Bellarine Times
Tuesday 18 January 2011
VOL 4. No 3
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
FREE WEEKLY
Warning after dolphin death
Alvie Cann is ‘queen of the castle’ at Indented Head’s Anderson Reserve Holiday Park where she has been camping every summer for the past 50 years. Turn to page 7 for the full story.
A DEAD dolphin was washed up on a Point Lonsdale beach on Sunday – just weeks after a similar find off the Portsea back beach. Local company, Sea All Dolphin Swims, was early on the scene, but there was nothing that could be done for the animal. Sea All Dolphin Swims manager, Travis Lee, said early morning walkers stumbled upon the dolphin. He did not speculate on how the animal died – despite a number of deep cuts to the animal’s back and tail. However, he emphasised the need for recreational boat users to be careful out on the water this summer, and for people to remember the minimum approach distances of 100 metres for boats and 300 metres for jet-skis when it came to dolphins in the water. The body was retrieved by Dolphin Research Institute researchers for an autopsy.
WINE THREAT Photo: MICHAEL CHAMBERS
Local vignerons working hard to keep mildew from destroying vines
BY ALISON MARTIN BELLARINE grape growers have ‘fingers crossed’ as they work passionately to prevent mildew from destroying the fruit destined for the 2011 vintage. The threat of powdery mildew is increasing with the unrelenting humidity, caused by the unprecedented summer rains which have wiped out other Victorian vineyards. However, Leura Park Estate’s Lyndsay Sharp said Bellarine vineyards had been trying to stay on top of any mildew by spraying and vines were growing well. “Some regions have been badly affected and some parts of Yarra Valley but Geelong and Bellarine
S u r f Forecast
haven’t been hit,� she said. “The vines are certainly growing overnight, so there are good and bad aspects with all the summer rain. And if you look at all the floods we can’t complain. “It’s hit other regions before us and ‘forewarned is forearmed’ so everyone has been ready to get onto it. “As long as everyone is vigilant, it’s shaping up to be a really solid vintage.� Banks Road Vineyard’s Will Derham said while there was no immediate risk, he was keeping a very close watch on his vineyard and checking the fruit daily. “It’s the humidity rather than the rain itself that’s
causing the problem and the evidence is the fungal diseases, particularly Downy Mildew is about and it will destroy young fruit,� he said. “The season started with such confidence but vineyards in the Yarra Valley and Mildura have been wiped out.� To combat mildew, Bellarine vignerons have been spraying as frequently as possible, however, Banks Road is one of the boutique wineries which operate under organic-biodynamic farming principals and limited with prevention options. “We’ve been spraying, and normally at this time of year we would spray every two to three weeks, but now where are spraying every one to two weeks,� Derham said.
“The biggest risk is that once we put the nets on we can’t spray. Generally we have the nets on for couple of months and normally we would spray preventative sprays before the nets go on and that gives two to three weeks protection but in the rain it doesn’t last that long. “We don’t want to have to take the nets off to spray again because it takes a day to take them off and then another day to put them back, which is labour-intensive and costly. We haven’t done it before and but we’ll look at it if we have to save the fruit. “What we really need is a cold south-westerly and nice warm, dry days and cold nights – that would stop the mildew in its tracks.�
WED 1-2ft small W/NW 20° THU 1ft tiny N/NW 25° FRI 2ft inconsistent N/NE 27° SAT 2ft+ building SE 21°
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