ian and asked him to be his agent. “I was living with my lovely wife Lynne in the hills overlooking the Prom coast, and helping out at the local travel agency. To start with I did it as a bit of a favour. We were in country Victoria, and faxes had only just been invented! We got a toll-free number and a fax and linked up with Tony.” And the rest, as they say, is (surfing) history. Ian and Lynne thought about moving the business to a more well-known surfing region, but “we liked Foster and the community too much, and realised this was a perfect place to raise our kids.”

For surfers dying to get away from the cold Victorian winters, the Maldives offer world-class waves in tropical conditions. As a lifelong surfer, Ian says, “The waves are picture-postcard perfect. They don’t have 4ft lips like some of the Pacific or Indonesian waves, so they’re suitable for all surfers. It doesn’t matter what you’re riding – mal, shortboard, kneeboard or boogies – they’re perfect.” He finds many of his clients are in the 40-60 age range, “blokes that have surfed all their lives, done the hell surf stuff and pushed themselves to the limit, and are now looking for the pure pleasure waves.” The 4-star island is complete with pool and restaurants to make it a holiday for the family, too.

Through the connections Ian has made since helping to establish the Maldives tours with Tony in 1991, Atoll Travel has grown to include a selected number of surf resorts and boat charters in Samoa, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. He has travelled and surfed many times in each of these regions and is always hanging out for his next chance to get away.

To book your dream getaway to the Maldives, Indonesia or the Pacific, you can call in at Atoll Travel in Bridge Street, Foster email info@atolltravel.com or call on 1800 – 622310 www.atolltravel.com.au *Atoll - a coral structure, which may contain a chain of structures or islands. The Dhivehi word is ‘Atollu’ – and the first explorers that came through picked up the word and used it to describe the cluster of islands. *Dhivehi - an ancient Sri-Lankan language mixed with Arabic.

Footnote: Sadly Zulfa, and shortly afterwards Tony, passed away in 2008. Atoll Adventures is now managed by their son Ashley and Operations Manager Dara who has worked for the company for the past 17 years.

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words sally o’neill photos warren reed

From San Remo to Kilcunda, or vice versa, the George Bass Coastal Walk offers seven kilometres of spectacular coastal views, deserted beaches and rolling green hills.

The golden rule for tackling the George Bass Coastal Walk is that you must do it with friends. And those friends must have a car. The reason?

So that you can park one car at either end of the trail. This sophisticated piece of car-shuffling has real benefits – mainly that you only have to walk one way.

And it’s so much easier to stay motivated on a hike when there is a café and pub waiting for you at the other end and you don’t have to turn around and retrace your steps. Well, that’s my theory, anyway.

This seven-kilometre walking trail (one way) can be tackled from either end, but I always choose to walk from San Remo because the track

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leads you right into the coastal hamlet of Kilcunda – and straight into the possibility of a latte, cake or a cold glass of wine. And, as mentioned above, this definitely gives me motivation.

So, starting from San Remo means from the end of Punchbowl Road, accessed just outside the town. This remote spot is mainly frequented by rock-fishers and walkers. Be sure to lock your car, and don’t leave any valuables inside.

The walking track follows the coastline that was traversed by George Bass in 1798 when he journeyed down the coast from Sydney in an 8.7-metre whaleboat. His travels demonstrated that a stretch of

george bass coastal walk

water separates Tasmania from the mainland. The strait that forms the backdrop for this walk was named in his honour. As I wander, I also always pay tribute in my mind to the Bunurong people who had enjoyed this coast and its abundant offerings long before that time.

The track is largely a mown strip of public land adjoining farms. While the track is often described as ‘easy’, you actually need to traverse stiles over fences and it can be quite steep in places, so at least an average level of fitness – and sturdy shoes – are essential.

At first, it takes a little while for the sea views to emerge. When they do, they are spectacular, taking in the wild waters of Bass Strait to the south and back to Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island to the east.

You walk through a variety of environments – from scrub to lush gullies, beaches and then sections that open to the rugged coast with views that stretch forever. Although the area has been grazed for many years, remnants of native vegetation have persisted on the windswept cliffs and in the gullies. Coastal Beard-heath, White Correa, Sea Box, Poa grasses, Coastal Tea-tree, Coastal Banksia and Boobiallas can all be seen along the way.

Also keep your eyes open for wrens and other bush birds in the low scrub, and birds of prey like Black-shouldered Kites and Nankeen Kestrels hovering above. Pacific Gulls and Gannets can also be seen>

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Kilcunda’s beaches are quite divine, so if you have time, you can detour to Shelley Beach for a paddle or rest. gliding over the water and in winter, from the clifftops, you may be lucky enough to see whales cruising past.

Along the way, the option to walk down to Half Moon Bay is highly recommended. This secluded cove is a lovely place to have a rest, do some beachcombing or explore the fascinating rock formations.

However, please note that this is a detour and the walk to and from the bay is quite steep, so if you are running short on time (or energy) you may want to give it a miss.

Further along, the track descends onto the beach once again. This time, it forms part of the walk and rejoins the walking track at the other end of the sandy beach. Just note that this beach is easily passable only at low tide – it is advisable to keep to the walking track at high tide.

After about five kilometres, the track meanders towards the tiny hamlet of Kilcunda. Wide, open grasslands surround the path as suburbia begins to emerge in the distance. Kilcunda’s beaches are quite divine, so if you have time, you can detour to Shelley Beach for a paddle or rest.

But, if you are like me, you will keep walking because you’ll be hanging for a coffee and that piece of cake you have worked so hard for!

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handy hints ✓✓ George Bass Coastal Walk is 120 kilometres from Melbourne and starts from the southern end of Punchbowl Road, off Phillip Island Tourist Road (you can also start from Kilcunda). ✓✓ It is seven kilometres one way and takes an average of two hours each way – more with rest stops. ✓✓ It’s best to tackle the walk at low tide to enjoy the beach sections. ✓✓ The walk now links with the Bass Coast Rail Trail so you have the option to continue your walk from Kilcunda to the centre of Wonthaggi. ✓✓ The beaches along the way are beautiful, yet treacherous and unsuitable for swimming due to the presence of strong undertows, rips, and steep, sloping sandy bottoms. ✓✓ There is not a lot of shade along the way, so don’t forget your hat, shirt and sunscreen, and take plenty of drinking water. ✓✓ More info can be found at www.basscoast.vic.gov.au

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the long road home words & photos william playne

An epic cycling trip from Phillip Island to Townsville led William Playne unexpectedly on a road less travelled . . . back to his childhood home.

As a young child, I left my home in Townsville, not quite old enough to fully understand what was happening. It was winter 1977, and in a small holiday shack on Magnetic Island, my father announced that our family was leaving. I was only 11, but I knew my parents had made their decision and were ready to go. In my universe, Melbourne did not exist.

It was a late, sunny winter’s afternoon when we drove into Melbourne.

The suburbs seemed to go on forever and the hard edge of the city landscape made it difficult to believe that this could be home. I found a place inside me that held tightly to these first impressions.

As an adult, I have wandered from place to place, wanting to be home but somehow always knowing this is not the place where I am meant to be. I always wanted to return to Townsville, and when I thought about the idea, flying or driving were never options. They were too fast.

My wish was to take my time and gradually journey there, and a bicycle seemed the perfect way to do it.

This was simply something I needed to do. I managed to take leave from my work as a teacher, and this presented an opportunity to fully

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rejuvenate and rediscover parts of myself. I was a little confused about how I would find my way up north, but I was confident that it would all pan out okay.

I was waved off on a brisk Autumn morning. The newly-constructed High Country Rail Trail had come to my attention, and the starting point at Tallarook proved to be ideal, bypassing the chaos of Melbourne.

I cautiously handled my new bicycle and trailer, unfamiliar with the weight and wobbles. I was not twenty anymore and needed to begin slowly to become accustomed to the heavy weight I would be pushing.

In the beginning I felt distanced from my purpose and unable to settle into the journey. In some ways I was not happy being alone, and struggled with the unfamiliar empty space and time. This feeling slowly evaporated as the roads became less familiar and more physically challenging. I planned to ride over the Snowy Mountains to join the Bicentennial Trail, but the weather deteriorated and parts of NSW experienced extensive flooding. This pushed me further to the western side of the Great Dividing Range – ultimately dictating my path until I got near Rockhampton.

Cycling through parts unknown, I discovered what I considered to be the quintessential Australia. There was an unexpected beauty in the country. I constantly wondered at the changing landscape, the gradual metamorphosis of the land, its shape and colour, much like my own spirit. I became immersed in the experience. I understood my purpose and the loneliness became special.

I was often surrounded by a cacophony of birds. As I moved further north I gradually found myself being drowned in a constant symphony of birdsong. Some days the noise was drastic and I looked to the trees expecting to see thousands, only to find one or two. They send me back to the sounds of my childhood and act as a subtle reminder of the purpose of my journey.

The distance between towns and other rest opportunities balanced my needs. It was the last twenty kilometres of my day that would go on forever. I fought this feeling on many days, hoping it would fade, but it lingered throughout the journey, feeding on a mixture of my tiredness and the anticipation of food and rest.

I am drawn to the unique form and presence of the bottle trees I pass.

I’m not sure if they once covered this land, but today they stand out as the gatekeepers of this country. Every time I sight one I am in awe, and spend the next fifteen minutes looking for more, then I slowly sink back into my cycling rhythm and forget. It is only when I am worn and bothered that they seem to reappear. This is a welcome distraction that takes me away from my discomfort on a particularly hot and difficult day.

Long-distance cycling can be described as a gentle form of meditation.

You’re on the road alone and in your own world. You feel at peace and time becomes immaterial. Four hours can feel like five minutes – and to me that’s a sign that you’re at one with yourself. The longer I travel, the less I care about where I am and who is around me.

I kept bumping into fellow travellers and caravans on their migration up north. Wonderful grey nomads who were loving life, and enjoying>

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I spent four hours blissfully cycling around my Townsville.

I slowly made sense of long-held memories and I drifted along, easily finding myself in significant places and environments their style of living. These people have found a happy place within themselves and were less judgmental and more open to friendly conversation. They tell me about their families and their life experiences.

They seem to feel free from the past and think little of the future. They are present in the moment. I let the idea settle on me like a warm blanket. I’ve met so many happy, well-balanced, relaxed people living very simple lives.

Late one day, I came across a fellow traveller on the Bruce Highway: a wandering, barefoot Buddhist monk, walking from Sydney to Townsville. We spoke of our journeys, shouting above the noisy traffic.

I asked how he coped with all this noise and he simply said, “I shut it

out, and go into another space”. I noticed that at standing or walking pace the roadside felt even more dangerous than when riding. His simple appearance prompted me to offer him food and water. He declined, and was more interested in how I was handling things. He was travelling with only a robe, a small satchel and one water bottle, while in comparison I was overloaded. “How are you going with what you are carrying?” he asked, and I replied, “Really good, but it’s funny you should ask, as I keep sending more and more things home. Stuff I just don’t need, really.” He gave me a look, and said, “Are you happy?”. I realised how content we both were in our simple states, and slowly said goodbye. All the people, places, quiet times, empty roads, days without conversation have helped me grow.>

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Nearing the end of my journey I doubted my location. It seemed unreal Mercedes-Benz that I had travelled so far. Yet here I was so close to my fading memories.

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Woman of sustenance words katie cincotta photos warren reed

You wouldn’t think you’d have to schedule an interview with a 92-year-old several weeks in advance.

Not so with Elisa ‘Lisetta’ Della Rosa. Zeta (for short) reckons she’s as busy as she’s ever been.

On the day I visit the raven-haired matriarch, who has three children, six grandchildren and two great- grandchildren, her immaculate mint-green weatherboard on Wonthaggi’s Hagelthorn Street is a flurry of activity – there’s me, the journalist; the photographer, followed by an electrician picking up cash; and the grocery lady to come – all perfectly timed to Zeta’s schedule.

This is a woman who has been organised her whole life – a mother, fruit picker, musician and nurse who embodies the solid Italian work ethic that has fashioned so much of Australia’s culture and commerce. Still sharp and outspoken, she doesn’t let the sparky leave without getting him to sign the paid invoice. “Have you got the ‘Paid’ stamp? ‘Cos you’re not getting paid again,” she announces. The pragmatic personality is softened by genuine generosity, and she apologises for not hosting him for coffee and cake on such a hectic Tuesday.

When we sit down for morning tea, you can tell Zeta prides herself on her hospitality. The table is laid out neatly with a checked cloth, perfectly-placed sliced fruitcake, sweet biscuits, cups and saucers, and serviettes.

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She’s been up since 6.30am preparing herself and her home for the occasion, which she finds embarrassing and a little unsettling, especially the continuous shutter-clicking of Warren’s chunky SLR. “What are you doing, making a movie? You’ve taken enough for a whole album,” she choruses.

Clearly a perfectionist, age hasn’t diminished Zeta’s desire for cleanliness and order, which is evident in her smart dress sense – she stands tall in a knitted jumper, cameo necklace and gold and ruby dress ring. “I don’t like to see things out of place, thrown here or there. I think it’s bad character.

Cleanliness is godliness.”

As someone who continues to cook her own meals, avoiding take-away and processed foods, Zeta believes her longevity is a result of a wholesome diet. “I always believed in a good table and I’ve never been too lazy to cook.” While raising her family, she had a cow for milk and cheese, and she continues to make her own pasta, soups and stews.

But while she’ll happily spend money on good food, she balks at most excess, and the extravagant consumer-driven lifestyle she sees pushing families further into debt. >

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“

I couldn’t speak, I knew no-one and I was in a strange country. I stuck at it for a few days and then the teacher on the platform kept looking at me, and I got the fear in me, so I ran all the way home and sobbed my little heart out.

”

“You gotta dig deep today, and it’s like a chain around your neck. Today, all they think of is more, more, more. “It’s a palava of make-believe.”

As a young married couple in the 30s, she and her husband Emilio led a simple, sustainable life, raising three children. Emilio worked as a miner, and Zeta as a pea-picker once the children were at school. When I ask to see her wedding photos, she ushers me into the lounge room, its high walls adorned with ornate mahogany wallpaper, and a lifetime of trinkets glistening behind retro glass cabinets. “Come on, then; I won’t charge you.” She gazes up at the sepia portrait, reminiscing about her marriage of 62 years, having lost her husband – a miner and carpenter – 12 years ago. “That to me is real gold,” she says.

Raised in a strict Catholic family from the Venetian village of Villaverla, Zeta was just six years old when she boarded the ship for a new home where everybody spoke English and nobody made their own salami.

Overwhelmed by the change, she didn’t survive her first week at the state school, and had to be resettled at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary. “I couldn’t speak, I knew no-one and I was in a strange country. I stuck at it for a few days and then the teacher on the platform kept looking at me, and I got the fear in me, so I ran all the way home and sobbed my little heart out.”

With several Italian families in the neighbourhood who built cellars to make salami, cheese, pasta and sauce, it wasn’t long before those concrete bunkers would host dance parties alive with the sprightly

sounds of the piano-accordion, the mandolin and the guitar. “Yes, we had some beautiful times with the Italians. A house at the back of ours was built on high land and underneath they built a cellar that was twice the size of the house. We’d go there and dance. We didn’t have much, but we had nice company.”

Zeta played the squeeze-box – a gold German-made Paolo Soprani – which she purchased from a man who acquired it in a trade-off for cigarettes in a concentration camp. Home-grown food, music and laughter kept the spirits high when money was tight, as did Zeta’s forthright humour, which is a delight to behold in someone who has lived through the Depression and WWII – times tough enough to see her father live in a tent for two years, earning a living by cutting wood in Gippsland’s bush.

“Wonthaggi’s a good town with good people and we never had to lock the doors. We were all in the same boat – six months of the coal-mining strike and we never got a penny. We were lucky because we had a lovely garden and I had everything you’d want in that backyard – fruit, nuts, cherries, a house cow.”

Where they didn’t skimp was on weddings, which were big, lavish affairs. When Zeta’s daughter married in the 60s, they invited 400 people, the four bridesmaids kitted out in gold silk gowns bought in the city. “She deserved it,” says Zeta, clearly proud of her only daughter.>

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“Emilio used to say the only way to get on is both in the boat together, rowing – one in, one out is no good.”

In her 40s, she found new purpose as a nurse, working for more than 20 years at the Wonthaggi hospital, and for desperate migrants at home.

“All the migrants from the 50s kept coming to my door: ‘I’m sick’, ‘I’m pregnant’: they’d knock on the door at 2 o’clock in the morning, but it was no good for me, with three children, a husband who worked, and people coming when they pleased, so I organised to have people all come on the one day.”

Although she bemoans the obligation, she recounts several tales of helping fellow Italians escape the poverty of rural Italy, organising travel, bank loans and contacts for desperate and confused immigrants.

“I never took a penny off them. I don’t mean to show myself goodygoody. But the genuine ones, I couldn’t show them the door.”

Zeta’s happy to have made the big move to Australia, and especially pleased that her children and grandchildren made it to university. Most of them now work in Melbourne as professionals including a theatre nurse and an artist, and she has a grandson – Steven Lunardon – who was a professional basketballer for the Melbourne Tigers and now teaches as Wesley College. “They all had a good education and they all married with a good name,” she says with pride.

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But Zeta nearly didn’t make it to Australia to give the next three generations a better life, initially being rejected by the authorities.“We got the train to Genoa port, which was a long trip, and all the women had to go in and have a shower and get naked and the doctors were in there testing. I came out with a bit of a rash so they wouldn’t let me go.”

The second time around it was smooth sailing, and Zeta and her mother were finally reunited with her father in Wonthaggi. That lifechanging journey rates as one of the most challenging times in almost a century of living; the second was the passing of her beloved husband.

She says they were happy together from the moment Emilio carried her over the threshold of the house she still lives in. What’s their secret?

I ask her. “Emilio used to say the only way to get on is both in the boat together, rowing – one in, one out is no good.”

Zeta adds that you don’t find joy in wealth, but in honest living treating others as equals. “Whether you think you’re better or not, we’re all humans; we come into the world the same way and we go out the same way. I’ve seen plenty of babies being born, and I’ve taken so many people to the morgue. You can’t buy life.”

PHILLIP ISLAND MEDICAL GROUP

Phillip Island Medical Group has 16 Doctors, 10 Nurses and 13 Administration staff rostered between our sites and between the hours of 8.30am – 10pm 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

The practice is a private practice with mixed billing choices for patients.

The Cowes Medical Centre has 1 fulltime bulk billing doctor, with 6 Doctors who rotate between clinics including our Grandview Family Clinic and the San Remo Medical Centre who provide bulk billing opportunities for patients with Health Care Cards, Pension Cards and for children under the age of 16.

The After Hours Clinic runs from 6.30pm – 10pm Monday – Friday, as well as Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays from 9am-12pm & 4pm – 10pm, these clinics require patients to pay in full at time of consultation.

The Cowes Medical Centre has the following health services within the complex: Chemart Pharmacy, Phillip Island Radiology, Healthscope Pathology and a Dental Clinic – opening soon.

Telehealth/Videoconference facilities are available at all sites for appointments with particular specialists.

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164 Thompson Ave Cowes P: 03 5951 1800 F: 03 5952 1087 Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 8.30am-10pm Saturday 9-12pm & 4-10pm Sunday & Public Holidays 10-12noon & 4-10pm

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Audio Clinic – Audiologist, Hadassa Aurbach ABC Hearing – Braden Bradley Hearing Life – Jade DK Denture Clinic – Daniel Kutny Dietician – Ahayla Nathaniel Bass Coast Cardiology (Echocardiograms) Endocrinologist – Doctor Miriam Bartlett Dr Alex Poon – Opthamologist Dr Anton Van Der Heydon – Opthamologist Malcolm Gin – Optomertrist Dr Rodney Syme – Urologist Psychologists – Margaret Walton, Libby Thompson, Tony Owens, Bev Brain Psychiatric Nurse – Denise Dale Island Foot Clinic – Podiatrist (Adults & Children), Brian Choi & Adam Bassed

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Dual Entrance through Thompson Ave and Grandview Grove, Cowes P: 03 5951 1800 Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 9-5pm

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of Countdown. It was a stage where everything you did was based around your career and ambition. We were all young and serious, and I remember having this arrogance – like a ‘check it out’ attitude.”

Meeting Rob – a warm, quietly-spoken, gentle soul – it’s hard to imagine such a contrast. He confesses to not being very sporty at school, but says music was always a passion. “As a young bloke I was a bit on the shy side, and music was a way of meeting people without having to initiate conversation. It was a bit of an ice-breaker,” he smiles.

AROCKN ROLLIN JOURNEY words maria reed photos warren reed & supplied

Phillip Island local (and international) musician Rob Gray has had a colourful life in the music industry. We talk to Rob about spirit, love and his new CD. The neighbours were not impressed. Huddled around a small, flickering television, they jumped when a spandex- clad glam rocker in platforms and make-up spat (fake) blood over the camera lens.

“It was my first time on TV, and Mum and Dad had invited all the neighbours. I think they were pretty horrified, and there was a bit of a community backlash – we’re talking Christchurch (NZ) in the 70s. It screened on the only channel in NZ at tea-time, so after that performance our band Odyssey rose to notoriety quite quickly.

By the time we hit Auckland we were mobbed by thousands of screaming girls.”

Rob Gray today is the antithesis of the Alice Cooper shock rocker. He laughs and cringes when he remembers the old days. “Yep, the era

Rob started playing music professionally in high school. “I was the youngest guy in our band at 12 (the oldest was probably 15) and our dads would cart us around to gigs.” They played at weddings, parties and socials and had to be extremely versatile in their repertoire. “In those days, bands were the only music available as there were no DJs or taped music: musicians were THE entertainment.”

In his last year of high school he was doing 4 nights a week at pubs. “I was 16 years old, and it was illegal to be in a pub at that age – you had to be at least 20.” By the end of that year he’d saved up enough money to buy a van to use for his apprenticeship in painting. He laughs, “As I’ve always said, I’ve made enough money in music to keep me in painting.”

Rob was born in Scotland and grew up in Christchurch, later moving to Australia. “As a migrant kid my experience is probably the same as thousands of others. They probably bounced back from the experience and had really positive lives. However, I was just this little, crumpled softy that hit the shores and fell in a heap.”

Some of Australia’s iconic bands were made up of migrant children, such as the likes of ACDC and The Easybeats. Rob reflects on their front of bravado and confidence. “I bruised very easily and deeply, and my way of dealing with things was to cover my insecurities with arrogance.”

As a young man in a band, he felt he was behaving in a way that was less than desirable. “With this realisation, I made the conscious decision to try and remove myself from that style of life, and become a ‘real’ person.”

Cathy, Rob’s wife of 3 years, squeezes his hand and insists that was only his self-perception. “He is a beautiful soul,” says Cathy. “ We feel blessed to have found each other in our late 40s,” smiles Rob, returning a squeeze. “We’ve found a love that is incredibly complete and total without being consuming. Neither of us has lost our sense of self in this relationship. If anything, we’ve found more of ourselves than we ever thought possible.”

Rob (under the nom de plume ‘Sundog’) has just released a CD that he says “encompasses the greatest range of my life experiences to date.”

A bit tongue-in-cheek, it’s called Songs of Love, Loss and Politics for the Emotionally Disenfranchised”. An eclectic collection of 15 songs, Rob likens it to a house. “You walk in the front door and you go into different rooms, and the songs are the rooms; they may all be different, but when you walk back out of the front door, you know you’re still walking out of the same house.” >

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It’s wonderful just waking up every day and, regardless of the weather, thinking ‘this is a beautiful day.

These songs are autobiographical in nature. Some are straight from dreams and others are quirky, like ‘Luckless’ – a story about a little dog and cat. “There’s a lot of personal and raw stuff on the album, and it’s taken a lot of confrontation and willingness to be vulnerable, as it’s exposing what I’ve gone through emotionally. My favourite is called ‘We’re All the Same but We’re All Different’: it confronts the issue of personal needs and collective needs. It’s a short and simple song – perhaps a little naive and idealistic, but it just asks the question, ‘You and I are different, but where are our similarities? Can we bridge those differences and just get on?’ It’s a universal question. Hopefully, putting it in an artistic format will touch people’s hearts.”

Rob and Cathy are now sharing a new journey together. Rob was diagnosed with a brain tumour over 8 months ago. Cathy says, “We feel blessed and happy that we met when we did. We’ve approached this illness as a united couple from the start and we feel it’s part of our journey.”

Ironically, Rob says, “I see this tumour as a gift, and there is a blessing in it.” The depression he had suffered for decades disappeared with his diagnosis. “I had to make a decision: was I going to drown in grief and fear of this, or was I going to banish those thoughts and be positive?”

He created a visualisation of chooks escaping their shed, picking all the bad seeds (thoughts) out of the garden, only allowing the good seeds to grow. He laughs, “And if they missed any, I could pick out the remaining ones.”

Rob and Cathy believe meditation plays a very large part in their journey, and his improvement. “My brother-in-law asked me the difference between meditation and sleeping the other day, and it’s a fair question. When you sleep, you’re resting your body, but when you meditate you are resting your mind.” They practise ‘mindfulness meditation’, allowing thoughts to come and go without attaching themselves to those feelings. “I think perhaps if I had practised that earlier in my life, I wouldn’t have got sick. It’s my belief that I grew this thing, and I thought… well, if I can grow it, I can un-grow it. That’s the road that were taking.”

Having to slow down and be still to recuperate, Rob has recognised that the simple things in life can be the most joyful. “Ordinariness is highly underrated,” he laughs. “It’s wonderful just waking up every day and, regardless of the weather, thinking ‘this is a beautiful day’, and recognising you do belong in the scheme of things. Allowing yourself to enjoy each moment.”

They wonder at the positives that have presented themselves since Rob became ill. “I believe we are all part of a divine spirit, some kind of universal or circular energy that links all of life and us together. The generosity of our community, our family and our friends has been amazing.” Rob grabs Cathy’s hand. “We don’t feel like victims at all – and quite literally, without Cath’s love and support, I would be six feet under.

As a nurse and my carer, she’s saved my life a number of times, both emotionally and physically. It’s as deep a love as it can possibly be – she’s my angel and she’s my wife.”

Rob will be launching the CD on Saturday 22nd September 6pm – 11pm at the Phillip Island Winery, Berry’s Beach Rd, Berry’s Beach – Phillip Island.

The party/fundraiser is $25 per head (and includes finger food and CD) BBQ dinner available.There is space for a big bonfire outside, and Rob and Cathy encourage everyone to come along and enjoy the party!

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– Kris Baker, RACV member

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FREE

Blood Pressure Testing available Prescriptions

Health Advice

123 Marine pde, San Remo, 3925

Phone: 5678 5202

Vitamins

Fax: 5678 5376

First Aid

Cosmetics

Email: sanremo.pharmacy@nunet.com.au

Artisan and seller of Traditional & Contemporary Jewellery

LEONGATHA STUDIO & SHOWROOM 3 Lyon Street, Leongatha | Tel. (03) 5662 3142 www.denisahawkins.com.au | denisa10@bigpond.com

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KOONWARRA STUDIO & GALLERY 11 Swan Road, Koonwarra Village | Tel. 0428 685 282

Picture Book

Non-Fiction

Adult Fiction

“Lily and the Fairy House”

“Australian Mongrel”

“Peaches for Monsieur le Curé”

by Jane Tanner ($24.95) Hardcover

by David Darcy ($49.99)

Lily has made the perfect fairy house and prepared the perfect fairy party. She waits very quietly and patiently till the fairies arrive. They love their little house and the party Lily has made for them, so they make her a beautiful fairy crown of flowers. This is a gorgeously illustrated book by Jane and so wonderfully imaginative and magical – an enchanting story for the children in all of us and in our lives.

David absolutely adores his subject and you can tell how much care and attention he puts into each photo of his much-loved dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes. He travels the continent and has produced an amazing photographic display of puppies, dogs at play, dogs at work and dogs at rest. David has brought us a written and photographic exploration of this nation’s relationship with our beloved icon, the mongrel dog. This is going to be a wonderful gift for dog-lovers and photography enthusiasts alike, bringing us the lives of the dogs, people and places in a collection of nostalgic and honest portraits.

by Joanne Harris ($32.95) In this wonderful sequel to Chocolat, Vianne Rocher is called back to Lansquenet by a letter from beyond the grave. She has no choice but to return to the village where eight years ago she had opened up a chocolate shop. But Vianne is completely unprepared for what she is to find there: women veiled in black, the scent of spices and peppermint tea – and on the bank of the river Tannes, facing the church, a minaret. Her erstwhile adversary, Father Reynaud, is suspended from duties, the victim of unfounded suspicion and gossip, and it seems that Vianne may be the only one who can save him.

Proudly independent ...a book is a place

• Over 10 years experience in the book trade • Life-long love affair with books • We can help find that special book for yourself or to give as a gift • Don’t forget our famous special tables

40a Thompson Ave Cowes Phone. 03 5952 1444

Email. lois.turnthepage@bigpond.com coast 63

new name... same friendly staff and service Walk into the new Priceline Pharmacy store in Cowes and you’ll notice all the same friendly faces with a fresh new look!

Former Amcal Chemist proprietors John Laino, George Tambassis, Allan Hau, Greg Kossena, Ziggy Wong, Owen Bentley and Rick Fitzgerald are thrilled to join the Priceline brand to offer their loyal customers the same friendly service with a whole lot more range and value.

They offer expert advice and services like free health checks, home medicine reviews, personal lifestyle advice and assistance with managing your daily medications. All of this combined with a huge range of makeup, skincare, hair products and fragrances.

When it comes to health and well being, there’s no room for compromise. We’ll keep you updated with the latest products.

With over 500 brands and more than 10,000 products in store.

With all the brands you love; Blackmores, L’Oreal, Revlon, Nurofen, Dove and more!

The team are there to answer all your health questions, they also carry a fantastic health care range – which includes vitamins for wellbeing and exclusive weight-loss program products. Pamper, preen or pick yourself up with the wonderful range of body scrubs, self-tans, vitamins, home facials and weight management plans.

If you’d like information about your diet, advice on how to help you quit smoking, lose weight or deal with your allergies, speak to the qualified on-site pharmacists.

Remember to use your Sister Club card! If you are not a member join in-store or online and start earning points immediately. Sisters Club members get paybacks, privileges and perks, these are just some of the benefits of joining the most popular Health and Beauty loyalty program in the country!

If you love paying less on health & beauty – then you’ll love the new Priceline Pharmacy Cowes, at 24 Thompson Ave, Cowes.

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Priceline Pharmacy Cowes

NOW OPEN The Esplanade WE’RE

HERE

Bass Ave

Thompson Ave

Genesta St

H

Warley Hospital

Cowes

Same owners, same staff and the same friendly service

Chapel St

24 Thompson Ave, Cowes Proprietors: John Laino, George Tambassis, Allan Hau, Greg Kossena, Ziggy Wong, Owen Bentley & Rick Fitzgerald coast 65

Time for a jewellery

Spring Clean?

Spring time is upon us, so rediscover your passion for jewellery and book a complimentary appraisal to rejuvenate your valuables into a unique creation. Appraisals can be made via phone or the website.

September Offer Free clean, check and polish with every new jewellery purchase for the month of September 2012.

(Limit one piece per purchase.)

New Open Hours Wednesday to Monday, 10am – 5pm, Closed Tuesdays

DESIGN your desires

CREATE your dreams

REJUVENATE your memories

41 Main Street Mornington, VIC 3931 P: +61 3 5977 0080 designs@studio41.com.au www.studio41.com.au Please view the following examples of fine Jewellery designed and created as personalized “special orders” for some of our valued clients.

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’ whatsnew and fresh

it’s all happening at haze

seaquest on show

Our favourite clothes shop Haze at Inverloch recently changed hands and is better than ever! They now stock a wider range of clothing for men and women. For the gals there’s more jewellery, shoes, handbags and accessories, and the boys can choose from brands such as Industrie, Freshjive, Nena & Pasadena, Levis and Mossimo and select jeans, shirts, casual tees, and shorts for summer. Some hot new labels are available for the ladies, including One Teaspoon, MinkPink, Bluejuice, Sadie and Wish – joining their other popular labels including Cooper St, Seduce, All About Eve, Mavi Jeans and more! If you’re after a dress for the races, something casual, new jeans, a nice top or jacket you’ll find it at Haze. The new-look store stocks a range of footwear including sandals, flats, high heels and boots from great brands like RMK, BonBons, Windsor Smith, Mollini and Zensu. See you there!

17 A’Beckett Street, Inverloch 03 5674 1133

Langford Jones Homes build quality homes. They offer a variety of designs and ensure flexibility within these plans. Proud to support local suppliers and trades in the construction of their quality buildings, they have four display homes located minutes from Phillip Island’s best surf beaches and Victoria’s beautiful Bass Coast. Their new SEAQUEST display home has opened at Shearwater Estate, 41 Settlement Rd in Cowes (opp Cowes Golf Club). The stunning, ultra modern, double storey display is open from 11.00am – 4.00pm Saturdays (and some Sundays) or by appointment. Call 03 95792 2703 03 5672 1108 or view at www.langfordjoneshomes.com.au

long street family medicine Opening in September, Long Street Family Medicine in Leongatha will provide a rare opportunity to experience a return to “oldfashioned care’. This small clinic will provide high quality (fully bulk-billed) care to the whole family. Our doctors are general practitioners with a deep understanding of rural medicine coupled with many years of local experience. We welcome an opportunity to assist you. Please call for an appointment on 03 5662 4455.

have you been to amaroo latey?

New owners Darrell and Lisa MacPherson have been busy over the last year and a half and have extensively renovated the Amaroo Park. It’s a very family orientated park, with a games room and heated outdoor swimming pool. Couples are also catered for, and they are a dog-friendly park, with 2 cabins available for you and your dog (they can even sleep inside!). They have accommodation to suit all budgets and tastes, including rooms in the 1920s homestead – perfect for short stays. Located only 2 minutes from town, they are very excited to have Youki’s Japanese restaurant joining them in September (at the old historic homestead). They have regular specials that can be found on their web site www.amaroopark.com

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words maria reed photos warren & maria reed

touring the grand ridge road & tarra bulga Grand Ridge Road must be one of the most beautiful tourist drives in Victoria. Following the Strezlecki Ranges, it passes through Mount Worth State Park and spectacular rainforest at the Tarra Bulga. National Park.

I feel a bit evangelical about Tarra Bulga and the Grand Ridge Road – now that I’ve been there. It’s always had mystical appeal and I am beginning to understand why. The breathtaking scenery and immense rainforest take you back to a time that mankind had little influence over. I’m a convert, and preaching to anyone that will listen about the extraordinary beauty of this area.

There are many take-off points for this magical journey: we chose to embark from Yarram, a charming little country town just inland from historic Port Albert. The road out of Yarram climbs steadily towards Tarra Bulga National Park, winding its way through towering mountain ash and gigantic tree ferns. The scenery changes rapidly, and as a stark reminder of questionable land management practices, plantation coupes scar the land between huge natural forests of mountain ash.

variety of elaborate songs to attract a mate. He is also the showier bird of the species, with two impressive tail feathers that he shakes at any potential mate.

The variety of flora and fauna along the way is fascinating. Making our way over creeks and streams we observe the moist moss and tiny plants that attach themselves to large tree trunks, growing luxuriantly on the southern side. This tiny ecosystem filters water down from the canopy, delicate drops clinging to leaf ends like small diamonds. The abundance of life here is startling. Tall forests of mountain ash, messmate and blackwood grow on the hills and slopes, while myrtle beech, sassafras and mulberry flourish in the gullies. We find ourselves walking parallel to a large fern gully where an enormous mountain ash has fallen, its roots propelled into the air. The root>base is massive – larger than a house. We begin to understand why people chain themselves to trees to protect these ageing gatekeepers of the forest. Their sheer size made us shiver.

We arrive at the National Park in the early afternoon, as the sun shines hazy streams of light through trees. The intensity of the green surrounding us is overwhelming. ‘Lush’ is not an adequate word to describe the towering forest and under-canopy . The visitor center recommends a walk to the suspension bridge that sits high above the tree ferns. Like a soft green lake, it looks as if you could dive into this unending expanse of green, to be carried aloft, like a cloud above the land.

We bounce over a suspension footbridge, taking time to peer down the gully over the tops of thousands of tree ferns – it’s a magical sight. The bridge allows for a bird’s eye view of the canopy and is the perfect place to record memory to film. A small yellow robin sits above us on a little branch, looking for food on the canopy below. We shut our eyes and listen to the song of the forest, trying to identify the sounds of cockatoos, kookaburras, rosellas and currawongs.

Walking down a narrow, winding path, we are alerted by the sound of scratching, and happen on a native lyrebird fifty metres into the Park. These amazing birds can mimic the sound of almost any other bird and a great variety of other sounds including chainsaws and cars. This behaviour is part of their courtship ritual, and the male will go to incredible lengths to produce a

In 1840, a Polish explorer by the grand name of Count Strzelecki explored this area with an Aboriginal guide named Charlie Tarra. Back in the day, there were no marked trails or bridges: they had to cut their way through dense scrub and tall timbers. A legacy of their explorations, the vast mountain ranges came to be called the Strzeleckis, and Tarra Bulga National Park was named>

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after Charlie Tarra, with ‘Bulga’ being added as a traditional Aboriginal word meaning ‘mountain’.

We emerged from the forest re-energised and happy at the prospect of exploring more of this beautiful region. As there is no accommodation or camping allowed in the Park, we grabbed our iPad and found the Prom Country accommodation site – www.promcountry.com.au/grand-ridgeroad – an invaluable resource when looking to stay in the area. We stayed at Best Friends holiday retreat, boutique, dog friendly accommodation in the Tarra Valley, which was great as we were travelling with our four-legged friend. The cabins are fully fenced, so we were happy to leave Nuggett in the sun while we went off to explore more of the National Park. While we were there, we were let into a great little secret from a fellow guest. Just a short walk up the scenic Tarra Valley Road road was Fernholme (Tarra Valley Caravan and Cabin Park) that made THE best Devonshire teas. After a friendly chat with their cockatoo out the front, we devoured fresh, plump scones (and noted it down as a place to stay on our next visit).

Tarra Valley Road reveals beautiful places to explore. The river meanders

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alongside the road, with picnic spots sprinkled amongst some of the prettiest parts of the area. As tempting as it is to stop here, we save our picnic lunch for our destination at Agnes Falls. Arriving, we feel much like we’ve just entered a hobbit’s world. We walk down the moss-covered steps to Agnes Falls Reserve. The picture is almost too perfect, and it looks like an extraordinary film set with its canopy of tree ferns and towering gums. We find picnic tables surrounded by moss-covered rocks and trees – a perfect place to enjoy our spread. After lunch, we make the trek up to the falls, and appreciate towering monarchs of the forest - their tendril-like roots clasping the side of the mountain. We see the falls after heavy rains, which create a spectacular cascade into the gorge.

Returning to our car, we decide to make a short side trip to Tom’s Cap Vineyard to sample some of their fine wines. The boutique vineyard also has spa cottage accommodation, which we promise ourselves we will sample one day. We fall in love with their sparkling Subterfuge, a clever mix of Pinot and Chardonnay grapes. With more than a few bottles tucked under our arm, we are pleased we made the journey.

Next we embark on the Grand Ridge Road as it is still early in the day. This monumental road snakes over 130km between the Latrobe Valley and South Gippsland. It can be easily accessed from Warragul, Yarram or Mirboo North depending on where you want to finish. We allowed a good six hours to enjoy this road, but if you have the time, it’s worth spending several days to take in the sights and enjoy the local hospitality.

We follow the ridge of the Strzelecki Ranges, enjoying the ever-changing scenery along the way. To the north we appreciate the striking views across abundant emerald farmland to the Latrobe Valley; to the south lie the wild waters of Bass Strait. Much of our trip is spent driving beneath towering trees and a canopy of ferns, but each time we emerge into the bright sunshine we are taken by yet another sweeping valley view, each almost better than the last.

We planned our day carefully to end in Mirboo North, home to the famous Grand Ridge Brewery, and (not so famous – but it’s in the process…)

Dalliance Chocolaterie. Beer and chocolate . . . need I say more?! Actually, the Grand Ridge Brewery is a bit of a gem, and has been recognised with

over 160 Australian and international awards. But don’t worry, girls:, it’s not just fun for the blokes … they also have tasteful guesthouse accommodation and a lovely restaurant set in a 1920s butter factory. While the boys enjoy a bounty of boutique beers, the girls can luxuriate at Dalliance with a chocolate (or two), a hot steaming coffee or a liqueur. I make a mental note to come back soon to try some of their gourmet chocolates including geranium, ginger, grapefruit and Frangelico.

We set off early the next day to take in the Grand Ridge Road from Mirboo North to Warragul. A crisp, misty morning lends atmosphere to this picturesque leg of the journey. We pass through scenic forests, unending pastures and green rolling hills – even a sunny field of daffodils in full bloom. Sadly, we run short of time to explore the wonders of Mount Worth State Park, but this gives us good reason to come back and visit soon.

If you are in need of a holiday close to home, or time to re-energise and reconnect with nature, a trip to Tarra Bulga National Park or a journey along the Grand Ridge Road is a must.

For more info www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/tarra-bulga-national-park

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Grand Ridge Road to Tarra Valley...

while we were there we enjoyed: www.promcountry.com.au/grand-ridge-road A great resource on where to stay in the area www.tomscap.com.au Boutique vineyard, Woody’s Restaurant & accommodation www.bestfriend.net.au A great place to stay with your ‘best friend’ www.tarra-valley.com Accommodation and delicious Devonshire tea’s www.grand-ridge.com.au Boutique brewery, restaurant and accommodation Dalliance on Facebook For tantalizing hand made chocolates

TARRA VALLEY HOME OF

Best Friend Holiday Retreat Australia’s premier multi award winning dog friendly holiday destination. Budget and luxury cabins, all fully fenced. Dogs sleep inside. Book online at www.bestfriend.net.au Contact: Coralie & Ralph Tel: (03) 5186 1216 Book online at www.bestfriend.net.au

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Tarra Valley Caravan Park Situated on the picturesque Tarra River 2.5 hrs from Melbourne, we are the closest camping and cabin Accommodation to the Tarra Bulga National Park, and The Grand Strzelecki Track.

1906 Tarra Valley Rd, Tarra Valley Ph (03) 5186-1283 email@tarra-valley.com www.tarra-valley.com

Grand Ridge Brewery

• Bar • Restaurant • Accommodation

One of Gippsland’s best kept secrets, Grand Ridge Brewery is situated in Mirboo North, a small country town in the heart of Gippsland. The Grand Ridge Brewery use only the highest quality ingredients to brew beers of exceptional flavour and purity.

These incomparable brewing processes have helped make Grand Ridge one of the world’s most awarded breweries. On top of all this Grand Ridge also boasts full hotel facilities with restaurant, specialising in steaks and superb local produce and two beautiful guest houses for those who wish to stay a little longer and really enjoy the beers

Just 90 minutes from Melbourne, Grand Ridge Brewery is open 7 days from 11am til late.

Restaurant is open Wed – Sun off peak and 7 days during holiday periods 12-3pm Lunch 6-9pm Dinner Grand Ridge Brewery - 1 Baromi Road Mirboo North P: 03 5668 2222 E: beer@grand-ridge.com.au www.grand-ridge.com.au @grandridgebeer facebook.com/grandridgebrewery

Dalliance Chocolaterie & Providore is an aptly named epicurean treasure-trove that toys with the senses of all those who follow their nose through its doors.

For those who can’t be tempted to stop and stay awhile, the shelves are stacked with preserves, conserves and all manner of providore items including Phillipa’s breads, T2 products, cheeses, oils, pastas and even more sweet temptations to take away.

62 Ridgway Mirboo North

Open 7 Days a week 8am - 5pm

Ph - 56 682 455

See Dalliance on facebook

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wine&dine

Imagine a boutique vineyard set on the sunny slopes of the Strzeleckis in central Gippsland. Add to this private spa accommodation, friendly hospitality, beautiful gardens and a delicious restaurant and what do you have? Toms Cap Vineyard at Willung South.

paradise in the hills of gippsland Our host Anne Morris warmly welcomes us. She has mastered the art of hospitality and charms us with her friendly smile and genuine warmth. “Take a seat and make yourself at home,” she says, pouring us a glass 2010 Subterfuge, an exquisite sparkling Pinot Chardonnay by winemaker and friend Owen Schmidt. We have a bird’s-eye view of the property from our seat in the restaurant, overlooking vines, ornamental gardens and accommodation. Annie tells me the 100acre property was a tangle of blackberries and bracken in 1990 when she purchased the property – which is hard to believe.

Seeing Toms Cap now, it is quite obvious that Annie and her partner Graham are unafraid of a challenge. The (then) Melbourne couple were looking at a weekend property with the criteria “that it had to be under two hours from Melbourne,” Anne laughs.

“Graham had been a marathon runner and squash player all his life and had pretty much wrecked his body, so we were looking for a project that would keep us physically active on weekends.”

Anne is a ‘Jill of all trades’ and her experience in hospitality and the liquor industry gave her a grounding for what was to come. “Graham had his own accountancy practice in town, so we’d come down on weekends to work. It’s been a great learning curve, but lots of fun!” They began by clearing the property of weeds and handplanted over 6000 vines. “We’re very hands-on,” she giggles. “We prune and get out on the tractor when we need to. Graham’s great – we complement each other. What I don’t know, he makes up.”

Their first grafted root stock vines were planted in ‘92. “Our friends thought we were mad – no one was doing this kind of thing here back in the 90s.” As with all great learning curves, they discovered the hard way when their first crop of grapes was gobbled up by the birds. “In a panic, we went to ordernetting and the guy just laughed. He said, ‘You’re kidding, right? You

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should have ordered it last year!’ You learn soon enough.”

Their plantings of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon were crushed amid great excitement back in 1997. “It was our first vintage, and it tasted pretty . . . .hmm.” They have come a long way from those early days and have been recognised with several bronze medals. “It’s not something we have sought out, but it’s nice to be recognised,” says Anne. They now boast plantings of Sauv Blanc, Cab Sav, Reisling, Chardonnay (both wooded and unwooded), Shiraz and a sparkling variety. “We’re getting great feedback about our Sparkling.

It’s a mix of our Chardonnay and Owen’s* Pinot – it’s very exciting!”

It appears that the creation of Toms Cap Vineyard was an organic process. With their first vintage in hand, Annie wondered, “How are we going to sell it?” The small house they shared overlooked an empty triangular paddock. In an inspired moment, she said to Graham, “Why don’t we build some cottages so people can come and stay and try the wines… and they might even take some home with them.”

That was twelve years ago and the accommodation has proved to be a great success. With 2 romantic 2-bedroom spa cottages, and a 4-bedroom lodge to share with family and friends, there is accommodation to suit everyone. “There’s just so much to do around here. Opposite the Lodge we have a health spa with its own gym, massage and pamper room, dry sauna and an outdoor (8 person) heated spa. Nearby we’ve got the Yarram Golf Club which is absolutely gorgeous, and Tarra Bulga National Park is only 45 minutes drive away. They’ve just opened the Strzelecki Walking Track which is fabulous – it goes on for kilometres – and don’t forget bushwalking in the Mullungdung National Park.” But truthfully, I don’t think I could tear myself away from the property, with its open fires, spas, delicious meals and relaxed atmosphere. >

Grand Ridge Road to Tarra Valley...

“Crispy skin Atlantic salmon with asparagus, served on a warm bed of potato salad, preserved lemon, sautéed fennel and lemon aioli. I try to stop at half, but it is just too delicious and I polish it off.”

words maria reed photos warren reed

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Grand Ridge Road to Tarra Valley...

Toms Cap Vineyard Retreat (and Woody’s Bar & Café) 322 Lays Road, Willung South p 03 5194 2215 f 03 5194 2369 info@tomscap.com.au www.tomscap.com.au

Soon the couple found their regular customers and locals were looking for lunch and dinner, and – forever the hostess – Anne opened up their newly-built house and started creating dinners in their home. “Some nights we were serving up 24 in our home! When you’re in the country, you have to be Jack-of-all-trades, so Graham and I would do the cooking. We’re a pretty good team, I guess.” When people started enquiring about weddings and events, the couple was happy to oblige. “We tried a couple of dinners in the old shed, which had heaps of character, but was pretty basic, but we were happy for people to bring their own caterers and set up a marquee.”

Anne tells us a hilarious story about one of their first weddings, which says lots about their ‘can do’ attitude. “It was a lovely sunny day, and the couple were saying their vows in the courtyard at our house overlooking the lake. We had a marquee set up for 120 behind the cottages, and the weather started to turn. The rain started to come down and with it came wind, thunder and lightning. The boys went to check on the marquee and it seems the company didn’t set it up correctly and it collapsed under the strain of wind and rain.” Quick-thinking Anne invited all the guests into her new home and served finger-food and drinks while Graham and his friends tried to rescue the wedding from disaster. “I saw some of the bridal party give us a sideways glance when they heard the tractors take off, like… ‘What a cheek –moving machinery at a wedding!’, but they only learnt the truth later when the wedding reception was in full swing.” It turns out the guy-ropes were too short, so the boys pulled the marquee up with the tractor and fastened the ropes to the machinery. Chair-covers and tablecloths were thrown in the dryer and floors were mopped. “By the time we bussed all the guests up to the marquee they were none the wiser,” laughs Anne.

After this experience, they realised they needed a space to accommodate events. Voilà! Woody’s Restaurant. The simple yet stylish interior of the restaurant complements its surrounds perfectly. A large wall of glass panels overlooks the vineyards, and the smooth polished concrete floors and neutral walls highlight the

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views and artworks by Louise Prior(Flowers on Johnson, Maffra) created with materials from the vineyard. The menu is fresh and seasonal, with much of the produce sourced from their abundant kitchen gardens. Anne is thrilled with her small local team, and poached her talented chef Nathan Belkin from Melbourne.

To enjoy the full experience, we luxuriate over a delicious lunch overlooking the vineyard. We start with a shared plate for two that includes delicious morsels of pork belly in tempura batter, duck terrine, smoked salmon pâté with caviar, goat’s cheese with caramelised onion, marinated octopus and more. This is complemented by a glass of Toms Cap 2008 Chardonnay, which is golden in colour with hints of butterscotch and peach. Everything on the tasting plate is made in-house, and is simply mouthwatering.

For mains, I choose the crispy skin Atlantic salmon with asparagus, served on a warm bed of potato salad, preserved lemon, sautéed fennel and lemon aioli. The meal is bursting with flavour and the salmon perfectly cooked. I try to stop at half, but it is just too delicious and I polish it off. My partner chooses twice-cooked duck thigh with a beetroot and broad bean risotto, which demands my attention with its colour and aroma. Succulent duck thighs sit upon a bed of creamy beetroot risotto (the beets plucked only moments ago from the garden) and contrasted with homegrown broad beans and edible flowers. The verdict – magnificent! Anne says, “We treat people the way we like to be treated. Once here, we like them to stay as long as they want.” They’ve had lunchtime diners stay until 7 o’clock, which is a testament to their hospitality.

“We’re just happy for people to stay and enjoy themselves.”

My only regret is not being able to stay longer myself. I imagine playing bocce amongst the vines with a fine red in hand, sitting by the fire and making my way through the delicious menu. As we speak, I am making a note in my diary to book a spa cottage for the weekend to enjoy all the delights and friendly, homegrown hospitality that Toms Cap Vineyard has to offer. * Owen Schmidt - their winemaker from Lyrebird Hill Winery

Vineyard Retreat

* Accommodation *Restaurant * Winery Toms Cap is a small boutique vineyard situated in Central Gippsland and surrounded by the forests of the Strezlecki Ranges, the ninety mile beach at Woodside and the natural flora and fauna of Tarra Bulga national park. The property consists of 100 acres of rolling green paddocks with six acres of vines and forty acres of planted gums and pines.

Ann & Graham Morris www.tomscap.com.au P. (03) 5194 2215 M. 0418 339 904 E.info@tomscap.com.au coast 77

spring accommodation guide

Book these and over 30 more at www.promcountry.com.au

The Great Southern Rail Trail - 50km cycling, walking & horse riding from Leongatha to Foster

Self Contained 8 Acres Holiday House - Foster: $200-$600 per night Abington Briars Cottage - Foster: $275 per night Bass View Cabins - Yanakie: 2x1BR cabins & 1x2 BR cabin Benaway Cottages - Korumburra: $140 per night Bimbadeen Retreat - Fish Creek: $140-$170 per night Birchwood Retreat Country Cottages: $140-$260 per night Black Cockatoo Cottages - Yanakie: $120-$190 per night Blithe Spirit - Port Albert: 3 suites, on the waters edge Buln Buln Holiday Cabins & Boutique Barn: Yanakie Carrelly Garden Accommodation: $150-$245 per night Eagles Outlook - Foster: $120 per night Emerald Hills Cottage - Koonwarra: $145-$205 per night Fish Creek Farmview Cottages: $140-$280 per night Koonwarra Cottages: $130per night Leongatha Country Cottages: $110-$155 per night Loves Lane Cottages - Mirboo North: $150-$170 per night Oaklane Retreat - Foster: 2BR - 1xqueen & 2xsingle, sleeps 4 Prom Gate Vista Cabins - Yanakie: panoramic sea views The Moilong Express Train - Inverloch: $120 per night Tidal Dreaming Seaview Cottages - Yanakie Tindoona Cottages - Foster: $160 per night Venus Bay Eco Retreat: Advanced Ecotourism Certified Zenergie: Villas - Inverloch: $130-$205 per night

Beach House 0402 324 725 5682 2502 5687 1207 5657 2268 5683 2687 5668 1757 0438 506 468 5183 2399 0427 339 268 5668 6390 0407 540 269 5664 2414 0427 636 376 5662 5600 5662 4444 5664 1212 5682 2797 5687 1156 0439 842 334 0427 425 069 5682 1072 5663 7525 5657 4490

Bed & Breakfast Bentleys - Korumburra: 2 rooms, romantic getaway House on the Hill - Kilcunda: 1xunit & 3 rooms Hudspeth House - Meeniyan: $170-$190 per night Karingal Homestead - Inverloch: $130-$175 per night Percanta - Koonwarra: 2BR - 1xqueen & 2xtwin king Tarra Bulga Guest House & Lyrebird CafĂŠ: $100-$120 p/n Tingara View Cottages - Yanakie: $130 per night

5655 1592 5678 7350 5664 7461 5674 3029 5664 2479 5196 6141 5687 1488

Motel & Unit My Place - Inverloch: motel style unit, sleeps 4 Opal Motel - Leongatha: 13 ensuite rooms, picturesque views Toora Lodge Motel: $99 - $145 per night

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South Gippsland Dairy Farms - Provide direct employment for over 1,200 people

5674 3504 5662 2321 5686 2666

22 Acacia Street - Sandy Point: $110 per night 60 The Boulevard - Sandy Point: $170-$200 per night A Funky Sandy Beach Shack - Sandy Point: $145 per night Anderson Beach House - Inverloch: $200 per night Blakey’s Losman - Sandy Point: $160-$180 per night Blue Oar Cottage - Port Welshpool: $175-$200 per night Elouera Cottage by the Sea - Yanakie: $150 per night Lanes Beach House - Walkerville: $250-$315 per night Promegranite Beach House - Yanakie: $200-$250 per night Sandy Point Road: $150-$200 per night The Beach House at Sandy Point: $200-$230 per night The Beachfront - Sandy Point: $185-$210 per night The Bothy - Sandy Point: $160-$210 per night The Point - Sandy Point: $170-$200 per night The Quirky - Sandy Point: $150 per night The Studio at Sandy Point: $125-$145 per night Wilsons Prom Retreat - Yanakie: $250-$300 per night Yaringa Cottage - Walkerville: $150 per night

1800 889 966 0425 802 669 5689 1311 0431 473 640 0429 822 602 0427 812 203 5687 1239 5663 2291 0408 599 732 5687 1367 0418 595 023 9890 2104 0408 599 732 0400 477 794 0408 599 732 8644 8290 5989 7224 5663 2291

Caravan Park Long Jetty Caravan Park - Port Welshpool: cabins & camping Yanakie Caravan Park: 3BR cottage, cabins & camping

5688 1233 5687 1295

Group Lodge Prom Coast Holiday Lodge - Waratah Bay: lodge & cottages Waratah Lodge - Waratah Bay: $145-$180 per night

5684 1110 0437 033 464

Resort Broadbeach - Inverloch: units, restaurant & more Broadbeach Unit 8 - Inverloch

5674 6290 9744 2687

Apartment

By The Beach - Inverloch: $140-$150 per night

0418 397 739

Rates are for two people. Extra adults and children rates apply at most properties.

School/Public Holidays and weekends are a higher rate at some properties.

Visit www.promcountry.com.au or phone the property to check the current rate.

Minimum stay: 2 nights applies at most properties.

New Leongatha Medical Clinic

Long Street Family Medicine Opening Monday 17th September 2012 BULK BILLING To all Medicare Card Holders

Call 5662 4455 R

1 Long Street, Leongatha 3953

Medical & Aged Care Group

Leongatha Art and Craft Gallery

Quality local Art & Craft

‘Liberated Books’ artist’s book exhibition at Meeniyan Art Gallery, 1 to 27 September. Celebrating 40 years of art and craft at Leongatha Gallery. As part of our next Woodworkers’ exhibition, featured artist Reg Marshall will display small wooden models and larger work including a beautiful rocking horse and child’s rocking chair. Exhibition runs from Leongatha Daffodil Festival August 23-25 until Christmas.

Changing Exhibitions Cnr Michael Place and Mc Cartin St Leongatha - Opposite the Post Office & next door to the CAB & Visitor info centre.

Closed; Sunday, Tuesday. Open; Sat 10am-2pm. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 10am-4pm or when the sign is out.

Gallery; 5662 5370. Contact; 5662 2029 email. lacs@live.com.au www.leongathagallery.org.au

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Deborah Halpern sculptor

Workshops How to Use Fibreglass 1 day workshop

Mosaic Workshop

2 day weekend workshop

Enquiries for workshops call Deb on m. 0417 352 797 e. deborahhalpern@ozemail.com.au

HISTORY and ADVENTURE on PHILLIP ISLAND Seriously… well worth a visit

NVVM is an award winning museum recognised nationally for its dedication to the preservation and presentation of the story of all Vietnam veterans in Australia’s longest war.

• Vast display of exhibits

Cosy café for light snacks and great coffee, Child friendly – wheelchair access

• Amazing photo and art gallery

25 Veterans Drive, Newhaven, Phillip Island Ph: 5956 6400 Visit our website to view our online shop

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• Incredible Sound & Light show • Fascinating Restoration Hangar

www.vietnamvetsmuseum.org

saving the kimberley

James Price Point – one of the most spectacular stretches of beach in the Kimberley – is staring down the barrel of full-scale industrialisation as a group of mining giants work to make it the site of the world’s second-largest gas hub.

The Wilderness Society words jaxon barnes (Marine and Kimberley Community Campaigner)

The Kimberley region of Western Australia spans an area twice that of Victoria and has been rated as having one of the least impacted coastlines in the world, comparable only to Arctic and Antarctic waters. This region is also recognised as the only part of mainland Australia to have retained all its native fauna species without extinction since European settlement.

But for how much longer? Our very own modern-day Noah’s Ark is facing enormous threats, the greatest of which is our insatiable hunger for fossil fuels.

The enormity of the proposed project is hard to comprehend. As it stands, construction of the gas hub will involve drilling a series of offshore gas mines in waters which shelter the largest Humpback Whale population in the world. Then, multiple reef systems will be blasted to allow the dredging of a massive sea-port. Currently home to turtles, dugongs and the Australian Snubfin dolphin, this underwater world will become a marine ’dead zone’ where the only things moving through the water are gas supertankers chugging in and out of the port.

Prior to construction, the project will require the clearing of an area of Aboriginal land around James Price Point close to 24 times the size of

Melbourne’s CBD. The gas plant itself, when in operation, will spew 30 billion litres of contaminated wastewater into the surrounding turquoise waters annually and increase Western Australia’s carbon emissions by 39 million tonnes a year. The pollution will be so significant that this single factory is expected to raise Australia’s national carbon emissions by more than 5%.

One of the most outrageous aspects of all this is that there are economically-viable alternatives that would allow the extraction and processing of the gas in a way that is more environmentally and socially responsible. Piping the gas to existing infrastructure in the Pilbara is an obvious alternative and is the preferred option for most in the joint venture.

In the 1970s Australians said ‘no’ to oil and gas mining on the Great Barrier Reef and went on to establish one of the world’s most famous marine parks. The Reef now contributes $6.9 billion dollars annually to the Australian economy. The Kimberley region holds similar economic potential and there are currently more than 500 Indigenous people working in the Kimberley tourism industry. But this industry will collapse unless we can protect the unique natural and cultural values of the area.>

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saving the kimberley

“Some say the land is there for the benefit of the people alone. But how can that be?

It is not different from us. Like humans, the wallabies and trees, rocks and water are all made of that same living, vibrating spirit.”

Paddy Roe – a Traditional Custodian and senior Goolarabooloo Law Boss who, in 1987, initiated the Kimberley’s Lurujarri Heritage Trail – once said: “Some say the land is there for the benefit of the people alone. But how can that be? It is not different from us. Like humans, the wallabies and trees, rocks and water are all made of that same living, vibrating spirit.”

This lack of connection to country puts us in our current predicament, and it seems that – as a nation – we’re yet to fully comprehend that human happiness and survival is dependent on a healthy environment and community.

But it’s not too late to heed this lesson. This gas hub project doesn’t yet have environmental approval, and investment partners are still making their final decision. Together with the local Kimberley community, I’m

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proud to be standing up in opposition to this destructive proposal. This will be a long and arduous battle, but one worth fighting – the outcome will set a strong precedent for future industrialisation throughout the whole band of Northern Australia.

In a world of dwindling beauty, the Kimberley provides solace. The destruction of this precious country would mean not only the loss of magnificent landscapes, precious wildlife and a thriving Aboriginal culture – but a widening of the tear in the ecological and social fabric of our own existence.

To find out more about how you can help stand up for the Kimberley, visit www.KimberleyCampaigner.com

New online store www.southcoastfurnishings.com/shop

155 Thompson Avenue, Cowes

Ph. 03 5952 1488

Fax. 03 5952 1348

www.southcoastfurnishings.com.au

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MUSIC TO FILL THE DANCE FLOOR!

MORE THAN YOUR TYPICAL ‘WEDDING BAND’

With regular showcase performances and a free demo CD you can see and hear them live before booking them.

Choose between 3 – 14 full time professional musicians who play Top 40, Classic Rock & Funk, 80s, Swing Jazz and more...

Pricing from $1000 - $5000, depending on band size.

Call 0438 301 313 or email info@bakerboysband.com.au for more information

JAZZ | FUNK | BLUES | ROCK | ACOUSTIC

WWW.BAKERBOYSBAND.COM.AU

57 Bair St Leongatha.

Open weekdays 9–5:30 Sat 9–1 Phone. 5662 3103

Featuring a stunning range of...

JEWELLERY HANDBAGS SCARVES CLOTHING GIFTWARE

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benefits of post baby exercise Those who have experienced the pleasure, challenges and sleepless nights during pregnancy and immediately after giving birth will understand the effect it has on your body.

First there is the weight gain throughout the pregnancy to deal with and then, being pregnant often makes it more difficult to find the energy to exercise and therefore feel rejuvenated.

After your baby is born the struggle continues, finding the motivation, time and energy to exercise and also prepare wholesome meals for yourself and your family. Following are some ideas to help you get back your pre-baby body and also make some time for yourself.

Healthy Eating Eating a healthy diet is one of the first steps you can take. It can happen throughout the pregnancy and continue immediately after the birth of your child. It is important to set realistic goals for yourself. Remember that your body has been through significant changes in the past nine months and it will take more than a few weeks to get your body back to what it was. Eating a nutritious, balanced diet will also give you more energy to exercise and look after your new family addition.

Get Exercising For the first six or so weeks after childbirth don’t worry about your body shape. Start by walking - try to get out daily - and you will be surprised how easy it is to work up a sweat walking with your baby in a pusher. Start working your pelvic floor as soon as you are comfortable, but avoid sit ups initially as your abdominal muscles need to draw back together after separating during pregnancy. Remember the fitter you are throughout your pregnancy, the more quickly you will be able to get back into shape. Do not use your pregnancy as an excuse to eat for two!

After around six weeks (or maybe longer after a caesarian) you can start to increase the intensity of your exercise routine with cardio workouts and light weights. Always check with your doctor first, but if all is well then grab a friend maybe someone new from your mothers group - and get exercising.

Get back to the gym, join in a group fitness class, have a swim or join in an aqua aerobics session, it all helps and you will find that, suddenly, you again have some ‘me-time’ in your busy life.

Now that the YMCA Wonthaggi Aquatic & Leisure Centre and Phillip Island Leisure Centre both have licensed Childcare Services operating on site from Monday to Friday, there is no reason to delay. For further information please contact YMCA Wonthaggi Phone 5672 4194

www.wonthaggi.ymca.org.au

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Florist Wonthaggi

We pride ourselves on our service, quality and value for money, you wont be dissappointed

• Wedding packages to suit any budget (call to make an appointment) • Giftware, cards, chocolates • Delivery to australia wide & international • Hampers made to order McBride

• Now in store herbal teas and tea related products

Avenue

• Aromatherapy products also available

Watt Street us

ing Gorgeo

Simply Bloom

reet

Avenue

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Open 6 Days Mon – Fri, 9am – 5.30pm Sat, 9am – 1pm.

After hours by appointment

McBride

71 McBride Avenue Wonthaggi 3995 T. 5672 1708 F. 5672 5154 M. 0414 460 839 E. blooming_gorgeous@live.com

St McKenzie

Contact us today:

green In a world of finite resources, we all need to do our bit to live sustainably and contribute to the future of our planet. If every individual did one small thing to reduce, reuse and recycle we could all make a huge impact to the state of our environment. When it all seems too hard, remember . . . what kind of world do you want to leave your children?

Select businesses around our coast are taking up the challenge and creating greener products and work practices to encourage you to make ‘green’ choices.

Read on to find out more . . .

St McKenzie reet

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THE SOLUTION

IS SOLAR Call: 1300 007652 coast 88

With the cost of gas and electricity constantly rising its time to make the switch to solar power, and Sunplus Solar are solar hot water and solar power specialists.

Going solar is not just good for the environment - it’s good for your wallet. for more information www.sunplussolar.com.au or check out your local distributor at www.phazer.com.au coast 89

agreenerlife The Cape Paterson Ecovillage is a unique project that sets the standard in sustainable developments. words susan webster photos warren reed

Yearning for rumpus room/theatre room leading onto an indoor pool/spa/ sauna? A couple of 4WDs in the drive? … Sorry. Turn the page.

But if you’re beguiled by a house that makes its own power, provides its own water supply and fuels the family car, then listen to Brendan Condon talking about the 40ha Cape Paterson Ecovillage. “Build the sort of future you want to see,” he said. “We believe this project will set a new standard for sustainability in housing and coexistence with the environment.”

He insists he is not a green-eyed dreamer. “There aren’t many sure things in life. I can think of death, taxes and rising energy, water and oil costs,” he comments. “When you build your house you are either locking yourself into a future of rising costs, or, by spending more time on better design, decoupling yourself from that future. It’s about securing your baseline.”

By qualification, he’s a criminologist. In his spare time he’s an outrigger canoeist. For a living, he runs a business employing 70 people rehabilitating landscapes or creating new wetlands. He established the business with a partner in 1997 and in 2010 they collected seed, grew and planted their 25 millionth plant.

Now his energies are driven by the vision of 220 cleverly designed, lowemission, solar-powered houses designed to nestle into a regenerated

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landscape on a precious part of the coast. Cycle paths will be a feature of the development, as will an environmental learning centre. Brendan and his business partners are striving for a strong sense of community, an active healthy lifestyle and to contribute to the restoration and ecological values of the coast. Construction on site commences in earnest in 2013.

Initially, however, the development stirred noisy local protests. Over time, as local residents from Cape Paterson came to understand what the team were trying to achieve, the project gained strong local support.

He recalled: “By the time the project was approved it had been in a holding pattern for 10 years. While that placed huge pressure on us to keep the project alive, there were some unexpected benefits. One was the ramp-up of the industrial might of Germany and China in producing solar panels. Our solar energy systems have reduced in cost by 75% in the past four years.

Meanwhile electricity and oil costs have hiked skywards. “To prove we were serious about building a housing project that didn’t rely on fossil fuels, we commissioned a peer-reviewed study to evaluate the project.”

What did the report say? The sweet spot for achieving zero carbon housing is to build to 7.5 star efficiency, and reduce house size from the state average of more than 250 sq m to less than 200. Reduced construction costs more than pay for all sustainability features, which combined could

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save residents more than $300,000 over the life of an average mortgage.

Putting energy and water bill savings into accelerated mortgage repayments could mean it’s paid off six to eight years early.

Our interactive design process has worked – house construction costs have come back at between $1600 - $2000/sq m across most designs - and that includes the sustainability features like solar systems and water tanks.”

Here’s the maths. Each home will have at least 2.5kW of solar power generation capacity and will be fitted with a 10,000l rainwater tank. The developers are costing bulk-buying or sharing electric cars and fitting recharging outlets fuelled from solar-collected power. These sustainability features are calculated to provide a post-tax return of between 6-11%. All the technologies are proven and reliable, having been rolled out on millions of houses globally.

Brendan has a track record of making visions real. After uni he worked for six years with young offenders restoring landscapes – rehabilitation on both counts. “Having a good look at the underbelly of society helps you understand society fairly well,” he said. “And trying to understand the natural world with a keen in interest in science and global politics has made me realise that we’re not preparing ourselves to meet the challenges … and the way we’re building houses underlines that. It’s clear to me that we’re building as if we’ve got unlimited oil, that climate change doesn’t exist and we’re building houses that are too big. I worry about the economic future of people living in the sprawling McMansion belts of outer Melbourne. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

House designs have been custom created for the development, he said.

“We shortlisted 12 of Victoria’s best sustainable architects, and then selected the final team - four architects and one building designer, who were each to design two to three houses. We called in two of the country’s two top energy efficiency experts as well as local builders so, as the designers were setting out their ideas and concepts, they were getting real-time feedback on how to select the best materials for the coast, and how to improve comfort, performance, and reduce cost.

“We gave all the designers a target of aiming for under $2000/sq m built.

Warragul-raised, his family visited Cape Patterson regularly as the family beach and his brother and sister worked at Wonthaggi. Water sports feature in his past, sea kayaking and yachting and more recently paddling an outrigger canoe. It’s a hobby that’s taken him all over Australia and over to Hawaii, Most memorable, however, have been the couple of times he’s paddled with a team across Bass Strait, once as a fundraiser for cancer. >

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A strapping bloke at 44, he finds himself always placed mid-hull as a human stabiliser. Call him ballast.

He foresees himself moving from Port Melbourne to a house in the new development and plans to spend a chunk of his time manning its proposed environmental education centre.

But how will he keep the residents focused? How will he prevent a Hummer in next door’s carport? “The project will attract people who are sensible about sustainability. Hopefully it will attract a corpus of people for whom this absolutely makes sense and they’ll start to perpetuate that culture,” he said. For others, it will be economics. “In future people will face the choice of driving an inefficient 4WD and paying 20c/km in energy costs for the privilege. At the ecovillage, people will be able to drive an electric vehicle for 4c/km off their rooftop solar. In the end people will follow their wallets.”

What sort of people will that comprise? The project has attracted nearly 1000 registrations for the 220 lots. “Of that there is a seriously engaged group and 75% of those want to be permanent residents, with a large number of those being locals – builders, tradespeople, teachers, families,” said Brendan. “Then we think there will a certain number ‘active retirees’

option, with a finite amount of superannuation to live on. They want a house with low running costs, with the on-site energy generation and that’s well-designed, well-built, comfortable to live in and going to grow in value.

“Researching sustainable housing took me all around Australia over the past five years. The comment from many residents was – once you have lived in a sustainable house you will never go back – the comfort levels are much higher.

“We are happy we have that high percentage of full-time residents. We’ve gone to enormous efforts to build an infrastructure and a wonderful community and you want it to be used. You want the community to achieve critical mass.”

Already the project is earning its education stripes. A group of property developers from Victoria’s Surf Coast recently visited to pick up tips.

Isn’t that sharing information with potential competitors? He replied: “I don’t look at this as a competitive process. We’re so far behind the eight ball on this stuff. We should have been doing it 20 years ago. We’re very underprepared for some of the big challenges headed for us and it’s a matter of ‘we’re running out of time. Get on with it’.”

Award winning local designer/builders Beaumont Concepts and TS Constructions have joined the project along with sustainable, award winning architect Adam Dettrick.

Beaumont Concepts

TS Constructions

Adam Dettrick Architect

Beaumont Concepts, a multi award winning building designer, create functional designs for easy living. In every project they endeavor to find and apply innovative solutions to enhance a clients investment with sustainable home design. Their knowledge of sustainable design methods ensures your home harnesses the natural elements of the site and achieves the highest possible energy rating. The team at Beaumont Concepts can provide design or design and construct packages to suit individual requirements. They value the ideas of clients and revel in collaborating and translating these ideas into a creative and site sensitive home.

TS Constructions has an Environmental Management Policy (EMP) that considers not just the process behind construction, but the materials used and the ongoing effectiveness of a building. We try to achieve a balance between the short term impacts and long term benefits of everything we build to ensure a sustainable future for all. TS Constructions has obtained accreditation in numerous green building processes through the HIA and MBA, and constantly works with suppliers to utilise the most up to date products and processes.

Underlying all our work is our commitment to environmental sustainability and liveability. Our buildings respond to the changing seasons to offer an easy flow between inside and outside and perfect liveability throughout the year. Our practice strives to provide quality buildings that not only suit the immediate needs of our clients, but respond to future changes in lifestyle and patterns of use. We build on the ideas and aspirations of our clients to create spaces that are not only beautiful and practical, but also have a special sense of place and meaning.

Showroom 4 Mortimer St, Won 03 5672 2466 www.tsconstructions.com.au

Office 305/20-22 McKillop St, Melb 03 9606 0774 www.adamdettrickarchitect.com.au

Beaumont Concepts Office and Ecoliv Display Home 53 Graham St, Won 03 56725196 Wonthaggi 03 59526868 Cowes www.beaumontconcepts.com.au

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ADAM DETTRICK ARCHITECT

ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE HOUSES AND COMMUNITIES. We are proud to be Project Architects for the Cape Paterson Ecovillage - a community that sets a new benchmark for sustainable living.

305/20-22 McKillop St Melbourne 3000, Australia tel: 03 9606 0774 adam@adamdettrickarchitect.com.au www.adamdettrickarchitect.com.au

“Shaping the Built Environment”

Phone. 03 5672 2466 PO Box 267 Wonthaggi 3995 www.tsconstructions.com.au admin@tsconstructions.com.au

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New Showroom

Creating masterpieces from recycled native hardwoods Mark: 0418 355 148

www.findingthegrain.com.au

factory@findingthegrain.com.au

Factory 7/28 The Concourse Cowes Phillip Island coast 94

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Estuaries act as a good indicator of climate change.

promotional feature

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estuary watch words maria reed photos warren reed & ryan thomas

Gippsland’s estuaries are rich and vibrant tidal habitats that are of great environmental significance.

They contribute to the region’s productivity and tourism and for this and many other reasons there is a great focus on working towards the protection of these estuaries and wetlands to enhance the health of these catchments - and rivers that feed into them.

EstuaryWatch is a program that started at the Powlett River over two years ago. The group has eight dedicated volunteers from the local community who monitor water quality on a regular basis. “This provides us with vital information over time that helps us make educated decisions when managing the estuary,” says Matt Bowler from West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.

Local Woolamai resident Nick Sibly has worked with the estuary watch program since 2010. He became a volunteer after taking a canoe trip down the Powlett, organised by the WGCMA . “It’s such an amazing estuary.

At 7am in the morning, it’s a very calm and tranquil place to be with swans and kangaroos all over the place. I decided I wanted to get involved.

Every month volunteers go to different parts of the estuary to take water samples, checking for ph, acidity, salinity, oxygen and turbidity.

Using a WSI monitor (testing equipment that has a lead of several meters with a probe on the end) volunteers measure the water at 50cm

increments. The CMA train water testers, and they are tested every 6 months to ensure the accuracy of their water collection data.

Volunteers also monitor the mouth of the Powlett. “We take a few photos, record what we see and report any dramatic changes over time,” says Nick. Previous to the last two years of heavy rainfall, the area experienced many years of drought that affected the mouth of the river. “When the mouth is blocked farmers further down the estuary may want authorities to open the mouth, but we have to ensure that there are sufficient oxygen levels, otherwise it can cause massive fish and plant deaths. Estuaries act as a good indicator of climate change.

If the sea level was to rise by even a few centimeters, tide line species along the banks would die as they only survive with a certain amount of salinity.”

The Powlett begins in Korumburra and winds its way through rolling hills and fertile farmland to the mouth of the ocean at Kilcunda. >

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A pioneering Landcare project initiated back in the 80s introduced vegetation into the sparcely treed farmlands, with riverside plantings creating buffer strips to filter sediment and nutrients feeding into the river system.

EstuaryWatch volunteers now test for nutrients as an over supply of phosphorous and nitrogen can cause algal blooms which affect the estuary ecosystem. Seagrass is an important habitat for a number of species, and algae can eventually kill the grass due to a lack of oxygen.

Matt reports, “the significance of these estuarine habitats as vital resting, feeding and breeding sites for resident and migratory birds, fish and marine species highlights the importance of these ecosystems.�

If you would like to know more about the Estuary watch program, or become a volunteer, please contact Rose Herben, EstuaryWatch Coordinator on 03 5224 9402 or rose.herben@ccma.vic.gov.au or log on to find out more. .

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Rod Bending’s World

A great way to introduce kids to sailing.

PEDAL,PADDLE,SAIL

www.rodbendingsworld.com Your local Authorised Hobie Kayak Dealer.

Family, fun and fishing in your Hobie Kayak, the kayak you can peddle paddle or sail.

Call David on 0428637471 for a test drive of the Hobie Mirage Drive Kayak.

Feel the comfort, the stability and the performance. Sit back and enjoy the hands free experience. For recreation or fishing, there is a Hobie Kayak to suit your needs.

Rod Bending’s has a full range of accessories and specialize in fishing fit-outs.

BOOK A FREE TEST DRIVE 0428637471

VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE FOR ALL YOUR KAYAKING & KAYAK FISHING NEEDS

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE VIDEOS rodbendingsworld.com

Shops 1 & 2, 8 Williams Street Inverloch Phone: (03) 56743322 email: rodbending@dcsi.net.au www: rodbendingsworld.com

mookah studio mookah studio offers a range of locally made, stylish, contemporary, eco-friendly homewares, textiles, accessories and funky womens skirts

32 cashin st, inverloch or online www.mookah.com.au coast 99

caring for coast & country

Community groups around the Bass Coast and Gippsland Shire are banding together under the umbrella group “Lock the Gate” Gippsland to put the focus back onto caring for the environment and our communities.

Kelly van den Berg grew up on a farm in Gippsland. Daughter of a local butcher, the ‘occasional’ dairy farmer and competition horse rider/trainer is concerned by the hundreds of mining licenses that have been granted over the Gippsland area.

“I love Gippsland - this is my home. I grew up here. I have my business here and I am a part of a close community. We have mining company representatives on the ground now, talking to land owners to gain permission to drill for Coal Seam Gas (CSG) on their land. So little is known about the associated risks involved in CSG mining, and all we ask is for a moratorium on CSG until a thorough investigation takes place.”

Coal Seam gas is methane gas trapped underground in coal seams.

Too deep to mine economically, and the gas lies within the pores of the coal - trapped by water. Fracking is the process that removes the gas by pumping water and other chemicals into the seams at high pressure to crack open the rock, allowing the gas to flow into the (drilled) wells.

Aquifers (ground water) run parallel to the coal seams. “We are told that precautions are taken to make sure they don’t pollute the ground water, but there are cases in NSW and QLD (where CSG has been occurring for several years) where people can light the water coming out of their kitchen taps because of methane contamination. The concrete casings used as ‘a precautionary measure’ are about an inch thick. With the recent earthquake activity in the region . . . can you imagine?”

Kelly and her (award winning, international film-maker) partner Richard decided they had to take action immediately to save their community.

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“We are not a group of left wing activists and we are not against APPROPRIATE forms of mining,” she says. “However, mining company representatives are approaching individual property owners, making them sign confidentiality agreements in their negotiations - even in the early stages.” Kelly fears this will set neighbor against neighbor - creating an environment of tension and fear. “People are getting paranoid. I’ve had people calling me in tears. It’s just devastating.”

They contacted Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth, and Drew Hutton from Lock the Gate (LTG) QLD. “New South Wales and Queensland have been fighting the CSG mining there for over 6 years, and through our research we understood that LTG was a trusted alliance of people fighting this issue up North.” Drew Hutton flew down to launch LTG Gippsland at a seminar at Leongatha attended by over 250 people. “We only had 3 weeks to get the message out.” Both Drew Hutton and Cam Walker said it was the quickest response to CSG mining they had seen to date. “ They can’t believe how united our community is.”

“GIppsland is somewhat fortunate as we have somewhere to look to, to see the effects of CSG mining in Nth NSW and QLD. Farmers are walking off their land, and children in Tara are presenting with nose and ear bleeds, believed to be connected to gas leakage from fracking. Before property owners really understood what they were agreeing to, some have found themselves in a situation where they’ve got a drill 100m from their house, running 24/7 under floodlights. Infrastructure is being constructed on their property without their permission (such as roads) and in some cases, they aren’t even allowed to use them. We just want

words maria reed photos warren reed

people to have all the information before they make a decision.”

Gippsland is a beautiful area with a cohesive community. “Its large tracts of agricultural land make it an opportune target for mining companies which is very worrying. They say Gippsland may be the next food bowl of Victoria. What happens if the ground water is polluted?”

Drew Hutton is travelling to properties across NSW and QLD, listening to landowners experiences and watching the results. Kelly says, “I’ve had people from QLD sending me video’s, lighting their tap’s and dam outlets - there is that much gas in it. We have to stop CSG until it is proven safe, there is too much to lose.” She suggests that a multi billion dollar contract Australia has just signed with China may be one of the reasons that the mining industry is pushing ahead, bypassing many environmental impact studies.

Lock the Gate Gippsland is growing with a groundswell of local and national support. Kelly says, “under the LTG alliance, we encourage people to put a ‘Lock the Gate’ or no trespass sign on their property.

Landowners have a legal right to do this which is upheld by the law.”

Groups of landowners are banding together. “If a mining company see a whole road with LTG signs, generally they wont bother. They have to take the matter to VCAT which can take up to two years and cost them thousands in legal fees.”

Kelly insists that the group is not in the business of telling people what to do, “we just want people to have all the information and go into it with their eyes open.” LTG suggests if you are approached, deny any requests for access, do not sign anything and seek legal advice.

“Mining representatives may promise the world in terms of compensation and low risk, but historically we see they have given 6-8 hundred dollars per year (per drill) - which is nothing in comparison to the 2 milion they make per drill. In the long run - is it worth it?

Historically, we have also seen the plight of farmers trying to get loans from the bank once mining activity has occurred on their land. It’s pretty tough.”

The groups current focus is reaching farming families that don’t have access to the internet. “Richard will be documenting farmers in Nthn NSW and QLD who have been devastated by CSG. Then we will hold seminars down here for our farmers, so it’s basically farmers talking to farmers about their concerns.” They have already had some success, with a group of farmer’s wives from Yarram committing to direct action by setting a target of selling 10 LTG signs a day. “They are getting the message out there,” says Kelly.

for more information If you are concerned about Coal Seam Gas mining, or would like more information, you can go onto the website at www.lockthegategippsland.com and register your email address to be on their mailing list, call their 1300 104 149 number which gives basic information and points towards the (EDO) Environmental Defenders office, log onto their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LockTheGateGippsland or twitter at https://twitter.com/#!LockThe GateGipp

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groundswell

words chris heislers photos supplied

Groundswell Bass Coast is a new local environment group. Formed in 2011, it’s goal is to educate and drive positive change regarding climate and ocean change.

The group has been formed by South Gippsland residents who want action on human-induced climate change. “We want to bring people together, to lobby governments for better policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help individuals, families and businesses reduce their carbon footprint.”

Due in part to its coastal location, Groundswell Bass Coast has particular concerns regarding the effect of human carbon dioxide emissions on the oceans. Apart from their stunning natural beauty, the oceans are a moderator of the world’s climate and provide the ecological basis for life on land. Without a healthy ocean environment, life on land cannot flourish.

The effect of carbon dioxide emissions on the oceans is via increasing the acidity of ocean waters and increasing ocean temperatures.

Already, since the industrial revolution the acidity of the oceans has risen by 30%. That, along with significant temperature rises is putting massive stresses on ocean life via conditions that have not been present for many millions of years. The threat of mass extinctions and ecological breakdown is real and present.

Groundswell Bass Coast has and will continue to host climate and related forums in the Bass Coast region. The most recent forums have

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included world recognised and respected scientists speaking on the science behind climate change, and a roadmap to an economically responsible transition to a zero carbon economy.

future forums will include: • • • • • •

health benefits from a switch to clean energy economic benefits of using energy more efficiently farming as a big part of the solution what the insurance industry and emergency services are saying new technology possibilities what we can do in our own homes

Groundswell Bass Coast meet fortnightly in either Wonthaggi or Cowes and everyone is welcome! Many meetings include a brief presentation on a specific area of interest. Find the group on Facebook, visit the website (www.groundswellbasscoast.com) or phone 03 5952 1991.

‘Stop it’ is one of the longest standing group working on the CSG issue.

This is the group that worked to run forums getting health, legislative and technical background on the issue. For more information http:// www.capepaterson.asn.au/index.php/csgf-coal-seam-gas-forum People wanting to join the groups email list for updates should send an email requesting to join to: info@capepaterson.asn.au

Recongised by the Master Builders Assocation as a Multi Award Winning Builder including 2012 South East Regional Builder of the Year Master Builders

Christian Lamaro MASTER BUILDER e. christian@lamarohomes.com.au m. 0409 559 110 LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BUILDING SERVICE - VISIT OUR SITE

www.lamarohomes.com.au - Rough sawn feature posts & beams - Solid timber flooring & decking -Exterior cladding - New & recycled timbers - Trade & Retail - Installation service - Delivery all areas

Showroom: 4/24 The Concourse, Cowes Phone: 5952 3232 www.tjstimber.com.au coast 103

words sue webster photos lucas piera

Weekdays she receives private clients in a glamorous, glittering atelier decorated in exquisite French Empire style and guarded by a pair of impressive wrought iron security gates. Weekends, or other opportunities to escape, find her planning a vegie patch in a dollop of dirt in South Gippsland.

The house, a two-bedroomed place with no pretensions, also has no power or water connections. Living off-grid is remarkably easy, she says.

Low ceilings mean the house heats up very quickly. There’s been plenty of rainfall to fill the tanks. Two solar panels provide power, and a gas fridge – a goofy relic of the 1950s – is remarkably efficient and heats more than enough water to handle the showers.

No need to go Neanderthal here: there’s a TV, the laptop and a small benchtop dishwasher. “I figured I didn’t want to spend my weekends doing the washing up!” she laughs.

She’s happy because she has achieved something that many women only dream of – a hideaway of their own. “It’s delightful. It’s my paradise, it’s my getaway place and – most importantly – the decision to buy it was mine.”

The location was so unlike her childhood memories of weekends spent on the family vineyard named Mount Avoca at the base of the Victorian Pyrenees Ranges. “It’s too dry for me up there. Avoca was not

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luscious… and I really love luscious,” she says. Blame her half-Latvian heritage: “I love Gippsland’s rolling hills – it has such a European feel to it.”

But there were some childhood memories she wanted to revive.

Larking around in a waterhole, making cubbies and chasing stumpytail lizards fuelled her dream of somewhere for solitude and to socialise with her daughter Mia, dog Mooshi, partner Laurie and friends. ““You know, when you’re looking for a house, it’s so hard to find everything you want. I’d been looking for ages and I thought – OK, enough browsing the internet. Time to actually buy,” says the auburnhaired artisan.

She had lived on Phillip Island and started her search around the hills of Kongwak and Bena before chancing upon a 45-acre paradise fronting a river and blessed with 25 acres of natural bush rich with blackwood, wattle and tree ferns. “Everything down there is so Jurassic. Even the spiders are HUGE!” She ditched the carpet – ripping it out on the first weekend after taking possession – and furnished the house with preloved stuff from her West Melbourne terrace house or bought on the internet (“E-bay? I was Ina-bay!”)

The house itself is a time capsule, including kitchen cupboards painted that very particular 1950s/60s mint-green colour. “I’ve kept them –

harmony of contrasts Far away from her stylish Melbourne studio, jeweller Ina Barry has a secret bolthole that is small, daggy and filled with second-hand furniture.

they’re so perfect,” she says. Style and beauty is everything to this talented artist.

Born into an impressive family of judges and silks – how did she happen into the world of jewellery craftsmanship? “I have always loved jewellery. I always raided my grandmother’s jewellery box. She was a fashion designer and had a very creative eye. She had some beautiful, beautiful old pieces. She used to wear a brooch at her throat – I thought it looked like an iris trapped under glass, but later I realised it was human hair, a Victorian memento made of different fronds of hair – possibly of someone who died. It’s macabre, but also beautiful.”

Antique buttons fashioned from ivory and decorated with handpainted miniatures using a single-hair paintbrush; richly-enamelled perfume bottles; Latvian folk jewellery laden with imagery; a wedding ring created by Matcham Skipper – father of Montsalvat – and later the cool, silvery lines of Georg Jensen … no wonder young Ina’s imagination was whetted. And coupled with a family ability to pick up a power tool and make stuff … her choice of career would have seemed obvious.

Ina started studying interior design, but gold and silversmithing gradually took over her life. She sold the first thing she made – a ring – for $36… and sometimes wonders who ended up with possibly the greatest bargain of all time.

Nowadays her clientele is famous enough to be nameless: they clamour for pieces made to order to celebrate births, anniversaries and other notable family occasions. Some of her clients are professional women able to buy beautiful works for themselves. “Jewellery that gives you a thrill,” she says.

Ina’s own particular thrills are a tad more earthy these days. She can’t wait to let rip on the garden. “There are fruit trees, two beautiful plums, pear, nectarines, lemons, blueberries…” she starts counting them off on her elegant artisan’s fingers. “… cumquat, old azaleas, lots of roses, red-hot pokers, I’ve put in camellias…” she pauses and adds … “I’m a very keen gardener.”

The row of pines recently went, revealing an astonishing vista to the hills. Natives will become the replacement windbreak. The surrounding hills also help temper the winds off the not-too-distant coast.

A neighbour cut some hay rolls off the cleared paddocks and now she is contemplating what livestock she’ll put in there. Maybe a few dry dairy cows, some beefies or even alpacas to protect sheep?

Sitting in her uber-chic studio, drinking tea from fine china and surrounded by exquisite bespoke jewellery, we end up discussing lamb mortality rates. Such a strange harmony of contrasts.

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Wholesale suppliers throughout South Gippsland

Phone. 5682 2095 29 Toora Road, Foster coast 106

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

contact@aherns.com.au

www.aherns.com.au

green news

edney’s

south gippsland homes

Edney’s Leongatha is going green with the Hyundai Accent CRDi, Australia’s most affordable diesel car. The common-rail turbo diesel engine delivers new levels of performance and economy. Go green and save. www.edneysleongatha.com.au

SGH encourages and supports the 3 key elements of sustainable building. Sustainability does not only relate to environmental issues, but also the individuals quality of life, taking into account safety, security, changing lifestyle choices and the responses to natural disasters. Their dwellings are energy and resource efficient with a strong focus on adaptable home design for an energy efficient life. All of which are important for the positive longterm viability of the home.

03 5674 2670

sun plus solar Phazer have recognized the need for diversity within this ever-changing “green energy” market. With the backing of over 15 years in business, they have been able to comfortably incorporate products such as rain water tanks, solar pumps, hydro power, wind power, solar hot water and solar photovoltaic systems, sky lights and solar roof ventilation into our range of products. Having such a diverse range of sustainable energy driven products allows Phazer to provide each individual situation with the appropriate products. Our business experience has also allowed us to build a solid rapport with our suppliers and allows us to efficiently handle any warranty claims, get reliable information to our customers and get the best prices for top quality products. We pride ourselves on going above and beyond when it comes to customer service. We not only install systems, we complete all of the paperwork, arrange a third party to inspect our work and notify relevant authorities to upgrade or reprogram your meter.

We complete free, no obligation on-site quotes to ensure that both our customer and our tradesmen are aware of all aspects of the installation, meaning there are no hidden costs or avoidable mistakes made on the day of installation.

www.phazer.com.au

gliding along

terrific wood at TJs TJs timber sell new and recycled timbers. Their quality (new) timbers are sourced from responsibly managed forests in Australia and overseas. Recycling timber is the environmentally friendliest form of timber production. They can supply a great range of new and recycled: feature posts and beams, solid timber flooring, decking, cladding, internal linings screening.

www.tjstimber.com.au

What could be more eco friendly than gliding along in your own pedal powered, or sail canoe? Rod Bending has a huge range of Hobie Kayaks and you are welcome to test drive one at beautiful Anderson Inlet at Inverloch. Hobie kayaks bring the fun back into kayaking with Hobie’s MirageDrive; a double scissor action set of cockpitmounted pedals linked to a pair of powerful underwater fins. When pedaled, the fins flex to take on the shape of a propeller blade, powering you through the water as they scissor back and forth on both the front stroke and the backstroke.

To find out more

www.rodbendingsworld.com

coldon homes All Coldon homes include a minimum 6-Star energy efficiency rating, that means your home keeps more heat out in summer, and retains more heat in winter – a more economical and comfortable home all year round. They also have an accredited Thermal Performance Assessor and HIA Greensmart professional on board, ensuring your home can be designed and built to the best energy efficiency and environmental standards, producing less greenhouse gas emissions.

www.coldonhomes.com.au coast 107

Sustainable design, Smart living

Balnarring Beach Ecoliv - Eco Habitat 2

Ecoliv’s factory built modular homes use fewer resources and energy to ensure minimal site disturbance right from the start. Our transportable designs allow you to adapt, change or add to your home with ease by simply arranging predetermined modules in a variety of configurations. Each home configuration features 7 star thermal performance rating for affordable, comfortable and sustainable living.

Standard inclusions: 3 Solar Hot Water 3 Solar Electricity 3 Energy efficient lighting 3 Electricity usage meter 3 Maximum star rated appliances

3 10,000 litre water tank configuration 3 Water saving plumbing fittings 3 Double glazed windows 3 No VOC Ecolour paints 3 Renewable plantation timber

3 EarthWool insulation 3 Boral Enviro plasterboard 3 Green First Laminex joinery 3 100% wool carpet 3 Reconstituted Ceasarstone benches

2012 BDAV Award Winner Residential Design New Homes up to $300K Construction Cost Best Environmentally Sustainable Design Residential

Visit our display home at 53 Graham Street Wonthaggi Ph. 5672 5196

www.ecoliv.com.au coast 108

ecoliving

words maria reed photos warren reed

Imagine your dream beach getaway. A little place by the ocean that catches your eye with the deep blue sea and caresses your senses with gentle sea breezes. A place that sits in harmony with its surrounds; one you yearn for when you have to leave.

John and Nina Bate are living their dream on a little piece of paradise amongst the coastal banksia at Balnarring Beach. The old fibro house that sat on the block, though much loved and utilised by the extended family, was sadly impractical. Nina says, “It was a nice old shack but it wasn’t insulated and was full of asbestos.” Facing the south, it was boiling hot in summer and freezing cold in winter. As an environmental scientist, building and living green was always a high priority foreNina. “When my mum died we could afford to do something with the house, so we looked into renovating it. When we discovered the asbestos and termite damage, we realised it would cost the same to rebuild as to renovate.”

They started to research builders and were thrilled to find designer Ashley Beaumont from Ecoliv. “From the beginning we were on the same page.

Unlike (some) other builders who found it almost an impost to build on an energy-efficient basis, Ecoliv’s whole focus was on environmental sustainability,” says John. The couple visited the Ecoliv display at Wonthaggi and were sold on the modular housing concept. “We wanted a beach house, and we cut and pasted some of their module designs to fit the block.” They gave Ashley the site plans and he came back with suggestions and formulated a combination that would work perfectly for their seaside block. “Ash came down to walk around the block and said he could virtually get us views from almost anywhere in the house – and he was right!”

As the off-site build progressed, John says, “Ashley was always looking for ways to improve the house and its efficienc, without adding any extra cost.” They were both impressed by Ecoliv’s sourcing of materials. “With me working in the environmental sector, this has been a lifelong passion for us, and Ashley found materials that we didn’t even knowtexisted. He really showed us his ‘green’ credibility,” says Nina.

The living and sleeping modules were trucked down separately to the

block. “It was quite a sight,” laughs Nina. “People often make the assumption that modular housing is lightweight, when the opposite is true.” To ensure safe delivery the walls are double braced – a very sturdy construction method.” We had gale force winds down here one night and the house didn’t move, creak or whistle . . . it’s an extremely tighteunit.”

Their new home sits seamlessly in its coastal environment. The block has been utilised very well to catch cross-breezes that naturally cool the house in warmer weather. Decks have been added to the house to make the most of the winter sun and shelter, and rear decks to maximise enjoyment of summer breezes and sea views. The house is a great success, not only to its owners, but alsooin the eyes of the building industrs. It has been recognised with two BDAV awards – Best sustainable residential design and Best new home under 300K (construction cost) and is also a finalist in the national HIA GreenSmart awards to be announced in Sydney on the 6th of September.

“It’s a wonderful house to live in. I love the little sheltered breakfast deck,” enthuses Nina. “Aside from the fabulous views we get from all over the house, we just love the big living area where we can all be together.” They recently shared Mother’s Day there with both sides of the family. “It was just great. We were allrthere, cooking, laughing and socialising – it’s a great social house.”

The couple just sings Ecoliv’s praises. “From beginning to end, it was such an easy process. Ashley and Esme and the team were just a dream to work with. From the early stages of cutting and pasting modules and our design ideas, there was never a problem. If we thought of something, Ash would investigate and take it on board, or explain to us why it may not work.

Nothing was too hard and we just loved their enthusiasm. It’s been a fun experience and we’re very fond of Ashley and the team. Most of all, we love the end result!”

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2012 Award Winning Design

Multi Award Winning Building Designer of Contemporary Sustainable Homes.

2008 BDAV Residential Design New homes up to $300K Construction Cost

2012 Abode Magazine Best Small Project

2010 BDAV Residential Design New Homes up to $300K Construction Cost

2012 BDAV Residential Design New Homes up to $300K Construction Cost

2010 HIA South East Region Residential Building Designer of the Year

2012 BDAV Residential Design New Houses $300-$500 Construction Cost

2010 HIA GreenSmart Awards GreenSmart Home of the Year

2012 BDAV Best Environmentally Sustainable Design Residential

2011 HIA Victorian Awards Finalist Building Designer of the Year

2012 BDAV Most Innovative Kitchen Design

2011 BDAV Best Environmentally Sustainable Design – Residential

www.beaumontconcepts.com.au 53 Graham St. Wonthaggi - Tel. (03) 5672 5196 | Level 2, 75 Chapel St. Cowes - Tel. (03) 5952 6868 coast 110

promotional feature

8 stars and beyond...

Beaumont Concepts has forged a reputation for designing award winning, custom designed homes since 2001 and has built its reputation for unique, functional homes, one house at a time. We understand that our clients are not only looking for a thoughtful mix of innovative sustainable design, precision construction and attention to detail; they are also looking for a higher level of customer service and personal involvement.

The award winning design practice has been recognised for sustainable design initiatives by the HIA for National GreenSmart Home of the Year and the BDAV for Best Environmentally Sustainable Residential Design.

Leadership in the industry has been established and maintained by Ashley Beaumont and his team who are continually developing new designs to meet the changing lifestyles and expectations of today’s home owners. Beaumont Concepts vision is to push the boundaries in providing sustainable and beautiful home designs.

With the rising cost of energy and the need to conserve our precious resources, a sustainable home is becoming a highly desirable and more economical option long term. To respond to this challenge and make a meaningful difference Beaumont Concepts has developed the Habitat 8 star range of sustainable home designs.

All Beaumont Concepts home designs achieve the industry standard 6-star energy rating, our new Habitat designs; take sustainability to the next level by making use of the latest in energy efficient and environmentally sustainable principles. The Habitat range combines standout design with environmental excellence to achieve a minimum 8 star rating or higher.

takes advantage of natural airflow, lighting and heating to provide comfortable energy efficient living in any street, all year round.

By integrating sustainable materials with a low embodied energy, each Habitat home has the potential to reduce household energy bills by 25%.

From start to finish the team at Beaumont Concepts can provide design, or design & construct packages to suit individual requirements.

A commitment to further product research and development enables the Habitat range to evolve and remain at the forefront with the latest developments in green technology and construction. For home owners of Habitat homes this means choosing a better home today for an even better investment in tomorrow.

For more information on the Habitat range of designs please contact: Wonthaggi Office and Ecoliv Display Home: 53 Graham St Wonthaggi Ph: 56725196 Cowes Office: Level 2, 75 Chapel St. Cowes Ph: 59526868 www.beaumontconcepts.com.au

The range of single and double storey designs make sustainable homes accessible, affordable and adaptable to varying requirements.

Each home incorporates best practice passive solar design which

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www.adbuildingdesign.com.au 295 White Rd Wonthaggi coast 112

m. 0423 340 630 t. (03) 5672 1967

e. studio@adbuildingdesign.com.au

designs by

the coast

words maria reed photos warren reed & lucas piera

Home is where the heart is, and choosing a builder and designer for your home is possibly one of the hardest decisions you will have to make.

Wonthaggi based building designer Andrew Donohue and his team want to make this choice simple by providing the very best service and quality available at a competitive price. Their goal is to make your build both simple and easy. “We really want to provide a full service from start to finish that includes pre-design, site analysis, preliminary designs, planning permit submissions, working drawings and building permits,” he says.

If you are looking to build your dream home or renovation, or are a residential or commercial developer, the team at AD Building Design can provide a quality, one-stop shop for all your building needs.

Andrew says, “no project is too big or small for our team.”

Andrew is a third generation builder. Both his father and grandfather were local builders, and Andrew continues to hold the torch at AD design, a local business owned by himself and his wife. They are active in their community through local sport and theatrical groups and are proud to employ a great local team. With such a long, ongoing association with the area, Andrew has invaluable local knowledge and experience that will assist you throughout your build.

As a part of the design process, they will visit your site to maximize any views, assess prevailing winds and bushfire hazards and create the most energy efficient design for your site. Orientation is key for passive solar design, but as Andrew mentions, “many coastal blocks are south facing with ocean views so we work with screening and design to create efficient homes that are wonderful to live in and cheap to run.”

Preliminary designs sketches begin after the client brief and site visit.

These include floor plans, elevations and a site plan – with an option of 3D perspective drawings. “We will lodge planning permit submissions with the relevant documentation if required,” says Andrew. Then the team will commence on working drawings that include bushfire assessments, energy ratings, soil testing and (any) engineering.

AD design will obtain building permit approvals and then your project will put out to tender to a group of selected, local, quality builders.

The design team follow your home project from beginning to end to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Andrew says, “Our team pride themselves on providing the most professional approach to each and every project to ensure you will be getting one of the best services available.”

For more information www.adbuildingdesign.com.au coast 113

display homes

201 thompson avenue phillip island

sustainable living from a multi award winning builder

visit our outstanding quality homes built for the environmentally aware come and see what is possible in comfortable living and sustainable design & construction now building in melbourne and mornington peninsula

beach house constructions contact mark plant 0418 595 410 coast 114

GreenSmart accredited

pty ltd

www.beachhouseconstuctions.com.au

innovative & sustainable homes

photos warren reed & jack younger words as told to sharon copeland-smith

Surfer, family man and long time local Mark Plant is the driving force behind Beach House Constructions. He has over 30 years experience in the building industry, and along with his wife Melissa and their dedicated, professional team – they design, build and decorate sustainable homes by the coast. We open the door and take a glimpse behind the scenes with owner, Mark Plant.

A lot of people claim to have green credentials – what are yours?

I guess the industry awards we have won in the past few years are testament to our standards such as the Best Energy Home MBA Regional (South East) Building Award 2012, Greensmart Energy Efficiency (up to $500,000) HIA Regional Housing Awards 2011 and 2012 and Custom Built Home (up to $350,000) HIA Regional Housing Awards 2011 and 2012. We were also runner up in the HIA Regional Awards for Best Display Home this year. I am also qualified as a Housing Industry Association GreenSmart Professional, GreenSmart Builder and Green Living Builder with the Master Builders Association.

We either design and build from scratch (custom or standard plans) or supply pre-fabricated modules, which cuts down construction time. We also have an architectural design and drafting service in house.

The pre-fabricated module sounds interesting. What exactly does this mean?

Prefabricated housing involves selecting preset modules of your choice that are built off-site then delivered and assembled on your block of land.

Our modules can be used as family homes, weekenders, studios, offices or additional rooms to existing dwellings.

What areas of sustainability are you embracing most in your construction methods?

All areas really – from innovative design, reducing energy and waste, water conservation, selecting eco-friendly materials and recycling where we can.

Our interior design service also focuses on clean-line, organic themes.

What is your link to modhouse - which I sometimes see associated with Beach House Constructions?

We are based in Gippsland but we also build in other parts of Victoria such as the Mornington Penninsula. We use the name modhouse in Melbourne and for our prefabricated projects. We are the same company with all the same products and services on offer.

Why should I consider sustainable building – what are the benefits?

• Lower home running costs • A cleaner, healthier living environment • An increased level of personal comfort in homes • Reduced waste and efficient use of materials

What would you change about the Building Industry?

For the industry to become more aware of sustainable methods. Life has become very hectic and complex and homes are increasingly large and inefficient. It would be good to get back to simple, low-cost living.

People also feel good about making a contribution to solving some of our key environmental issues.

Can you actually demonstrate any of these benefits?

How about $4,803.64 in CREDIT on our power from Tru Energy? (he show’s me the bill!)

What is the best thing about your job?

We love meeting different people and assisting taking clients through the process of turning a concept into a reality whatever their dream home may be.

Beach House Constructions www.beachhouseconstructions.com.au Modhouse www.modhouse.com.au

How would you describe the type of buildings you construct?

We build two main types of homes - both with sustainable, contemporary and quality features at their core.

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fostering biodiversity photos lucas piera & geoff russell

Biodiversity can be described as the variety and quantity of plant and animal species, including microorganisms, and the eco-systems they live within. It is essential for our existence: each species, no matter how small, has an important function and the greater the diversity the more naturally sustainable we become.

Benita Russell, Environment and Sustainability Coordinator for Westernport Water, stated that “along with providing quality drinking water and wastewater services to our community, we also have a stewardship role to conserve biodiversity on the land we own to benefit the region.”

Protecting and encouraging biodiversity is vital and fundamental in the security of ecological, bilogical and social necessities including:

In 2008 Westernport Water undertook a biodiversity review which aimed to identify the ecological values on areas of land they owned and managed. The review was undertaken by one of Westernport Water’s key partners, the Bass Coast Landcare Network. A number of significant flora & fauna species that required further management and protection were identified. Since completion of this review, Westernport Water has been actively working towards their protection.

· Protection & Filtration of Water · · · · · ·

Resources Soil Formation & Protection Nutrient Storage & Recycling Pollution Absorption Climate Stability Ecosystem Balance Natural Disaster Recovery

· · · · · · · ·

Food Variety & Production Medicinal Resources Wood Production & Products Plant Lifecycle Breeding stocks Gene Pool Diversity Education & Research Recreation & Tourism

Biodiversity and conservation are not always associated with a local water corporation, but Westernport Water has developed clear intent to improve biodiversity within their business and region.

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The Landcare & Westernport Water partnership has been going strong for over a decade. Bass Coast Landcare Network Coordinator, Joel Geoghegan, views the partnership as a real success story. “The Westernport Water/Landcare partnership is contributing to a number of great landcare programs delivering educational, conservation and agricultural benefits to the community. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership that we hope will continue well into the future”.

the genetic diversity of species. Wildlife is free and safe to move between masses of native scrub or forest that was previously cleared land. Bass Coast Landcare Network has been integral in developing strategies with Melbourne Water (management authority for Salt Water Creek) to combat the pressures of wallaby grazing, and creating exclusion zones allowing vegetation in the wildlife corridor to establish.

Water Quality Improvements for Candowie Reservoir Particular plant species have a fundamental role in naturally filtering contaminants in water runoff before it reaches a reservoir, and Westernport Water will be applying these sustainable techniques to the land surrounding the Candowie Reservoir to further improve water quality. Bass Coast Landcare Network has been contracted to provide the correct plant species and undertake the revegetation of land surrounding the reservoir.

Projects and initiatives have included: · ‘Wildlife Corridor’ revegetation of Saltwater Creek · Revegetation to improve water quality in the Candowie Reservoir · Education & support for landholders surrounding the Candowie Catchment Joel was delighted to report “Catchment enhancement works involving revegetation and erosion control have multiple advantages, and biodiversity in particular benefits enormously. Preliminary monitoring and anecdotal evidence confirms this. Native birds recolonise areas very quickly and in larger areas the classified Southern Brown Bandicoot has been observed. “This is wonderful news and a reward for our hard work.”

Wildlife Corridor – revegetation of Salt Water Creek A ‘wildlife corridor’ is a passage of land planted with indigenous vegetation which allows flora and fauna to move across the wider landscape, improving access to food, water and shelter, and increasing

Landholder education & support for the Candowie Catchment Candowie Reservoir is an open catchment relying on landholders and farmers within the catchment area to manage their activities to prevent pollution entering the reservoir. Westernport Water supports a dedicated Landcare facilitator to educate and assist these landholders to undertake on-ground works to reduce nutrient and sediment loads entering the reservoir. The exclusion of livestock grazing on the water’s edge is a priority essential to improving water quality.

“I’m very grateful for all the support I receive through the Bass Coast Landcare Network and its partners. It enables me to undertake revegetation works in the creeks and gullies that I view as essential to the sustainable management of my farm. The benefits are obvious: it’s a nicer place to live for me and my cattle, it’s easier and safer to manage as I am not losing stock in steep boggy gullies, and I contribute to a healthier catchment. It’s a win-win situation”. (Local Candowie landowner, and active Landcare member, Ian James).

WESTERNPORT WATER

www.westernportwater.com.au

www.basscoastlandcare.org.au

For information on landholder responsibilities in a drinking-water catchment area, check out the Department of Health publication ‘Protect our Waters, Protect our Health’. www.health.vic.gov.au/environment/water/. coast 117

Inverloch’s New Community Farmers Market words and photos sally o’neill

promotional feature

Connecting you with local food, local producers and your local community.

guaranteed with over 70% of stalls being fully accredited with the Victorian Farmers Market Association.

Gippsland is blessed with farmers, growers and winemakers supplying delicious fresh produce and outstanding wines. Farmers Markets provide a direct outlet for you to access this fresh, regional produce and also provide an experience that is much more than simply shopping…

Accreditation ensures your farmers market shopping experience is enjoyable and credible. The person you are buying from is the same person who grew or made the goods. This means that you can be confident that at each stall, the producers and their produce are authentic.

The seaside town of Inverloch will soon host a new Community managed Farmers Market commencing later this year. The communityrun market will be a welcome addition to South Gippsland’s circuit of well-established community operated and managed Farmers Markets and will take its place on the calendar along with those at Koonwarra, Korumburra and Foster – therefore providing the community access to our region’s quality producers on a weekly basis. These markets are approved by the Victorian Farmers Market Association (VFMA).

VFMA Accreditation means you can trust that you are buying authentic, fresh, local regional and seasonal produce...

The community-operated market will offer locals and visitors fresh, local and regional and seasonal produce. Quality and authenticity is

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There’s nothing like the Farmers Market experience…

Shopping in the open air, talking directly to the producers and learning about the ingredients and processes that brought the food to you is all part of the farmers market experience. When you shop in your local community, you develop relationships, reduce food miles and support small regional primary producers. It makes shopping for your fresh produce an enjoyable part of your lifestyle. Knowing personally who grew your fresh fruit and vegetables, berries, olives, seasonal organic produce, meat, herbs, olives, flowers and plants and who made your honey, bread, olive oil, cakes, dips, sauces, chocolate, wine and beer is an enriching experience.

Run by the community for the community‌ The new Inverloch Community Farmers Market is managed and operated by the community and follows on from other great community initiatives such as the annual Inverloch Food & Wine Fest and the Inverloch Water Ski Show. Both have gained a reputation for being well-run, professional events that give back to the community.

The market has been developed in response to the Inverloch community’s strong support for the development of a farmers market focused on the needs and aspirations of local residents and producers.

The community market theme provides an opportunity to work with local producers and community groups to strengthen the economic, environmental, health and social capital of the community.

Even better, the market will provide a funding stream for the community with proceeds being channeled back to fund worthy community projects and initiatives for Inverloch. So you can shop and know you are helping your local farmers, producers and community.

Meet you in Inverloch @ the Community Farmers Market!

For more information and market dates,

www.inverlochfarmersmarket.com.au

info@inverlochfarmersmarket.com.au coast 119

Cowes, Grantville, Inverloch and San Remo Community Bank® branches

Your banking

can make a difference When you choose to be a customer at your local Community Bank® Branch, you make a decision that benefits you and your community.

That’s because with every savings or investment account, every home or personal loan, and every product and service we offer, money goes back into our community.

It’s simple You choose to bank with your locally-owned Community Bank® branch.

You select from a competitive range of banking products.

It means you benefit from competitive products and great service, and also feel satisfied knowing your banking is making a difference.

Already, we’ve contributed more than $1 million to local community projects and intitiatives. And the more people who choose to bank with us, the more we’ll be able to contribute.

The local community shares in the income generated by your banking. The more you bank with us, the more the community benefits.

The community, not Bendigo Bank, chooses which community projects receive support.

So make a difference – to your own banking and your community. Drop into your nearest branch: Cowes Community Bank®Branch Shop 1 209-213 Settlement Road Phone 5952 3383

Grantville & District Community Bank®Branch Shop 4, 1503 Bass Highway Phone 5678 8773

Branch Manager Peter Wayman

Branch Manager Trudy Jamieson

Inverloch & District Community Bank®Branch (& Tarwin Lower Agency) 16c Williams Street Phone 5674 2800 Branch Manager Jackie Laurie

San Remo & District Community Bank®Branch 103a Marine Parade Phone 5678 5833 Branch Manager Michael Scott

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited. ABN 11 068 049 178 AFSL 237879. (S41687) (08/12)

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www.bendigobank.com.au

caring for the community

promotional feature

“You should try this,” says Wendy from the grade 3 class, handing over a leaf of freshly picked spinach from school veggie garden. “It’s delicious!,” she beams. I have never known an 8 year old to eat their greens so willingly. Yet this is is only one of the successes of the community garden at Inverloch Primary School.

Principal Wendy Caple leads us through the thoughtfully planted garden, with a gaggle of excited young gardeners. “With the recent school rebuild, all the gardens were demolished and we had no money left for restoration or landscaping. We have a passionate group of parents that wanted to build a permaculture garden in the school, but we simply had no funds.” As we pass luscious garden beds of spinach and artichokes, Wendy says, “we approached the Community Bank® branch of the Bendigo Bank at Inverloch and they sponsored us $5000 to get our garden started. Now it’s up and thriving we’ve held a sustainability festival, permaculture classes and whole families are getting involved in our regular working bee’s.”

“The grant really got us established,” says Wendy. The Inverloch Community Bank® Branch also helped the school with a $22,000 grant that helped fit out their stadium. “They helped us build a canteen which we hope to extend into a kitchen that the kids can use. Our school has had a lovely partnership with our local branch.”

benefits as normal at any branch or agency of the Bendigo Bank, no matter where it is located. Community Bank® branches at Inverloch (and Tarwin Lower Agency), San Remo, Cowes and Grantville all operate in order to return profits back into their local communities and would be pleased to assist with your banking needs. To date these branches have contributed over $1million to dozens of local community groups which is a huge achievement!

The local Inverloch library received funding from their local Community Bank® branch and organised an author to do workshops with the school children. The Inverloch Surf Life Saving Cub also received a grant which ensured their long term viability and they are now doing a water safety program with the kids. “We’ve recently been a part of a submission with the recreation reserve to get a long jumping pit, which the community and the kids can benefit from.”

If you bank with a Community Bank® branch of Bendigo Bank, you are putting back into your own community. “Jackie our local branch manager lets us know when grants are coming up so we (and other community groups) can make a grant submission. They help so many in our area, the school, the library, the lifesaving club (the list goes on) . . . it’s just fabulous! All our school banking goes through our local Community Bank® branch.”

“They’ve been great for this area and we all benefit. The grant from our Community Bank® branch has given us veggie garden, and that’s fantastic, but it’s not just a school focus - it’s opened us up to the community as well. The permaculture school is using our garden and we’ve now got a group of parents on board who are involved in the school on a regular basis. Whole families have been involved and the kids love it. They pick what they’ve grown and put it in their sandwiches. We’ve even made pizza’s and topped them with all the fresh herbs grown in the garden.”

Bendigo Bank have over 500 branches nationally, and by choosing to attach or initiate your banking business through a Community Bank® branch you will be helping to return much needed funds back to your community. You can still access day to day banking services and

“Because we’re a small community, we all work together to get things done. The Community Bank® branch has just been great for this community and we all benefit. They really are our community partners.”

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Where Experience Counts

South Gippsland Homes has a solid reputation known for utilizing local contractors, tradepersons, businesses and suppliers. Clients are granted personalised service and individual attention with no hidden extras

Call 5674 2670, admin@southgippslandhomes.com.au

www.southgippslandhomes.com.au

1 Roughead Street, Leongatha VIC 3953 T 5662 2327 F 5662 2642 E edney@dcsi.net.au W www.edneysleongatha.com.au

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green news let the timber live on... in beautifully designed furniture Finding the grain salvages wood from local demolition sites around Phillip Island.

This timber would historically been sent to landfill. By sourcing this timber locally we are reducing our carbon footprint and allowing the timber to live on - preserving nature’s history. All the material is used; the offcuts from tables and chairs are then made into chopping boards and picture frames. The sawdust is collected by local’s for the garden and compost heaps. Nothing is wasted, and is returned to the earth as organic matter. Visit their new showroom at 7/28 The Concourse, Cowes.

www.findingthegrain.com.au

seagrove The Urban Development Institute of Australia recognized Seagrove Estate as setting a new benchmark for sustainable development. Master planned by awardwinning designers, the estate features over 8 acres of landscaped parks, wetland habitat, underground services, rich birdlife and regionally significant woodlands.

www.seagrove.com.au

mookah Leisa and Nicole are the brains behind the fabulous Mookah brand. The complete range is designed and made the old fashioned way, by hand in their home based studio, located in Inverloch. Their inspiration and focus has always been on using fabrics that are predominantly inspired by nature to reflect the environment we are surrounded by.

They love working with natural fibres such as hemp, linen and organic cotton.

www.mookah.com.au

a green theme Main Street Revelations is a treasure trove of goodies. They have a sustainability theme running through the store including, gently used quality goods, Cheeki stainless steel bottles, Ecosilk shopping bags and Beeswax candles.

how green do you want to be?

Metricon have introduced an important option for your environmentally friendly home. Called Shades of Green it provides you with a range of choices that can reduce your energy consumption and, at the same time, increase the sustainability of our world’s precious resources. Options include Time delay switches, Dulux wash & wear Eco Choice paint and Windows & door seals.

For more information call 1300 METRICON.

lamaro homes Christian and the team from Lamaro Homes have a very strong emphasis on sustainability and green living. They make it their priority to build in an environmentally responsible way.

Buildings are designed and constructed to high environmental standards, which minimise energy requirements and reduce water consumption. They also use materials that are of low environmental impact.

www.lamarohomes.com.au

mainstreetrevelations.com.au

cape paterson eco village As the world looks for better models for human settlement, the Ecovillage combines the best of the old village atmosphere with modern sustainable design to build a living space that is socially and environmentally positive. They are proud to announce that award winning local designer/ builders Beaumont Concepts and TS Constructions have joined the project along with sustainable, award winning architect Adam Dettrick.

www.capepatersonecovillage.com.au coast 123

how green is your car?

Lexus has recently launched its most efficient GS yet. The all-new second generation GS 450h features an advanced petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain and has become the highest rated vehicle in its class (in the Australian government’s Green Vehicle Guide).

GS 450h’s efficient hybrid power-plant consumes just 6.3 litres of fuel per 100km* - that’s 20 per cent less than the outgoing model - while CO2 emissions are as low as 147g/km.* In keeping with Lexus’ performance hybrid mantra, the frugal GS 450h develops a combined power output of 254kW and accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 5.9 seconds.

and a complementary Adaptive Cruise Control system#, which now functions at all speeds down to 0km/h. The vehicle’s safety suite is boosted by a Blind Spot Monitor# as standard to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes, and an expanded Head Up Display unit that can now display road speed, cruise control, gear position, turn-by turn navigation and tachometer.

The vehicle also features greater space and onboard technology than its predecessor. An innovative stacked hybrid battery helps liberate more space for the boot - increasing from 320 to 465 litres, while the redesigned chassis delivers greater interior space for occupants.

Building on the recently launched GS 250 and 350 range, the GS 450h features an expanded line-up featuring Luxury, F Sport and Sports Luxury models - replacing the previous single Sports Luxury. This second generation vehicle builds on a highly awarded first generation, improving it in almost every area, including space, efficiency, onboard technology and value. Featuring a 20 per cent improvement in value, the all-new Lexus vehicle will entice customers with its stylish design, innovative features and engaging driving dynamics.

It also continues Lexus’ hybrid firsts, with GS 450h becoming the world’s first hybrid available with all-wheel steering, the first to feature an Atkinson cycle engine driving the rear wheels, and the first Atkinson cycle engine to feature direct and port injection.

The innovative vehicle is well-specified, with the availability of an advanced Pre-Collision safety System#, a Driver Fatigue Monitor camera#,

Lexus of Brighton

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|

99 Nepean Hwy, Elsternwick VIC 3185

|

Visit lexusofbrighton.com.au for more information or phone (03) 9524 2099 to arrange a test drive.

GS 450h F Sport model with optional LED headlights pictured. *Fuel consumption and emissions will vary depending on driving conditions/style, vehicle conditions and options/accessories. Source of fuel consumption data: ADR 81/02 combined cycle. #PSC / ACC / Driver Fatigue Monitor / Blind Spot Monitor are designed as driver assist devices/ technologies and should not be used as a substitute for skilled driving and/or in place of safe driving/parking practices.

The area into which the vehicle is to be driven must be visually monitored by the driver.

(03) 9524 2099

|

lexusofbrighton.com.au | LMCT 9897 |

L CO AR AS GE TA RA L NG D ES E O IG F N S

Langford Jones Homes

Visit Langford Jones Homes Display Centres: Phillip Island and Wonthaggi.

NEW SEA QUEST DISPLAY AT COWES NOW OPEN

Melbourne: 9579 2277

Email: sales@ljhomes.com.au

www.langfordjoneshomes.com.au

Coastal Refrigeration & Airconditioning we don’t just install, we look after you . . .

Servicing Phillip Island & surrounding areas

Commercial & Domestic Refrigeration & Airconditioning Sales, Installation & service of all major brands.

Rick North is a fully qualified refrigeration & airconditioning technician with over 20 years experience in the trade. Coastal Refrigeration and Airconditioning provide professional before and after sales services.

Shop 2/65A Back Beach Road, San Remo 5678 5190 After hours commercial breakdown coastalrefrigandaircon@bigpond.com

ARC Authorisation No: AU22840 www.coastalrefrigandaircon.com.au

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Over 40 designs adaptable to your needs

Onsite consultation & experienced advice

Accredited energy efficient designs

Sourcing local suppliers & trade experts

Highly recommended

Local builders with 50 years experience & a reputation for quality, great value and service.

Display homes located throughout Gippsland Phone. 5672 1999

www.coldonhomes.com.au

OR you’re covered with your local Bass Coast Daikin experts.

Don’t sweat another Summer or freeze another Winter Contact the expert team at Bass Coast Refrigeration and enjoy a perfect climate all year round.

Bass Coast Refrigeration_v1.indd 1

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RTA: AU11737

6/03/11 10:58 PM

spreading

the green theme advertising feature

words eleanor mckay photos lucas piera

You might not think there is much ‘green’ about planning-scheme amendments, fleet cars or drainage, but Liza Price is on a mission to change that.

As Environment Sustainability Officer for Bass Coast Shire Council, Liza works with teams across Council to get them thinking and acting sustainably.

The work being done around storm surges and potential sea-level rises will determine the kind of development that will be permitted in coastal areas.

“Bass Coast has declared itself a low-carbon Council, and that means thinking sustainably and reducing our emissions has to be part of every team and every project,” explains Liza.

“The work our Infrastructure team has done with mapping technology allows us to look at sea-level rises and flood predictions. This influences decisions on future subdivisions, and the way roads and drains are constructed.

“A big part of what I do is preparing the organisation to have the skills and knowledge it needs to be able to address issues facing us and the community. We look at what we do now and how we can do it better.”

Part of being a low-carbon Council has meant installing solar panels and introducing energy improvements in Council buildings, reducing emissions for the vehicle fleet and we’ve just started a project to install energy-efficient street lighting. But it involves more than this.

“There has always been an environmental commitment at Council, and now it has become much more integrated. Environmental concerns are considered in our policies, and you can see real environmental awareness in all our projects, whether they are delivering services or building new infrastructure. We have a carbon accounting system in place to properly track our emissions. By 2015 our target is to have 20 per cent less emissions than we did in 2001.

Liza believes the community will see some environmental benefits straight away, while some will only be apparent in the long term.

“The planning team has environmental considerations embedded in their practices, from landscape designs to suitable areas for development.

“Sharing this knowledge means that in the future, new subdivisions won’t have issues like the ones being faced in parts of Tenby Point and Silverleaves at the moment.

“We also work closely with our outdoor maintenance teams, particularly around foreshores and reserves. There are carparks and toilet blocks on many of our foreshores, so we need to make sure that the work the outdoor teams do in these areas is consistent with the foreshore preservation of the Environment team.”

The Environment team works closely with Social Planning, a body that has helped establish community planning groups across the Shire.

These groups identify the priorities for their community and put together plans to help achieve them.

“There are five different groups up and running and the environment comes up in the top concerns with all of them,” says Liza.

“This is a whole new process and we are looking at how we can share concerns and ideas. It is a great feedback mechanism for us. We can really find out how the community feels about the work that we’re doing.”

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ISLAND GARDEN SUPPLIES DISPLAY GARDENS NOW OPEN 886 Phillip Island Road, Newhaven, 3925 Ph: 5956 7397 Fax: 5956 7929

Sand, Pavers, Blended Soils, Screenings, Rocks, Pebbles, Sleepers, Barks, Mulches, Path and Driveway Toppings & Mesh and Trench Reinforcement, also PHILLIP ISLAND PRE-MIXED CONCRETE. We also have a large range of beautiful Garden Ornaments and Pots.

Inspiring Inspirin Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring island landscape + design

Matt Crooks . Smiths Beach . Phillip Island. m. 0419 356 222 t. 5952 3838 e. info@islandlandscaping.com.au www.islandlandscaping.com.au coast 128

garden news

island garden supplies Island Garden Supplies welcomes every one interested in sustainable gardens to visit our extensive low maintenance, drought tolerant, display gardens at Newhaven. Several local specialist landscape businesses were invited to create a unique, individual garden display featuring the vast range of low maintenance and sustainable materials available at IGS. The displays have been planted out with native and drought tolerant plants suitable for coastal gardens while creating a ‘green footprint’ for our business. Staff can assist you with products, professional advice and great ideas. We stock all the sustainable materials used; from a 20kg bag of mulch and pebbles - to a truck load. Products include recycled railway sleepers, enriched soil blends, a huge range of mulches, pebbles, water permeable path and driveway toppings, sugar cane mulch, organic fertilisers & potting mixes, bamboo screens and quarry rocks. 886 Phillip Island Rd, Newhaven.

compass pools The extended Martin family from Compass Pools attended the Swimming Pool & Spa Association annual Awards night in August. Held at the National Gallery of Victoria, over 450 people from the industry attended. Compass Pools were awarded the State Gold Award (for a pool in Inverloch) and a Highly Commented award (for a pool in Mirboo North). Winning entries included homes that incorporated the pool into the indoo/outdoor living area. Many of the entries included pools that captured wateviews from many windows and rooms in the house.

It was a great night hosted by Nicole Livingston and Dave Hughes.The Martin family were delighted by their win and kicked up their heels in the celebration!

www.compasspoolsvic.com.au

mojo island landscape and design Island Landscape and Design’s Matt Crooks likes to takes on jobs from concept through to construction and completion. Matt’s small and talented team loves a challenge and relishes the opportunity to be creative. “The casual, coastal-themed gardens we have pioneered down here are now taking off in Melbourne,” says Matt. “We have an awesome array of products, and love to incorporate local artists and recycled elements,” he adds. Matt’s tip? “For optimum results, be upfront with your designer about your needs and your budget.”

www.islandlandscaping.com.au

Adam Bailey (Certificate 4 in Horticulture-Arboriculture) is a 4th generation tree climber and heads Mojo Contracting. Their services include tree and stump removal, garden maintenance, lawn mowing, general weed control and identification. They supply unseasoned firewood all year round (at a discounted price) and have an on- site wood splitting service. Their Mojo Mulch is a mix of hardwood and softwood tree mulch (with a small percentage of grass clippings). It is left to develop for about 4 - 6 weeks and is then turned and mixed together as it cooks for a further 4-6 weeks. This helps eliminate weeds.

The mulch helps to create an ideal garden bed for clay and sandy soils.

Mojo Contracting can help you in your choice of plants for your garden, or offer a complete garden make over service. Servicing Phillip Island and San Remo.

www.mojocontracting.com.au coast 129

eco organiser words tanya lewis

Like building a house starting with good solid foundations give us peace of mind that is strong and built to last. The same can be said for your soil, the quality of compost you put in will reflect in the quality of your produce. Feed it well and it reward and feed you well.

From the ground up Make your own Compost and Liquid fertiliser. Add food scraps and shredded paper to your compost or worm farm.

Pests Pick off grubs rather than spray.

Recipe: Combine chopped banana peel, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of vinegar, mix and place the mixture somewhere near the garden where the bugs are destroying the plants. This attracts them and eliminates them.

Harvest and store Dealing with an oversupply of herbs and you don’t want to waste it.

Pick fresh herbs and finely chop. Place in ice cube trays and cover with a little water and freeze. They are there to be used when you need them.

www.ecoorganiser.com.au

Tree & Stump Removal Tree Pruning

Has your property lost its Mojo?

Cabling

Dead Wooding

Tree Reports

On Site Mulching

Garden Clean Ups

Garden Maintenance

Mulch & Firewood Supplies Ph/Fx. Mobile.

Web.

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5952 5542 0427 052 173 mojocontracting.com.au

Challenges for a sustainable Island Back in 2003, some visionary Phillip Island Landcare group members started the Urban Landcare program with the aims of spreading the message of Landcare into residential areas, reducing the spread of weeds and pest animals, reversing negative attitudes towards using indigenous plants in urban landscaping, and reducing the use of natural resources.

Many Urban Landcare members have been working hard to reduce their impact on our local environment and have been rewarded for their efforts in the annual ‘Urban Landcare Garden Awards’. Previous winner Leela Maki of Ventnor, had installed rainwater tank watering systems for her food garden, refuses to water her native and indigenous ornamental garden, and uses truckloads of mulch to ensure that moisture is conserved in the soil so the plants can survive. “If it can’t survive on natural rainfall then it won’t be living in my garden”, says Leela.

Since then, over 200 members have joined the program and have access to services such as a free site visit to their garden for advice, a voucher for 30 indigenous plants, information on weed and pest control, and newsletters and invitations to events and seminars – all for a low annual membership fee of $37.50.

Local partner Westernport Water has been there from the start of the program and in the 2012/13 financial year will be the main funding partner of the program. Urban Landcare Facilitator Lisa Wangman Another proud achievement of the Urban Landcare Program is the commented: “We are looking forward to continued assistance from the production of the ‘Sustainable Phillip Island’ Corporation and access to their vast range of services and knowledge to Sustainability achievements Phillipfrom Island What makes Phillip Island special? brochure made possible with Sustainable assistance bring some fantastic water-conservation events to the community during on Phillip Island - a brief history local partners including Westernport Water and this time.”

1968 the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund.

1987 The long-running, successful Urban Landcare events program, the Sustainable 1996 The brochure contains; 2008 Phillip Island 1997 Seminar Series”, will continue with this help and “Practical Sustainability Now is the time for action 1998 2009 for redirecting water in your support. Past events2000 have focused on options • a vision for sustainability on Phillip Island garden, household water and energy efficiency, habitat gardening for 2002 • the core sustainability principles 2010 wildlife, garden design for diversity, creating a garden for living, turning • a brief history of sustainability achievements 2011 trash into treasure, and discovering local food. Environmental movie Websites for sustainable living across the island 2003 nights, and tours of 2005 sustainable homes and Urban Landcare Award• Urban Landcare Members experiences winning gardens have also been popular program inclusions.

• Phillip Island boasts a high diversity of coastal habitats including rocky coastline, sandy beaches and mangrove communities.

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The Barb Martin Bush Bank established.

Bass Coast Alliance formed and first World Environment Day Schools Expo held.

• Agriculture and tourism are the island’s main economies.

5.7 million committed to the development of the Phillip Island Recycled Water Scheme.

Phillip Island Nature Parks begin work on a waste strategy for the whole park.

Over the last 25 years around 800,000 indigenous plants have been planted.

Over 100 sustainability events run in the last 25 years.

Over 90% of Phillip Island has undergone pest, plant or animal control in last 25 years.

Class A water dual purple pipe installed in all new developments.

Over 25 million litres of drinking water now saved annually.

• There have been over 260 bird species recorded on the Island.

• Phillip Island is home to one of the largest Little Penguin colonies in the world and Seal Rocks is home to one of the largest Australian Fur Seals colonies in the world.

Westernport Water’s short term goal is to re-use 23% of the wastewater on Phillip Island.

Bi o s

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Melbourne

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Westernport Water 1300 720 711 www.westernportwater.com.au

Transition Towns www.transitionphillipisland.wordpress.com/transition-what/

nd

Phillip Island Nature Parks www.penguins.org.au

Port Phillip Bay

Mornington Peninsula Shire

Anne Davie local farmer revegetating the Phillip Island Wildlife Corridor.

French Island

South Eastern Councils Climate Change Alliance www.seccca.org.au

Western Port

Phillip Island

Bass Coast Shire

• The largest breeding colonies of Short-tailed Shearwater, Crested Tern and Kelp Gull in Victoria also occur on Phillip Island.

• Since 2006 the channel between Phillip Island and San Remo has been used as a dedicated tidal power test facility.

Bass Coast Shire Council 1300 226 278 www.basscoast.vic.gov.au

Make your home green: www.makeyourhomegreen.vic.gov.au Save water: www.savewater.com.au

Western Port Biosphere Reserve www. biosphere.org.au

Sustainable Gardening Australia: www.sgaonline.org.au

National Recycling Hotline: www.recyclingnearyou.com.au

• a call to action for residents and references for further information

• World renowned research conducted at Phillip Island Nature Parks has collected 42 years of Little Penguin data helping us understand wider issues like climate change.

2007 Urban Landcare is committed to delivering2015 a series of events and tours over the next 12 months, with a specific focus on creative design, showing real-life examples, and taking the jargon out of technical advice with easy-to-understand, engaging speakers and presentations. Look out for event details in local media.

First ‘Sustainable Living’ brochure released by Landcare and Bass Coast Shire council.

Westernport Water rebates introduced.

Westernport Water showerhead and trigger exchange program introduced.

Household water audits began. 100 audited.

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‘Weeds out – Indigenous In’ program begins.

The first local business sustainability recognition program.

‘Indigenous plants of Phillip Island’ brochure released by Phillip Island Landcare Group.

Urban Rabbit control initiative introduced.

Gorse eradication program started.

Removal of 200 pine trees from Newhaven swamp.

Key Partners Phillip Island is blessed with groups whose passion is to ensure a sustainable future for the area. If you wish to live more sustainably these groups can support you in making a change. Why not make the call and ensure Phillip Island remains a special place for you and others now and into the future.

Phillip Island Landcare Group 5951 3329 www.basscoastlandcare.org.au

• Phillip Island is part of the Western Port biosphere reserve recognised internationally by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Biosphere reserves aim to foster conservation and sustainable development.

ies

Urban Landcare established on Phillip Island.

Annual awards began for best urban garden.

First ‘Sustainable Living Festival’ held.

Sustaining Coastal Communities Project started.

ar

Burke’s Backyard environmental blitz at Ventnor Common.

The Western Port Biosphere Reserve was declared by UNESCO. ‘Common Weeds of Gippsland’ brochure released by Bass Coast Shire Council.

The Island is recognised internationally for its research and significant wetlands. A sustainable Phillip Island will help protect its special resources and you can make a difference.

• Approximately 8000 people reside and 3.5 million people visit Phillip Island annually.

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Phillip Island Nature Parks formed.

Phillip Island Wildlife Corridor launched.

Phillip Island is a special place. It provides habitat for plants, animals, residents and is a destination for millions of visitors.

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Phillip Island Landcare Group established.

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The Phillip Island Conservation Society formed.

• Phillip Island Nature Parks multi award winning Education Department engages school groups and the public throughout the year.

Bass Coast buy local: www.basscoastbuylocal.com

Appliance energy ratings: www.energyrating.gov.au Chemicals in the home: www.safersolutions.org.au

Sustainability Victoria: www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

Department of Sustainability: www.environment.gov.au Clean energy future: www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au

Officially launched in September 2011, this brochure is available at a number of local outlets including Westernport Water and the Bass Coast Shire Council office in Cowes.

• Through good management and the assistance of the community the Hooded Plover population on Phillip Island is one of few in the world that is increasing in size.

Published in 2011 - Printed on recycled paper The Sustaining Coastal Communities Project is managed by the Phillip Island Landcare Group, funded through the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund and supported by local sources including Westernport Water, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Bass Coast Shire Council, South East Councils Climate Change Alliance and the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation.

For more information on how to get involved in Urban Landcare, please contact facilitator Lisa Wangman on 5951 3329, 0409 366 914 or l.wangman@basscoast.vic.gov.au

WESTERNPORT WATER

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Benitos

1196 Nepean Hwy, Mt Eliza Call 5975 8060 Famous for their steaks and more!

Cafe@Churchill Island Off the coast of Phillip Island Phone 5956 7834 Fresh produce and great coffee

Cafe Chocolatte

1805 Phillip Island Rd Phillip Island Phone 5952 2283 Hot chocolate, chocs & more

Carmies Kitchen

144 Marine Pde, San Remo Phone 5678 5589 Delicious homemade food

Celia Rosser Gallery Promontory Rd Fish Creek Phone 5683 2628 Great food and quality art

Champions Cafe

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Back Beach Road Phone 5952 2710 Racing good food!

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Chocolate Factory

Grand Ridge Brewery

Somers General Store

Coal Mine Cafe

Infused

Silverwater Resort

Dalliance Chocolates

Harry’s on the Esplanade

Toms Cap Vineyard

Esplanade Hotel

Old Dalyston Deli

Terminus @ Flinders Hotel

Flinders Hotel

RACV Resort

Youki’s

930 Phillip Island Rd Newhaven, Phillip Island Phone 5956 6600 For chocolate lovers

Garden St Wonthaggi Phone 5672 3053 Great food and Wonthaggi heritage

62 Ridgway Rd, Mirboo North 5668 2455 Coffee, chocolate and more

1 A’Beckett St Inverloch Phone 5674 1432 Delicious meals

Cnr Cook and Wood St, Flinders Call 5989 0201 Fine, fresh and local food

Main Street Mirboo North Phone 5668 2222 Award winning beer

115 Thompson Avenue Cowes Phillip Island Phone 5952 2655 Restaurant,cafe, wine bar

17 The Esplanade Cowes Phone 5952 6226 Delicious cuisine

74 Glen Forbes Rd Dalyston Phone. 5678 7377 Cafe food & scrumptious pizza

70 Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road Inverloch Phone 5674 0000 Contemporary cuisine

2 The Boulevard, Somers Phone 5983 2070 Delicious fare by the seaside

Phillip Island Tourist Rd, San Remo Phone 5671 9300 Contemporary dining in Watermark @ Silverwater Resort

Woody’s Restaurant 322 Lays Rd, Willung South Phone 5194 2215

Cnr Cook & Wood Sts, Flinders Phone 5989 0201 Premium culinary destination

97 Church St, Cowes Phone 5952 3339 Licensed Japanese tapas bar

Let s eat! coast 133

We love our food! So will you!

Youki's Cowes Take away Shop 1,69B Chapel St Cowes Phone (03) 5952 6444 coast 134

Opening September Licensed Japanese Tapas Bar Youki’s Licensed Japanese Tapas Bar 97 Church Street, Cowes Chapel Phone (03)/69B 5952 3339

Street

Wonthaggi Take Away 46 McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi Cowes 4070 Phone5672 (03) 5672 4070

Youki’s

Youki’s Licensed Japanese Tapas Bar Open 8am – 11pm (Amaroo Park) 97 Church Street, Cowes 5952 3339 www.youkis.com.au

words maria reed photos warren reed

a little bit of Japan in the heart of Cowes The people of Phillip Island and Wonthaggi have been blessed over the years with authentic sushi and sashimi from Youki’s Japanese Takeaway. Youki’s has taken the next step and is excited to announce the opening of its new restaurant near the heart of Cowes.

Youki’s Licensed Japanese Tapas Bar has been a long-time dream for partowner Sayuri Innes. “It came a little earlier than expected,” she laughs, “but I feel this was meant to be.” When the 100-year-old historic homestead at Amaroo Park became available, she says, “it was too good an opportunity to pass up.” Lisa and Darrell from Amaroo are simply lovely and we feel like a part of their extended family.”

Her husband Peter came out of retirement to renovate the old property, which was in serious need of a little love and care. “When we walked in the first time, the floor was a bit uneven, and we just thought it was part of its character”. On closer inspection, they realised the extent of repairs necessary, and restumped and rewired most of the building. Now it is an oasis of calm, with soft yellow walls, carved Japanese feature screens and custom-made, Japanese (red) hanging ceilings and wooden bars crafted by their good friend Fish (Andrew McRae).

When it came to naming their new restaurant, there was no discussion of options. Youki’s was named after Peter and Sayuri’s 15-year-old son of the same name. “Youki is such a social person: he’s a bit of a people-magnet,” smiles Sayuri. Born with cerebral palsy, she says, “he is such a positive energy and we have learnt so much from him. “If it weren’t for him, we may not have Youki’s . . . he just connects people.” Her sister Miyuki and brother-inlaw Shin moved from Japan to open the original Japanese takeaway. The shops have brought their extended family together and most days after school Youki will be found hanging out with his beloved uncle Shin at the sushi bar.

Their new tapas bar is designed to be wheelchair-friendly, with access

ramps and two disabled toilets. “We hope it will be a laid-back meeting place where people can enjoy a drink and some traditional Japanese home style cooking.” The restaurant and wide, covered veranda (perfect for a drink on a sunny afternoon) will seat up to 120 people. Chef Shin and his team will be serving delicious Japanese food and tapas. “The menu is just being finalised, but we will be serving a buffet-style breakfast, simple bento box lunches, and for dinner we will have an assortment of Japanese tapas and some larger meals.” Their signature dish is Yakatori (grilled, skewered chicken with Teriyaki sauce) which will be cooked in a special machine imported from Japan. “It makes a huge difference to the taste,” says Sayuri. They will also be creating crispy-skin skin in the grill-machine, which brings out the flavour (without the fat). Most dishes will range from $3 to $10, making them affordable for most budgets.

The boys in the kitchen are very excited by their task of creating the drinks list. “I’m a bit scared,” laughs Sayuri – “they have an extensive knowledge of Japanese beer and wines and I’m worried how long the list will be.” They will stock Japanese spirits, sakes and different Japanese beers. “We will have sake paddles so people can have a small tasting of different sakes.” Sayuri is also thrilled to be offering a drop from winemaker John Hughes (ex MasterChef contestant). “John also has cerebral palsy, and he is so very inspiring. Since MasterChef, he has been working as a mentor supporting and cooking with children with disabilities,” she ,” she enthuses.

The team hopes to have the restaurant up and running by September 19th, and invite you to come and enjoy some great food and wine, and friendly Japanese-Australian hospitality. Just a short walk from the centre of Cowes, it is decidedly worth the visit.

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’ whatsnew in food

youki’s mirboo madness @ grand ridge brewery American Red Ale A beautifully balanced and big hop driven ale with lots of complexity. The distinctive red hue is extracted from specially selected malts across the world. The complex bitterness and hop palate result from multiple additions of European and American new world hops to the kettle. The aroma and mouth feel are further enhanced via dry hopping with fresh New Zealand specialty hops.

coalmine cafe

Youki’s have been serving the local community delicious, fresh sushi and other Japanese delights, and now they are opening a restaurant at the old Amaroo Park site.

The Coal Mine Café is the best kept secret in Wonthaggi! Owner Leah Montebello serves up delicious, hearty meals at a very wholesome price. Cooked with fresh seasonal produce (often from their own garden), the food is fresh and delicious! Enjoy the historic coal mine and friendly hospitality. Garden Street, Wonthaggi. 5672 3053

Open Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 115 Thompson Avenue, Cowes 3922 (03) 59 522 655 Phillip Island, Vic, Australia www.infused.com.au

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Chocolate Cafe

Chocolate Desserts The Phillip Island Chocolate Factory the sweetest attraction on Phillip Island

Home of Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate, a unique, interactive & educational celebration of all things chocolate.

• Daily hot curry lunch from 12 – 3pm • Hot Chocolate made with real chocolate • Choc dipped frozen bananas

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, 930 Phillip Island Rd, Newhaven phone 5956 6600 web www.phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.au coast 137

dineout

It’s a starry night as we make our way to the tip of the Mornington Peninsula to visit the Terminus dining room at Flinders Hotel. Planets compete for our attention, but by far the brightest star of the night is Pierre Khodja, executive chef at this newest food destination by the coast.

terminus @ flinders hotel We are seated at a cosy banquette in the corner, allowing us an expansive view of the simple, stylish surrounds of the dining room.

Amid understated pinstriped walls and the glow of a large open fire, fine cutlery, crockery and glassware sit atop crisp linen tablecloths.

The setting is both intimate and serene. Our friendly, discreet maître d’ Clinton Trevisi makes us welcome and produces an extensive wine list for us to peruse. Skimming 18 pages of delectable drops, we gladly give up, allowing Clinton to choose for us. In a previous life he managed front-of-house at the famous, award-winning Royal Mail Hotel in the Grampians. His knowledge of wine is extensive, and we are very pleased by his selection of the sparkling Louis Roederer Brut Premier, which combines all the fruitiness and freshness of youth with the characteristics of a fully mature wine.

As we study the North African-inspired menu carefully created by Chef Khodja and his expert team, we are presented with a delicate bowl of artichoke soup with a splash of Moroccan argan oil. The soup is silky and flavoursome and matches beautifully with the crisp mushroomfilled pastry cigar accompanying it. I agonise over my entrée, with choices such as seared scallops with black pudding, broad bean purée and pomegranate, or sautéed wild mushrooms on pearl couscous with poached egg. I finally decide on the marinated yellowfin tuna with Moroccan salad and argan oil. I am pleased with my choice and the delicate flesh of the tuna bursts with sweetness when matched with its

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salty-spice marinade. Its plating is artistic and it doesn’t disappoint the palate. My partner finds the choice impossible, and leaves the decision to the chef. He is delighted by the stuffed quail with cinnamon gnocchi and dried grape jus that is placed before him. The succulent bird is surrounded by an explosion of unfamiliar flavours which are delightfully sweet, yet balanced so as not to be overpowering.

The attentive staff ensures the tide is never out in any glass, be it water or wine. With an ocean of choice, we decide to go local and I enjoy a glass of the Miceli ‘Iolanda’ 2009 Pinot Grigio from Arthur’s Seat, which is a distinctive white with a clean finish. Subtle hints of pear, honey and lemon make this a decidedly flavoursome wine. My partner chooses the Yal Yal Rd 2010 Pinot Noir from Merricks North and is charmed by the spiced cherry and blood plum flavours. We note the wine list offers wines by the glass, half-bottle and bottle, with a few extravagant choices for a very special occasion.

I take a little peek as I walk by the kitchen and I am impressed by the hive of activity – it is the embodiment of organised calm. Chef Khodja runs a tight ship and his apprentices are like a part of his family.

“We treat each other with respect and dignity. I don’t believe there is any reason to shout in a kitchen – you don’t shout in an office or a hairdressing salon. I believe it is my responsibility to impart the best of my knowledge to my apprentices.”

words maria reed photos warren reed

Sneaking back to my seat in the corner, I arrive just as mains are served. I choose the tagine of hapuku, saffron potatoes and stuffed Flinders mussels, which takes me back to my travels in Morocco. Chef Khodja sources many special spices direct from the Moroccan markets, including saffron and argan oil. “Every product is different, and the quality is so important. Just taste a drop of this argan oil and you’ll experience an explosion of flavours. Some commercially-produced oils are just shiny liquid – like plastic with no flavour. You have to use your ideas to make your food taste as you like,” he says. The hapuku simply melts in the mouth, and matches beautifully with the saffron potatoes.

The stuffed mussels are a surprise, and burst with flavours from the sea. My partner relishes the chef’s selection of roast rabbit and foie gras dumplings with a raisin jus. He enthuses over the moist rabbit and indulgence of the foie gras, tied together beautifully with the punchy raisin jus.

Our appetites sated, we sit and enjoy our surrounds and fine wine. Chef Khodja makes his way to our table, but not before being stopped and congratulated several times by very happy diners. I can see this star chef is already gathering a cult following. We thank him for a magnificent meal and he reminds us that, with desserts still to come, our journey is not yet over. “For me and my team, our customers are king. Australia has amazing produce and we want to create a real dining experience here –a destination, if you will.”

Born in Algeria, and raised in Marseilles, France, Pierre Khodja credits his mum with his love of food. “I was from a family of eight and there wasn’t a lot of money, but my mother was very clever. She would go to the market and buy a lot of cheap ingredients and make something great with spices – it was all about using her imagination. I still remember struggling home from the market with a bag that was bigger than me!”

As soon as he was old enough, Pierre started training as a chef and refined his skills in Paris.

In the late 80s he moved to London and worked under chef Guy Mouilleron at Ma Cuisine and chef Remy Fougère at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. He was head chef at restaurant San Carlo and his talented style of cooking took him to the famous Bistrot Loubet working under chef Bruno Loubet. During his time there the restaurant won many awards including a Michelin Red M, 3 AAA rosettes and an Evening Standard Eros Award. Moving to Australia with his family, he opened the Albert Street Restaurant on the Mornington Peninsula, which was awarded an Age Good Food Guide Hat and gained something of a cult status with his patrons. He then took the position as head chef at Canvas Restaurant in Hawthorn, achieving another Age Good Food Guide Hat. Now the Mornington Peninsula is blessed yet again with his unique talents at Terminus, The Deck and Peninsula – all at the Flinders Hotel.>

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Pierre speaks French, Arabic, Spanish and English. He says, “Travel is an amazing teacher, and it’s good for people to see the world and experience how other people live.” His travels not only inspire his North African-influenced cuisine (with classic French techniques), but the way he lives and raises his three daughters. “It’s important to help those less fortunate than yourself. I’ve been hungry, so I know what it’s like.

We all have challenges in life, but it’s how you deal with them that is crucial.” He says he’s proud of his daughters: “They are very grounded,” he smiles. With two travelling overseas to volunteer in orphanages and one studying law to work in the UN, the girls are making a wonderful contribution to the world .

As our final course arrives, Chef Khodja says, “Food brings people together at the table. Big things are discussed: people fall in love, they make deals, they separate, and talk about important things like their children, buying a house, jobs . . . everything!” He leaves us to enjoy our eye-catching desserts.

My Turkish delight soufflé (with halva ice-cream) floats like a delicate, pink cloud. Definitely a choice for the sweet tooth, it is soft, fluffy and delectably sweet. My partner chose the dark chocolate fondant with white chocolate mousse and butternut sorbet. Taken by its artful presentation, he almost (I say ‘almost’) hesitated to eat it. Soft and creamy chocolate caressed our taste buds . . . simply divine. Finished with a perfect short black, it was a triumph of a meal.

We will be back . . .

Terminus @ Flinders Hotel Corner Cook & Wood Streets, Flinders 5989 0201 www.flindershotel.com.au ##As we were going to print, Terminus received The Age Good Food Guide hat.

That would be a hat trick now (3 in a row) for Chef Khodja! The Flinders Hotel are also very excited to announce the opening of Quarters, 40 room boutique accommodation due to open mid September.

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The culinary destination that showcases all that the peninsula has to offer.

Phone (03) 5989 0201 www.f lindershotel.com.au info@f lindershotel.com.au Cnr Cook & Wood Streets, Flinders VIC 3929 coast 141

Fantastic Sports Bar & Entertainment venue: Juke box or live music, TAB & Pool table. Thirsty Camel Bottleshop & Drive Through. Tabaret, friendly staff & great service. Modern Bistro, open 7 days, Alfresco dining, modern menu with seniors meals available, breakfast every Saturday & Sunday 8.30 –11.30. Try our Sunday night Buffet from 6pm, a great selection of dishes to tantalise your tastebuds

aptain’s ounge

Thursday Sessions. 3 course set menu only $35.

Funky Fridays: Every Friday night Acoustic music Relaxed atmosphere Cocktails Share Platters Open Friday & Saturday nights for an amazing dining experience! See our Function co-coordinator to organise your special function: Weddings, Engagements , Birthdays A sophisticated and beautiful restaurant and function room, Level 1 at the Espy.

1 A’Beckett St Inverloch coast 142

03 5674 1432

myfavouriterecipe

Confit Duck

with a salad of cranberry, pistachio, spinach and kipfler potatoes with a cherry reduction.

Ingredients

4 duck legs 1 litre duck fat 6 kipfler potatoes boiled until just tender 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup roasted pistachio nuts 2 handfuls baby spinach

Marinade

2 tbs finely chopped fresh ginger 1 head of garlic (chopped) 1 tsp white peppercorns 1 tsp ground star anise 4 tbsp coarse sea salt

Method

Put trimmed duck legs in a non-reactive try and sprinkle with marinade, leave in fridge for 24 hours. Pre-heat oven to 110 deg Celsius. Rinse off excess marinade, place duck legs in an ovenproof tray and cover completely with melted duck fat. Cover tightly with greaseproof paper and foil, cook in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat should shrink back from the leg bone. Cool in the duck fat.

Cherry Reduction

1 can black cherries 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 small cinnamon quill 1/2 cup walnuts 50ml Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

Head Chef Bernie Bradley from The Captains Lounge at The Esplanade Hotel at Inverloch shares this delicious duck recipe with Coast readers.

Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Remove nuts and quill, blend and then sieve.

Heat duck leg in oven until golden. Slice kipflers and cook in a little duck fat until golden. Add pistachios and cranberries to pan. Add spinach and season, toss to wilt spinach and combine ingredients. Put salad on the plate, top with duck leg and finish with cherry reduction.

Good Food for all Occasions Lunch • Dinner • Weddings • Functions • Pizza Old Dalyston Deli sits on beautiful rolling lawns only 5 minutes from the stunning Kilcunda coastline. Featuring delicious chef-prepared meals and a busy Specials Board, the old church building is fully licensed with plenty of onsite parking and both indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Ring or check the website for opening hours or call us to discuss menus for weddings, parties or work functions.

Old Dalyston Deli 74 Glen Forbes Road Dalyston. 600 metres off Bass Highway. Turn between the Dalyston Pub and General Store.

Phone. 5678 7377

www.olddalystondeli.com

admin@olddalystondeli.com

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Carmie’s Kitchen

Carmie’s Kitchen

144 Marine Parade SAN REMO VIC 3925 Phone: 03 56785589 Fax: 03 56785596

somers general store & the store cafe

the store cafe & somers general store 2 The Boulevard, Somers

0 3 59 832 070

somersgeneralstore@bigpond.com www.somersgeneralstore.com

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wonthaggi gold The Wonthaggi Coal Mine Cafe is a little gem just waiting to be discovered.

If you haven’t been to the newly re-opened coal mine site, you will be pleasantly surprised. A gleaming new visitor centre is there to be explored, and delicious home-style food awaits your enjoyment at the Coal Mine Cafe.

The day we visit, it seems the secret of the cafe is already out (to the Wonthaggi locals anyhow), as the place is pumping. Owner-manager Leah Montebello already has a dedicated group of foodie followers. Renowned for her wood-fired pizzas at the From the Ground Up nursery cafe, she is excited about putting the love into her new cafe.

We tried the mixed berry pancakes with vanilla ice-cream, which were not only huge (it took three of us to eat them) but delicious as well. A stack of three fluffy pancakes was topped with a generous serve of juicy, succulent berries, and topped with creamy vanilla ice-cream. With a large selection of T2 teas and organic, fair-trade Jasper coffee, it made the perfect afternoon tea.

The cafe offers a seasonal menu with many of the fruits and vegetables sourced from the on-site cottage garden. Leah says, ‘‘We grow all our own herbs, and all our jams, chutneys and preserves are made on site”. The cafe offers light lunches, snacks and hearty lunch fare – anything from sweet and savoury croissants, tandoori chicken or roast vegie wraps and focaccias to fish & chips, lamb souvlaki, Caesar salad, gourmet potatoes and vol au vents. I see the waitress float by with a beef lasagne which looks hearty and delicious. I’m told the devonshire teas are to die for. The fare is also incredibly well-priced, with no item on the menu over $10.

The atmosphere at the cafe is welcoming and homely. We sit and chat to Jack Blundell, a dedicated volunteer tour-guide. Jack’s grandfather worked these

mines back in the tent-town days. He tells us some wonderful tales and lets our daughter feed ‘Cobber’ the pit pony with fresh carrots. The mine would not run without its dedicated volunteers, who will put in an astounding 22,000 hours of work this year.

Leah tells us there are plans afoot to build a wood-fired oven, and Christmas hampers with homemade goodies will be available in December. She is looking to extend her gardens and grow her own fresh berries. For an experience out of the ordinary, or simply a lovely place to enjoy a hearty (and delicious) meal or snack, visit the cafe soon.

State Coal Mine Café, open 7 days from 10 to 3.30.

Garden St, Wonthaggi.

Phone: 5672 3053 www.statecoalmine.com.au

n e p o w o n e f a c e l y t s New home

Let one of their volunteers enthrall you with stories of tunnels filled with men and pit ponies, dust and dim lights. See how their tools and equipment are still in place as if the miners have just walked away...

Tours daily • • n e p o w o n Cafe

53

ne. 5672 30 o h P • i g g a th n o Garden Street W

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looking forward to a bit of El Nino words rick lacey, purple hen

The happy face of the ABC weather presenter declared this past winter to be warmer than average... sure didn’t feel like it. One thing for sure, it was wet. While technically not winter, May got the ball rolling with more than double the average rainfall (on Phillip Island). June and July just kept it rolling.

Paddling about in saturated soils added to the delight of winter vineyard jobs, particularly the pruning. The typical greeting when a couple of winegrowers meet during winter is, “How’s the pruning going? Finished yet?” Pruning is drudge at the best of time and never more so than during a wet winter.

So right now we are quite looking forward to the prospect of El Nino and a bit of warmer drier weather. Hopefully not as extreme as the last drought cycle, but a bit of warm and dry would be welcome this Spring. The wet winter was uncomfortable, a wet Spring would be a

real problem for winegrowers in these parts.

Let’s hope the forecasters have it right and we have a bit of El Nino.

And what better to do on one of those warm Spring days than get out and visit one of the region’s wineries. Spring in the vineyard bursts with life and energy. A happy time and a time for release of new vintages of wine – notably the fresh aromatic whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Gris/Grigio. Get out and enjoy them - and don’t mention the pruning.

Winner of Best Pinot Noir, Best Shiraz, Best Sparkling Wine 2011 Gippsland Wine Show Best Red Wine & Most Successful Exhibitor at both 2010 & 2011 Gippsland Wine Shows

Music at the Winery Cup Weekend - Saturday 3rd November 4:30pm – 7:30pm Every Friday evening in January 6pm – 8pm Bring your own chair or rug

Vineyard & Winery 96 McFees Road Rhyll Phillip Island Hours: 11am – 5:30pm 7 days a week in Summer & School Holidays Other times: 5 days a week (closed Tuesday & Wednesday) Ph: 5956 9244 www.purplehenwines.com.au

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The Professionals team put the fun into selling houses!

Shop 2, 129 Marine Parade, San Remo Ph: 5678 5141 www.sanremorealty.com.au

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the

OrphFund Shop

www.orphfund.org

Photography & Crafts from around the world

All purchases help raise vital funds for Orphfunds projects, benefiting street children and orphans coast 148

QUEST Phillip Island

Located in the vibrant, holiday township of Cowes, Quest Phillip Island is a short stroll to local shops, restaurants and beaches and within a short travelling distance to Phillip Island’s many attractions including the Penguin Parade, surf beaches and Grand Prix Circuit.

Mention this ad and receive a 10% discount*

L&J TUDDIN restorations

ANTIQUE & DECOR GALLERY ANTIQUES / / ARTIFACTS / / DECOR / / BEADS

Over 20 years experience. Private restoration available. Antiques to contemporary.

The Antique gallery is located between the Inverloch Motel and Inverloch Nursery.

Open Fri-Sun 10am-5pm. Public & School Holidays or by appointment.

RESTORED FURNITURE FROM EUROPE & CHINA

37 Powlett Street, Inverloch Tel/Fax (03) 5674 3982 Email ljrestore@live.com.au

QUEST Oceanic

Q

Quest Oceanic features one, two and three bedroom, fully self contained apartments.

The apartments feature quality furnishings and fittings, dvd players, stereos, full kitchen, laundry facilities with large balconies and onsite under cover secure parking for one car.

Phone: 03 5952 2644

questphillipisland@bigpond.com.au www.questphillipisland.com.au www.questoceanic.com.au

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coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

Quality accommodation

coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

g estudio c kgallery o

www.fionakennedy.com e: fionakennedy@dcsi.net.au www.fionakennedy.com m: 0413 241 805 Fiona Kennedy Art Gallery & Studio

15 Falls Road Fish Creek 03 5683 2481 0423 721 593 0421 209 878

monthly exhibitions of contemporary artwork | art materials | picture framing e: framing@geckostudiogallery.com.au w: geckostudiogallery.com.au opening times thurs-mon 10am-5pm

Kerry Spokes & Michael Lester

Unique Jewellery | Watches | Repairs | Classes Rethreading | Commissions | Ear Piercing

New Artisan Featuring for Spring is

Scott Overend

Handmade, Well made, Australian made Regular Classes & Exhibitions visit: goldsmithsgallery.com.au

Shop 3 - Bridgeview Arcade San Remo

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phone. 5678 5788

60 Kardella - Fairbank Rd, Kardella. (via Korumburra) Phone.

(03) 5655 2405

Email.

gooseneckpottery@dcsi.net.au

www.gooseneckpottery.com.au

Fahnle

M O S A I C S B Y T H E B AY

Mosaic Classes with Heather Fahnle It’s therapeutic, fun and creative.

All materials and lunch supplied.

Phone or email Heather for bookings www. fahnle.com.au email. heather@fahnle.com.au mob. 0417 562 625

SUNDAY

from 10 am - Inside & Out LIVE MUSIC FROM 11AM

homedesignandconstruction.com.au Ph. 5678 5777

75-77 Phillip Island Road, San Remo

Maxines Have opened a GRAND NEW STORE 55-57 McBride Ave, Wonthaggi Ph. 5672 3889

Jewellery, summer fashions, handcrafts & homewares

COMING SOON A GRAND NEW CLEARANCE STORE MCBRIDE AVE WONTHAGGI MAXINES also at 220 Commercial Rd, Yarram 335 Brunswick St, Fitzroy & Maxines Family Emporium, Main Rd, Kongwak (open every Sunday)

Kongwak Gallery is now a treasure trove of pre-loved, retro, vintage & more...

Main Street, KONGWAK, Victoria (only 10 minutes from Inverloch) For more info call Jane on 0417 142 478

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coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

Heather

coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

New & Gently Used Quality Goods

Mind, Body & Spirit CD’s Japanese Incense Himalayan Salt Lamps Beeswax Candles Silver Jewellery Oracle Cards Inspiration Cards Body Jewellery Tilda® Wraps Bric-a-brac, Scarves Hats, Bags, Books Black Ice Sunglasses Bella Donna Harmony Balls Clothing for Ladies, Men & Kids Gemstones: Tumbled, Specimens & Jewellery

Not where you want to be in your career, relationships, family or health?

Life coaching will unlock your hidden potential, to live the life you desire.

You Are Amazing!

31 Main Street Foster Ph: 5682 1381 Weekdays 10am-5pm Sat 9:30am-4pm Sun 10am-4pm Closed Tuesdays until Melbourne Cup

www.mainstreetrevelations.com.au

Scott Brelsford - 0419 182 235 or coach@ yourhiddenpotential.com.au

www.yourhiddenpotential.com.au

Kids Wanted

Kids of the Coast are back, but with a difference!

The 3rd Edition will feature stunning, fine-art conceptual photography of the children of Bass Coast.

Proceeds from the nomination fee & book sales donated to ‘Beau Vernon Fund’. If you would like to have your child or children featured in this book - or to find out more, call 5956 6728

Truly the perfect location for your wedding reception & garden ceremony. We cater to all functions & provide personal touches with no hidden costs. We also operate a 60 seat restaurant with marquee covered decking overlooking our beautifully manicured gardens.

LIMITED SPOTS SO CALL NOW TO REGISTER!

Call 5956 6728 www.lenstolife.com.au coast 152

Benito’s Restaurant Phone. 03 5975 8060 info@benitos.com.au

www.benitos.com.au

“FUEL BY THE TANK OR TANKER FULL” LEONGATHA DEPOT

PH.

03 5662 2217

A/H

0418 595 346

Waterfront dining with panoramic bay views

Freshest local seafood on the Island Local fresh produce with seafood straight from the boat, Island grazed beef and lamb and in-house bakery.

Accommodation available.

17 The Esplanade Cowes, Vic.

FISH CREEK, FOSTER, INVERLOCH KORUMBURRA, LEONGATHA, MIRBOO NTH TOORA, WONTHAGGI & YARRAM

Ph (03) 5952 6226

www.harrysrestaurant.com.au

Lubricants 5662 2217

www.evanspetroleum.com.au

VAN STEENSEL TIMBERS BUILDING MATERIALS & WATER TANKS

FRIENDLY & EXPERT ADVICE HUGE RANGE OF WATER TANKS • TIMBER • HARDWARE

• PAINTS • TOOLS

CNR. CORINELLA TURN OFF & BASS HWY, GRANTVILLE (03)56788552

specialised joinery solutions Custom made: • Bathroom Interiors • Kitchen Interiors • Furniture The only Certified Kitchen and Bathroom Designer in Gippsland

Kevin Holden PO Box 789, Wonthaggi 0458 520 347

coast 153

coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

Distributors for South Gippsland

www.coastmagazine.net where to stay, eat, shop – fashion - builders – property – gardening & green – live the dream

coast directory

directory Accommodation

Fashion

Professional Services

Best Friend Holiday Retreat 72 Kilcunda Holiday Retreat 44 Prom Country 8 Quest 149 RACV Resort 61 Silverwater Resort 83 Tarra Valley Caravan Park 72

Haze 38 Maxines 151 Sketa 12 So! Me! 84

Atoll Travel Bendigo Bank Your Hidden Potential Lens to Life Zero 3

Gardens and Green

Property & Retirement

Antiques L&J Tuddin Antiques

149

Artists and Galleries Celia Rosser Gallery 14 Cheryl Petersen Galleries 21 Deb Halpern 80 Fiona Kennedy 150 Gecko Studio Gallery 150 Goldsmiths Gallery 150 Gooseneck Pottery 150 Leongatha Art + Craft Society 79 Mingara Gallery 30 Mosaics on the Bay 151

Automotive Edneys 122 Lexus of Brighton 30 Mercedes Benz Berwick 51

Builders and Designers Adam Dettrick Architect 93 Andrew Donohue Design 112 Beachhouse Constructions 114 Beaumont Concepts 110 Coldon Homes 126 Ecoliv 108 Home Design & Construction 151 Lamaro Homes 103 Langford Jones 125 Metricon 45 South Gippsland Homes 122 TS Constructions 93

Entertainment Baker Boys 84 Kongwak Market 151 Inverloch Farmers Market 118 Turn the Page 63

coast 154

Compass Pools Finding the Grain Island Garden Supplies Island Landscape & Design Mojo Contracting Simply Blooming Gorgeous Sunplus Solar TJ’s Timber

156 94 128 128 130 86 88 103

Government Bass Coast Shire Council West Gippsland CMA Westernport Water

127 98 116

Hair, Health and Beauty Long Street Family Medicine 79 Priceline Pharmacy Cowes 65 Sth Gippsland Dental Clinics 32 PI Medical Group 57 San Remo Pharmacy 62 YMCA 85

Homewares Main St Revelations 152 Mookah Studios 99 Samsara 48 South Coast Furnishings 83 Southern Bazaar 18 So Me! 84

Jewellery Denis A Hawkins 62 Goldsmiths Gallery 150 Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery 11 Studio 41 66

Stockists 36 120 152 152 27

Alex Scott, Phillip Island 155 Crystalbrook Kilcunda 43 Eco Village 6 Parklands 4 San Remo Realty 147 Seagrove Estate 2

Restaurants & Cafes Ahern’s Fruit Market 106 Benito’s 155 Carmie’s Kitchen 144 Coal Mine Cafe 145 Dalliance Chocolates 73 Esplanade Hotel 142 Flinders Hotel 141 Grand Ridge Brewery 73 Harry’s on the Esplanade 153 Infused 136 Old Dalyston Deli 143 Somers General Store 144 Youki’s 134 Woody’s Restaurant 77

Tourism & Travel Amaze n Things 54 Phillip Island Chocolate Factory 137 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 66 Rod Bending 99 Vietnam Vets Museum 80

Trades & Hardware Bass Coast Refrigeration Coastal Refrigeration Evans Petroleum Van Steensels Timbers Woodwork Solutions

126 125 153 153 153

Wineries Purple Hen Winery Toms Cap Vineyard

146 77

Balnarring Newsagent Bass General Store Beaumaris News Berwick Newsagency Blairgowrie Newsagency Black Rock Newsagency Corinella General Store Coronet Bay General Store Cape Woolamai Bottlo Cowes Mobil Cowes Newsagent Cranbourne Newsagency Dalyston General Store Dumbalk Store Fish Creek Newsagency Fish Creek BP Flinders General Store Foster Newsagent Frankston Newsagency Grantville Newsagent Hampton Newsagency Hastings Newsagency Inverloch BP Inverloch Newsagent Inverloch Foodworks Kilcunda General Store Koonwarra Store Koo Wee Rup News Korumburra Newsagent Lang Lang News Leongatha Newsagent Loch - Hard Loch Cafe Mag Nation Meeniyan Newsagent Mirboo North Newsagent Middle Brighton News Mornington Newsagent Mt Martha Newsagent Mt Eliza Newsagency Newhaven Newsagency Pakenham Newsagency Pearcedale Newsagency Rhyll General Store Silverleaves General Store Newhaven Newsagent Smiths Beach Store Red Hill General Store Sandringham Newsagency Sandy Point General Store San Remo Foodworks San Remo Newsagent San Remo - Freedom Fuels Sorrento Newsagency Tarwin Lower Supermarket Tooradin Newsagent Tyabb Newsagency Venus Bay Store Ventnor Store Wilsons Prom - Tidal River Store Wonthaggi Newsagent Wonthaggi Ritchies IGA Wonthaggi - Mezza Luna Cafe Wonthaggi BP Yanakie Store

f r om t h e m o untai ns to the s ea

CLASSIC GOOD SERVICE Since 1886

We’ve enjoyed a great ride over the past 126 years and we’re especially proud of building great relationships and contributing to the success of our region during this time. this spring we invite you to put your trust in our classic good service when it comes to all things related to real estate in our community.

Melbourne (03) 9526 8611

Inverloch (03) 5674 1111

Leongatha (03) 5662 0922

Venus Bay (03) 5663 7111

Berwick (03) 9707 2000

Korumburra (03) 5655 1133

Pakenham (03) 5941 1111

Warragul (03) 5623 4744

Grantville (03) 5678 8433

Lang Lang (03) 5997 5599

Phillip Island (03) 5952 2633

Wonthaggi (03) 5672 1911

alexscott.com.au

coast 155

Look very closely.

This pool is cleaning itself.

If you think you’ll actually enjoy cleaning and vacuuming your new pool, then this news is bound to upset you.

Specialising in the Mornington Peninsular & Gippsland with existing Display Centres and soon to open Compass Pools Moorooduc.

Compass Pools have invented the in-floor Vantage Cleaning System. A self cleaning system of strategically placed nozzles that rise from the floor of the pool to clean and sweep away debris.

So while you stand (or sit) there and watch, still and stagnant patches are eliminated, the temperature is made even from top to bottom

and chemical consumption is dramatically reduced. It even cuts down on your heating bills as it busily cleans your pool. Meaning the perfect pool is no longer a myth.

Discover how affordable the perfect pool can be. Just call 1300 764 270 or log on to

www.compasspoolsvic.com.au

Leading the world in composite pool technology. coast 156