Dental Health Week is the Australian Dental Association’s major annual oral health campaign. It’s on from August

Whales of winter

Winter on the Mornington Peninsula is a special time of year that is made even more special by the arrival of large whales that turn our beautiful coastline into somewhat of a whale highway, giving us the opportunity to observe these magnificent creatures in their natural environment.

Humpback whales begin to appear along the Peninsula from May and may be sighted right through until August as they make their northern migration from Antarctic waters to their calving grounds in Queensland. Back in the early 2000s it was a bit of a novelty to see these animals around the Peninsula, whereas now it’s an expected privilege. It used to be that we would simply watch these whales pass by, but in recent years things have changed. Observations of humpback whales feeding along the Peninsula and even within the bay suggest that we may be seeing an ecological shift for the species. We have also observed competitive behaviours more commonly observed in lower latitudes and even heard some humpback whale song, all never before recorded in our part of the world. While humpbacks, growing to a maximum of 16-17m, are the most common whale sighted along the Peninsula, they are not the only large whale species to occur in this region during winter; the critically endangered southern right whale also appears along our coast at this time. Unlike humpbacks, southern right whales are mostly not on migration when in our area. For the most part, they have reached the northern extent of their migration. Southern right whales visit the Victorian coastline for calving and mating. While calving is thought to occur only in the west of the state, the species can be dispersed across the entire Victorian coastline, with the Mornington Peninsula being right in the middle. So how do we tell the difference between a humpback and a southern right whale? It's relatively simple, provided you get a good view of the animal. First and foremost, southern right whales lack a dorsal fin and have a much more 'robust' appearance compared with the humpback. Humpback whales have long elongated pectoral fins, while southern rights have paddleshaped, squared-off pectoral flippers. Humpbacks also often feature large areas of white on their underside, flank and on their flippers. At the same time, southern right whales are predominantly black, with the exception of occasional white markings on the underside and white/yellowish patches known as callosities on their heads. Another, perhaps more difficult way to tell the species apart is by the shape of the blow, with southern rights having a distinctive V-shaped blow and humpbacks more of a bushy blow up to 5m in height. While most sightings of whales are made along the ocean beaches, both humpbacks and southern rights do occasionally visit Port Phillip, with sightings recorded across the Peninsula’s coastline. The best places to look for whales are from any high vantage points facing the ocean. Cape Schanck is a popular place to see whales because they tend to pass quite close to the shore at this location. It truly is remarkable to have these animals visiting our marine backyard and it is important that we do our best to understand and protect them. There are two key ways the community can help protect and conserve these animals: • Report sightings of whales and dolphins to the Dolphin

Research Institute's Two Bays Whale Project through

PodWatch https://www.dolphinresearch.org.au/ report-sightings-page/ • Obey the Victorian marine mammal regulations. Do not deliberately approach whales closer than 200m in boats, 300m on jetskis or 30m for paddlers and swimmers. To learn more about whales and dolphins in our region, visit the Dolphin Research Institute website at www. dolphinresearch.org.au DAVID DONNELLY, research officer at the Dolphin Research Institute

The first-ever GLB.

Open for what’s next.

Make space for more - the GLB has arrived at Mercedes-Benz Mornington. Whether you ’re looking for more adventure or more leisure time, it’s the perfect partner for life’s twists and turns. With its unique design, 7 seats as standard, MBUX system and advanced safety features, the GLB is the most flexible compact SUV in our family - and it’s ready to welcome yours. Discover the GLB today at Mercedes-Benz Mornington. www.mbmornington.com.au

Applicable to new and demonstrator GLB first registered on or after 1 March 2020 for 5 years from the date of first registration of the vehicle. Warranty start time may differ for demonstrator vehicles. Commercial application of vehicle is subject to 5 years from first registration date or 200,000km (whichever occurs first). Battery warranty periods vary. Excludes customers with specific warranty arrangements with Mercedes-Benz. For full terms, conditions and exclusions please refer to the warranty statement here www.mercedes-benz.com.au.

Photos: Matt Hrack, XR Victoria

Climate crisis is also a crisis for our health

We are already seeing the impact the climate emergency is having on our environment, most notably the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 and historic NSW floods earlier this year. Something that isn’t as talked about is the impact the climate emergency is having on our health and well-being, and how this is set to worsen.

We are Extinction Rebellion (XR) Frankston – a group of seriously concerned locals taking part in a global movement for government and corporate action on the climate emergency. We have three demands for the Australian Government: declare a climate emergency; co-ordinate a just transition for fossil fuel workers towards net zero emissions by 2025; and form and be led by a Citizens’ Assembly of people like you and me, and for those less included in the conversation – particularly Indigenous peoples – to develop solutions together. On Sunday, May 23, we staged an act of creative civil disobedience simulating a morgue outside Hoyts Cinema in Frankston to alert our community to the deadly consequences of government inaction on climate change. The Australian Medical Association, joining the US and British health organisations, has declared that climate change is causing a health emergency. This will severely impact the health and well-being of Australians through an increase in infectious diseases and extreme weather events, with the World Health Organization estimating the health costs of climate change to be between $US2-4 billion annually by 2030. Furthermore, vulnerable communities – including Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples and asylum-seekers – will be disproportionally affected. This isn’t just an issue of environmental collapse. Society as we know it will be changed for ever. We believe that through acting together to hold governments and corporations accountable, a better Australia and a better world is possible. XR Frankston meets fortnightly and we are currently organising an introductory talk for July. Email us at xrfrankston@protonmail.com to get involved and stay up to date with actions, events and information. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ XRFrankston, and @XR_Frankston on Twitter. LARA WILLIAMSON and SOFIA GRAGE-MOORE

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Tree-planting bid to save koalas

The Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation started in May 2019 when the local community realised the importance of preserving the local koala population from the threat of development. What began as a Facebook group that recorded sightings of koalas on the Peninsula has grown to boast an impressive membership, and with the support of the Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network it’s on track to becoming an established community conservation group.

MPKC’s main objective is to create a koala wildlife corridor connecting the existing sections of koala habitat and food trees on the Peninsula. Planting in the existing koala corridors encourages koalas to move out of nearby urban areas and away from the many threats they face. To keep striving towards its target, MPKC focuses on raising money to buy and plant trees and vegetation needed by holding fundraisers, increasing membership, and applying for grants. All money will go directly to making MPKC’s projects and goals a reality. “The response has been amazing and overwhelming,” said president Dirk Jansen. “There is so much interest in the community to come and plant trees with us and/ or plant trees on their own properties. It really gives us hope for the future. We generally have between 40-80 registrations for each planting day, which is fantastic. We have more than 200 group memberships now and steadily growing. The excitement of people at treeplanting events is amazing. Saving koalas will take a community effort and collaboration between groups, authorities, landholders and anyone who wants to get involved. More than 70 per cent of koala habitat is on private property, and the Peninsula has less than 30 per cent of tree canopy left. We can only turn this around by working together and sharing the responsibility.” From June to October this year, MPKC is planting more than 15,000 native trees and shrubs and is focusing on the Somers and Dromana area to improve tree canopy cover. There’s no doubt this will require an impressive community effort, with loads of volunteers needed for this massive task and an immense number of trees to match. To join an event or become a member, visit www.mpkoalas.org.au or visit MPKC on Facebook. The next tree planting is on July 10, and these will run every fortnight until the end of October. So what’s the most memorable moment so far for Dirk? “The excitement of people when they see/report a koala to us is great. Also, the engagement and support from our authorities – MP Shire, Parks Vic and our many other private sponsors – has been amazing. But the funniest moment so far would be when a koala pooped on my head when we were trying to collect scat for DNA analysis for a Federation Uni study. The DNA of our koalas can give us a lot of insights into the health and origin of our population, but the reality of obtaining the data is less glamorous.”