Coast Summer Summer 09

victoria

coast Only $4.95

Coastal living at its best! surf legend dave fincher coastal dreaming a building & reno special holiday escapes an idyllic island & peninsula paradise

edition 13 Summer 2009

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

Seagrove is Phillip Island’s premier environmentallysensitive estate – superbly located in Cowes just 700m from a sandy, safe swimming beach and walking distance from shops, restaurants and cafes.

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.

Select from a range of premium home sites, including the new Kingfisher release overlooking Willoughby Park, priced from $135,900, and land with bay views with titles available now so you can start building your dream home straight away.

“sets a new benchmark for sustainable

residential development�

2007 Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards for Excellence

Freecall 1800 61 61 06

www.seagrove.com.au

g n i rt 0* a t 0 s ,0 s 5 e ic $13 r P m o r f

4HE 0ARKLANDS 2ELEASE The time is now to join Cowes’ newest residential address.

With a starting price of $135,000 and flexible allotments ranging in size from 360 sqm to 762 sqm, the lifestyle choice is yours.

The Parklands Release enjoys close access to Shearwater’s Parklands Reserve, and is only a short stroll to the estate’s impressive 5 hectare wetlands and boardwalks.

For further enquiries call Greg Price on 1300 SHEARWATER (1300 743 279) www.shearwaterestate.com.au *Price correct as at 28/10/08

Be amazed at the stunning beauty of over 100,000 Australian plants Visit the Gardens Shop - Australian inspired gifts and souvenirs Relax in the Boonerwurrung CafĂŠ - enjoy a coffee or lunch overlooking the Garden Explore the extensive bushland - keep an eye out for koalas, birds and bandicoots Discover the new Woodland Picnic Area Lots of family fun!

Cool your toes along the Rockpool Waterway

Summer LovinÂŞat the Australian Garden ONLY 50 MINUTES FROM MELBOURNE!

Open every day except Christmas Day, from 9am to 5pm.

www.australiangarden.com.au Phone: 5990 2200

contents &features

regulars 12

Coast Life

18

Arts & Events Guide

21

15 Minutes of Fame - Pete Murray

22

2 (Coast) People - Maria & Warren Reed

48

Feature Area - Phillip Island (100) Mornington Peninsula

67

Around Town (68 & 130)

74

Getaway - Italy

134

Where to Eat A quick handy guide on where to wine, dine and snack

137

Dine Out - Silverwater (143) The Esplanade Hotel

141

My Favourite Recipe - Gilded Lily

147

Coast Property

192

Coast Directory

features Dave Fincher 24 A surfing legend Machine Translations We chat with J Walker

30

Artist Profile Wildlife Artist Nicolas Day

34

70 Years at Sea Fisherman Frank Roberts

40

FEATURE AREA Idyllic Phillip Island

48

SUMMER ATTRACTIONS 80 Have fun this summer FEATURE AREA 100 Mornington Peninsula Sharkman 120 Researcher Kent Stannard BUILDING & RENO FEATURE 165 All you need for your coastal dream house

WANT YOUR OWN COPY? coast magazine -

coast Phillip Island to the Prom

Coastal living at its best!

Only $3.80

live the dream

art attack mark schaller at the cape

www.phillipislandtothepromcoast.com.au

COAST MAGAZINE, local legend snowy dawson A BEAUTIFUL mighty mossvale official program FULL COLOR QUARTERLY PUBLICATION IS AVAILABLE A magazine for living, relaxing & enjoying life by the FOR coast $4.95 AT THE FOLLOWING OUTLETS AUS $3.80 (inc GST)

edition 6 Autumn 2007

Bass General Store San Remo Newsagent Cape Paterson - Seasalt Cafe San Remo - Freedom Fuels Cape Paterson Corner shop Sorrento Newsagency Corinella General Store Tarwin Lower Supermarket Daylston General Store Tooradin Newsagent Fish Creek Newsagency Tooradin Foodworks IGA Fish Creek - Mobil Venus Bay Store Foster Newsagent Wilsons Prom - Tidal River Store Foster IGA Wonthaggi Cellarbrations Grantville Newsagent Wonthaggi Newsagent Inverloch Mobil Wonthaggi Ritchies IGA Inverloch Newsagent Wonthaggi - Mezza Luna Cafe Inverloch Supermarket Wonthaggi Mobil Kilcunda - Killy Cafe Yanakie Store Koonwarra Foodstore Kooweerup - 100 Monkeys Korumburra Newsagent DON’T FORGET! Lang Lang Newsagency YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE. Leongatha Newsagent Loch - Hard Loch Cafe CHECK OUT PAGE 146 Meeniyan Newsagent Mirboo North General Store Mornington Newsagent Mount Martha Newsagent Mt Eliza Newsagency Phillip Island - Cowes Newsagent Phillip Island - Cowes IGA Supermarket Phillip Island - Cowes West General Store Phillip Island - Ventnor Store Phillip Island - Rhyll General Store Phillip Island - Silverleaves General Store Phillip Island - Cape Woolamai Mini Mart Phillip Island - Newhaven Newsagent Port Welshpool Store Sandy Point General Store San Remo Supermarket

coast 8

from the publisher Am I just getting older, or has this year flown for you too? It’s summer again - the most gorgeous time to hang out on the coast and enjoy all the great things on offer. It has been a wild year of talking to fascinating people, meeting gifted artists and being inspired by truly incredible locals who are making a difference in their own communities – and out in the world.

In our biggest issue to date, we have jam-packed the summer edition of Coast with all the things you love. We uncover some more incredible Coast artists including wildlife guru, Nicolas Day (Page 34) and jeweller, Elayne Vears (Page 104) .

For those seeking a great holiday destination these summer holidays, we’ve explored two vibrant coastal areas: the evergorgeous Phillip Island (Page 48), home of the penguins (and Coast Magazine!), and with a quick dart across the bay, the picturesque Mornington Peninsula (Page 100). Looking for something to do with the family? Our summer attractions feature (Page 80) has got you covered. From racing go-karts to amazing mazes, musical events, penguin-spotting or even swimming with the dolphins – there’s surely something to please everyone.

In this edition we meet an old man of the sea: Frank Roberts from Port Welshpool. What Frank doesn’t know about fishing . . . well, it’s just not worth knowing. Turn to page 40 and cast an eye over this deep-sea gem. Then we dive in with the CSIRO’s great white sharkman (page 120), marine biologist Kent Stannard, to de-bunk some myths surrounding this great BIG fish! Floating above (with our toes dangling) we talk to legendary surfer and family man Dave Fincher about his surfing addiction (page 24). Finally, we catch some surf action with the cutest bunch of pros on the lifesaving circuit, the Woolamai nippers. (Page 92) It’s a beautiful time of year, and whether your passion is surfing, shopping or just lazing on the beach – get out there and make the most of it!

Happy coasting!

Maria

Check out the fab businesses listed on the Coast

website www.coastmagazine.net Publisher Editor Sub editor Words Photo Editor Photography Design Print manager Sales/Marketing

Maria Reed Sally O’Neill Ann Roussac-Hoyne Fiona Power, Maria Reed, Sue Webster, Sally O’Neill, Kate Lindsay, Wanda Stelmach Warren Reed Warren Reed (Advertising) Maria Reed (Editorial) Coast Photography 0414 753 739 Maria Reed, Jodie Bellett Nigel Quirk Gabriella McRae 0432 273 107 For all advertising enquiries call Gaby, or email us at ads@coastmagazine.net Phillip Island to the Prom coast PO Box 104, San Remo, Victoria 3925 Phone (03) 59 566 369 Fax (03) 59 566 369 Advertising 0432 273 107 Email editorial@coastmagazine.net Web www.coastmagazine.net

Phillip Island to the Prom Coast Magazine © published by Coast Media P/L. ISSN 1833-3648. The publisher is not responsible or liable for any omissions or human error in Phillip Island to the Prom Coast Magazine. Material in this publication cannot be published or reproduced without the publishers written consent.

All material contained in this publication is protected by Australian Copyright regulations. All rights reserved.

contemporary home solutions

Furniture

Floor Coverings

interior - exterior - packages

carpet - vinyl - timber

Homewares Bedding

vases - cushions - rugs

mattresses - beds - manchester

Window Coverings interior - exterior - motorisation

Ph. 03-5952 1488 Fax. 03-5952 1348 www.southcoastfurnishings.com.au

Shop1: 22-24 The Concourse, Cowes, Phillip Island 3922 Shop 2: 155 Thompson Avenue, Cowes

coast magazine DONT MISS your 2009 collector’s calendar!

Tex - the Kilcunda Cowboy

Tex - the Kilcunda Cowboy

breathtaking photos - beautifully finished art calendar.

a perfect christmas gift! available at coast magazine retail outlets (see page 8)

and online at www.coastmagazine.net

Use technology to reduce paper waste.

Make the switch to online marketing and sales.

A website is a dynamic business tool to promote your products and services around the clock to every business and household worldwide, reducing the need to print brochures.

If you rely on paper-based brochures, catalogues, newsletters, price lists or order forms, talk to Meehan Design and move your business online. Engage and educate customers, increase sales, cut down costs and reduce your impact on the environment with a website.

Electronic brochures Email newsletters Mailing lists Search engine optimisation

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Visit www.meehandesign.com.au or call (03) 9495 1265 and make the switch.

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29/7/08 10:43:52 PM

Open Lunch & Dinner 115 Thompson Avenue, Cowes 3922 (03) 59 522 655 Phillip Island, Vic, Australia Infused final_v3a.indd 1

16/8/08 1:33:41 PM

coastlife summer

star quality Local musician Olivia Hally has been busy this year. Performing at Port Fairy and Tamworth and winning awards along with attending performing arts school in Melbourne. In February 2009, she’s heading to study in Manchester and is “looking forward to seeing how she fits into the big picture”.

a job you can do in your PJ’s

❁

Check out the fab new book by Wonthaggi’s very own ‘janeyx’ called “Selling Stuff on eBay by janeyx – a real job you can do in you pyjamas”. This groovy little read gives you all the info you need to successfully sell stuff on eBay. It’s definitely not a ‘how to’ book, but a great read jam-packed full of janeyx’s invaluable tips from her years of experience.

From Mambo loud shirts to Tretchikoff prints, janeyx sells just about anything that is interesting or collectable and shows how you can sell just about anything too! She even spells out a few of the items forbidden by eBay – like human body parts. www.janeyx.com

‘Hurry up I’m on holiday’ probably is an oxymoron, yet we by the coast hear it often over summer.

Proposition: Relax now and after your holiday you will start the new year inspired, relax by the end of your holiday and you will return home just relaxed. (You may notice this poignant, artistic reminder as you head into Cowes over the holidays)

art & soul festival

Stunning Churchill Island will come alive with art and soul on Sunday 11 January. The 2009 Summer Art & Soul Festival is a groovy day of fun, stalls, art, food and wine. Relax on the lawn and listen to the tunes of Julia Mendelawitz, Cellar Door and the incredibly talented Geoff Achison.

Heaps of magical fun for kids too! www.artyfarty.com.au

Calling all kids!

Local photographer, Lucas Piera, is looking for children to be a part of a new ‘Kids of the Coast’ book. This high quality, limited edition will raise funds for the important ‘Relay for Life’ charity. Sitting fees and partial sales of the book will go towards helping the fight against cancer.

For more information call 5952 1240 or www.lenstolife.com.au

‘Life is not about finding yourself, but creating yourself...’ What starts as a blank canvas transforms into a portrait of the heart and soul told through the masterstrokes of a revolutionary filmmaker. Local film maker, Chase Burns’ new film will take you on a journey through the tide and into the heavens. In memory of Ray. Check it out at Chill Island Cinemas on Sunday 18 January.

Spectacular Sculptures Here’s your chance to see an incredible array of sculptors in one great garden. Fifteen artists have been invited to show their work in ‘Sculpture in the Garden’. Showing from 7 February – 29 March 2009.

46 Berry’s Creek Road, Berry’s Creek. Open Weekends 11am-5pm or by appointment, call 5668 8213.

John Abery - Robert Barron - Zak Chalmers - Pat Dale - Sian Adnam - Grant Flather -Paul Jesse - Helen McInnis - Margaret McPherson - John Mutsaers - Angela Newberry - Leonie Ryan - Anthea Williams - Trevor Wheeler - Meg Viney

curl design 03 5952 5333

Stretching the Canvas

help the salvos

Summer is a busy time for the Salvation Army with many relying on their support to assist with Christmas and back-to-school expenses. Leongatha Captains Martyn and Heather Scrimshaw are grateful for the donations that enable them to provide these services. “Last year we gave over 100 food hampers to families, just in this area,” Captain Martyn Scrimshaw says. “Christmas is that time when families get together and often people on low or fixed incomes just can’t afford all the trimmings.” The Leongatha Salvation Army prepares Christmas hampers, joins with local musicians to play carols and staffs the Leongatha and Korumburra opportunity shops. It is also sending member Alan Kent to Mumbai, where he will assist a Christmas project for women forced to live in the streets. In December, this branch will also launch a no-interest loans program to assist people on low incomes to purchase essential household items and services. Donations to the annual Christmas Appeal can be made via the website http://salvos. org.au/ and canned goods and enquiries via the Leongatha Salvation Army, ph. 5662 4670

Jambolli Bikes

desal - we dont want it “These are the things that will touch the souls of the future,” said John Gemmill at the launch of ‘The Gift’ exhibition at Dalyston Hall. This incredible community effort combined the works of thirteen renowned artists who collaborated to express a mutual love of, and concern for, the future of the rugged Bass Coast.

Showing in Dalyston and Melbourne, all works in ‘The Gift’ were auctioned to raise funds in support of public protest against the proposed desalination project. www.thegiftexhibition.org - The work pictured above is by talented artist Denis Leversha from Powlett Gallery

Teenage artist, Sam Fisher, didn’t blink when he was given the unusual canvas of a 15-seater mini bus. He covered the bus with scenes of Phillip Island and San Remo. Look out for it on a road near you!

These amazing and sustainable toys are made right here on our Coast. The well-balanced, Australian-made and sustainable bikes are great for kids and the planet! Get peddling.

Music for the Community Listen out for the ‘Parkville Ensemble’, who’ll be giving another of their popular classical concerts at the Cape Patterson Hall on 8 March at 2pm. Now in their third year, these professional musicians not only play beautiful music, they also support the local community, with proceeds going to the CFA and two lifesaving clubs at the Cape.

For details contact Andy Schrape on 5674 4527.

Variety Splash!

Fasten your lifejackets, the Variety Splash is on again! This unique fundraiser sees power and sail boats rallying to raise funds for children with special needs. Last year, local skipper Kon Cill and his “likeminded yachties” sailed the yacht ‘Laafin’ from Newhaven to the Docklands, then to Geelong and back to the Docklands, raising almost $8000, which contributed to the purchase of minibuses, Liberty Wheelchair Swings and communication devices for kids. In 2009, Kon and his crew are braving the elements again. Check out www.varietysplash.org. au and to sponsor Kon, phone 0412 640 465.

coast 14

let’s make-up Get gorgeous and get the look at a makeup workshop with Ally De La Rosa. Ally shares all her knowledge and tricks of the trade at these fun events.

Call Ally on 0402 117 280.

L

4 1/2 Star Apartment Accommodation Stunning views across the Bay Watermark Restaurant, Cafe and Bar - All Visitors Welcome L

L

17 Potters Hill Road, San Remo 3925 VIC I Call today: 1800 033 403 Enquiries & Reservations: sales@silverwaterresort.com.au I www.silverwaterresort.com.au

what’scool for summer

alegria

The ultimate shoe for work and play.

Amazing comfort and style. Try them and be HAPPY! Available now at Island Shoes, 134 Thompson Ave Cowes, Phone 5952 2515 and Leongatha ShoeGallery 22 McCartin St, Leongatha Phone 5662 2096.

retro rocks! second hand with style

Wendy at Southern Bazaar is a whiz at matching fabrics with vintage furniture to create a fresh new look for your home. www.southernbazaar.com.au

red elk

music at purple hen winery

This Inverloch hot spot is the coolest summer venue.

Relax on the deck, enjoy amazing meals, classy cocktails, perfect coffee, boutique beers and local wines. Fabulous funky live music all summer long!

Groove at the Hen with live music every Thursday over Summer.

Phone (03) 5956 9244

win, win, win with coast!

Here’s your chance to win some of the hottest tix this Summer. Coast has five double passes to Chill Island on 1 Feb to give away. This will be a summer day to remember with Pete Murray, Blue King Brown, Josh Pyke and Ash Grunwald. All you need to do to win is to send us your favorite coast photo that you’ve taken. The best five photos win, so get snapping! Mail or email to PO Box 104 San Remo 3925 or design@coastmagazine.net by 20 January 2009. coast 16

pepper is hot!!

This exciting new brand of leather and stainless steel Australian jewellery is a must for that summer look. Find it at La Bella, 140 Graham St, Wonthaggi. Call 5672 4812.

aori muk muk! (very delicious food)

Thank the gods for Fai Thai. Fresh, Thai food cooked the authentic way. If you dine in, you can enjoy views across the bay or take it away to the beach for an exotic picnic. You’ll find them at 143 Marine Parade, San Remo.

Phone 5678 5020

jump on in . . .

Take the plunge and consider a backyard pool this summer! The team at Compass Pools can even set you up with a self-cleaning pool - what will they think of next? Call 1300 764 270.

woodwork solutions

He’s been around the world working with wood and has now returned to Wonthaggi to share his craft with us lucky coasters. Kevin Holden is a master craftsman and has just launched his new business specialising in custom joinery.

Call 0458 520 347.

coolest christmas gift

Have a little piece of Coast every month with this stunning, large format calendar. The pics are just breathtaking and there’s plenty of room for all your busy social engagements!

The calendar has already won the 2008 Printing Industries Craftmanship Awards - well done Wazza & Mazza! The Coast Calendar is only $19.95 and is a limited edition print run - so don’t miss out! Available on-line www. coastmagazine.net or wherever Coast Magazine is sold.

luscious lime

Shop for that hot summer cossie at Wonthaggi’s newest fashion store, Lime Fusion. Plaza Arcade, Wonthaggi. Call 5672 2016

arts & events guide dec 2008 Stony Creek Races When: 13 & 29 December, 3 & 12 January and 8 March Where: Sth Gippsland Hwy, Stony Creek Who: Stony Creek Racing Club 5664 0099 www.scrc.com.au Kongwak Market When: Every Sunday Where: Kongwak General Store Who: Jane 0417 142 478 African Dance Classes When: Every Monday 9.30am (from 15 Dec) Where: Churchill Island (outside) Who: Susie Neal 0402 557 237 or 5952 6767 Summer Holiday Activities Program When: December – February 2008 Where: Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne Who: 9252 2300 www.rbg.vic.gov.au ‘Fifth Element’ Mixed media by local artists When: 18 December – 6 January Where: Stockyard Gallery, Main St, Foster Who: Gillian Clarke 5682 1125 ‘Spiral Bound’ An exhibition by Michael Chang.

When: 14 December – 10 January Where: Gecko Studio Gallery, 15 Falls Rd, Fish Creek Who: Kerry and Michael 5683 2481 www.geckostudiogallery.com.au

jan 2009 Cowes Night Market When: 3 & 24 January 21 February, 7 March Where: Cowes foreshore Who: Anne Marie 0419 560 293 pical.admin@waterfront.net.au coast 18

Get Real on Climate Change: Celebrity Surf Challenge When: Saturday 3 January Where: Kilcunda Beach - Lionel Rose Car Park Who: John Gemmill 0409 425 133 jagemmil@bigpond.net.au Life Saving Victoria State Junior Carnival When: Sunday 4 January, 8am - 5pm Where: Inverloch SLSC Who: Drew Urlichs 9676 6957 www.lifesavingvictoria.com.au Sculpture In The Garden When: Weekends 11am - 5pm then, by appointment, January - March Where: 46 Berrys Creek Road, Berrys Creek 1km from Mossvale Park Who: Angela 5668 8213 Bass Coast Summer Agricultural Show When: 10 January, 9 am – 5 pm Where: Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve Who: Rosemary Loughnan 5672 3259 www.basscoastagshow.org.au Art and Soul Festival When: Sunday 11 January Where: Churchill Island Who: Sian Adnam 0418 519 181 Australian 4WD Mud Fest When: 11 January, 10 am Where: Dalyston Recreation Reserve Who: Hans Kamphuis 0418 525 983 www.a4wdmra.com.au ‘Akin’ - an exhibition by Marilyn Ardley When: 11 January – 14 February Where: Gecko Studio Gallery, 15 Falls Rd, Fish Creek Who: Kerry and Michael 5683 2481 www.geckostudiogallery.com.au A Day at the Cape Community Festival When: 17 January, 9am – 4pm Where: Cape Paterson Bay Beach Park Who: Lisa Archibald 0417 008 729

arts & events guide jan 2009 Joe Henry Concert When: 24 January, 8 pm Where: Meeniyan Town Hall Who: Lyrebird Arts Council 5664 9239 www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au 25th Kilcunda Lobster Festival When: 25 January, 9 am – 5pm Venue: Kilcunda Foreshore Contact: Shelley Applebee 0417 590 881 kcda@waterfront.net.au San Remo Channel Challenge When: 31 January Where: San Remo pier Who: Rhonda Blewitt 9598 8170 www.islandevents.org.au

feb 2009 Chill Island When: Sunday 1 February Where: Churchill Island Who: Justin Stanford 0433 123 918 www.chillisland.org Phillip Island Swim Classic & Cowes Classic When: 14 & 15 February Where: Cowes foreshore Who: John Weston 59522992, Simon Manning 0418 366 324 events.woolamaibeach.asn.au Phillip Island Superbike World Championship When: 27 February – 1 March Where: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Who: 1300 728 007 www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au My Point of View Kim Gossow, Photographs When: 5 – 17 February

Where: Stockyard Gallery, Main St, Foster Who: Gillian Clarke 5682 1125

mar 2009 Parkville Ensemble Concert When: 8 March, 2pm Labour Day Weekend Where: Cape Paterson Hall Who: Andy Schrape, 56744527, andy.schrape@bigpond.com; Stuart Riley, 03 9347 6441 stuart@bassdata.com.au 16th Inverloch Jazz Festival When: 6 – 9 March Where: Inverloch Who: Jill McCulloch 0409 220864 www.inverlochjazzfest.org.au Art At The Angling Club When: 7-9 March Where: Andersons Inlet Angling Club, Inverloch Who: Angela 5668 8213 Mossvale Park Music Festival ‘Roots music under ‘dem trees’ When: 14 March, 2009 Where: Mossvale Park, Strezlecki Highway via Leongatha Who: Suzanne Henderson, 03 5664 9239 0438649230 www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au Inverloch Food and Wine Festival When: Saturday 14 March, 11.30am-5pm Where: The Glade, Inverloch Who: www.visitinverloch.com

"LUE +ING "ROWN *OSH 0YKE !SH 'RUNWALD

Pete Murray is in a great place in his life and career. Guitarist, singer, songwriter and now producer, it seems there’s no end to his talents.

His happiness shines through in his new album, ’Summer at Eureka‘, which he produced and recorded at his home in Byron Bay’s hinterland.

Coast caught up with Pete at the home that he shares with his wife and two children.

fifteenminutesoffame words as told to Sally O’Neill photo Chris Searle

When did you realise that you wanted to be a musician?

That’s a tough question! I was twenty-two and studying, and living with a mate. He said he was going to get guitar lessons, so I went with him. I had never done anything musical before and I had fun. A few years later I started writing and performing my own songs.

What do you love about where you live?

Up here, it’s visually beautiful. We’re close to the beach and there’s a strong community. I come from a small town. In the city there’s not as much community. We support each other, it’s healthy, there are farmers’ markets, healthy food and the weather and water are warm.

Your worst job before music?

When I was travelling as a backpacker, I worked as a dish pig in a busy bar in Canada. I also worked as a handyman in huts in the Rockies which was actually a good job, but it had its bad days. Like once a year when they had to clean out the toilets. They collected the big barrels of waste and flew them by helicopter down to us ‘shit kickers’ to put them on the back of the pickup trucks. The barrels started to spin, and we were covered in shit! It was a bad job in a lovely area.

What keeps you grounded?

I’ve always been a grounded person. Having a family also helps. When I come back from touring and see how hard my wife works with the kids, I realise there’s more to life than touring and playing music. I’ve never been swept up in the whole fame thing.

What drives you as a musician?

I always push to be the best I can be, to write a better song, to do a better album. And I think, to this day, I have achieved this.

What was the defining moment that made you decide to produce this album yourself?

After my second album, I realised that I had always been active in production. With ‘See the Sun’, I took control and knew what I wanted.

Then I knew I was in a position to produce an album. If you have the right team around you, you can do it. My music doesn’t need to be over-produced, it just needs the right feel, the right emotion.

What do you love about ‘Summer At Eureka’?

It’s a happy album. It’s a good reflection of me and where I’m at. I’m living in a good place, I’m happy with my wife and two boys. On my first album, ‘Feeler’, there were some deep and dark tracks and I don’t want to go back there. A lot of singer/songwriters are melancholy. My favourite tracks on the album are the electric ones: ‘Chance to Say Goodbye’ and ’Sugar’.

Favourite summer moments?

I like getting outside and being active - going to the beach and running, although my knee is bad from an old rugby injury. Getting hot and sweaty, having a surf then a drink in the beer garden at the Beach Hotel (in Byron Bay).

Have you been to Phillip Island before?

Yes, when I was nineteen. I went with my sister and we saw the penguins come in. It was freezing cold and I couldn’t believe there were guys out surfing!

What do you love about festivals?

The fun – there’s always a good vibe. There’s a particular feel – people have a few drinks and are pretty chilled out. My music seems to go down well in this atmosphere.

If you were Prime Minister for a day?

Well, I’m pretty happy that Obama got in, I have to say! But, that’s a hard question. It would be a tough job. I like a lot of things about both parties, so I think it’s about finding a middle ground between them.

If I could tackle one issue, I would ensure that the health system was affordable and accessible for all. C Pete Murray is headlining Chill Island Festival on Sunday 3 February.

coast people

2

words as told to fiona power

Coaxing either Maria or Warren Reed to talk about themselves proved quite a challenge – far easier to get the Coast publishers and photographers to sing the praises of this area, travel – and each other.

Maria: I was the youngest of five kids, sharing a house in the country with my sister, three brothers, two dogs, heaps of animals, and Mum and Dad. I was quite shy as a child, which people find funny because I talk so much now! I loved art and had no interest in sport. Once when we were playing softball at school, I was talking so much to my friends that the ball landed in my open glove and I didn’t even notice!

Since I was a kid, all I ever wanted to be was an artist. I’ve painted; I draw and sculpt with recycled woods and metals. I’m always looking for a new challenge. Most women love shopping. I walk along the beach and I see a bit of driftwood and I say, “Yes! I must have it”. I get such great energy and peace from nature.

I think it’s really important that we care for people and animals in need of help. I might drive some people crazy with this attitude, but I feel that we are so lucky to live where we do, and that Australia is such an amazing place, that we have a responsibility to look out for those who aren’t able to look after themselves.

I met Warren when I was nineteen. This young bloke came and asked me to dance. When we caught up again we had so much to talk about.

We developed a great friendship, and the more I got to know him, the more I loved him. We got married four years later, and I still remember our best man’s speech. It was something like, “These two love each other so much . . . it almost makes you sick!” I thought that was hilarious.

I think we’re two souls destined to be together - I’ve never met anyone like him. We still do things to annoy each other, but I really enjoy his company. We don’t tire of each other, which is really weird! He is my best friend.

It’s really important that we are both happy in what we do. Warren comes from an accounting background and used to say, “It sounds like

you have so much fun being a photographer, and you get to meet all these amazing people”. I said, “Well, if you want to go back to study, then do that.”

I probably dragged him kicking and screaming into Coast magazine. I’m the one with all the hare-brained ideas! Being passionate about the area, and also being photographers, we thought we could create a magazine that people could feel a part of.

Working together, often under pressure, is a challenge. We do separate things but I trust his judgement entirely. I think we’ve got to the point where we can separate work from home – but that’s not to say we always get it right!

We spent most of our twenties travelling on and off. We lived on a cattle station for two years, and had lots of madcap travels in between. We spent three months living with (and photographing) Aboriginal people in the Central Desert to promote reconciliation back in Melbourne. Then we rode around remote villages in Asia for three months on our pushbikes. Setting off from Bangkok in crazy traffi c, we shared the road with thousands of tuk tuks, trucks, buses, chickens and donkeys – it was a hoot! We’ve had the most amazing adventures. It is humbling to experience the hospitality of people who live very simple lives, but are so giving. That’s probably what makes us feel strongly about helping others.

Warren’s got the biggest heart. If he sees an animal injured or someone struggling he’ll be there without a second thought. And it’s not to make himself feel good. He is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and that’s a big statement after being together for twentyone years. He’s so understated; he never boasts about himself. He is beautiful to the core of his being.

“I really value our freedom. We’ve changed careers, worked and gone overseas. We still love being able to travel, but as you get older you realise that it’s fantastic to have a home base to come back to, a place where you love to live.”

L - Mustering at Amaroo cattle station in the Northern Territory R - Playing snap in the back of a ‘troupey’ with Docker River kids in the central desert

Warren: I grew up in Glen Waverley in a great family. I couldn’t wait to finish school and get out and see the world. I planned to go around Australia with my brother, but about eight weeks before I left I met Maria.

Honestly this is how it happened: I saw this girl walk across the dance floor like a light and I just felt like there was some spiritual connection.

On our first date, we talked the whole time. The second date we saw a really bad movie and I thought, “If she likes this movie, then there’s no future for us”. When we came out she said, “That was rubbish” and I thought, “We’ll be alright”.

I was committed to travel with my brother, so I asked Maria along - and she decided to come. My brother’s girlfriend came too, so the four of us set off in an old Holden that had messages written all over it with black texta by our friends. We did some crazy jobs while travelling. Maria pretended she had experience as a waitress.

She turned up to a five-star restaurant and the dishwasher was behind the bar. She pulled it out and about 200 wine glasses smashed on the floor.

Every time we want to do something, if there’s a logical way or a crazy way of doing it, we’ll both go the crazy way. It’s something built into our characters that matches perfectly. I think that’s one reason why we’re so compatible. With some of the things that we’ve done, we’ve looked at each other and said, “We’re absolutely crazy! Why are we doing this?” Plus, she likes to talk a lot and I like to listen.

I admire that Maria dares to dream. And she allows me to do the same. If there is something that I want to do she’ll put herself on

the line too, and say, “Have a shot.” When I was a child I wanted to be either a policeman on a motorbike, a test pilot or a stunt man.

I studied accounting and worked as an accountant for a couple of years and hated it. I used to draw faces on the teddy bear biscuits – I was so bored. One day Maria said, “What are you doing with your life?” I loved photography, and she said, “Why don’t you just go back to school and study?”. We had a mortgage, but she said, “I’ll work for the year”. She did all the meals, the shopping, cleaning and gardening, so I could concentrate on my dream.

She’s a great photographer because she doesn’t set things up. She loves speaking to people, so she’s good at getting an emotional connection in a photograph. She also gets the timing right.

Maria came up with the idea of Coast and I talked her out of it for about a year. I knew how much effort it was going to take.

Sometimes Maria has to be tough. We’ve gone in with good intentions, promoting where we live, the businesses and characters, being proud of it, but it’s a small business too, and we all work very hard to make it successful.

I really value our freedom. We’ve changed careers, worked and gone overseas. We still love being able to travel, but as you get older you realise that it’s fantastic to have a home base to come back to, a place where you love to live.

Loving and looking after Maria and spending time with her are the most important things in my life. When I look into her eyes, I see a pure soul, someone who’s enthusiastic, cares about other people, loves animals and children - all children, as we both do. The things I do that would drive other women crazy, Maria loves me for. And I love that about her, too. C

You know someone is a hard-core surfer when you call to make an interview time and they have to check the tide times first. That’s dedication for you! It’s more than that; it’s a passion, only matched by the love for his wife, Cheryl.

words Sally O’Neill photos Maria Reed

dave a bit of a surfing legend . . .

Dave Fincher lives in a surfer’s paradise. One of his favourite breaks is at his doorstep, literally. Stroll down the sweeping lawn, through a gate and you are on the sand with only metres to walk to the water.

When I meet Dave and he asks if my tape recorder goes for a long time, I know we’re in for a good story! We turn back the clock to Dave at seventeen, circa 1960. Hitch-hiking to Portsea, a chance ride with Woolamai Surf Lifesaving Club captain, Norm Ritchie, took him to Phillip Island instead. This snap decision changed his life. It was love at first sight when he walked over the dunes to Cape Woolamai beach.

In those idyllic times, Woolamai was the only break on the island that was surfed. “There was about a dozen people in summer and five or six that surfed through the winter. I knew everybody,” says Dave.

“Some of those hard core surfers are still around and include ‘Dogga’ Luke, Terry Hosking and Bob, ‘baby hippo’ Hosking. Hippo’s still ripping the waves in his sixties.”

“My first board was made of balsa, was 11foot 6 inches long and about 4 inches thick and had a huge big banana on the front. It’s interesting to think about the physique of surfers today compared with then. Even carrying the boards up and down the beach was a

real effort because they weighed a tonne. If you look at photos in old surfing magazines, they were pretty big, muscle-bound guys,” observes Dave.

Woolamai was the big focus for surfing in those days and Dave and his mates used to camp in the lifesaving club’s old Nissen Hut (a hut made from a sheet of corrugated steel bent into half a cylinder).

“When I came down over summer, mum would pack me cut lunches in a big bag with notes of which to eat first, second etc. They’d last for about a week and I’d be toasting them by the end! We’d leave our boards hanging on the walls of the clubhouse that was always unlocked. It was all boys surfing at that time. When we’d have fires on the beach, the girls would bring their portable record players or trannies (transistor radios) and we’d sit around the fire and talk and listen to music, all sixties music. Dogga had three beautiful sisters, Val used to hang with us at the beach and I would take little Jenny out surfing on the nose of my surfboard.”

Dave is such a surfing pioneer that he reels off the breaks he was the first to ever surf: Express Point, Right Point and The Bombie near Cat Bay. That’s some claim to fame. “We used to look at Express when

we were out at Surfies Point and we’d walk to try to out to it. One day I was down by myself and I paddled across from Smiths Beach to get to it.”

He is also behind the names of some top local breaks. “I remember on Anzac Day in 1963, I should have been studying, but I hitch-hiked down to Woolamai and there was about twelve people in the water at a place we didn’t normally surf. Everybody started to say ‘remember the day we surfed that break’ as we drove past, and it became known as Anzacs.” Foots at San Remo is named after the fact that: “We didn’t have leg ropes. So if you lost your board, you’d have to swim in. There were really hard, uneven rocks and they hurt your feet and so we called it Foot Rocks!”

Dave was well and truly in love with surfing and this led him to his “true love” sixteen year-old Cheryl while she was holidaying on Phillip Island. “In the early days, we used to surf the centre break at Summerlands and you could drive your car down to the beach and we’d have big fires in the middle of the winter, the penguins would just walk right past us. It was at Summerlands in 1963, that I met Cheryl and she stole my heart forever. I’m still with her, I hope forever.

We were married just over a year later. I just regret I didn’t know her earlier,” says the old romantic.

Surfing took a back seat in Dave’s life as he and Cheryl raised their four children in Melbourne. Dave taught art during this ten-year period. Eventually, they were lured back to Phillip Island to live.

Together they built their rock and timber home and studio. The family spent many cold nights huddled in a row on the floor, wrapped in sleeping bags in the half-finished house. Dave continued with his ceramics, had a lot of exhibitions and started making surfing trophies where he could incorporate his two loves; surfing and art. These have always been the two competing forces in Dave’s life.

Dave understands that, unless you surf, it’s very difficult to explain how it feels. “Surfing is like an addiction,” states Dave. “When I don’t surf, I get really depressed. Out in the water, you are very relaxed, at peace with yourself. As you ride a wave, there’s the adrenalin rush and feeling of excitement and accomplishment. I became a bit of an adrenalin junkie. You look down from a big wave and it’s like lying on the roof of a two-storey building; it makes your stomach churn. It’s like when I think about Cheryl. It’s like being in love. It’s a mixture of>

excitement, happiness and fear. It makes you feel alive.”

Riding the large waves is the ultimate.

“When you paddle for a big wave, there comes a stage of ‘do or die’ and you have to go for it and push yourself through it. It’s like dropping down an elevator. Your mind is thinking all the time, checking everything is in place – you’re focusing. You’re certainly not thinking about this week’s mortgage payment! Only a surfer knows the feeling, it’s a different dimension.”

It may surprise you to know that Dave is officially the oldest surfer on Phillip Island and definitely the most senior in the Phillip Island Boardriders Club. He often competes with guys many years his junior.

Today it’s his beloved family that keeps him riding the waves. His daughter Michelle is a really keen surfer. “We go out surfing together all the time, Chelle and me. We’ve been on quite a few surfing trips up the coast, to Western Australia and we’ve been to Bali together thirteen times. She pushes me to keep going.” He also has four grandsons who surf and you can often see them all out surfing together. “There might be seven or eight Finchers out there. Our son Martin with the youngest grandson Casper on the nose of his mal, Dylan and Oliver mucking around and having fun, and Walter carving all over the waves. Even our daughter Rebeka gets out on a surfboard occasionally. Our youngest son Danny, who lives in Longbeach California, goes surfing with us when he comes home to visit.”

Those halcyon days of undiscovered breaks may be gone, but not so the magic of the endless waves that keep Dave’s passion alive. “My favourite break is the bombie at Cat Bay and I surf Kitty Miller all the time. I love it when Sandy rings up with ‘Dave let’s go to the bombie!’ But, my heart always says Woolamai; the waves are so perfect and special and, after all, it’s where it all began…

I’ve got no plans of quitting. I hope I can always surf while I’m alive.” C

coast 28

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“My wife Karen and I fell in love with this area when we came down for a holiday four years ago. She loves the hills and I love the surf so it works for both of us.”

J. Walker’s brainchild is Machine Translations, a collaboration that has seven recorded albums. He literally has music running through his veins. Having been raised in a talented musical household in Canberra, he was encouraged to play music from an early age by his mum and siblings, and he soon found himself doing something that came quite naturally. “My mum, sister and brother all sang and played instruments, so they got me started on playing piano and guitar, and I kind of took it and ran with it,” he says.

From these humble beginnings, J. Walker, who has been labelled as ‘self made’, has moved on to bigger and better things. He has also had the opportunity of working with many talented musicians, including Dan Kelly, C.W. Stoneking, The Whitlams and Sophie Koh. He has written music for film and television soundtracks, and produced albums for several bands. “I fell into doing film and TV soundtracks the same way I fell into producing bands – just doing little projects for friends and the projects gradually got bigger.”

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On the topic of moving up in the world, J.Walker is currently in Byron Bay producing the soundtrack for the ABC’s popular TV series, East Of Everything. It is the program’s second series, and its producers are hopeful it will have the same rave reviews as the first. “I’ve been doing more TV soundtracks lately and the East Of Everything project has been heaps of fun. All the music for this show has a quirky organic edge to it, so I’ve been honing my ukulele, Chinese violin and thumbpiano skills amongst other things, and it’s also given me the chance to work in northern NSW and get to know some of the amazing musicians up there.”

Although he has always loved music, and now finds himself involved in fantastic projects, the road to making a living in the competitive music business has required lots of hard work. In fact it wasn’t until J.Walker was in his late twenties that he finally wrote his first real song, and then it was pretty much a stroke of good luck that he was discovered. “I made a rough little tape of my songs and passed

coast profile

Critics have described his work as ‘inventive, weird, curious, fascinating and awesome’, but for Greg J Walker from Machine Translations, recording music for a living is much more than receiving positive reviews; it’s living the dream . . . in South Gippsland no less!

I caught up with J. Walker via email while he was working on location on his latest project, and it wasn’t long before I realised there is as much mystery behind the person as there is the music. words Kate Lindsay photos Supplied

Machine the man behind the

achine it around. I got lucky when Melbourne music guru Richard Moffatt heard my stuff (he was actually half way through taping over it) and offered to put my music out on his ‘Way Over There’ indie record label,” he explains.

He titled his work ‘Machine Translations’, which reflected the way J. Walker writes his songs. “The name relates to my recording and music-making machines, and it’s also a reference to the then primitive automatic translation computer programs that I loved for their ability to totally scramble the sense of simple sentences,” J. Walker says.

Machine Translations was very much shaped by J.Walker’s upbringing in Canberra, and in particular his high school education, where music classes had a lasting effect. “I was fortunate enough to go to Canberra’s Narrabundah Secondary College where I was taught how to operate a synthesiser and multi-track recorder as well as being exposed to lots of experimental ‘musique concrete’ compositions, all of which influenced me to think of sound as being something you

could really play with.”

A lack of exciting things to do throughout his school life was another motivation for J. Walker to continue on his musical journey.

“Growing up in Canberra, you kind of have to make your own fun, which me and my mates did playing in bands, putting on nutty theatre shows and making lots of home recordings,” he chuckles.

After school, J.Walker travelled around much of Australia and overseas, which again shaped his musical direction, and while his start in the recording profession was slow, J.Walker now boasts numerous albums. “I’ve ended up putting out seven albums and two EP’s over the last ten years, touring the country with an ever-changing band of fantastic musos and recording like a bastard at every opportunity,” he says with a smile.

After travelling through much of the east coast of Australia, and residing in both Sydney and Melbourne, J.Walker is now proud to be able to call South Gippsland home. “My wife Karen and I fell in love>

coast profile “When it’s really happening it’s instinctive and incredibly fun. The only thing that compares to it is surfing!”

with this area when we came down for a holiday four years ago.

She loves the hills and I love the surf, so it works for both of us.

We bought an old house that needed a bit of work and settled in pretty quickly. We got married here and our little boy Marley was born here so we’re starting to feel a bit more like locals,” he laughs.

For J.Walker, recording music is not just about picking up a guitar and playing; it’s a much more involved process, and one that he is obviously passionate about. “It’s hard to explain to people why I like recording so much. Some musos live for playing live and the interaction with the crowd, which I love too, but there’s something about being in the middle of recording a song and being totally immersed in the creative process that really does it for me. I love the unpredictability of it. Usually you start with a kernel of an idea, just some chords or a melody or a rhythm, and then as you add more parts and layers, it opens up like a flower and often takes you to places you didn’t expect to go. When it’s really happening, it’s instinctive and incredibly fun.

The only thing that compares to it is surfing!” C

Machine Translations coast 32

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birds for the

wildlife artist nicolas day

coast 34

artist profile

Renowned wildlife artist Nicolas Day likes nothing better than trudging through the bush with three or four other grown-ups making ridiculous noises - all to attract a bird. Such activities are par for the course for someone who has dedicated himself to a life on the wing.

Nicolas Day loves everything about birds and animals. So much so that all of his hobbies centre on them: scuba diving to go below the water and see how seabirds swim, canoeing to get up close and personal with platypus, aircraft and the way they fly (just like birds) and, of course, hang-gliding, so he can soar with the eagles.

He started watching and drawing birds at about age two and a half. “I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in birds,” he says. His mother started feeding birds in the garden to cheer him up when his only brother went to school. Nicolas was glued to the window; watching and sketching birds he saw with his crayons. Even from this early age, he was continually frustrated that his drawings looked nothing like the birds out the window or those he saw in books. So he kept on drawing.

Through his school years, birds were still number one. “I wasn’t really interested in sports. If I was on the football field, I was always looking up at the sky for hawks and the ball would go right past me - it was bordering on nerd territory!” he laughs.

His working life began as a zookeeper yet he became quickly disenchanted with the daily grind of cleaning cages and other mundane tasks – it was not like the challenges of zookeepers today.

When Nicolas was asked to draw some birds for interpretive signs, his career as a wildlife artist began. “That was great for me, I thought ‘oh you can do it (paint) professionally’. In Australia back in the 1970’s, it was almost unheard of to be a wildlife artist. All artists I’d seen were in UK, Europe, USA and Canada and the pictures were of moose, wolves and owls. So, after three years of zoo keeping, I just left and became an artist – then I had to learn to paint! I’ve been a wildlife artist full time since November 1976.”

Working in watercolour and gouache (the best medium for

reproduction in publications) Nicolas’ attention to detail is almost unnerving. His second storey studio amongst the treetops contains hundreds of reference sketches from many years of observing birds, wildlife and their habitat in fine detail. He works from a variety of sources including observations in the local environment, road kills, photos and taxidermed specimens loaned from museums.

“I have a great collection of photos and information on subjects. I use these references to come up with a pencil sketch and work from there. I describe the way I use photos and references like an author would look at a thesaurus or dictionary. You are not actually copying the dictionary because that doesn’t make Shakespeare. All the words that a writer would use are in the thesaurus or dictionary, it’s just how they are juxtaposed that makes it literature or just a phone book.”

Nicolas produced his consummate work from a suburban bungalow in Melbourne. He worked seven days a week for two years to complete illustrations for Australia’s premier bird book, ‘Field Guide to the Birds of Australia’. He painstakingly painted details of every one of Australia’s 760 birds in 132 colour plates. Now in its seventh edition, more than 500,000 copies have sold around the world over its lifetime.

Well aware that his beloved subjects are rapidly disappearing, he hopes more people will discover the joy of observing and appreciating nature. “I’d like to think that there’s an aesthetic in landscape and natural history and I don’t think it matters if you’re looking at sparrows or pigeons in the city or flocks of birds wheeling in the sky in rural areas. There’s an aesthetic and it’s free for everyone.

Most people have access to wildlife – it’s worth opening up your eyes and enjoying it. You don’t have to be David Attenborough; you can just go out with the family on the weekend and enjoy nature and>

artist profile

wildlife for what it is. Through that we can realise that we have to protect it for future generations. We now dominate the planet well and truly, and wildlife and the landscape should be enjoyed and protected, not exploited,” he advises.

Nicolas is experiencing this demise first-hand from his bush studio at Tenby Point, on the shores of Western Port Bay. “My parents bought this bush block when the area was sub-divided in the mid 1960s. It was a good two and a half hour’s drive from Melbourne then. We just camped, there were lots of birds and koalas – I haven’t seen a koala for years now and don’t expect to again. I’ve noticed a lot of change, especially since moving here permanently in1987. I used to see flocks of Swift Parrots, an endangered species, a few times a year.

I have not seen them for six or seven years despite having protected as many of the feeding and resting trees as I can.”

It is noticeable to Nicolas that a lot of bird species are disappearing. “Though you may see birds in your garden, there is an incremental impoverishment people are not seeing. They say ‘oh, I haven’t seen that bird for years’. This is cause for concern.” Ironically, as bird numbers decline, the interest in them grows. “Years ago, I was the only person around with binoculars watching birds. Now, the birdwatching industry is one of the highest grossing recreational industries, especially in countries like UK and USA. That’s encouraging.”

Despite the grim predictions, Nicolas’ love for his subjects will never waver as he continues to capture their beauty through his art.

“I’ve got friends who don’t know about anything other than birds – they are incredibly knowledgeable, but they can be a bit boring!

So, it’s not all birds, but they are certainly front and centre. I didn’t choose birds really, they chose me. I don’t know any other life. I do other things, but it’s all bird-related,” he concludes. And with the growing popularity of birdwatching around the world, Nicolas may have transcended from his self-professed ‘bordering on nerdsville’ to pretty cool in a bird-type way. C

coast 36

Nicolas Day’s career has many highlights including: • Exhibiting in Canada, Japan and United Kingdom.

• Having work published in many scientific publications and periodicals eg. Australian Geographic.

• Teaching art in many locations around Australia including Broome.

His work is held in State Library of Victoria, Arts Centre Trust in Melbourne, Regional Galleries and in private collections in Australia, UK and Canada.

He is currently working to commission, for private clients, exhibitions and forthcoming publications.

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opengym exercise by the coast

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If only every community had a Jane Hackel. The seaside town of Inverloch is lucky to lay claim to Jane; a remedial massage therapist whose dream of a community gym by the seaside became a reality.

Jane has her own health retreat in Inverloch and is a strong believer in ‘what goes around, comes around’. She raises funds for community projects through her healing work. Her first triumph was contributing to an all-access boardwalk in Inverloch. She rallied the troops including Bass Coast Shire Council, the Rotary Club of Inverloch and Anderson’s Inlet Angling Club to get it across the line.

One project down, she saw an outdoor gym in Queensland and knew that was project number two. “I first saw and used the fitness stations during our holiday in Broadbeach, Queensland. I told my husband that I would like to take the concept home to Inverloch, so that we can all use such facilities. Two years later, with the Universe knowing exactly what I wanted, my dream came to fruition. I do believe everything starts in a dream!” says Jane.

Jane created her own ‘Wholistic Shape and High-Energy Massage technique’, in order to raise funds to achieve her dream of building an Open Gym along the Inverloch foreshore. Remarkably, 50% of her clients’ fees from this program went towards the project. People who attended the program benefitted by managing their weight, becoming more positive and enjoying a higher quality of life through renewed energy and improved health in body, mind and spirit.

coast 38

Another way Jane raised funds was to organise Tai Chi on the beach for visitors and locals over the summer.

The open gym became a reality in December 2007. It consists of eighteen fitness stations along the Inverloch foreshore. Users can select various activities that can be adapted to their own fitness level, and one station is accessible for wheelchairs and suitable for use by people of all abilities. “My objective, firstly, was to provide sports and recreational facilities so the community could get physically active and involved maintaining a higher level of fitness and a sense of wellbeing. Secondly, I wanted to express gratitude to all my clients for their support and trust in my massage practice,” says Jane.

Jane’s next dream is to share her success with other practitioners so they too can undertake such projects. “The spirit of giving back is so empowering,” says Jane. ‘It gives you energy beyond your imagination.

It’s almost addictive. Truly, ‘what goes around comes around.’ What you put out or give out comes back to you many times over.

So let’s watch what we give out – and make it only the best from within us!”

You can contact Jane at her Inverloch retreat on 5674 1993. C

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coast character

Frank Roberts seems to have salt water in his blood. His father was the son of a lighthouse keeper on King and other Bass Strait islands.

His mother was a colourful woman whose family was involved in the promotion of opera superstar, Dame Nellie Melba. “Mum used to come here for holidays and she met Dad, they married, and the rest is history,” recalls Frank.

“My first memory of going out fishing with Dad on his small sailing boat was when I was about five.” The year was 1931 and Port Welshpool, on the shores of Corner Inlet, was a different place. It was a bustling fishing port and the wharf was crammed with working vessels that largely relied on sails and oars, not engines. Fish were transported via a horse-drawn tramway from the Port to meet the Melbourne-bound train at the town of Welshpool. Frank recalls the first roads being put in around the town by a contractor using horse and dray.

In those days, Port Welshpool was used by the Bass Strait cray fishing industry as well as the inlet fishing trade. “Cray fishing was a really hard life. You’d be away for over a fortnight at a time, and if you had a young family it wasn’t that good. In the early forties, there

wasn’t enough labour here. Fishermen would go to the crewmen’s missions in Melbourne to get workers so, most of our crew were Scandinavians who had jumped ship and were looking for work.

They were experienced seamen and real characters. When they came ashore, they’d get paid and then spend the rest of their time at the pub! At that time, the only pub was in the town of Welshpool, so they’d catch the tram to the pub, and stagger home!”

Frank had a number of jobs when he left school, including farming, fishing with his father and working on cray boats. “In those days, it was nothing to come in with 100 bags of crayfish,” recalls Frank. “That’s about three hundred dozen in a couple of weeks. The pots would be so full. Now, if you went round to the pots and got half a dozen for the morning, you’d be doing well.”

He then got a job on a marine survey vessel, leaving Port Welshpool at seventeen years of age to sail to Queenscliff and Portland for a few years, and then went into the navy. Frank returned to his home port when he got married.

Looking to settle down, Frank decided to go into the fishing industry. In the early 1950s, he took a position with a forwarding

“My memory is not as good as it used to be,” says Frank Roberts.

You could have fooled me. At a sprightly 82, Frank is one of Port Welshpool’s last remaining ‘old time’ fishermen. Living in the port all his life, his love affair with the sea spans more than 70 years.

words Sally O’Neill photo Maria Reed

70years at sea a fisherman’s tale

agency, which packed and handled fish and crayfish and loaded the catch for transport. “An opportunity came up to get a house on the foreshore and run the agency – I got about ten pounds a week and the house rent-free.” This was a good life for the ever-expanding family. “My sister died when she was about thirty, and she had three young girls. Myself and two other brothers took a girl each. We got the youngest, who was eighteen months old, so we had five to keep.”

During those years, Frank would go out fishing to supplement his income. He began fishing full time in 1953 and never looked back, spending the next fifty years in and around Corner Inlet. “It’s a very sheltered port and the fish are always here. When I first started there was an abundance of fish and we always made a fairly good living.

In later years, a limited licence was introduced. Then you had to buy two licences for one – that eased the pressure on fishing a lot. There’s not as many fish as there used to be in the olden days, but because it’s limited and the pricing system is fair, you can make a reasonable living out of it.”

Frank has many stories to tell about his years on and around the sea. He recalls learning from boyhood the skill of avoiding bad

weather “from my father and other old timers” as well as dodging bullets. “My brother-in-law and I went out fishing with a young fella about sixteen. We used to carry a shotgun in case we got a very large shark, you couldn’t get them on board or handle them otherwise. We were having a few practise shots. It was a double-barrelled shotgun and we asked the young fella if he’d like to have a shot? He said ‘oh yeah, I’ve never had a shot before’. This rusty old gun was a dangerous damn thing. If you loaded it, you had to cock both barrels and pull two triggers. We told him to hold it well away from his shoulder. He pulled the trigger, one barrel went off and it kicked back. He got such a shock he let the gun go, it flew up in the air, came down, hit the bottom of the boat and hit on the stock. Luckily the barrel was facing up, so it shot up into the air and over the side of the boat into 40 feet of water!”

He also spent many years assisting the Snake Island Cattlemen’s Association, taking luggage and passengers across to the island in all weather including rough seas and howling winds.

Frank offi cially ‘retired’ at 78, yet you can often find him out on the water in his boat ‘Tom Thumb’, sometimes with his son and>

grandson. “Other people take up bowls and the like, but my pleasure is going out in the boat and hooking fish,” he smiles. His son is a professional fisherman, but Frank wonders if his grandson will have the same opportunity. “A lot old-timers don’t encourage their grandsons to become fishermen because it’s an unpredictable future. Children are better educated today. I hated school. I didn’t like my teacher and I couldn’t get out of there quick enough! Yet, even if I’d had the chance for a better education, I still would have preferred being in the fishing industry.”

This man of the sea intends to keep going out on his boat for as long as he can. “It’s a good life; it’s a healthy life. You’ve got fresh air all the time and you eat a lot of fish. I think it’s in your blood. I consider myself lucky. Sometimes I’m out there with the smell of the kelp and the sea air and I think this is what heaven must be like.” C

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coast personality

words Fiona Power photos Maria & Warren Reed

Community singing leader Betty McLaughlin has always wanted to make the world a better place. The former social worker and music teacher has campaigned against hunger, war and injustice. Now, she is a passionate advocate for the benefits of community singing – and loving every minute. “It’s like you get to be a social change agent, while doing something that’s actually an authentically fun self-expression. Now that works for me!”

Betty leads Mirboo North Vocal Nosh, a monthly gathering of people who like to sing – and eat! Held in the Old Grain Store, Vocal Nosh provides an opportunity for participants to experience the fun and satisfaction of singing with others without any pressure to perform. Everyone’s welcome, there’s no audition or ongoing obligation, and each person is free to ‘opt out’ of any activity. All that’s required is a willingness to have a go.

As the singing leader, Betty prepares and teaches songs, which are sung a cappella in rounds and harmonies, depending on the number of people and their singing range and preference. Betty’s detailed knowledge and planning results in participants learning lyrics and melodies remarkably quickly.

“I discovered pretty early on how important it is for me to be really deeply, thoroughly familiar with every song that I teach,” she muses.

“When I’ve thought that I had it and I’d got there, and then realised in the process that I didn’t…I suppose it’s only embarrassing, it’s not tragic!”

For Betty, the hours of preparation are well worth it for the benefits she personally experiences and sees in others. The pleasure of producing beautiful sounds often surprises participants, who break into spontaneous applause and laughter as the song fades.

“By the end of the session people are high! I’m buzzed. I can’t go to sleep. As drugs go, it’s not bad!” laughs Betty. The concept of Vocal Nosh, which incorporates a shared meal into the singing session, was developed by Victorian community singing leader, Fay White. It is one of several community singing models occurring across Victoria with the support and guidance of Community

Music Victoria.

Betty trained as a community singing leader in 2005 and recently completed a twelve-month stint as a ‘Community Music Victoria Music Catalyst’, in which she encouraged group music-making as a way of building a sense of social connection and personal wellbeing.

For Betty, community singing is not only immensely enjoyable and great for our health, it’s a fundamental need.

“I really believe that human culture needs singing,” she says. “I think it’s an important, integral part of what it is to be human, and that we’ve kind of formalised it out of our reach by focusing on the priority of performance.”

Betty realised the importance of communal music-making when she found that it was absent from her life. As a child in New Hampshire and Iowa in the USA she was “always singing”. Her mother played the piano and her father could pick up any instrument. She has fond memories of people “sitting around the living room eating snacks and singing songs, playing guitars, playing piano. It was just what you did for a social evening with your friends, and I loved it.”

Despite her love for music, Betty resisted her mother’s attempts to teach her piano as a child and was too embarrassed to be a beginner as a teenager. It wasn’t until she was in her early forties and living in San Francisco that she finally began lessons under a jazz pianist she admired. He challenged her to compose as well as play.

Betty came to Australia in 1989 after meeting her partner Grace at a work conference in New York. They lived in Sydney and Melbourne for a number of years before moving to a property between Mirboo North and Thorpdale. Though she misses her family, Betty says she has found her home. >

vocalnosh

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“I remember going to the Mossvale Music Festival, and as I came through the gate a lady said ‘You’re that peace lady’ and I thought, ‘I guess I am!’ That’s a great way to be known.’’

“I just always wanted a place in the countryside - a little house in the country with trees and green grass and a vegetable garden and fruit trees. And that’s what I now have, so it’s great.”

Music provided the means for Betty to become involved in her new community. In 2003, supported by the Mirboo North Arts Council, she organised a peace concert where local artists performed original works promoting peace rather than denigrating war. The concert was a great success and personally immensely satisfying.

“I remember going to the Mossvale Music Festival, and as I came through the gate a lady said ‘You’re that peace lady’ and I thought, ‘I guess I am!’ That’s a great way to be known.’’

The experience confirmed Betty’s belief in the power of music to generate community. She became active in the local Arts Council, trained as a singing leader and invited Fay White to lead a Vocal Nosh session in Mirboo North in 2005. The following month, she led her first Vocal Nosh, which has been running ever since.

Members of the Mirboo North Vocal Nosh group have

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participated in regional singing festivals and workshops. Betty has also used her skills in the broader community.

“I did a little Vocal Nosh session for a group of carers of people with mental illness. A former patient who attended that session later came to our Vocal Nosh and has since moved away, done a singing leaders’ training and started a singing group. I was pretty chuffed about that.”

Betty is grateful that she lives in a “wonderful” community.

“There are a lot of people here who are community-minded, who are committed to the values of being a community, being connected with each other, participating with each other in community life, so it’s fantastic.”

Betty’s dream, the difference she would ultimately like to make, can be summed up in the lyrics she wrote for the peace concert: Sing peace, sing peace into existence.

“To me, doing the community singing is taking the advice that came to me with that song, like singing peace into existence.” C

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Phillip Island in pictures

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In the words of the great landscape photographer Ansell Adams, “there are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” To live in a landscape and see its infinite beauty is the gift to the photographer and their audience. Phillip Island is an image maker’s dream - from serene landscapes to wild rugged coastlines: the untouched beauty of the coast matched by the abundance of wildlife. This is Phillip Island . . .

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Phillip Island

escape to an idyllic island

words Sally O’Neill photos Maria & Warren Reed

I’ve travelled many miles around this country and there’s really nowhere quite like Phillip Island. When I drive through the Anderson Hills, come over the rise and capture a glimpse of the island amongst sparkling seas, my heart skips a beat – every time.

The island experience starts at San Remo. This town is often described as a ‘quaint fishing village,’ which it absolutely is with the fishing boats lined up along the jetty. But, to me, it is a thriving metropolis of shops, galleries, cafés with a bit of nightlife thrown in. Sanny is a great place and well worth a stop, stroll and shop.

There are over 600m between the mainland and Phillip Island and the first bridge was built in 1939. Before that time, visitors reached the island by ferry, usually to the town of Cowes. The first bridge was a suspension job and was superceded by the current structure in 1969.

As you ‘travel overseas’ to Phillip Island, try not to crash the car as you take in the stunning view across the eastern entrance of Western Port

Bay to Bass Strait. Then, you just need to switch on to island time and enjoy all that is on offer.

There are many themes to the island and, whichever you choose, you won’t be disappointed. From nature to shopping to relaxing to dining, or, all of the above, the choice is yours.

Although the main road runs through the centre of the island, there’s about 100 kilometres of coastline and all of the beaches are sublime. Hang a left at the Cape Woolamai turn off and spend a bit of time at this famous surf beach. Golden sand and rolling waves await you and if you are feeling energetic, walk out to the pink granite rock formations known as ‘The Pinnacles’. The Cape is of high significance

to the local indigenous, Bunurong people. Also, this is one of two patrolled surf beaches on the island. The other is Smiths Beach, so always swim between the flags.

The main town on Phillip Island is Cowes and is reached by continuing along the Phillip Island Tourist Road. There’s plenty to do in town like shopping, eating and browsing the galleries. Down at the foreshore, the jetty extends into Western Port Bay and Mornington Peninsula is tanatalisingly close. This is one of Victoria’s rare northfacing beaches and it’s nice to just take a stroll along the beach or the pathway known as ‘Lovers Walk’.

A common misconception is that Phillip Island is just a day trip

destination. Although it makes for a great day, at least two days is recommended. You need to spend at least one sunset on the island; whether it’s watching penguins waddling ashore, having a late surf or just sitting gazing over the ocean. Luckily, there is a huge range of accommodation options from caravan parks through to five star B&B’s and there’s a wide selection of restaurants and cafes.

Rhyll truly deserves the accolade of ‘quaint fishing village’, so venture out to this hamlet, which is on the shores of Western Port bay.

There’s cafes and restaurants and, if you want to get out amongst it, boat hire. Stop in at tranquil Rhyll Inlet and stroll along the walking tracks and mangrove boardwalk. >

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Another little gem to discover is tiny Churchill Island, just off the coast and connected by bridge. This is a favourite amongst the locals who visit the island to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, Farmers Markets and events such as the Art and Soul festival and Chill Island.

The south coast is Phillip Island’s wild side. Rugged and spectacular basalt rock contrasts with the deep blue waters of Bass Strait. You can really feel this wildness in locations such as Pyramid Rock and the Nobbies where boardwalks allow you to safely walk along the cliffs.

And, of course, there’s the wildlife. Locals are used to giving way to strolling echidnas, wallabies and the odd koala. Phillip Island is home to a famous colony of Little Penguins, as well as koalas and Australian Fur Seals just offshore at Seal Rocks.

The resident birdlife is abundant and many migratory birds fly from the northern hemisphere to spend each summer on the island.

Phillip Island is growing in popularity with visitors and those discovering it for their sea change. This has brought new energy and creativity that is reflected in the galleries, healing centres and events on offer. Whether you stay for a day (but you’d miss the sunset), a week or longer, Phillip Island is sure to win your heart. C

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Quality accommodation

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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� Quest Phillip Island offers studio, two and three bedroom, fully serviced apartments all including separate lounge and dining areas� fully equipped kitchen� laundry facilities� large balconies and cable tv� Quest Phillip Island’s conference centre is ideal for small conferences� seminars and product launches� Guests can make use of the solar heated pool� gas heated spa and BBQ area as well as off street parking. The perfect location for a family getaway or business retreat is only 90 minutes from Melbourne.

Q

QUEST OCEANIC Opened in November ����� Quest Oceanic features one� two and three bedroom� fully self contained apartments� which are the latest in modern architecture & design� 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� Centrally located in Cowes� approximately ��� metres from the foreshore and within close proximity of local shops and restaurants� Phillip island boasts a large range of award winning natural attractions� such as the Penguin Parade – making it the perfect location for families and couples to escape for a relaxing break at any time of the year�

Phone: 03 5952 2644 Email: questphillipisland@bigpond�com�au Website: www�questphillipisland�com�au

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PUBLIC MOST WELCOME Fully licensed separate bar plus indoor and outdoor dining, delicious daquiri machine. Discounts for tour bookings and seniors groups. Also catering for small functions, weddings and business luncheons.

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Ph: 5952 6969

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eat & drink The Island boast’s some of the areas best eateries. From a casual summer meal to formal dining, these fabulous cafes and restaurants will whet your appetite.

Rusty Water Sherwoods Restaurant Spice Island Cooking School Café Lugano Curry Leaf Harry’s on the Esplanade Infused Shioni’s @ Kahloa Restaurant Nude Food Phillip Island Chocolate Factory Phillip Island RSL Purple Hen Wines Sandbanks Restaurant and Bar Meikles Ocean View Bistro Bistro Silverleaves Store Taylors Waterfront Restaurant Fai Thai Trace’s Place Watermark @ Silverwater Resort Pelicans Bistro @ Westernport Hotel Woolamai Pizza Amaze’n’Things Nobbies Centre Champions Cafe

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shop & relax Whether you’re looking for a bit of shopping therapy - or a touch of pampering, the Island is well equipped to care for your every need.

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Island Healing Phillip Island Eco Retreat & Day Spa Netiya Morrison Leah McKay Hair Matt Lynch Chiropractor Chem Mart Cowes DK Denture Clinic Future Pure Water Phillip Island Medical Centre Amcal Chemist Cowes Beachside Hair & Beauty Cara Roberston Cowes Hairdressing Darren George Hair San Remo Pharmacy Aqua Inspired Bass Coast Caravans Begin Chicory of Cowes Cleanskin Kitchen Supplies Indulgence by Conci Island Shoes Kudos Kush Kush Pandemonium Ride on Bikes South Coast Furnishings

Simon Péréle Berlei Vigorella Playtex Maggie T Banana Blue René Cordelia St Carlopik Animale Ika Derhy Rarity Master & Margarita

Beautiful Ladies Clothing Gifts Jewellery Manchester Bags Shoes Homewares Lingerie Sunglasses Reading Glasses Sleep Wear

37 Thompson Avenue Cowes, Phillip Island 3922 T 5952 1333 F 5952 3858 E conci_aus@bigpond.com

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stay & play Want to stay and play?

The Island offers top quality accommodation, and there’s so much to do you’ll never want to leave!

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Stay Harrys on the Esplanade Holmwood Guesthouse Quest Apartments Silverwater Resort Taylors Waterfront The Castle Villa By the Sea The Waves Apartments Play Amaze n Things Art & Soul Festival Chill Island Chill Island Cinemas Cowes Night Market French Island Llamas Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Phillip Island Nature Park Phillip Island Ten Pin & Fun Shed Phillip Island Community and Learning Wildlife Coast Cruises Get Arty Arty Farty Gallery Deborah Halpern Kudos Kush Kush 222 Contemporary Gallery Mingara Gallery

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Phillip Island’s premier ice creamery specialising in low fat gelato which allows you to enjoy the rich taste of real fruit and natural flavours. Cups or cones and take home packs available.

For the sweet tooth there are over a hundred different lollies - gluten free, fat free, sugar free and all your old time favourites.

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Hot chocolate Ice chocolate Coffee Chocolate liquer beverages Chocolate truffles, cakes, desserts and much more

We will also be selling over 40 varieties of chocolate truffles……all of which will be a little slice of heaven..

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Giftware, homewares, furniture, handbags and jewellery

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coast tribute

. . . a lifetime of love Kahlilla Blyss Donahoo18 March 2003 ~ 25 August 2008

Little Kahlilla Blyss Donahoo touched the hearts and minds of all those she met. She fought a courageous battle against a rare form of cancer and became an angel in August this year. Our community is all the richer for knowing Kahlilla - a brave little soldier with a pure heart and loving spirit.

Coast readers first met Kahlilla in Autumn 2006. At only two years of age, she was already facing more challenges than most of us ever would in a lifetime. Many have followed Lilly and her family’s journey through her website which clearly conveys the amazing strength, love and openess of her family. We pay tribute to Lilly and her incredible life and to all those who will always love her.

Her mum and dad wish to continue the fight against cancer and keep the spirit of their beautiful daughter alive. They say, “Kahlilla showed us how to enjoy the moment and love the journey - and to remember the good aspects of yesterday. Learn from yesterday, then forgive and forget all the rotten bits of the past. Find fun and laughter wherever possible. Love and respect everything in the world. Live your life to the fullest – no one survives life after all.”

To continue Lilly’s legacy, the current ‘Kahlilla’s Hope Fund’ is being transformed into the ‘You Are My Sunshine’ Neuroblastoma Fund (in Lilly’s honour) to raise funds for Neuroblastoma research. Keep in touch with Lill’s continuing journey at www.kahlilla.com

Phillip Island Medical Centre is a world in itself. With doctors from around the globe, there are over nine nationalities under one roof, each with a story to tell …

Dr. Allan Powles, Australia

Dr. Hamish Han - Seoul, Korea

Dr. Rawa Fadheel - Baghdad, Iraq

Dr. Allan Powles heads up the Phillip Island Medical Group and welcomes international additions to his team. “This is a training centre, and we encourage international doctors as it means we are teaching and learning at the same time,” says Allan. Recruiting doctors to country areas is diffi cult, and overseas doctors must work in the country or areas of need for ten years. “They are keen and energetic and bring an enormous amount of life experience with them. They know about illnesses that we don’t commonly experience in Australia,” he says. “We are very lucky to have them. They often have quite a hard time, because they are separated from their families and have to travel

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long distances. We learn about different cultures. T.K. (Dr. Gowda) and I always have great conversations about cricket because I support Australia and he supports India!”

Dr. Rawa Fadheel, Baghdad, Iraq It was destiny that brought Rawa to Australia. In primary school she learnt that most parts of the world celebrate Christmas in winter yet countries like Australia and New Zealand had Christmas in summer.

“I was amazed - I didn’t believe it,” she says. “Now, here I am, having

Dr. T.K. Vishakante Gowda - Bangalore, India

Dr. Olga Wingate - Siberia, Russia Dr. Diya Bucktower - Mauritius

a world in one surgery

spent ten years in Australia!” Iraq was a country torn by war; the medical system was not coping and neither was Rawa. She emigrated to New Zealand and then came to Australia by chance and “fell in love” with the country. She’s devoted herself to being a doctor in country Victoria. “I love dealing with people and giving the best of my knowledge and compassion to help them,” she says.

In Australia she maintains both her cultures, likes tennis and camping, and is also learning to play golf. Memorable professional moments include delivering a baby in an ambulance and reviving a nine-year-old boy who had stopped breathing: “Everyone in the room

was cheering. To be a doctor, you need to develop the art of dealing with people. I try to understand them and feel their suffering.”

Dr. T.K. Vishakante Gowda, Bangalore, India T.K., as his patients know him, came to Australia to find a better life.

He worked as a medical registrar in ICU and emergency departments in India and Saudi Arabia before coming to Australia in March 1998.

“There are many very seriously sick patients in India,” says T.K. Since coming to Australia, he’s seen more of the country than most.>

He has worked in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland, various Victorian towns and now Phillip Island, where he recently qualified as a GP. “I am very happy here, and I love treating the patients,” says T.K. He lives with his wife and precious daughter, who was born after sixteen years of marriage “in our first cycle of IVF”. T.K. is a practising Hindu and regularly visits a Hindu temple in Melbourne.”

Australia has a good base as a nation – it has health, education, and good services that we don’t have in India.”

It is a little difficult for me because there is a tradition in Korea that the first son is responsible for his parents, and I am an only son.” He loves the relatively relaxed working environment in Australia. “I worked as a doctor in Korea and had to see about 100 patients a day!” He also enjoys the friendly people and the natural surroundings. He first went to New Zealand, then moved to Australia and had to start again. “It wasn’t easy; I had to re-qualify in English.” Hamish has been on Phillip Island for three years and it seems his move to Australia has been worth it: “My children are happy.”

Dr. Diya Bucktower, Republic of Mauritius Diya grew up in the tropical paradise of Mauritius. “It is a lovely island, very laid back and small, and everyone knows everyone. But after studying in Australia, I didn’t want go back!” she says. “All my family are still in Mauritius and they are very happy. There are many Mauritians in Australia and around Phillip Island. I like talking to people and, as a family doctor, I have close contact with them.” Diya speaks English and French, and in her spare time likes walking on the beach and swimming, although “the water here isn’t as warm as at home!”

Dr. Hamish Han, Seoul, Korea Hamish came to Australia in 1999 to give his children a better life. “It is too competitive in Korea: children have to study all day long, from pre-school onwards. I miss my friends and relatives and my country.

Phillip Island Medical Group – Cowes

164 Thompson Avenue, Cowes. Ph: 03 5951 1800 Monday to Friday 8.45am – 5.30pm Saturday 9am – 12 noon, Sunday 10am – 12 noon After Hours GP Clinic Weekdays 6.30pm – 10pm, Sat/Sun/Public Hol’s 4pm – 10pm

Dr. Olga Wingate, Siberia, Russia Olga came to Australia in 2000 to be with her Australian husband. She worked as a GP in Siberia for a year before she moved to Australia. “In Siberia, people are very open and talk about anything. I think that’s a good thing,” says Olga. “In Australia, people generally say they are ok and don’t tell you how they are really feeling. Life here is more hectic as a GP. I like the continuing care - seeing people coming back and being able to help them further. I love everything about living on Phillip Island. People are very friendly and positive. Life is great, the climate is very good and the landscape is spectacular. My two-yearold son, Mattias, gives me lots of inspiration. I think that it’s important to think positively and enjoy each day as it comes. Living in the present is the key to happiness.” C

Phillip Island Pharmacy Offering the best possible health care solutions and advice to you and your family • Diabetes products

• Mobility & lifestyle aids

Phillip Island Medical Group – San Remo

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natural skincare and aromatherapy

After Hours and Emergency After Hours Locum Service Ph: 132 660 (local call) Wonthaggi Hospital Ph: 5671 3333 AMBULANCE Ph: 000

Open 7 Days

123 Marine Parade, San Remo. Ph: 03 5678 5402 Monday to Friday 8.45am – 5.30pm Weekly sessions – Corinella & Grantville, book through San Remo

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1

2/164 Thompson Avenue Cowes 3922 T 03 5952 2299 F 03 5952 1188 14/11/08 2:16:38 PM

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The perfect beachside getaway Self contained style accommodation offering the luxury of a personal 2-person spa in the bathroom, private balconies or patio with foreshore and bay views, split system heating/air conditioning and luxury guest amenities. Two styles of apartments offer different features, giving you a choice of which will best suit your requirements.

3 The Esplanade, Cowes, Vic. 3922 Ph: 03 5952 1351 E: info@thewaves.com.au

www.thewaves.com.au

Phillip Island’s first and only purpose built day spa facility. Treatments include LI’TYA and Pevonia botanica.

Treatment rooms for singles, couples, hydrotherapy and geisha tub.

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123 Marine Parade, San Remo, Victoria Tel. 03 5678 5202 Fax 03 5678 5376 Email: sanremo.pharmacy@nunet.com.au

aroundtown what’s goin’ on around your place

Photos by Lou Curtis-Smith & Gaby McCrae.

All our staff are fully trained to help you with your skincare and make-up needs.

Cowes Pharmacy 24 Thompson Ave Cowes Vic 3922 Tel: 03 5952 2061 Fax: 03 5952 2499 cowes@amcal.net.au

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what’s goin’ on around your place

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Facials Waxing Eyelash / Brow tinting Tuscan spray tanning Manicures / Pedicures Massage

Ladies & Mens Hairdressing Hair extensions All aspects of creative color Permanent straightening Solarium Before

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Beachside hair & beauty 103b Marine Pde, San Remo, Victoria Ph. (03) 5678 5323 Beachside Haira.indd 1

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coast hero

Known as the ‘Lillian Frank of Inverloch’, Kerrie Beauglehall likes to turn negatives into positives. Three days after her daughter Carla’s type-one diabetes diagnosis, the Inverloch hairdresser and mother of three was brainstorming fundraising ideas from the hospital bedside. Twelve Diabetes Balls later, Kerrie has raised a phenomenal $350,000, increased community awareness of diabetes and received awards from the Royal Children’s Hospital for her dedication and extraordinary work.

The diagnosis of Kerrie and Ross Beauglehall’s eleven-year-old daughter Carla with diabetes in 1997 “came out of nowhere”.

Within hours of a medical check-up, she was in the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Beauglehalls were learning about the disease and its long-term implications for their daughter and her family. “You’re diagnosed, handed a syringe and that’s it for the rest of your life,” Kerrie says.

The Beauglehall’s determination to support research, and their gratitude to the hospital for their ongoing support and treatment, prompted the first Inverloch Diabetes Ball, which raised $8000. This success inspired Kerrie to continue, and establish the Inverloch Diabetes Auxiliary.

Months in the planning, the ball is a calendar highlight. It’s a great excuse to frock up in mid-winter and enjoy live music, sumptuous food, dancing and auctions. Even Lillian Frank herself attended the tenth ball, presenting awards to supporters and sitting on the knee of a patron who’d pledged $500.

Kerrie attributes the balls’ success to people’s generosity and their confidence that the money has a beneficial impact. “Everyone’s aware now that we actually make a change to diabetic kids’ lives,” she says. “I think that makes people feel good about coming.”

Each week, six to eight children at the Royal Children’s Hospital are diagnosed with type-one diabetes. The disease prevents the body’s production of insulin, leading to intolerably high blood sugar levels, illness and, if untreated, death. Diabetics must constantly monitor their blood sugar levels, inject insulin and remain under specialist care.

Kerrie coordinates everything, from seeking donations to organising the army of volunteers who decorate the hall, feed the helpers and serve on the night. An enthusiastic and passionate advocate for the cause, she sees and inspires the best in people. Last year, a chat in a Melbourne restaurant queue with a Reuters ASX staff member led to two $20,000 donations. This has funded the addition of a psychology branch to the screening unit.

Kerrie’s remarkable work has been recognised by the Royal Children’s Hospital, who awarded her the 2008 Madge Tate Award for outstanding service and inducted her into the Living Treasures Honorary Auxiliary. She is immensely honoured and overwhelmed by the awards. “I often wondered what the word ‘surreal’ meant,” she laughs. “You hear people say ‘Oh, it was so surreal’ and I’ve thought ‘What’s this surreal’? But now I know, because it really was!” Four years ago Kerrie and local band ‘Party Town’ recorded a CD with 57>

words Fiona Power photos Maria Reed

a living treasure kerrie beauglehall

diabetic children at the hospital over two weekends, raising $10,000. Kerrie still sells this and other merchandise from her home and daugther’s salon in Inverloch.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Kerrie last year set up a program in which each child diagnosed with diabetes at the Royal Children’s Hospital receives a book. The support of local service clubs has enabled the distribution of hundreds of books over the past twelve months.

Kerrie’s daughter Carla is now twenty-two, engaged and owns a hair salon in Inverloch. Blood sugar level tests, insulin injections and specialist visits every twelve weeks are a routine part of her type-one diabetes management. Kerrie couldn’t be more proud of her daughter and the successful way she has shaped her life while living with a chronic disease.

Kerrie would like to be part of the centenary celebrations for the Royal Children’s Hospital auxiliaries; that’s at least fourteen more balls. “I don’t think I can ever stop,” she laughs. “When you see the results, you want to keep going.” C

Why not help out a worthy cause and grab some great christmas gifts at the same time?

TOTE BAG 100’s of different colors and styles.

Large $3.00 Small $2.50

TODDLERS SINGLETS $20 (2 in boxed set) Size 1 & 2

BABY SOCKS $20 (6 pairs) Sizes 0-12mths, 1-3 & 3-5

LADIES SOCKS $20 6 ankle socks or 4 long socks assortment of socks

BEACH BAG $10 Colors - blue, green & pink

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So!me_v3.indd 1

I luv it!

CLOTHING JEWELLERY HANDBAGS GIFTWARE SCARVES

Dance like the world is your stage, work like you don’t need the money, be the star that you are.

That is SO! me!

Bringing you a memorable shopping experience and offering product that will delight.

57 Bair St, (opposite Henrietta’s) Leongatha Ph 5662 3103 Open weekdays 9 - 5.30 Sat 9-2 13/11/08 8:14:26 AM

Denis A. Hawkins

Manufacturer and seller of Traditional and Contemporary Jewellery 3 Lyon Street, Leongatha Tel. (03) 5662 3142 Fax. (03) 5662 5866 denisa10@bigpond.com.au

Denis A Hawkins.indd 1

21/11/08 9:58:02 AM

words Wanda Stelmach photos Maria Reed & Wanda Stelmach

coast 74

coast sport stars

a need for speed Life is golden for international speed-walking champion, olive-grower and surgeon Andrew Jamieson.

Andrew Jamieson has an affi nity with gold: the gold in the colour of the olive oil he produces on his farm at Fish Creek in South Gippsland, and the gold that lies in the athletic fields of the international speed-walking circuit.

“I was always planning to extend, to see how far I could go. When I was a teenager I used to come second to a bloke called Ross Haywood.

I wasn’t that far behind him. So I thought it would be nice to see what I could do. To see how far I could go,” he says.

Ross Haywood went on to represent Australia in the 1976 Olympics in the 20km walk and in the marathon. He is the only athlete in Olympic history to be selected in both walking and running events.

But this is not the idle daydreaming of a would-be champion.

Andrew is the 2007 Australian Masters Athlete of the Year and the 2007 World Masters Athlete of the Year. In announcing his win in 2007, the International Association of Athletics Federation stated that “he swept the 5km, 10km and 20km race walks at Riccione, Italy and set several world records.”

Andrew is not precious about these wins. He laughingly tells the story of how he recently lost all his medals and found them weeks later behind some books. He acknowledges that the medals are an achievement but they are not everything. Luckily, his friends take greater pride in his wins and have presented him with a tee-shirt adorned with copies of the winning medals.

Andrew was born to medical missionary parents and lived in Vanuatu.

“My father was an athlete. He was a doctor, an organist and a pianist.

There was an awful lot of religion in the family!” he says. “Both my grandfathers and my uncle were ministers of religion. So my father was also ordained as a minister. It’s a very strong Presbyterian background,” he concludes ruefully.

He talks about an idyllic childhood in Vanuatu, likening it to a Victorian small-town upbringing. “We were living right next to the hospital,” he reminisces. “I was a kid just hanging around, an inquisitive kid peeking through holes in the walls at the operations going on inside. Sometimes I would even get taken in to see them!”

His parents never made any suggestions about what he should do. “I was never pushed to be a minister, but I did want to do medicine. It just seemed the natural thing to do.”

He boarded at Scotch College, Melbourne, and it was there that his athletic abilities were recognised. He went on to compete in the Australian University Athletics Championships in the 3km and 20km walks.

“My medical career took over, then marriage and family. There just wasn’t enough time for athletics. It wasn’t a feasible career in those days.

You did it as an amateur and you did not get paid. I remember knocking back some money. I ran the boundary for an amateur football match, and the coach was very grateful and said, ’ Here’s a pound for running the boundary‘ and I said ’I can’t take that’. I thought I might lose my amateur status.” He contemplates the impoverished lives of amateur athletes which today’s athletes would fail to comprehend.

Andrew worked for many years in obesity surgery in Melbourne. The irony of a slim, athletic doctor looking after morbidly obese patients doesn’t escape him. “There was often speculation in the waiting room as to whether I’d had surgery myself!”

Finally, he recognised he was burnt out and it was time to make a change. He and his wife had windsurfed at Sandy Point in Victoria so they knew the area well. They finally bought their farm at Fish Creek and started developing a working property. They rejected cattle, as they “would probably get a little too friendly with them and have diffi culty sending them off to market”, and grape growing, as there was “an awful lot of competition”, before settling on growing olives.

“We grow olives, make olive oil and, without advertising, we make olive oil for others. We didn’t realise that we’d be the only olive-oil makers in South Gippsland. So we have become manufacturers as well as horticulturists.”

Although Andrew retired from surgery, it did not disappear from his life.

Following an accident, he attended a clinic and was treated by one of his old interns! Jamieson now practices general surgery locally. “One of the greatest advantages of working in the country is that you get morning tea – you actually get scones at Leongatha! At Foster you get brewed coffee – and sandwiches and cakes!”

Today, life seems golden for Andrew. “Life’s almost too good to be true.

My wife and I keep waiting for something negative to happen, but apart from the birds eating our olives there are really no negatives. We are much busier socially here. I’d just like to have an early night occasionally!” They are involved in the local drama society, choir and Landcare group. “We meet up with other producers in the area – winemakers mainly at the moment,” he laughs. “There is a winery across the road and another up the road. You see your neighbours in the country much more than in the city!”

During the 1980’s marathon craze, Andrew started running, but following an injury became involved in competitive walking. “Near where I was working at the time, there was a group of young elite race-walking athletes. I managed to get myself into training with them, and really enjoyed it. Although it’s competitive, it’s never nasty.” He first competed at an international level in 1980 at the World Masters Athletics Championships in South Africa. Then in England he won a silver medal.

He thought he could beat the gold medalist. “So I did some more training.

In Australia in 2001 I got two gold medals. And I beat the bloke that I was trying to beat! He is still speaking to me, though! I guess I’ve taken ‘outside of surgery’ interests to the extreme!”

He trains on “a nice, soft, gravelly 62km disused rail track” averaging 60km to 90km a week. “Unfortunately, my body’s starting to complain. I’m trying to ignore it!” He continues, “It’s fine if you are in the AIS: there you do your morning 20km then sleep for three hours. You have a massage, do a swim and another 20km. Here, I do my 20km and then work on the farm.”

“But it’s good fun to win a race and to just compete against everyone else! The Olympic Games would have been fantastic but I’ve left my run a bit late. I reckon in my 40s I could have got into the World Cup.” His voice tails off regretfully.

The manufacturing side of the olive business is growing; they are planting more trees and plan to sell more oil. “We just have to produce the best oil. We haven’t entered it into any shows as yet.” He is also thinking about the Australian Championships in December. “I suppose I’ve still got a few goals. And there’s one world record that I haven’t got… yet. ” C

14

march

2009

noon ‘til dusk

moss vale park music festiv al paul kelly old crow medicine show

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ash grunwald jeff lang doug mcleod rory ellis trio preston reed van walker Tickets:

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www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au email: lyrebirdsarts@hotmail.com phone (03) 5664 9239 early bird price (before 1st march) adults $58 concession $48 family $148 ($2 bkg fee) under 12 - free local food, ale & wines mossvale park: between leongatha & mirboo north, south gippsland, vic.

coast festivals Along with amazing music, Mossvale has great food and wine, market stalls, a sense of community and, well, it’s hard to put into words: just that Mossvale magic…

Mossvale magical music in the park

If you haven’t been to Mossvale Park Music Festival, you are seriously missing out. Packing the chairs, rug, sunscreen and picnic for an amazing day and night of music is a great Gippsland tradition.

Each year, the wonderful Lyrebird Arts Council team manages to pull an incredible lineup ‘out of the box’ and 2009 is no exception. Headlining the festival, in his only Gippsland performance, is the inimitable songman, Paul Kelly. This performance follows the release of ‘Songs from the South Volume 2’, a collection of songs from the last decade, which picks up where Volume1 left off. Paul is sure to put his own stamp on the festival with a memorable performance.

The festival will also feature two acts from the USA on their long anticipated Australian debut tours: The Old Crow Medicine Show and Preston Reed. The Old Crow Medicine Show is a five-piece Nashville band that plays its own brand of music with a rock and roll attitude.

They blend American roots, folk, blues, gospel, bluegrass and a little bit of gritty rock with extraordinary vocal harmonies.

Preston Reed has virtually reinvented the way acoustic guitar is played. Reed practises a flamboyant ‘self-invented’ style characterised by percussive techniques and simultaneous rhythm and melody lines that dance and ricochet around each other, giving his music a level of excitement that is unparalleled among today’s guitarists. Playing an array of guitars, from acoustic to electric to classical, Reed’s vast range of explosively original music will forever change your expectation of a guitarist.

There will also be an infusion of blues and roots music at the festival from local artists Ash Grunwald and Jeff Lang along with Doug

McLeod from the USA. Ash Grunwald has been deservedly credited with bringing blues and roots to a whole new generation. Jeff Lang has built up a reputation for startlingly original performances, working without a set list and allowing the unique energy of each performance to shape the songs.

Doug MacLeod is one of the last remaining bluesmen who learned from the old masters, lived the music, survived the life and carries forward that valuable tradition. Within the blues world, MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances.

To round out the day, Melbourne performers Rory Ellis and Van Walker and The Celestial Railroad will also perform. Rory Ellis is one of those quintessential Australian singer-songwriters with buckets of talent and heaps of stories to tell, and is impossible to pigeonhole.

Melbourne singer-songwriter Van Walker, finger-picker and storyteller, has just launched his debut album ‘The Celestial Railroad’, full of bittersweet country-folk songs.

Along with amazing music, Mossvale has great food and wine, market stalls, a sense of community and, well, it’s hard to put into words: just that Mossvale magic…

Full festival details can be found at www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au Mossvale Park Music Festival Saturday 14th March 2009. Noon ‘til Dusk C

www.basscoastagshow.org.au

enquiries 5672 325

9

BASS COAST SUMMER

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21/11/08 9:36:20 AM

Visit the State Coal Mine Garden Street Wonthaggi 03 5672 3053 www.fscm.org.au Open 10am - 4:30pm every day (closed christmas day & good friday)

coast events “The Races at Stony Creek are more than just a race meeting; they’re a great day out.”

Stony Creek Races

words Kate Lindsay photo Maria Reed

a great day out

When the Stony Creek Race Track was re-launched in one of South Gippsland’s smallest townships in 1947, no one could have guessed that exactly forty years later it would earn a place in the history books of Australian Racing.

In 1987, Stony Creek hosted the Rod Carmichael Handicap, which ended in a Triple Dead Heat – thrusting the local track into the national racing spotlight, and causing havoc in TAB outlets throughout Australia. It is an event that is still widely spoken about 21 years later, and one that the Stony Creek Racing Club remembers with pride.

Before 1950, the track was used primarily for picnic races. But, headed by the Carmichael family (who are still big supporters of the club today) the Leongatha and Foster Racing Clubs combined with Stony Creek to form the South Gippsland Racing Club. This, allowed the region to host its first professional race. Since then, the tiny township continues to produce some of the state’s most talked-about race meetings, and today they are more popular then ever.

“Attending Stony Creek is more than just going to the races and having a punt,” says Stony Creek Racing Club CEO, Rob Armstrong.

According to Rob, it is no secret that Stony Creek provides some of the best days on the regional social calendar. And while the Triple Dead Heat of 21 years ago may have put the club on the map, its unique location and family-friendly atmosphere is what keeps it there. “The races are very much an icon in South Gippsland. It’s quite clear that the people within the local community and from Melbourne not only enjoy our events but love the hills that form our beautiful backdrop at the track. That’s what make our races pretty special.”

The community’s passion for its local racing facility was evident several years ago when they backed the club as it was suffering financially. “We’ve had some troubled times, and it was a real battle when we were short on funds, but we took our case to the local community and they rallied behind us, boosting our membership to the second largest of all racing clubs in Country Victoria. The community didn’t want to see their local races die,” said Rob. Since then the numbers have declined a little, but the club is standing

strong, with the financial future looking good and over $1 million worth of improvements to the infrastructure being spent over the last seven years, including track upgrades, and overall refurbishments to the public spectator areas. “We made drainage improvements to our tracks and we now have one of the best turf tracks in Gippsland, if not Victoria.”

The club has come a long way from its picnic-race roots. It faces some disappointment with a reduction in the number of race meetings, but the Stony Creek Races are here to stay, and will host six racing events this season, including their family-friendly picnic races and their major event, the SESI Stony Creek Cup, which is held annually in March. The Cup has become a great tradition at Stony Creek, with close to 4000 people in attendance over the last few years.

The club prides itself on being able to provide an opportunity for family-oriented entertainment, and included on their racing calendar are their well-regarded Family, Food and Wine Day, and their Quiet Picnic Day, both of which have a strong emphasis on family attendance.

“Stony Creek is clearly recognised by Country Racing Victoria as being capable of hosting a first-class event. We’re preparing for more than just a race day. We provide the whole gamut of entertainment for race patrons to enjoy.

And while they may not be able to produce the excitement and buzz of a Triple Dead Heat every race meeting, The Stony Creek Racing Club prides itself on giving people an opportunity to attend a local event with a difference. “Over the Christmas break the tourism sector of this region blossoms quite considerably with the arrival of Melbourne residents attending their holiday homes, and they’re looking for something to do other than enjoy the sand and the surf. We’re able to provide that,” Rob says.

“The Races at Stony Creek are more than just a race meeting; they’re a great day out.” C

Nyora

FRENCH ISLAND Corinella COWES

LOCH GRANTVILLE

Coronet Bay

Fairbank Korumburra

The Nobbies

Leongatha PHILLIP ISLAND

BASS STRAIGHT

Mirboo

Leongatha South

Kilcunda Dalyston

Kongwak

Stony Creek

Meeniyan

Wonthaggi INVERLOCH Cape Paterson

FOSTER Venus Bay

Venus Bay

Tarwin Lower

Fish Creek

Waratah Sandy Point

Cowes

Waratah Bay

Rhyll

PHILLIP ISLAND

Churchill Island

Nobbies Cape Woolamai

Summer Attractions As if summer on the Coast isn’t cool enough, there are endless amazing attractions on offer. Some are little local secrets, others are world renowned. Get out there and explore what this Coast has to offer this Summer!

coast 80

4WD Mud Fest

enquiries 5672 3259

BASS COAST SUMMER

AGRICULTURAL

Dalyston Mud Run Sunday 11 January Dalyston Recreation Reserve, Dalyston Call Hans 0418 525 983 www.a4wdmra.com

A’Maze n’Things 1805 Phillip Island Road, Cowes Call (03) 5952 2283 www.amazenthings.com.au Illusions, maxi golf, fun, icecreamery and lolly shop

Mingara Gallery Cnr Thompson Ave & Ventnor Rd, Cowes Ph. (03) 5952 3722 Modern Australian artworks, sculpture, jewellery.

Bass Coast Summer Agricultural Show Saturday 10 January Call (03) 5672 3259 www.basscoastagshow.org.au

Chill Island Festival Sunday 1st February Churchill Island, off the coast of Phillip Island www.chillisland.org

222 Contemporary Art Gallery & Studio 222 The Esplanade, Surf Beach Ph. 0413 311 824 Works by Roger Breen

Wonthaggi State Coal Mine Garden St, Wonthaggi Call (03) 5672 3053 www.fscm.org.au Open daily.

Arty Farty Sculpture Studio Call Sian on 0418 519 181 Classes for adults & children in mosaic design and ceramic sculpture.

Cowes Night Market - 3 & 24 January, 21 February, 7 March and 11 April.

Cowes Foreshore Anne-Marie 0419 560 293 www.pical.org.au

Deborah Halpern Call Deb on 0417 352 797 Mosaic workshops and learn fiberglass sculpture.

"LUE +ING "ROWN *OSH 0YKE !SH 'RUNWALD

SATURDAY JAN 10 2009 WONTHAGGI

Chill Island Cinema – from Saturday 3 January www.chillisland.org Cool movies on the big screen.

Journey back to Wonthaggi’s mining history

Visit the State Coal Mine Garden Street Wonthaggi 03 5672 3053 www.fscm.org.au Open 10am - 4:30pm every day (closed christmas day & good friday)

Art & Soul Festival - Jan 11 Churchill Island, off the coast of Phillip Island Call Sian 0418 519 181 www.artyfarty.com.au Art, music, food, wine, fun!

Mossvale Music Festival Saturday 14 March Strezlecki Hwy, Leongatha Call (03) 5664 9239 lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au Blues and roots music

Kongwak Market Main St, Kongwak Call Jane 0417 142 478 Every Sunday Groovy gear, great coffee

Gecko Studio Gallery 15 Falls Rd, Fish Creek Call (03) 5683 2481 geckostudiogallery.com.au Original artworks & framing

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory 930 Phillip Island Rd, Newhaven Call (03) 5956 6600 Chocolate!! Tasting, food and wine café and curry kitchen.

French Island Llama Experience French Island Call (03) 5980 1287 www.fillamas.com.au Lunch with the llamas

Powlett Gallery 5 Dunn St, Wonthaggi Call (03) 5672 2277 Quality art by Bev and Dennis Leversha.

By appointment or chance!

Stony Creek Races 3 & 12 Jan, 8 March Stony Creek Racing Club Call (03) 5664 0099 www.scrc.com.au A great fun day out!

La Fontaine Estate 295 Manks Rd, Clyde Call (03) 5998 1133 www.lafontaineestate.com.au Winery and restaurant

Art Zillery Call Renae 0428 686 250 Art supplies, parties, workshops and commissions.

Classic Fishing Charters Westernport Bay Call Glen on 0417 332 533 www.classingfishing.com.au Charters, fishing, dolphin & bird watching.

Bluestone Lane Vineyard 269 Myers Rd, Balnarring Cellar 5989 7055 Restaurant 5989 7081 www.bluestonelane.com.au

Sculpture in the Garden 7 Feb – 29 March 46 Berrys Ck Rd, Berrys Creek Call (03) 5668 8213 Contact Angela Newberry

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Back Beach Rd, Phillip Island Call (03) 5952 9400 www.phillipislandcircuit. com.au

Windy Ridge Winery 527 Fish Creek Road, Foster Call (03) 5682 2035 www.windyridgewinery. com.au

Gooseneck Pottery Robert Baron 60 Kardella-Fairbank Rd, Kardella Call (03) 5655 2405 gooseneckpottery.com.au

Phillip Island Nature Park Call (03) 5951 2800 www.penguins.org.au Penguin Parade, Churchill Island, Koalas and Nobbies

Purple Hen Vineyard & Winery 96 McFees Rd, Rhyll Call (03) 5956 9244 Cellar door and music every Thursday in Jan.

Emily Koenders Art Gallery 230 Ruby Fairbank Rd, Fairbank Call (03) 5662 5808 Stunning wildlife art.

Wildlife Coast Cruises Jetty Rotunda, Cowes Call 1300 763 739 www.wildlifecoastcruises. com.au Experience amazing wildlife

Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne 1000 Ballarto Road, Cranbourne Call (03) 5990 2200 australiangarden.com.au

PI Ten Pin Bowling & The Fun Shed 91-97 Settlement Rd, Cowes Bowling - 5952 3977 Fun Shed - 5952 5152

summerattractions Mossvale Music Festival Saturday 14 March

Gather your friends and head over for some ‘roots under dem trees’ at the annual Mossvale Music Festival at Mossvale Park near Leongatha.

Paul Kelly, The Old Crow Medicine Show, Preston Reed, Doug MacLeod and Ash Grunwald will rock you through the day until the sun sets on this beautiful parkland setting.

French Island Llamas For something completely different, why not have lunch with a llama on secluded French Island?

The friendly will crew will walk you through scenic farmland to a bushland picnic spot. The llamas will carry your gourmet provisions for a sumptuous lunch featuring locally produced olive oil, local wines and more. This unique package includes morning tea and a three course lunch with wine.

Amaze ‘n Things It’s a world of illusion, intrigue and, most of all, fun.

Just look for the giant tap out the front and venture inside to experience another dimension. There’s heaps to do outdoors including finding your way out of the 2km timber outdoor maze where you can get lost for hours. Or try a round of mini golf that is so exciting, it’s called ‘maxi-golf’. The fully landscaped course provides hours of fun. Inside, enter the world of illusion with a vast array of exhibits. Watch your friends shrink in the Shrinking Room, or get confused in the Gravity Room. Follow the mirror maze to Puzzle Island which is chock full of amazing illusions, puzzles and challenges. Get lost in the Mirror Maze, dizzy in the Rotating Room or work up your courage to take on the slide with a 6.5 metre drop! After all the excitement, you can browse in the gift shop and treat yourself in the brand new Café Chocolatte and Lolly Lips ice-cream and lolly shop. This experience takes getting lost to a whole new dimension of fun!

Art & Soul Festival Churchill Island

Enjoy a lazy summer afternoon on beautiful Churchill Island at the annual ‘Art and Soul Festival’. Artists, stalls, music, activities, colourful characters and fun for kids is what you can expect at this magical event. Get down to Jeff Achison and the Soul Diggers – what a treat!

Royal Botanic Gardens - Australian garden Always an attraction, these world-class gardens come alive in summer. Pack and picnic and head to the gardens to enjoy the wide range of tours that are part of the Summer Program.

Join a local Aboriginal elder to experience the indigenous history and learn about the customs, learn how to plant a family garden and much more.

coast 82

Seal Rocks Eco Cruise PHILLIP ISLAND

Wilson’s Prom Day Cruises MARINE WILDLIFE & ECO CRUISE/TOURS

• FRENCH ISLAND • DINNER CRUISES

Bookings & Enquiry Centre Cowes Jetty Carpark Phone: 1300 763 739 www.wildlifecoastcruises.com.au

Join us at the Stony Creek Racing Club for a great day at the track!

Revel in the off field entertainment, including Fashions on field and the Footballers Sprint on Cup Day. Try your luck with the bookies, or simply sit back and enjoy the atmosphere of race day.

Racedates for 2008/2009 Season Saturday 13 December 2008 - Christmas Celebrations Monday 29 December 2008 - Family Day Saturday 3 January 2009 - Kids Day Monday 12 January 2009 - Family Day Sunday 8 March 2009 - Cup Day and Fashions on Field Stony Creek Racing Club Inc. Telephone: 03 5664 0099 Fax: 03 5664 7424 Email: stonycreek@countryracing.com.au Web: www.scrc.com.au

summerattractions Chill Island Cinema from Saturday 3 January

Wine Lovers

It’s the perfect time to visit some wineries and enjoy some summer sips.

La Fontaine Estate and Vineyard This new vineyard in Clyde boasts award-winning wines made by Mal Stewart from luscious fruit grown on site.The estate also has a restaurant for summer el fresco dining.

Bluestone Lane Vineyard The Poulter family established Bluestone Lane Vineyard over ten years ago amidst wetlands and bush on the Mornington Peninsula. As a cool climate region with a strong maritime influence, the Mornington Peninsula is renowned for its superb pinot noir and chardonnay wine varieties.

Bluestone Lane Vineyard takes advantage of the terroir that produces these varietals. This vineyard has a heritage feel with old bluestones, reclaimed from Melbourne’s city laneways scattered around the site. The brand new Veraison Restaurant is the brainchild of local executive chef and proprietor, Mark Poulter. He uses only the best, local produce, along with fare from the estate’s extensive one-acre organic kitchen garden.

Windy Ridge Sample some of the best drops of Gippsland at Windy Ridge Vineyard.

Graeme and Georgia Wilson produce outstanding wines including traminer, pinot noir, cabernet sauvingon, cabernet sauvingon & malbec and fine old tokay.

Music at Purple Hen Vineyard Phillip Island’s very own Purple Hen Vineyard is tucked away in tranquil Rhyll on Phillip Island. Set amongst picturesque farmland, this winery produces premium, cool climate wines with strong varietal character. The cellar door is open Friday to Monday with tastings and wine by the glass.

Enjoy live music at the vineyard every Thursday evening in January from 6-9pm. Entry is free and wines and platters will be available. Good wine, great music – now that’s summer!

Venture out after dark to take in some groovy movies. The team that brings you Chill Island has extended their cool to include open-air cinemas on Churchill Island. Enjoy super groovy movies on a massive six-metre screen. Fab market stalls and food and wine. There’s half price for movie dress ups and prizes for the best cossie!

Wildlife Coast Cruises Arguably one of the most playful critters on Phillip Island is the seal. While some can be found frolicking on the island’s beaches, the majority can be seen on the south-west tip at Seal Rocks, the largest colony of Australian fur seals in the world.

The area is an important breeding ground and nursery for up to 25,000 seals, which are at their peak during the breeding season between October and December.

From land you can view them at the Nobbies Centre through hightech interactive cameras. For the real experience with the Seals, take a two-hour Seal Watching cruise with Wildlife Cruises that drifts within metres of the seals.

Getting out onto the open water to experience wildlife is one experience that makes this coast so special. John and his team at Wildlife Coast Cruises can take you to some special places including up close and personal with one of the world’s largest seal colonies at Seal Rocks, around the spectacular coast of Phillip Island and into Westernport Bay. The team also travels to French Island and Wilson’s Promontory. John’s extensive knowledge and experience will have you cruising this summer!

Kongwak Market

It’s a Sunday tradition

Head to ‘Kongy’ for a coffee, curry and to grab an amazing bargain. If you haven’t ventured to the idyllic Gippsland town of Kongwak (just shy of Korumburra), you are missing out.

The market starts at a sociable (about) 10am and has stalls, live music, great coffee, amazing curry and plenty of places to stop and have a chat . Discover ‘Kongy’ for your self!

Every Sunday.

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❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁Art&Soul❁ Festival ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁ ❁❁ Churchill Island 2009 Summer

ADULTS $12 KIDS(under 12)FREE SUN JANUARY 11th (10-4pm)

JULIA MENDELAWITZ

CELLAR DOOR

GEOFF ACHISON Artwork on show and sale, food and wine, heaps of kids activities . . . a great day out for all the family

CHURCHILL ISLAND, off Phillip Island

Melw. ref 532 G6 - enquiries 0418 519 181 www.artyfarty.com.au

proudly supported by:

coast Phillip Island to the Prom

art & soul 09.indd 1

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summerattractions www.basscoastagshow.org.au

Bass Coast Summer Agricultural Show

enquiries 5672 3259

Saturday 10 January

BASS COAST SUMMER

Hang on to your sponge cakes folks, this is definitely an event not to be missed!

“We have a ripper of a show planned this year,” says Rosemary Loughnan. The 2009 event will not disappoint with plenty of “horsey action” in the ANZ entertainment and equestrian arena along with free pony rides, Wulaba International African Drumming, Paul’s working kelpies sorting out the ducks and sheep, Wonthaggi Citizen band, sand sculpturing workshops with Ricardo, Medieval pageantry and hands-on archery tournaments and country music with Bruce McMillan. There’s also all the traditional favourites such as show jumping, cows, flowers, veggies, art and craft, side shows, showbags and more.

AGRICULTURAL

SATURDAY JAN 10 2009 WONTHAGGI

Phillip Island 4WD Mud Fest Chocolate Factory Need we say more? Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory is one of the coast’s newest attractions. Located on Phillip Island’s main tourist road, it features an enormous array of chocolate styles and flavours created on the premises. There’s free tastings as you enter and choclateir, Panny, also has a café where he serves delicious curries.

Australian 4WD Mud Fest www.a4wdmra.com.au Phillip Island Ten Pin Bowling 10am-4pm, Sunday January 11, Dalyston Recreation Reserve Contact: Hans Kamphuis 0418 525 983 and Fun Shed

Summer is theback perfect for a bit of mining fun and there’s Journey to time Wonthaggi’s historyplenty of it in Cowes.

Strut your stuff at Phillip Island Ten Pin Bowling and Entertainment Centre which has Australia’s most modern bowling experience, pool tables and games to keep you going for hours. including Let the kids run free at the Fun Shed where there’s no limit to the fun that can be had! Parents, you can relax and enjoy a cuppa or a light meal while the children entertain themselves on the great equipment like an inflated slide, jumping castle, 3-level playground complete with a flying fox, multiple slides and ball pits. Parties are a specialty!

Visit the State Coal Mine Garden Street Wonthaggi 03 5672 3053 www.fscm.org.au Open 10am - 4:30pm every day (closed christmas day & good friday)

"LUE +ING "ROWN *OSH 0YKE !SH 'RUNWALD

Chill Island Festival Sunday 1 February

It’s the coolest line-up this Summer. Take Pete Murray, add Blue King Brown, Josh Pike and Ash Grunwald and put them all together on beautiful Churchill Island, off the coast of Phillip Island with great food, wine and market stalls and you’ve got the magic that is ‘Chill’.

Art Lovers

Gallery & studios Get in touch with your artistic side with the wide range of artists and galleries on the Coast. It’s easy to make your own art trail through the region. Be sure to include Mingara Gallery, 222 Contemporary Gallery and Arty Farty Gallery on Phillip Island.

Join a mosaic workshop with Deborah Halpern. Drop in on Dennis and Bev at Powlett Gallery in Wonthaggi. Stock up with supplies or take in a workshop at Renae Carmody’s Art Zillery in Leongatha. Motor along the Strezlecki Highway and take in Angela Newberry’s ‘Sculpture in the Garden’ exhibition at Berry’s Creek. Explore the workshop and one of Australia’s largest woodfired kilns at Gooseneck Pottery, just five minutes from Korumburra.

Discover wildlife art at Emily Koenders Art Gallery in Fairbank and take in the latest exhibition and pick up some supplies at Gecko Studio Gallery in Fish Creek.

Affordable Art, Giftware, Designer Jewellery

Cnr Thompson Avenue & Ventnor Road Cowes Victoria 3922 ph 03 5952 3722 fax 03 5952 1507

Open 10am – 5.30pm daily (closed Wednesday) for other times please phone for an appointment

noelle@mingaragallery.com.au www.mingaragallery.com.au

MINGARA GALLERY

Mingara.indd 1

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ADULT EDUCATION We provide a range of workshops, short and certificate level courses in: • Business • Retail • Hospitality • Computer • First Aid • Art and music • Work skills Phillip Island U3A Educational, creative and leisure activities or older people

Visiting agents: Australian Hearing Consumer Affairs Jobfind (YES) Anglicare Centacare

Services: Room hire Administration support Financial counselling Tax help

Kids House Early Learning Centre 7.30am – 5.30pm Monday - Friday

Centrelink agency 10am – 2pm Monday - Friday

Phillip Island Community and Learning Centre Inc 56 - 58 Church St Cowes VIC 3922 Pical.indd 1

Ph: (03) 5952 1131 24/11/08 1:05:26 PM

summerattractions Cowes Night Market

3 & 24 January, 21 February, 7 March and 11 April 2009.

Stroll along the foreshore in Cowes and enjoy the festive atmosphere of the Cowes Night Market. Balmy nights, great food, fab music and tempting stalls make this a winning combination. The market has an enticing range to offer for anyone who appreciates fine wines accompanied by great gourmet food, fabulous music, and exceptional handcrafted work.

Classic Fishing Charters Glen Harvey and his trusty vessel, Spina, can take you out onto the lovely bay of Western Port for fishing, sightseeing and simply relaxing. A perfect way to spend a summer’s day!

Phillip Island Nature Park

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

It’s world renowned for its adrenalin-pumping speed. Throughout the year, the spectacular Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit plays host to major events like the Moto GP and World Superbikes. Yet there’s a lot more to see and do than these events. The circuit is open daily with a range of activities to fulfill your need for speed. The Visitor Centre houses the Museum of Motorsport which is jam packed with the heart pumping stories of motor racing history on Phillip Island. You can also take a Guided Circuit Tour of the impressive facility where you gain exclusive access to areas like the control tower, pit garages and you can even stand on the winners’ podium. For some heartracing action, try your hand at the circuit’s Go Kart Track that is a scale replica of the circuit. Enjoy smooth curves and a super fast straight.

And, to get as close as you can to the ‘real thing’, buckle in for an adrenalin-amping triple lap lightning ride around the circuit with an experienced racing driver in an HSV Hot Lap.

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Although home to the world famous sunset Penguin Parade, Phillip Island Nature Park is so much more than penguins. This is a spectacular park that protects most of the natural areas on Phillip Island and well worth exploring.

Churchill Island is easily accessible by bridge from Phillip Island and operates as a heritage working farm. Explore the heritage buildings, historic gardens and working farm, complete with an animal nursery.

There’s regular demonstrations and activities as well as weekly farmers’ markets over January.

At the Koala Conservation Centre, you can get up close and personal with koalas on the treetop boardwalks. The koalas live in a natural bush setting with amazing birdlife.

Walk along clifftop boardwalks to the blowhole at the Nobbies. The visitor centre has displays about local marine life and unique cameras that allow you to view the seals offshore at Seal Rocks.

The sunset return of the world’s smallest penguins at the nightly Penguin Parade will be a sure highlight of your visit. These tiny birds waddle bravely across the beach to their burrows in the sand dunes.

Take advantage of a discounted 3 Park Pass to visit these top attractions. This not-for-profit organisation is dedicated to protecting Phillip Island’s wildlife and environment, so you can feel good that your visit is helping this worthy cause. Over summer, rangers run an extensive activities program which help you to explore and learn about the park.

Angela Newberry Studio Fifteen invited artists show their sculptural work

SCULPTURE IN THE GARDEN February 7th - March 29th 2009

Stone - Wood - Metal - Clay - Resin - Cement Basketwork - Textiles - Ceramic In the hills, 5 kms from Korumburra, is Gooseneck Pottery. Owned and run by Robert Barron, this unique potter produces an extensive range of hand thrown, wood-fired stoneware.

The Gooseneck kiln is one of the largest woodfired kilns in Australia. Measuring 14 metres in length and 3 metres in height and width. It is fired over a 4 day period twice a year. Visitors are welcome to inspect the workshop and kiln where pots in various stages of production can be viewed.

Open weekends 11am - 5pm and by appointment.

46 Berrys Creek Road, Berrys Creek (03) 5668 8213 (Directions - 400m from Strezlecki Hwy b/w Leongatha and Mirboo North. Berrys Ck Rd is approx. 1km from Mossvale Park.)

Robert Barron, Gooseneck Pottery, 60 Kardella Fairbank Rd. Kardella. (via Korumburra) 3951 (03) 5655 2405 www.gooseneckpottery.com.au

brenflor2@bigpond.com

222 Esplanade Surf Beach 222 Contemporary Gallery V_4.ind1 1

mobile: 0413311824 20/11/08 11:43:44 AM

The Fun Shed

Three level platform structure, Huge slides, Jumping castles, Tiny tots area.

Parents can relax and enjoy a cuppa or light meal while children entertain themselves on our great play equipment. We can also provide a stress free Birthday Party, where parents can relax while the kids go crazy. For great and affordable entertainment be sure to include The Fun Shed in your next holiday

Functions for all occasions!

where kids can have a ball!

The Fun Shed is plenty of fun no matter the weather!

91 Settlement Road Cowes 3922 PI Attractions V_2.indd 1

funshed@waterfront.net.au

(03) 5952 5152

Pool Tables, Air Hockey tables, Lounge, Cafe & Fully Licensed Bar, Table Tennis, Internet Access, Interactive Games & Austar Entertainment on a large screen.

91 SETTLEMENT ROAD, COWES tenpin@pitenpin.com.au www.pitenpin.com.au

5952 3977 24/11/08 9:40:17 PM

summerattractions Dalyston Mud Run Sunday 11 January

If you are into a little adrenalin pumping action, then this one is for you! 4 Wheel Drive mud racing has been taking place in Bass Coast for over fifteen years and for the last eight years, Dalyston has hosted this unique event. This the biggest single fundraiser for the Recreation Reserve and Football Clubs with proceeds going towards improvements to the Reserve. Planning and preparation by volunteers takes place for months in the lead up to the actual event. Apart from the huge task of getting the race circuit and spectator areas on the actual day, up to sixty volunteers make sure the day runs smoothly and safely. “The Dalyston Recreation Reserve and sports clubs would not be what they are without dedicated volunteers,” says Frank Angarane from Bass Coast Shire Council who support the event.

Wonthaggi State Coal Mine It’s the stuff of legends. The Wonthaggi State Coal Mine is a piece of history we can all share. The town of Wonthaggi, established in 1910, was built on ‘black gold’. The State Coal Mine honours this history and brings it to life on the outskirts of this now bustling town. Visit the site and take in the emotion of the long years of joy, pain, triumph and tragedy that is the State Coal Mine. Relax in the theatrette and enjoy the historic film that brings Wonthaggi’s mining heritage to life. Take the Heritage Walk around the mine site exploring numerous historic buildings and Journey back to Wonthaggi’s mining history mining remnants.

Climb aboard the locomotive, learn about the life of the pit ponies and view old tools and machinery. A sheltered picnic area with free Visit the State Coal Mine Garden Street Wonthaggi BBQ’s is available.

03 5672 3053 www.fscm.org.au Open from 10am Open 10am - 4:30pm every day till 4.30pm, 7 days (closed christmas day & good friday) a week.

Make tracks to the circuit Go Karts Hot Laps Guided Circuit Tour Interactive Games History of Motorsport Display Slot Car Track Champions’ Café

the ride is only half the experience phillip island grand prix circuit Back Beach Rd, Cowes

Phone 5952 9400 Circuit Enq. 5952 2710 www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au

‘Parents weren’t so clucky in those days. They just left them with us and went off.”

words Susan Webster photos Ivan Webb 0418 500 864

What has 508 legs, 508 arms and enough energy to power a small African village?

Welcome to the Cape Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club’s Nippers program.

For more than 40 years, generations of Nippers have splashed their way through this important water-safety program at beaches around Phillip Island.

The kids of yesterday are the parents of today, and someday soon will probably be grandparents, but the in-your-face fun of the Nippers program is timeless.

The Phillip Island Nippers program was initially run at Cowes and then expanded, with a small group forming at Cape Woolamai. The Cowes program ceased about fifteen years ago, but it’s gone from strength to strength at Cape Woolamai; last year it was swarming with 254 participants.

‘Doing Nippers’ was always a popular holiday activity. Melbourne

resident Kath Harris recalls: “Families returned year after year. In those days we’d have 200-plus kids at Cowes. They’d come out of the guesthouses and caravan parks, and the parents would have some time without their kids. Parents weren’t so clucky in those days. They just left them with us and went off. We never had any traumas, either.

Maybe the odd cut foot, but nothing serious.”

However, things once did turn serious. In 1978, Stony PointCowes ferry, the MV Eagle Star, started taking in water as it left Cowes jetty. The fully-laden vessel started listing right in front of some nearby Nippers.

“They had to send out some of the older Nippers on rescue boards and tubes in case anyone tried to jump,” said Kath. The vessel sank,

coast sportstars

nippers the mighty

but with no casualties.

Kath and her family had a long connection with the Cowes Nippers program and all went on to be fully-trained lifesavers. Her sister Helen and her brother-in-law Murray Close also helped run the program and her nephew, Jason Close, still maintains the family lifesaving connection with the Cape Woolamai club.

She also recalled the dedicated involvement of a local fellow. “We just called him Pop. He must have been in his eighties. He used to come every day and help with the little ones,” she said.

Friendships forged among the kids continue today. Kath’s nowadult children still maintain links with about five or six families they met on the sand, year after year, for those ten sun-blessed days

following Boxing Day. But it wasn’t always warm. “We sometimes had the kids rugged up in everything we could find, their little teeth chattering.” Sunscreen? Sunhats? Slip, slop, slap? “A bit before that time,” said Kath.

The Nippers Program was introduced into the surf lifesaving family nationally in the 1960’s in response to declining membership and deteriorating club life. Now, nearly 50,000 of Surf Life Saving Australia’s 140,000 members are Nippers, accounting for about 40% of the total membership.

Leading the kids on the eight-day program are about a dozen dedicated and fully-trained adults – all of them volunteers and among them a few who make Nippers an annual pilgrimage. This summer,>

“They had to send out some of the older Nippers on rescue boards and tubes in case anyone tried to jump.”

the Cape Woolamai program will be run by Michelle Murphy, who will fit the mammoth task in between caring for her young son, Joshua - a job she shares with husband Rob. Both are ambulance paramedics.

“I started my lifesaving career as a Nipper at Lakes Entrance - many years ago! I’ve helped out with the Nippers program over the past few years. The one thing I can remember from my Nippers days was when I got tired after they made us swim out 100m. I needed a break and an assistant let me rest my arm on his shoulder. I have a distinct and vivid memory of that. And I remember thinking ‘That’s what I want to do when I grow up’. These guys we saw as young children, they were our heroes,” said Michelle.

Michelle has been continuously involved as an active lifesaver for the past twenty-one years. “I have won a number of state championship medals in surf-boat rowing and was the president at Woolamai Beach from 2004 to 2007, when I took over as the vicepresident,” she said.

“I am passionate about lifesaving and believe that children are the future of our organisation. It is such a fabulous sport to get your children involved in: the benefits spill out in everything else they do.”

But Nippers is not just a fun gig. Nor is it simply an important water safety message. It’s also a valuable addition to the economy of Phillip Island.

“Participants and their families stay locally, eat locally and bring their friends back each year,” she said. “They come to Phillip Island every summer. A lot of them are from Melbourne – and they book their holiday program around the weeks the Nippers program is on.”

Ashley Munday, who was a regular attendee in his younger days, is still involved at the grand old age of thirteen. He hopes to lead a Nippers group when he’s older. In the meantime, he has far bigger fish to fry. He is a member of the Victorian indoor swim squad and admits he wasn’t a star in his Nippers career. “When I was a Nipper I wasn’t that fast. I was pretty fat. I didn’t do very well,” he said.

About one or two years ago he started to grow lean and keen ... a change that he admits came as a bit of a shock. With encouragement from his mum, Diana Boswell, he took on some winter training and

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joined the Victorian state team last December. Now he represents the state in events such as the obstacle race, the mannequin carry and the mannequin tow. The links back to his lifesaver training are obvious.

While he doesn’t intend to make swimming a career – footy is his dream and the Richmond players his idols – he is certain he wants to serve his time as a trainer with Nippers. After all, it was via Nippers that he got his first taste of stardom. “I can remember when I was on the news. I was about seven or eight. They were doing the weather and we were in the background,” he said.

The Nippers Program for children from age five to thirteen is held over three locations. This year’s program starts on Monday 29 December through to Wednesday 7 January inclusive.

Registration is Saturday, 27 December upstairs at the Cape Woolamai Beach SLSC from 4-6pm.

For more information, contact Michelle on 0417591188 or email nippers@woolamaibeach.asn.au. C

simplistic desirable functional

Scandinavian Designs

island healing health spa & fitness centre

do you have

...

• back, neck or muscle pain?

• accident or sporting injuries?

• headaches?

• stress?

• just not feeling 100%?

then you can benefit from • the bowen technique • massage • pilates • yoga • naturopathy • acupuncture • chinese herbal medicine • diet therapy

6 Forrest Avenue Newhaven, Phillip Island Shop 2, IGA Supermarket Arcade 156 Graham St, Wonthaggi 03 5672 5553

SHOP ONLINE!! www.nordicdesignshome.com.au

ph. 03 5956 7886 www.islandhealing.com.au

words maria reed photos maria & warren reed

More than a destination RACV Resort Inverloch

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coast getwaway

Heard the old chestnut about ‘the journey being as important as the destination’? Well, the clever folk at RACV have created a journey that will not only be enjoyed by their members and car club enthusiasts, but anyone who enjoys a leisurely scenic drive along the coast. The stunning road leads to an equally impressive destination, the RACV Resort at Inverloch. Sitting at the end of the spectacular Bunurong Coastal Drive from Cape Paterson to Inverloch, you may find yourself (more than once) stopping along the way to take in the view, or explore one of the dreamy, pristine beaches.

The resort sits lightly on 32 hectares of rolling hills and remnant bushland and, with over 50,000 indigenous trees planted around the site, a perfect sanctuary has been created for wildlife and naturelovers alike. Many walking tracks provide the opportunity to get up close to nature. On our visit we were delighted to watch egrets wading and purple hens nesting with their chicks in the abundant wetlands. Spotting a mob of kangaroos in the bushland with a young joey in tow was a bit of a thrill. The resort has been designed with a commitment to eco-principles, using resources like energy and water as efficiently as possible.

After checking out the wildlife accommodation we decided to check in ourselves to see what was on offer for the ‘human’ species.

After a friendly greeting from reception, we were Immediately Impressed by the huge wall of glass in the large area that accommodates the restaurant, bar and lounges and overlooks the ocean – definitely a spot to keep in mind for a coffee, meal or fine wine later on.

The resort offers a variety of accommodation options from luxurious ocean view rooms to standard and premium villas or caravan sites – we chose to ‘live a little’ with an ocean view room, which came complete with private balcony, en-suite bathroom, flatscreen television, microwave, fridge, tea and coffee making facilities and a view to die for. With a panorama overlooking spectacular Anderson’s Inlet and the Bass Coast, we knew we would find it hard

later on to budge from the comfort of our bed or the sun-lounge on the balcony.

The beauty of this resort is that the facilities are available to all guests at any level of accommodation, making it a perfect destination for families, singles or couples. The recreation centre boasts a 25-metre heated swimming pool (and toddler pool), spa and sauna, gym, kids’ playroom and games room. Outdoors you can enjoy the tennis courts and putting greens, kids’ playgrounds, oval and numerous walking tracks . . . but you may just choose to sit back and enjoy the view. The beach sits directly in front of the resort - ideal for sun-lovers and watersports enthusiasts who wish to indulge in surfing, kayaking, water skiing, boating or fishing. The main hub of Inverloch is only minutes away by car for those who wish to partake in a little ‘shopping therapy’.

After an evening stroll watching the sun set over the ocean, we made our way to the restaurant to see what goodies were on offer. With a warm greeting from our waitress, we were shown to our table with yet another splendid vista of the coastline. We shared the restaurant on a rather busy night with a car club, locals and holidaymakers. I am pleased to say that I could still hear my partner on the other side of the table, and the service was friendly and efficient. Enjoying an excellent wine from the bar, we took in our surrounds, with their blonde wood furniture, floor to ceiling windows and lounge area complete with open>

coast getwaway fire and slim-line bar. While being stylish, the restaurant and bar retain a relaxed and comfortable feel due to the attitude and attention of the floor staff. For my entrée I ordered a prawn and scallop salad, which was beautifully presented on a bed of julienne vegetables. The delicate flavor of coconut matched the subtle seafood flavors and made a perfect light starter. For the main event I chose the Primavera risotto while my partner enjoyed the Moroccan salmon served on a bed of tomato with a side of couscous.

When Andreas came to take our dessert orders we noted the squishy, comfortable lounges by the open fire, and were warmly invited to enjoy our coffee and dessert there. I chose the apple and rhubarb crumble while my partner indulged in a crème brûlée. Espresso and chai latte provided the perfect finish to a relaxed evening. C

At a glance: The RACV Resort is located at 70 Cape PatersonInverloch Road. The restaurant is open to the public and resort guests 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To book accommodation or dinner, please call RACV Inverloch Resort on (03) 5674 0000 or log on to www.racv.com.au

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a summer getaway

peninsulaparadise

W

ith so many great places to explore in Australia and beyond, it’s easy to overlook the stunning treasures on our own doorstep – or just across the water. Standing on the beach at Cowes, you realise how close, and picturesque, the Mornington Peninsula is. A favourite for generations of holidaymakers and day-trippers, the region offers a unique combination of spectacular landscapes, beaches, fresh produce and cultural centres.

And from Phillip Island, it’s just a ferry ride across Western Port Bay or scenic drive away. On the flip side, it’s just as easy for Peninsula folk to venture over to beautiful Phillip Island and South Gippsland surrounds.

For those of us who love the water, the ferry is a must, providing unique views of the bay of Western Port and its surrounds. Ferries

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depart daily from either side at the Cowes or Stony Point jetties. The boat calls in at Tankerton on gorgeous French Island, and connecting transport is available at either end.

Wave at the yachties and fishing boats and inhale the briny air, but keep your eyes peeled, as you never know what you might see.

There’s Western Port’s glorious bird life and sea creatures - even humpback whales have been known to visit these waters.

French Island is an ideal spot to enjoy peaceful surroundings, wildlife and the natural environment. You can book a bus tour or make the most of the minimal traffic by exploring on foot or by bike. Learn more about the historical significance of the island on a tour of the chicory kiln, or a visit to the former McLeod Prison Farm. In a unique twist, you can even enjoy an organic picnic lunch, complete with wine carried by llamas!

feature area - mornington peninsula

Fancy a little Mediterranean mini-break, complete with olive groves, great shopping, wineries and stunning coastal scenery? The good news is the Mornington Peninsula offers all this and more – without the jetlag.

The Mornington Peninsula is an ideal region to explore by car.

From Phillip Island, take the Bass Highway and turn off at the BaxterTooradin road. Follow a touring map, or your nose - you’ll be amazed at the number and range of attractions available in an area that can be driven across in 15 minutes coast to coast or 40 minutes from top to bottom.

The Peninsula is one of Australia’s best cool-climate maritime wine regions, with over 60 cellar doors open to the public in the compact area. Specialising in pinot noir and chardonnay, there are also plantings of shiraz, pinot gris and other grape varieties.

Explore the picturesque wineries, sample a drop, replenish your cellar and enjoy a meal at one of the many excellent restaurants and eateries. Stroll the countryside and admire the stunning vineyard settings and gardens.

Many of us have enjoyed a summer dip at one of the magnificent Peninsula beaches, which range from tranquil and family-friendly to wild and windswept. Hit the surf on Bass Strait and Western Port, or take a surf lesson to gain the basics or develop your board skills. Relax and cool off at one of the many popular beaches along the Port Phillip Bay coast.

The Peninsula is also known for its cultural and commercial centres, hinterland villages and coastal townships. Saunter the streets of Sorrento and Mornington, making the most of the select jewellery, homewares, art and fashion and wonderful eateries on offer. Take in views of the azure water which definitely have a Mediterranean feel.

For thousands of years, the Peninsula was home to the indigenous Bunurong people. In 1802, Captain Matthew Flinders and crew >

feature area - mornington peninsula

Artists have long been drawn to the Peninsula, finding inspiration in the remarkable coastal and rural landscapes.

visited Port Phillip, briefly stopping at Schnapper Point at Mornington.

There’s a memorial there, and a statue of the great explorer in nearby Mornington Park.

The following year, Lieutenant Colonel David Collins attempted to set up Victoria’s first permanent European settlement with a group of free-settlers, convicts and officers. Check out the Sorrento museum for more information on this short-lived effort.

For those who want to make the most of the Peninsula’s unique natural environment, there are horse-trail rides, magnificent walking tracks and wetlands to enjoy. Visit Arthur’s Seat, with its wonderful views across the bay. There’s bbqs and picnic area at the summit.

If golf is your thing, you’ll be in heaven. The outstanding quality of the Peninsula courses means that there is a green to suit all standards and preferences. Plan an extended stay and sample several terrains.

Artists have long been drawn to the Peninsula, finding inspiration

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in the remarkable coastal and rural landscapes. Galleries and workshops across the region display the works of established and emerging artists working in a range of mediums. Visit a range of fine art exhibitions by contemporary and traditional artists.

The Peninsula has much to offer maritime enthusiasts. There’s the impressive Cape Schanck Lighthouse, which has guided mariners for 140 years. Crib Point’s Cerberus Museum has displays of memorabilia from Australia’s naval past.

Closed to the public for a century, fabulous Point Nepean is now one of several national parks in the region and the site of Fort Nepean, a nineteenth-century military fort turned museum, with its tunnels, gun emplacements, fortifications and magnificent views of Bass Strait.

Whatever your interest, the greatest challenges you’ll have when you visit the Peninsula are deciding where to start and what to leave for your next visit! C

Head-down, tail-up: our approach to learning.

Some people think adolescent boys lose interest in learning.

The Year 9 BGS Sea Change program takes boys beyond the everyday into challenging new waters – allowing them to grow.

Make it relevant and we know lessons remain for life.

To learn more about our curriculum especially designed

BRIGHTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL An Anglican School for boys ELC to VCE

for boys ring John Arrowsmith on 8591 2202

90 Outer Crescent Brighton Vic Telephone: 8591 2202 www.brightongrammar.vic.edu.au

feature area - mornington peninsula

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artist profile

words Sally O’Neill photos Maria & Warren Reed

Fine jeweller Elayne Vears is a Mornington icon. With a career spanning thirty years, this is a woman who knows what she wants and, more importantly, what others want. She is an alchemist of sorts, turning thoughts and dreams into pure gold.

From the shimmering fabric of her jacket to the sparkling jewels she wears, Elayne Vears emanates style. ‘Studio 41’ on Mornington’s main street has been her gallery for the past fourteen years. The building’s timber and stone reflect the natural feel and earthy connection to the jeweller’s raw materials being used in the workshops above.

“My mother and sister are both artists,” says Elayne. “Metalwork has always been my thing. I started at twelve and basically decided then that’s what I wanted to do. I did an apprenticeship and have now been a jeweller for thirty years.” Elayne recalls the difficulty of being the only female during her apprenticeship. “There’s been a lot of change over the years. It was a male-dominated industry and jewellers were hidden away. Now there are a lot more women and we are more visible. I don’t want to be away from my customers in a back room, so I have always been accessible to the public.”

With the skills of her craft firmly secured, she realised this was only half of a jeweller’s role. In fact, an understanding of psychology and careful listening were equally important. “I become the client’s doctor, therapist and counsellor. It’s intuition. You have to analyse and really

understand people. We do a lot of remodelling of pieces and there’s often emotion in that – their mother may have died or there may have been a divorce. I just say ‘that’s going to be all melted down, so that bad stuff will all be gone now,’” Elayne explains.

It’s taking the time in the design stage that makes the piece personal and not just a fashion accessory. “I can analyse people’s style straight away. I want the piece to stay with them and be in fashion for years to come. People can go out and buy a dress or a garment and that’s for now – but jewellery is forever.”

“People ask me what art is. To me, it’s finding their art. I do that through my love of jewellery, fuelling people’s passions, finding their needs, what they would actually like, discovering that and creating a one off piece for them. That’s my art. You have to push people’s expectations to the limit.”

Elayne’s life is spent travelling from coast to coast. She has lived and worked on the Mornington Peninsula for twenty-two years and spends as much time as she can on her property in Inverloch where she breeds alpacas. “I have got thirty-five animals that are beautiful>

ElayneVears the essential elements

feature area - mornington peninsula artist profile

and easy to handle: it’s a good hobby and nice lifestyle. I’ve won prizes at shows in Gippsland and attend the Royal Melbourne Show,” says an animated Elayne. She chose alpacas because she wanted to be easy on the land and have something that women can handle. “My sister is a textile artist in London and I love natural fibres. I wanted to go natural and that’s why I have alpacas. You can train them like a dog! I have names for them all.” She has also translated her love of alpacas into exquisite gold and silver replicas. There are mother and baby versions of her star pets Suiiri and Makiya which take pride of place on the display shelves at Studio 41.

It’s no coincidence that Elayne always chooses to live and work on the coast. “I love the sea and the views, I will always live by the sea. It’s the fresh air, you can really breathe.” C

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Jewellery

DESIGN

DESIGN your desires

•

C R E AT E

•

CREATE your dreams

R E J U V E N AT E

REJUVENATE your memories

Studio 41 creates unique hand crafted jewellery. Principal designer and jeweller Elayne Vears has a wealth of knowledge with 30 years of experience.

Whatever you desire platinum, yellow, white or rose gold, Studio 41 can accommodate your requirements. We have an extensive range of diamonds and precious stones covering all types of cuts.

Unworn jewellery items can be repaired or remodelled to become rejuvenated and wearable once again. You will be amazed with the results!

We welcome all enquiries and provide complimentary private consultations. Enjoying 11 years situated at 41 Main Street Mornington, Studio 41 invites you to come and enjoy a unique experience.

41 Main Street, Mornington, VIC 3931

P: +61 3 5977 0080

www.studio41.com.au

Shop 1, 52 Main St, Mornington T 5975 1013 F 5975 1614 E zenliving52@bigpond.com

open 7 days

12 Blake St Mornington Vic 3931

An extensive range of Australian made designs

Original vintage-style fashion

Ph 03 5976 3066 Open 7 Days

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shop 2.

1.

shop

till you drop

1. Zen Living, Mornington 2. Yoko, Mornington 3. Studio 41 4. Yoko, Mornington 5. Sketa, Mornington 6. Tyabb Antiques 7. Sketa, Mornington

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Yoko

Browse through Yoko’s gorgeous and original, vintage-style fashion. Not only for women, but kids too! And don’t forget their beautiful hats, bags and beauty products. 12 Blake St, Mornington, Phone (03) 5976 3066.

Zen Living Zen Living. This luscious store offers a sanctuary for the senses - stocking a large range of gifts, homewares, jewellery and more at amazingly affordable prices. You’ll find Zen Living at Shop 1, 52 Main St, Mornington, Phone (03) 5975 1013 Studio 41 Studio 41, Mornington, is the place for exquisite, handcrafted jewellery and a range of giftware. Services include jewellery re-modelling, repairs, alterations and valuations. Open all weekend and most public holidays at 41 Main Street, Mornington. Phone (03) 5977 0080 Tyabb Antique Centre Browse the gallery to find that special antique piece. You can also visit their centre at 7 Mine St in Korumburra! 1527 Frankston-Flinders Rd, Tyabb, Phone (03) 5977 4245.

Sketa Sketa’s two Peninsula stores feature original fashions made from imported European fabrics.

For affordable style and quality, visit Sketa at 71 Main St, Mornington, Phone (03) 5976 3311 or 42 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento, Phone (03) 5984 0927.

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eat 1.

eat

drink & be merry

1. Coffee Traders, Mornington 2. Ricca’s, Mt Martha 3. Ricca’s, Mt Martha 4. Aus. Gourmet Seafood, Carrum 5. Bluestone Lane Vineyard 6. Bluestone Lane Vineyard 7. Ricca’s, Mount Martha 8. Tutti Frutti, Mornington 9. La Fontaine, Clyde coast 110

Coffee Traders

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This is a cosy cafe with a French feel and an attention to detail and focus on quality that ensure customers, from daily regulars to visitors on a day trip, have an enjoyable experience.

Ground beans in more than fifteen varieties including blends from Amanti, Atomica, Cottle and Fair Trade Organic coffee from Ciscos. Drop in at 3 Blake St Mornington.

Phone (03) 5977 1177 Tutti Frutti Right next door to Coffee Traders at number 5 Blake St, this lovely little ice-cream shop will keep the young and young at heart satisfied. Their gelati is made on the premises using fine, fresh local ingredients and there are many ice-cream flavours to choose from. Phone (03) 5975 9597.

Ricca’s Ricca’s in Mount Martha, is opposite the beach and offers modern Australian cuisine and a great wine list. Owner and chef, Bernard Ricca, creates delectable food that is beautifully presented and you’ll enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You’ll find it at 42 Lochiel Avenue, Mt Martha. Phone (03) 5974 3888 Bluestone Lane Vineyard At 269 Myers Rd, Balnaring, is an established Peninsula winery whose great range includes an award-winning pinot noir. The Veraison Restaurant menu features produce from their kitchen garden. www.bluestonelane.com.au Restaurant: (03) 5989 7081 Cellar Door: (03) 5989 7055 La Fontaine Estate This new winery and restaurant has a cellar door with award-winning wines.

You’ll find them at 295 Manks Road, Clyde. Phone (03) 5998 1133 www.lafontaineestate.com.au Australian Gourmet Seafoods A wide range of gourmet seafoods for those summer meals. Visit them at 2 Aster Ave, Carrum Downs. Phone (03) 9775 0019 and also at Foreshore Rd, Tooradin Phone (03) 5998 3777.

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Delicious 100% arrabica beans from Ciscos espresso is particularly suited to our creamy milk, but is also great black in the traditional Italian style. Whole and ground beans are available in more than fifteen varieties including Fair Trade Organic coffee.

European styled breakfast and a great variety of lunches that change seasonally.

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Favourite flavours include lemon, lime, cookies and cream, Red Hill Strawberry, nutty crunch and always kinder.

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All gellati is made on the premises using the finest, most fresh local ingredients available and traditional Italian methods.

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3 Blake St Mornington 03

A cosy cafe with a French feel, attention to detail and focus on quality ensures an enjoyable experience at Coffee Traders.

5977 1177 Open 8:30am-5pm daily 22/11/08 4:04:02 PM

feature area - mornington peninsula

1.

2.

pamper 3.

relax, unwind & indulge 1. Endota Spa, Mornington 2. Mizu B&B Retreat & Spa, Olivers Hill

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Endota

It’s heaven on earth – that’s the Endota Spa experience. Australia’s largest day-spa network has outlets in Mornington, Peppers Moonah Links and Lindenderry. Endota’s down to earth service using heavenly, 100% Australian organic treatments will have you floating! You’ll find them at: 28 Main St, Mornington, Phone (03) 5977 1522 Mizu B&B Retreat and Spa This exclusive, boutique accommodation and day spa venue is every woman’s dream! Exclusively for females, this retreat focusses on the total package of body, mind and soul. Whether you’re there for a short or long stay, you’ll emerge feeling like a whole new woman! Retreat to Olivers Hill, Phone 1800 682 218.

Boutique Retreat & Day Spa

Divine treatments, all natural skin care, created by women exclusively for women.

2008 Finalist – Best Destination Spa – ASPA Awards

Luscious Spa Menu & Wellbeing Retreat Programs bride to be packages • massage • body treatments • facials • vichy • yoga pedispa • steam • manispa • infrared sauna • pregnancy massage

GIFT VOUCHERS AVAILABLE free call: 1800 68 22 18 open 7 days 9am-5pm bookings essential www.mizu-retreat-spa.com Olivers Hill Mizu spa.indd 1

21/11/08 1:36:33 PM

If you haven’t visited SKETA lately you will be pleasantly surprised.

The Summer range is spectacular. European quality fabrics, styling and workmanship, with most of the products made in Australia.

Be inspired by the latest fashion styles and complete the look with gorgeous accessories.

SKETA Sketa.indd 1

Mornington

Sorrento

71 Main Street

42 Ocean Beach Rd

T 5976 3311

T 5984 0927 19/11/08 2:40:20 PM

Frolicking dolphins, abundant birdlife, secret islands and a fisherman’s paradise . . . and it’s all found in a stretch of water between Phillip Island and the Peninsula. We discover the wonders of Western Port.

wonderland westernport

words Sally O’Neill photos Maria & Warren Reed, Glen Harvie and Tourism Victoria

photo courtesy tourism victoria

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western port wonderland

It’s that stretch of water that connects Phillip Island and the Mornington Peninsula. Steeped in history, rich with wildlife, packed with islands, ever changing and often overlooked - meet the bay of Western Port.

My dad and I always joke about mangroves and how people think the best solution is to remove them and build houses in their place. We love those humble plants that breathe through little snorkels, hold the mud together and shelter fish and birdlife. Western Port is fringed with mangroves and they are just one tiny aspect of what makes this bay so special.

Part of the traditional lands of the Bunurong people, the bay became known as Western Port when George Bass named it so in 1798 because it was the ‘western most port’ he had visited. There are two entrances to the bay: to the east between San Remo and Phillip Island and, to the west, between Point Grant on Phillip Island and Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula.

The bay covers over 680 square kilometres with 263 kilometres

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of coastline including the sixteen islands ranging from the sizeable French through to Joe’s Island that is only visible at low tide. Each day, the tide rushes in and out at amazing speed. The birdlife is spectacular because over 30 000 birds from around the world rely on it for food and shelter. In fact, the bay is protected by several international treaties designed to help conserve the resident and migratory birds.

Someone who knows Western Port like the back of his hand is skipper of Classic Fishing Charters, Glen Harvie. He’s spent the last six years taking charters around the bay in ‘Spina’ – his 1920s traditional fishing boat. Glen loves the bay, having experienced its many moods and explored nearly every nook and cranny.

At fourteen, Glen wasn’t quite sure what he was passionate about, but knew it definitely wasn’t school, so he took off to work on yachts

in the Whitsundays in Queensland. His father told him that there were two skills he needed: cooking and skippering. So Glen learnt both.

He completed a chef’s apprenticeship and became a skipper. He also operated under a commercial fishing licence in Bass Strait, but changes in regulations in the early 1980s caused him to reconsider this career path.

“It’s the things that make it dangerous that also make it beautiful,” says Glen of the bay. The variety also keeps him constantly inspired.

“There are mangroves, reefs, sandbars, islands, channels. It takes a long time to get to know the bay, but that’s what makes it so exciting: it’s never boring. It’s about one third the size of Port Phillip Bay and a great percentage is taken up with French Island, so there’s always somewhere to shelter from a storm.”

The natural deep-water harbour flushes twice every 24 hours. “With a 3-metre rise and fall in tide, it exchanges about 30% of its water every time the tide turns,” explains Glen. “Another aspect that makes it special is the islands and the National, State and Marine National Parks

protecting them. These parks give shelter and refuge for wildlife like sea eagles, sandpipers, muttonbirds, Cape Barren geese, dolphins and seals.”

Being out amongst it on a daily basis makes for some good stories, and Glen has many. “A few years ago, in the top end of the bay, I looked down and saw a large pectoral fin on either side of the boat – there was a Southern Right Whale right underneath us!” recalls Glen. “It was very exciting, but just a little daunting.”

Glen and his passengers have regular encounters with the bay’s resident and visiting dolphins. “We see migratory dolphins in the top end of the bay from early September to November. I saw a pod of about thirty recently. It’s against the law to approach them but they are very social and are well known for interacting with boats and people in the bay of their own free will.”

Much of the bay’s magic lies in the mysterious creatures that call it home. “The gummy sharks enter the bay in early May,” explains Glen.

“Over 90% of them are pregnant females that have up to 24 live pups each.”>

Glen wears his passion and concern for the bay on his sleeve. “At the moment, it’s looking good, the water is clear,” he says. “I think this has something to do with the fact that commercial purse seine netting has been stopped. It may be looking good, but there is always the threat of development hanging over it.” Along with fishing charters, he runs sightseeing and birdwatching tours and hopes that through experiencing the bay, people will be moved to protect it.

“Many of the kids who come on my tours have never been fishing before. When we hook a fish, I try to give them an insight into the fact that a 20-pound schnapper is between 35-50 years old, because they are very slow growing. We often throw these fish back. It’s important to only take what you need.”

He is full of ideas on how to help protect the bay – like stopping pollution from empty bait

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bags. “There are some deserted beaches in the bay which are littered with bait bags,” he says.

“There should be a refund given so fishers return them,” he suggests. Glen also works as a contractor for Mooring Services Victoria.

Approved by Parks Victoria, he specialises in environmentally-friendly moorings which, in an Australian first, eliminate electrolysis, rust and damage to the seabed. Being out on the bay gives Glen plenty of time to contemplate.

“I think how lucky I am to be out on the water on a daily basis,” he says. “There are so many places where you can’t see any sign of civilisation: you could be anywhere in the world.” As a father of three, he is philosophical about the future of the bay he loves. “The best idea is to conserve what you can so your children can also enjoy what we enjoy now,” advises Glen. C

“The beginning of something beautiful”

Veraison Restaurant Now Open open lunch Thur-Mon 11am -5pm 269 Myers Road, Balnaring 3926 Restaurant: 03 5989 7081 Cellar: 03 5989 7055 www.bluestonelane.com.au BlueStoneLane_v2.indd 1

19/11/08 3:33:00 PM

Classic Fishing Charters

Tailored charters for everyone!

‘Spina’ built 1920

• Sightseeing • Fishing • Dolphin watching • Bird watching

Westernport Bay - Skipper Glen Harvie 0417 332 533

www.classicfishing.com.au

coast researcher

It’s not hard to imagine what Kent Stannard thinks about when he’s out in the surf. Considering his profession as a Great White Shark researcher, it’s a wonder he surfs at all…

Despite coming closer than most of us to one of the ocean’s top predators, the marine researcher is the first to defend the plight of the Great White Shark, an endangered, iconic and very misunderstood species. In fact, he has met several sharks face-to-face; on a purely research basis that is. “I was probably eighteen when I saw my first shark,” says Kent over a latte in the safety of a Blairgowrie cafe. “Being a keen surfer, I’d always hoped that I’d never meet a shark in the surf.

They are definitely more intimidating from a board than a boat.”

Kent works with CSIRO’s Marine and Atmospheric Research Division and is responsible for coordinating the Shark Research Project in Victoria. This includes the catching and tagging of these large fish in the wild. Kent insists that, whilst it seems extreme, it’s actually a very controlled procedure. In fact, a lot of his work takes place on dry land, educating people about shark conservation and its importance in the marine environment.

“Our research project aims to understand the movement patterns, behaviour and population status of the species in Australian waters.

We also want to uncover scientific information that can be used for conservation and contribute to the national recovery plan for the species,” says Kent.

“Contrary to popular opinion, we know that sharks, like lions and tigers, spend 90% of their time lolling about. Only a small percentage of their time is spent in hunting mode,” Kent explains. “They eat big meals infrequently. Fish are their staple diet; rays and seals are added extras. They treat seal colonies like a drive-through take away food outlet: they don’t dine there on a daily basis.”

People’s response to the program so far is positive. “These animals are a protected species and so they should be. They are top-order

predators and keep the food chain in check. If you remove them from the food chain, everything else further down suffers. They are a very good reference point. If we learn more about their behaviour and population status, we can get a fair insight into how a lot of the other marine creatures are travelling.”

So, just how do you research these large and rather elusive creatures? “I go out and tag them,” states Kent. The tags are small devices that are attached to the shark and then transmit information.

“It’s a controlled procedure. We attract the shark to the boat, and then it’s caught on a hook without a barb. We aim to catch animals in the 3-4 metre range; beyond that, they are too big to handle. We bring them around to the back of the boat, carefully position them in a cradle where they’re given an oxygen feed which seems to calm it down. The sharks are remarkably quiet once they are in the stretcher - they just lie there.” The procedure takes about 5-6 minutes during which a tag is attached to the shark’s fin. When the shark comes to the surface, it sends a signal to the satellite. “It works in real time and can tell us movement patterns and the pathways they use.”

Acoustic (or listening) tags are also used to monitor shark behaviour in certain areas. These tags trail in the slipstream beside the shark’s fin and send signals to receivers positioned along the Victorian coast. The receivers “listen” for the tag and, when the shark comes into the area, record its identity, time of arrival and length of stay.

Seal colonies are definitely an attraction to sharks, but contrary to what people think, sharks eat mainly fish. Their movement is based on environmental cues following school fish, such as schnappers and tuna. On their way, they’ll stumble across seal colonies and, just like humans, they’ll look for variety in their diet. > words Sally O’Neill photos Maria & Warren Reed

sharkman kent stannard

“Knowing what I know (about sharks), I’m still a keen surfer. I don’t really think about it – they’re actually very fussy eaters.”

coast researcher

It seems that the sharks develop strategies that work for them. “When we track a shark at a specific location, it’s more than likely been there before. It develops a blueprint in its brain that works for it in that area. To say ‘Big Fred lives at Seal Rocks’ is wrong. It probably just so happens that you and Big Fred holiday at the same time and, like you, Big Fred will then go elsewhere.”

Results to date are revealing some interesting patterns and insights. “We think there could be just one shark population that is actively mobile around the coast. Our Victorian research will help to solve this puzzle,” Kent explains. “We’ve also noted sharks returning to the same point for three years in a row without a Melway reference point or anything! We’ve no idea how they navigate, but saying sharks are not intelligent is a bit of an urban myth – they actually have quite a complex brain! For a creature to return back to a mere dot in the middle of the ocean, it must have some intelligence. Many humans get lost in a suburban street!”

It was his connection to the ocean and surfing that drew Kent to studying marine biology. He grew up in Barwon Heads where he was involved with surfing and surfing culture. His family moved to Blairgowrie and remain “tied up in the environmental world; we’re quite an environmental family”.

Kent is excited about the future of the Victorian shark project that is now entering its second year. “Over the last twelve months we’ve put the hardware in the water and over the next year we’ll get feedback to effectively form the missing piece in the puzzle of understanding Australia’s shark population.”

“Mostly we want to encourage education and awareness. There are a lot of urban myths to be dispelled. Sharks don’t seek people out.

We know they come through Victorian waters and with more and more people living on and using the coast, the chance of interaction increases. By understanding movement patterns, Kent and his team can advise when sharks are more likely to be in certain areas.

“Knowing what I know (about sharks) I’m still a keen surfer. I don’t really think about it – they’re actually very fussy eaters. They’re just inquisitive. I don’t let it enter my thoughts – during daylight hours anyway.” Sweet dreams, Kent! C

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some fishy facts . . .

• A shark is a fish. It breathes through its gills, has a backbone and lives in water. However, unlike all other fish, its skeleton is made from cartilage, not bone and it does not have scales but tiny, tooth-like structures called denticles.

• Eleven white sharks have been satellitetagged since March 2000. CSIRO scientists were the first in the world to use this technology on white sharks.

• The longest continuous satellite track of a white shark to date is for a 3.6-metre male nicknamed ‘Bruce’. Bruce was tagged at North Neptune Island in March 2004 and was tracked through to November that year.

Bruce covered a distance in excess of 6000 km during this eight-month period.

• White sharks are of national and international conservation significance. They are protected in Australian waters under fisheries and threatened species legislation.

Tyabb Antique Centre SPECIALISING IN FINE QUALITY ANTIQUE FURNITURE Don’t forget to visit our South Gippsland store too!

OPEN Thursday – Sunday & Public Holidays 10am – 5pm 1527 Frankston Flinders Rd Tyabb, Vic 3913

Ph: 5977 4245 M: 0414 523 461 www.tyabbantiquecentre.com.au

Owner - Peter McDonnell Manager - Caroline Paturzo

South Gippsland Antique Centre 7 Mine Road, Korumburra, Vic. 3950 Ph: 5655 2605

Tyabb Antique Centre v1.indd 1

20/11/08 3:49:01 PM

Australian Gourmet Seafoods COME & SEE OUR NEW LOW PRICES!

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2 Aster Avenue (Cnr Frankston Dandenong Rd), CARRUM DOWNS Ph 03 9775 0019 Fax 03 9775 1244 Also at Foreshore Rd, Tooradin – Open Tues – Sun 9am - 6pm – Ph 5998-3777 Tooradin Fish Market.indd 1

21/11/08 11:52:31 AM

words Sue Webster photos Warren Reed

the men beyond the S-bend Some people look at wastewater and remember where it originated.

Others think of where it’s going. And how it will get there.

A helminth is not something to freshen your breath, but a parasitic worm … and a great word for Scrabble.

Together with giardia, cryptosporidium and viruses, helminths are the enemy at the end of your sewerage system.

These are the pathogens that challenge Geoff Harris … one of the men beyond the S-bend.

He is among the people who daily battle the tiny critters that could bring serious illness to our human and animal populations.

Wastewater with its solid components goes in a number of different directions from the wastewater treatment plants operated by Westernport Water. Flush the toilet in Corinella, and the contents join the 130 megalitres flowing annually into the King Road treatment plant. All that water gets recycled onto a farm where steers fatten.

Pull out the bath plug in San Remo, have a shower in Cowes, finish a load of washing in Surf Beach and you’ll contribute to the 900 megalitres/year that goes into the Cowes treatment plant. Here, the solids are separated out of the wastewater and the liquid is treated and either recycled or sent to the outfall near Pyramid Rock.

Recycled water has been used at several Phillip Island sporting venues, including Cowes golf club and the footy oval. It has been used in road making to help compact crushed rock and suppress dust. During the last drought, recycled water from the Cowes plant kept notable historic trees alive.

Soon it will be supplied – via the purple pipe – to some of the newest and most eco-conscious developments in the region.

Currently, once treatment is complete, the water is classified as Class B – not potable, but suitable for garden and industrial reuse under certain conditions.

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Water not needed for irrigation is further treated before being released at Pyramid Rock. And so, wastewater engineer Geoff … would you swim in it?

“Absolutely,” he said. “Yes, I would.”

What about the discharges at Pyramid Rock? How safe are they?

“The water is not safe to drink, but it is diluted safely in the sea,” Geoff said. “The discharge is monitored for chlorine levels to verify that what we are doing is safe.”

Melbourne-born Geoff has been involved with local government bodies across Gippsland, working at Moe, Warragul, Narracan and Rosedale before crossing the border into NSW where he started working with sewerage systems.

The call of home, however, proved too strong, and he moved his young family to Foster, where he soon became enmeshed with the community, involving himself in scouting, the community association, the school council, the Lyrebird Arts Council which runs concerts in Meeniyan and the Mossvale Music Festival, and – in his spare time – coaching soccer and chess for local kids. He also took a job with Southern Rural Water working on major irrigation infrastructure improvements.

Geoff was approached by Westernport Water in February 2006 to provide engineering expertise. “We started a great relationship that seems to have just flowed on,” he said.

Maybe because the raw material is always there…? Geoff smiled: “My work is less involved with the day-to-day operations and more on improvements at our various wastewater treatment plants.”

How can you improve a poo farm?

“We’ve upgraded the clarifiers to better settle sludge away from

Geoff … would you swim in it?

“Absolutely,” he said. “Yes, I would.” promotional feature the effluent liquid before it’s further treated for reuse or outfall,” said Geoff. “Before, the settling process was not as effective and could have allowed some sludge to wash out with the effluent, requiring the next treatment stage to work even harder.

“In 2001, consultants told us what had to be done to cope with future growth in loads. Much of the work was done by 2006, when a new report looked at how to maximise efficiency and cut electricity consumption.”

In the last eight months, power consumption at the Cowes plant has dropped dramatically – up to 50% at times. Further savings are expected from the introduction of new treatment methods that will help existing bacteria get better access to oxygen in the wastewater without needing as much help from high-powered oxygenators.

Another area of cost efficiency will be biobags – big black bags of semi-permeable plastic that allow the water content to leach away or evaporate while the treated solids remain trapped – for future sale as fertiliser or reuse on Westernport Water-owned land.

Geoff sees a potential market in tree plantations to boost the levels of nutrients. “It wasn’t economic two years ago, when the cost of fertiliser was $400/tonne. But with the cost of imported fertiliser rising – who knows? And in the future? Yet again, who knows?” he laughed.

But there are still some hurdles before we all start drinking our own treated wastewater. “We need to completely eradicate the unpleasant pathogens, and to know that that treatment is always working properly,” said Geoff. “There’s also a growing awareness of the level of pharmaceuticals entering the system and what sort of treatments will work on them.”

What about the effect of climate change? “Rain events will be further apart – and when they come they’re going to be extraordinary,” he said.

Over the years, the source of our wastewater has not altered a great deal. Mostly it comes from showers, toilets and washing machines.

More responsible water use among consumers, along with low-flow showers and toilets, has curbed water use, although the amount of solids has not altered greatly.

However, the treatment system also has to be able to handle peak loads at the high population periods intrinsic to this tourismdominated area. “The fluctuation makes it an interesting engineering challenge,” said Geoff. “We get a spike in loads from Boxing Day through to the end of January, which includes Pyramid Rock Festival, the Grand Prix racing, long weekends and school holidays.”

The fluctuating wastewater levels also create challenges for the teams maintaining the underground network of pipes. “The levels affect the pumps and pipes. In low-flow times the sewerage stays in the pipes and develops hydrogen sulphide rotten-egg gas which can cause corrosion,” he said.

The problem does not affect large towns such as Wonthaggi because they have smaller fluctuations in loads due to tourism; however, these create difficulties for Westernport Water because of sluggish flows and the long lengths of pipes needed to service remote settlements.

Gradients, pump capacity, chemical interactions, volumetric measurements … being a wastewater engineer can sometimes be a conversation stopper at dinner parties, Geoff admitted. But there’s something far worse, he added. “I’m a soccer ref. Now that really makes me very unpopular!” C

coast travel

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❊

Italy

words & photos Maria Reed

a land of culture . . . and crazy drivers

A visit to Italy had been on the agenda since forever, and for the celebration of my 40th birthday, I finally managed to visit the land of wine, olives and slowpaced living . . . or so I thought.

After watching the tenth movie on a long flight from Melbourne, I started to dream of the relaxing holiday we were heading for, far away from our hectic life. Touching down, we decided to hire a car to explore the romantic Tuscan region, which was a big mistake in the “relaxo” department. With little Italian to speak of, we signed our lives away on a small (make that miniature) sedan, and set off with a happy wave and sardonic grin from the local Avis man. With a few rough hand gestures for directions (and stalling the car more than once) we headed off into Genoa’s busy streets. Hours later - and after our fifth circuit of the town - we decided to pull over and ask for directions. When language proved to be a bit of a barrier, a very obliging biker escorted us to the freeway out of town – thanks, Massimo!

Driving on the Italian autostrada is the equivalent of drag-racing on the South Eastern Freeway. The entrance is tolled, and for those unfamiliar with the Italian tolling system (which would be the majority of first-time tourists), it can be confusing. Searching our wallets and pockets for change, we started to get anxious as cars approached our rear and the boom gate loomed. In a panic, we hit reverse, but became penned in by a suave and speedy Saab driver. Limping to the pay-station, it was with some degree of relief that we realised it was a ‘buy now, pay later’ system – grazie very mucho! With a foot to the floor, our small buzz-box whined as we tried to get out of the way of the stylish European cars sailing past us at over 200kms per hour. These Italians sure drive fast for such a relaxed bunch. If driving on the wrong side of the

road with a steering wheel on the other side of the car wasn’t enough to raise a sweat, pushing the car to 150km per hour was. The number of times the wipers went on when we indicated to change lanes was ridiculous. Surprisingly, we made it to our first destination in one piece – pheww!!

Our villa had been hastily organised on the internet the night before, so we weren’t really expecting too much.

Driving into the small village of Pergo, we were enchanted by the stacked stone villas that clung to the sides of narrow streets. With perfect directions from our host Benedetta, we crossed a small bridge and climbed a mountain covered in ancient olive trees and traditional stone farmhouses. We had arrived in heaven – or Poggio al Sole, which translates roughly as ‘hill in the sun’. The sun was setting as we settled into our room. The temperature outside was still over 30 degrees, not that you’d know it inside the stone-stacked walls, so we hastily threw on our togs and headed for the swimming pool. After an action-packed day of driving, it was pure bliss to wash away all the stress with a dip in the soothing water. It was getting dark when we ran dripping from the pool. We dined on supplies collected from the local village and enjoyed a great Chianti out in the courtyard.

Many tipples later, we stumbled, barefoot and happy, to our bedroom.

Waking refreshed and ready for Benedetta’s home-cooked breakfast, we marvelled at the Italian wine . . . no hangover whatsoever. Brekky in Italy is not a quick piece of toast eaten on the run whilst running to the station – it’s an event.>

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“Welcome to paradise,” smiled our driver with a toothy grin, and then proceeded to charge us 20 euros for a two minute trip.

Sitting in a sun-filled courtyard overlooking the olive groves and hills of Tuscany, we watched as Benadetta filled the table with homemade delights cooked with produce straight from the garden. Imagine dark grape tarts with freshly-made pear jam, or delicious fresh juice made from oranges just picked from the garden. This was a daily ritual we could easily get used to.

We adopted the Italian way quite happily, and food became the focus of each delicious, lip-smacking, mouth-watering, hip-widening, pasta-devouring day. We chose a sweet little restaurant in the medieval town of Cortona to celebrate Warren’s birthday. The waiter saw it as his duty to become our adopted family for the day (after all, it is a crime not to celebrate with your family when in Italy), and with a wink and a smile, he kept the wine flowing till we saw two of him.

As sad as we were to leave beautiful Tuscany, we knew it was time to explore more of this wonderful country. A quick tour of romantic Firenze (Florence) and bustling Roma and we were off to the Amalfi coast. We heeded the advice of the Avis man, who said, “you’d have to be crazy to drive anywhere near Rome!”, and opted for a lazy bus ride instead . . . ha! The bus drivers are as fierce as the car drivers, and with good reason. The spectacular Amalfi coast rises steeply from the sea, and the picturesque road hugs the side of the rock. We thought the road to be built for one, but the courageous Italian bus drivers fit not only one, but two!!! full-size buses on the twisting, slippery-slide roads with more blind spots than my old Datsun 180B! The buses talk to each other around corners by merrily honking away, and should they meet on a corner, it’s a showdown to see which bus will reverse first.

While the view is spectacular, the trip is mentally exhausting, and I do have a new admiration for the bus drivers of the area. I overheard that you had to be born here to drive a bus, and I think they were right – I take my hat off to them.

We were dropped at Amalfi town and looked for a taxi to take us to our villa. “Welcome to paradise,” smiled our driver with a toothy grin, and then proceeded to charge us 20 euros (that’s $40 in

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Aussie money) for a two-minute trip. Yep, paradise comes at a price.

We grumbled our way with our bags to the side of the road, and descended the 150 steps down a narrow cliff-face to Villa Santa Maria.

Stopping in our tracks, all gripes forgotten, we stared out at the sheer expanse of Mediterranean that hit us like a plunge into cold water . . . this really is paradise. The azure waters stretched as far as the eye could see, with caves dotting the coastline. Running around like kids at Christmas, we explored every nook and cranny.

The accommodation – divine! 100 steps to the spa – sublime!

Another 100 to the sauna – bellissimo! And another 100 and we hit the diving platform that overlooks the caves – fantastico! . . . only 50 more and there’s a pebbled beach complete with lilos and aquamarine cove . . . heaven!! We spent days swimming, sunning and drinking Limoncello, a liqueur made from the fruit of the lemon-trees that cling to the hillsides of every small village.

Enjoying such salubrious accommodation had us villa-bound for many days. When we finally made the break and could tear ourselves away from the view, we decided to spend half a day exploring the town. Now if you are Italian, the piazzas are where most of your living is done. Enjoying a meal at a small trattoria and watching the world pass by, drinking coffee or a liqueur, playing soccer or chess, parading, or simply catching up with friends is what life is all about.

We sat and enjoyed the ambience, then slowly made our way up and down the cobblestone streets, buying fresh tomatoes here, some bread, olives and wine there – until we had all the ingredients for a perfect dinner. Hailing a taxi for the ride home, we were once again held to ransom by the smiling assassin of a taxidriver, who laughed at our suggestion of a reduced fare of 10 euros.

Grumbling (again), we handed over the exorbitant fare that took more time to gather and hand over than the trip itself, but in the whole scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay for being able to visit one of the most beautiful coastlines (and countries) in the world.

La bella Italy! C

A

SANDSFORD ANTIQUES SANDSFORD & CAFE ANTIQUES BOUGHT AND SOLD AUCTIONS ARRANGED

13 A’BECKETT STREET, INVERLOCH 3996

PHONE: 03 5674 3339 MOB. 0429 636 289

Cleanskin creators, Michele and John (aka Dolly & Ace) opened the first Cleanskin store at Cowes in September 2006, conceived with a burning desire to promote the pleasures of preparing fine food.

In May 2007 the doors opened at Lilydale and, in March this year, at Wonthaggi. Visiting Cleanskin is a shopping experience like no other … imagine being let loose in a gastronomic theme park! Cleanskin conveys the good life with confidence and flair. Fabulous music greets you at the door and the gleaming shelves are stocked high with enough innovative ideas and groovy gadgets to turn any cook into a culinary wizard! Frypans are de rigueur in a kitchen store but at Cleanskin there are more than 50 different ways to sizzle your sausage! Cleanskin carries thousands of p products for the kitchen, at home or at work. Word has spread about Cleanskin’s expansive selection of cutting-edge, exclusive and hard-to-find items along with inspirational cookbooks, serving pieces, table décor, electrics and more … at Cleanskin you’ll also find a range of packaged specialist treats and ingredients to rival the best available in the big (polluted) smoke. Cleanskin’s the best excuse not to go to Melbourne for quality local and imported foods … Ceruti Toscana Truffle Oil (White and Black), Gianni Calogiuri Vincotto, Caroli Olive Oil, Martelli Pasta, Tosteria del Corso Coffee (il caffè per passione), Amaretti Biscotti, Alpine Berry Jams, Hill Farm Mustards, ChocFusion and FruitFusion Puddings … the list is long!

Cleanskin offer a range of Personal and Corporate Gift Packs and Hampers - all designed to delight the recipient and to reflect your good taste. Select from carefully chosen combinations of food and kitchenware, or create your own individual preference. Cleanskin gives you the freedom to choose … a gift in itself! Design your own unique Gift Pack or Hamper, Cleanskin will put your personal greetings inside and can arrange Australia-wide or international delivery for you.

The Cleanskin crew are knowledgeable, friendly and f If you need inspiration, or an explanation, fun!

Cleanskin can help … including special crew member, the very beautiful and talented Bertie! There’s ample parking and Cleanskin’s open every day. Drop in and enjoy good music while you browse … you won’t be disappointed!

Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 5.00 Sunday 10.00 to 4.00 26 The Concourse, Cowes 11 Murray Street, Wonthaggi p: 5952 3494 p: 5672 5122 off Settlement Rd, East

also in The Yarra Valley at 24 Main Street, Lilydale

opposite Autobarn

p: 9735 9733

aroundtown what’s goin’ on around your place

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Creating unforgettable memories in pictures & framing Wedding Photography by

Gerard Bruning 0447 625 216

4 CORNERS FRAMING 70B BAIR ST, LEONGATHA

❋

PHONE. (03) 5662 5216

www.fourcornersframing.biz

Do you need some relaxation or pampering?

4 CORNERS.indd 1

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Book an appointment with one of our experienced therapists.

We are only a short scenic drive through the hills from Inverloch.

We specialise in THALGO & NAPOLEON PERDIS

• Unisex Waxing • Facials • Manicure • Pedicure • Tinting • Massage • Body Treatments • Spray Tanning • Make-up • Naturopath • Gift Vouchers

Shop 2/3 South Railway Cresent (Opposite IGA) Korumburra Phone: 03 5655 2185

KARMELLA FASHIONS Style for all ages at an affordable price

Sizes 8 - 20

46 McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi, Vic. 3995

Ph/Fax. 5672 5775 Mon-Sat

Stocking

• Eversun • THREADz • Tre Bliss Denim • Roc Eyewear • A Joy & more Bags and accessories available

Beautiful lingerie

• bassoni • honey dew • voodoo hosiery

11/11/08 2:38:52 PM

la

fontaine

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La Fontaine Estate, 295 Manks Road Clyde www.lafontaineestate.com.au Ph. 5998 1133

OPENING SOON A retreat from life.

A retreat to living.

Zenergi }

Zen: Oriental philosophy of selflessness & minimalism. Stillness Energi (Fr), Energy (Eng): The vibrant forces of life. Activity.

Embodying the harmony of Yin and Yang these units aspire to bring in the tranquility of the surrounding countryside and balance it with an internal energy of aesthetic beauty and comfort.

45 Kongwak-Inverloch Rd Kongwak Ph 5657 4490

Visit: www.zenergi.com.au 22/11/08 8:17:44 AM

FASHION ACCESSORIES SWIMWEAR Jets 2 Chillies

Small – Plus sizes

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Plaza Arcade, Graham St, Wonthaggi

Ph: 5672 2016 Lime Fusion_v2.indd 1

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where to

eat Bluestone Lane Vineyard

Curry Leaf

Boonerwurrung Cafe

Fai Thai

Cafe Chocolatte

French Island Llama Experience

269 Myers Rd Balnarring Phone 03 5989 7668 Winery & Restaurant

(Royal Botanic Gardens) Cnr Ballarto Road and Botanic Drive, Cranbourne Phone 03 5990 2247 Casual dining 1805 Phillip Island Rd Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 2283 Hot chocolate, chocs & more

143 Marine Parade San Remo Phone 03 5678 5020 Tasty Thai delights

French Island Phone 03 5980 1287 Lunch with the Llamas

Cafe Lugano

Hard Loch Cafe

Champions Cafe

Harry’s on the Esplanade

71 Thompson Ave Cowes, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 5636 Great coffee & meals

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Back Beach Road, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 2710 Casual dining

10 Smith Street Loch, Victoria Phone 03 5659 4466 Divine coffee

17 The Esplanade, Cowes Phone 03 5952 6226 Delicious cuisine

Chocolate Factory

Infused

Churchill Island Cafe

Kaloha (Shioni’s) Restaurant

930 Phillip Island Rd Newhaven Phone 03 5956 6600 For chocolate lovers

Access from Phillip Island via bridge., Phillip Island The most spectacular view on the Island. Phone 03 5956 7834

Coffee Traders

3 Blake Street Mornington Phone 03 5977 1177 Great lunches & coffee

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Shop 9, Vista Place Cape Woolamai Phone 03 5956 6772 Great curries

115 Thompson Avenue Cowes, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 2655 Modern Australian menu

Cnr Steele & Chapel Streets Cowes, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 6969

La Fontaine

La Fontaine Estate, 295 Manks Road Clyde Phone 5998 1133 Winery & restaurant

Nobbies

Rusty Waters

The Gilded Lily

Nude Food

Sandbanks

The Puzzle Cafe

Ocean View Hotel

Sandsford Antiques

Tomo Japanese

Pelicans Bistro

Sherwoods Restaurant

Traces Place

Phillip Island RSL

Silverleaves Store

Cnr Sanders Rd & Honeysuckle Gve Silverleaves Phone 03 5952 1110 Great food & terrific breakfasts

16 McBride Avenue Wonthaggi, Victoria Phone 03 5672 1007 Modern, fresh men

RACV Resort

Silverwater resort

Woolamai Pizza

Red Elk Bar & Cafe

Taylors

100 Monkeys

Riccas

The Esplanade Hotel

Nobbies centre Phillip Island Phone 03 5951 2816 Function centre & cafe

141 Marine Parade San Remo Phone 03 5678 5530 Wholesome food

Bass Highway, Kilcunda, Victoria Phone 03 5678 7011 Friendly atmosphere & great food

161 Marine Parade, San Remo Phone 03 5678 5205 Live acoustic guitar and Great meals

Cnr Cowes Rhyll Rd & Thompson Ave Cowes, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 1004 New memberships available 70 Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road, Inverloch Phone 03 5674 0000 Spectacular views

27 A’Beckett Street, Inverloch Phone 03 5674 3264 Hip cafe/bar

42 Lochiel Ave, Mt Martha Phone 03 5974 3888 Modern Australian Food

1821 Phillip Island Rd, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 1666 Great food & brewed beer

8 - 10 Forest Ave, Newhaven Phone 03 5956 6766 Family restaurant

13 A’Beckett St, Inverloch Phone 03 5674 3339 Antiques & cosy cafe

5 Thompson Avenue Cowes, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 3773 Elegant casual dining

Corner Phillip Island Tourist Rd & Potters Hill Road, San Remo Phone 03 5671 9300 info@silverwaterresort.com.au Stylish restaurant 1215 Phillip Island Tourist Rd, Phillip Island Phone 03 5956 7371 Seafood a speciality 1 A’Beckett St Inverloch Phone 03 5674 1432 Delicious meals

35 Victoria Rd Loch, Victoria Phone 03 5659 4488 Intimate dining, modern menu

1805 Phillip Island Rd, Cowes, Phillip Island Phone 03 5952 2283 At Amaze’n’things - food & fun

23 A’Beckett St Inverloch Phone 03 5674 344 Traditional Japanese

144 Marine Parade San Remo Phone 03 567 8589 Wraps, rolls & coffee

Wonthaggi Club

2 Vista Place Cape Woolamai Phone 03 5956 7000 Delicious gourmet pizzas

293 Rossiter Road Koo Wee Rup Phone 03 5997 1601 Wholefoods, organic store & cafe

The Killy Pub & Meikles Ocean View Bistro

“Providing a quality product with

attentive service and total commitment

to your catering needs”

now operating with

Sarah Ashe catering

• Stunning ocean views • Family friendly • Beer garden • Delicious meals • Bookings recommended on w/e • Specialising in fresh local seafood & Gippsland beef • Extensive range of specials

www.killypub.com.au Bass Hwy, Kilcunda Bar 56787245 Bistro 56787011

www.sarahashe.com.au Enquiries 5672 1216

SHERWOODS

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elegant casual dining

Phillip Island’s Newest Beer Garden Sunday Sessions

RESTAURANT RESTAURANT Bar & Function room upstairs

Water Views Open 7 Days Breakfast

5952 3773 Sherwoods_v5.indd 1

Lunch

|

Dinner

|

5 Thompson Ave Cowes

Bookings preferred, call Eddie & Karen Sherwood

|

sherwoodrestaurant@bigpond.com 24/11/08 11:38:22 AM

coast dineout

silverwater resort everyone’s welcome

words sally o’neill photos maria & warren reed

The water shimmers and sparkles silver as you gaze out from the restaurant at Silverwater Resort. After much soul searching, this restaurant finally has a name and the newly crowned ‘Watermark @ Silverwater Resort’ is open to everyone.

There’s a holiday feel as I drive into the resort. Even though it’s only taken me minutes to get here, I have no overnight bag and I’m just staying for lunch, the splash of the pool, the people passing by in resort wear and the friendly hello from the reception desk seem to put me in the holiday mood.

The foyer opens onto sweeping views across Westernport Bay and the warm, modern décor is stylish, yet puts you at ease – resort gear or not. You don’t have to be a guest to dine here. In fact, the kitchen’s open from morning to night, so everyone’s welcome, anytime.

It’s an equally perfect venue for a relaxing breakfast, business lunch, drinks after work, stylish dinner or late-night cocktails. That being said, this is not a place that tries to do too much – the well-appointed restaurant and lounge bar carry off each occasion with understated style.

The all-day dining menu has breakfast to midnight snacks covered.

Casual doesn’t mean simple with delicious morsels such as ‘eggs

Florentine on sourdough bread, wild mushroom and confit tomatoes on fresh roasted bread’ and ‘Persian feta and roasted beetroot salad’.

The Table D’Hôte (fixed price) menu is another great option.

Choose from very reasonably priced two or three course alternatives.

Available for both lunch and dinner, it has tempting selections including ‘pumpkin, rosemary and mascarpone risotto’, ‘pan-fried barramundi with hand-cut fries and remoulade sauce’ and ‘mosaic of white and dark chocolate with poached Nashi pears’.

On our visit, we enjoy a relaxing lunch in the restaurant, choosing to eat in the slightly less formal outdoor area – where the views are sublime and glass shelters us from any potential wind. One thing that’s great about Silverwater is the large range of cocktails, but I observe my self-imposed ‘no cocktails before 5pm’, rule and select a Marlborough Sauv Blanc instead. The wine list includes varieties from the top growing regions of Australia, Spain and New Zealand – good>

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silverwater resort

<to also see local Purple Hen wines get a showing.

We dine on ‘marinated lamb backstrap with Greek salad’ from the all-day menu and ‘chicken and mushroom open pie with garlic confit mash’ from the Table D’Hote selection. The meals are well presented and plentiful, with authentic flavours. We resist a dessert each and share a deliciously rich ‘bitter chocolate and morello cherry tart with vanilla bean ice-cream’ and polish the meal off with a good coffee.

The à la carte dinner menu features a range of classic dishes prepared by head chef John Buckley and his all-local kitchen team of six. Expect a memorable dinner with the elegant restaurant surroundings combining with a well-constructed menu that expertly blends flavours and quality ingredients with a European feel.

John hailed from “the very industrial city” of Birmingham before his wife lured him to Australia and a life by the seaside at San Remo. After a year here, John says he has slowed down a lot compared with the

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hustle and bustle of his previous life – “it only takes me one song on my iPod to get to work”.

When I ask him about some great stories from his career in cooking, he finds it hard to think of any one which is suitable for a general audience! What happens in kitchens seems to stay there it seems.

He does however, admit that he often has to assist people with the correct way to pronounce dishes. He has been asked for ‘cock in a van’ (coq au vin) on numerous occasions. He enjoys the freedom and fusion of food in Australia: “You don’t get pigeon-holed into one cuisine.”

It seems he is always dreaming of food, and likes to keep “thinking and learning” and enjoys challenging his team in “getting their imaginations going”. To this end, the menu is ever-changing.

Silverwater Resort is open seven days a week from breakfast until late. Dinner bookings are preferred and functions are a speciality.

Check it out, without even having to check in! C

Panny’s amazing world of chocolates will excite & amaze Phillip Island Chocolate factory is located opposite the tourist information centre on Phillip Island Road in Newhaven.

•Delectable chocolates hand made on the premises •Light lunches including Panny’s famous curries •Great coffee •Friendly service

PHILLIP ISLAND CHOCOLATE FACTORY, 930 PHILLIP ISLAND RD, NEWHAVEN www.phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.au

03 5956 6600

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Phillip Island RSL Open 7 days • For the benefit of members and guests New memberships available from December Corner Cowes Rhyll Road & Thompson Avenue, Cowes, Victoria 3922 Phillip Island RSL.indd 1

Tel. (03) 5952 1004 5/11/08 11:49:06 AM

Brilliant coffee

Delicious fresh food

The best live music

Happy hour every Friday

Enjoy dinner and cocktails on our fab new deck

Red Elk Bar & Cafe Open for breakfast lunch and dinner Fully Licensed Red Elk.indd 1

27 A’Beckett Street Inverloch E redelk@aapt.net.au T 5674 3264

17/11/08 4:54:06 PM

$RUL 0XN 0XN

Authentic Thai Taste

Open for lunch Friday – Sunday and dinner Tuesday – Sunday Authentic Thai – cooked fresh to order

Eat In or Take Away BYO

143 Marine Parade San Remo

Tel: 5678 5020 Fai Thai.indd 1

21/11/08 3:51:48 PM

my favoriterecipe Miso crusted salmon with wasabi butter & asian vegetables As the weather improves, the simplicity of fresh produce with a light finish is always a popular choice. This salmon dish is one of my particular favourites, as the Asian flavours tantalise the tastebuds and complement the salmon perfectly – not to mention the fact that we can indulge completely guilt-free! Whenever this dish is our “fish of the day” our diners give it the big thumbs up. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Chef, Gilded Lily at Loch, Kerri Reid

Ingredients 4 x 200-220gm portion of Atlantic Salmon (fillet preferable) 1 x Nori sheet (optional) 2 tbspn sesame seeds A splash of sesame oil for cooking Miso paste 2 tbspn white miso paste 1 tbspn brown sugar 1 tbspn Kikkoman Teriyaki marinade Wasabi butter 125gm salted butter wasabi paste to taste finely chopped parsley

Method Prepare your miso paste, wasabi butter, Asian dressing and vegies before cooking the salmon.

To make the Miso, combine all ingredients to make a smooth, thin paste. Using a pastry brush, spread the miso on the fleshy side of the salmon.Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

To create the wasabi butter combine softened butter, wasabi and parsley. Distribute along a length of glad wrap. Roll to mould to cylinder shape (about diameter of 50 cent piece).

Chill until required, then cut into 1cm discs.

Mix all ingredients to make the Asian dressing. Add chilli to individual taste.

Now to finish your meal . Heat enough oil to cover the base of a large frypan. Tear nori into random pieces and fry until crisp – remove & set aside (optional garnish). Place salmon skin-side down and cook for a few minutes. Turn salmon over – miso side down and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the miso forms a crust (time will depend on how well you like your salmon cooked). Let fish stand for a few moments whilst you prepare your plate for service.

In the meantime, gently steam or microwave your vegetables (they should still have a bit of ‘crunch’ to them!) Gently warm the Asian dressing on stove top or in microwave. Arrange vegies on the plate and drizzle the warmed dressing over the top, reserving some for the fish (remember you need to distribute all of the dressing amongst all of the plates!). Place the cooked salmon on top of the vegies. Drizzle with the reserved dressing.

Place a piece of nori and a disc of wasabi butter on top.

Serves 4. If smaller quantity is required, the Asian dressing & butter will keep in the fridge for the next time! Enjoy! C

Asian dressing ½ cup mirin ¼ cup Kikkoman Teriyaki marinade ½ red chilli – de-seeded and finely chopped pinch of finely chopped parsley Suggested vegies to serve Baby spinach, bok choy, snow peas, zucchini & green beans

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BREWERY RESTAURANT & CAFE

Phillip Island Brewing Co

Join us for a delicious meal, or just drop in to sample our handcrafted, naturally brewed ales

Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sunday Extended hours over Summer Bookings preferred

1821 Phillip Island Rd Phillip Island 3922 Vic Australia Ph 03 5952 1666 Fax 03 5952 1699 Email rustywaterbrewery@bigpond.com

www.phillipislandbrewingcompany.com.au

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Inverloch

Fantastic Sports Bar and TAB, Thirsty Camel Bottle Shop and Drive through, Tabaret.

Entertainment venue: Music Saturday nights in the Sports Bar Friendly staff and great service.

Opening soon: Upstairs function room.

Esplanade Hotel

Completely renovated. New Modern Bistro, open 7 days, Alfresco dining, new summer menu with seniors meals available, breakfast every Sunday.

1 Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Beckett St Inverloch Esplanade Hotel.indd coast 142

1

03 5674 1432 19/11/08 10:00:49 AM

The Espy dineout

the esplanade hotel@ inverloch

Inverloch has seen a few changes over the years but the best things remain the same. The Esplanade Hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent renovation has expanded and lightened up the dining area of this landmark building, and made it possible for more people to enjoy a relaxed dining experience. > words Fiona Power photos Warren Reed

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dineout

“Our standards are high and there’s an emphasis on fresh.”

the esplanade hotel@ inverloch words Fiona Power photos Warren Reed When it comes to ordering food, I’m a last minute decision maker: I never know what I’m going to ask for until I actually do it. But as we scan The Esplanade’s extensive lunch menu, I’m confident I’ll soon be tucking into seafood, an Esplanade specialty.

It’s been twelve months since the Esplanade bistro was renovated and the changes have been a resounding success. Winter and spring have been busy, with Sunday breakfast proving such a hit with locals and visitors that it will be available daily over summer.

The spacious dining area seats up to 150, making it a great venue for small or larger groups. Heritage photos and traditional decorative features combine with contemporary furniture to create an atmosphere that is modern and welcoming. There are couches and cushions for those who like to relax with a drink or snack.

Outside tables are a great place to watch the world go by over a leisurely brunch.

Head Chef Brad Titulaer is proud of the menu and what his team is achieving at the Esplanade. “Our standards are high and there’s an emphasis on fresh,” he says. He came to the Esplanade after working on Phillip Island and has relished the chance to lead the kitchen.

Brad’s kitchen is not like those volatile celebrity-chef kitchens you see on TV. He expects the best from his chefs and apprentices, but prides himself on maintaining a calm environment under pressure. He attributes this to his training, which was in Melbourne. He remembers being sent into the cool room by a heavily tattooed head chef and

bracing himself for a serve, only to be told to calm down.

Brad reworks the Esplanade menu seasonally. More traditional pub fare, such as steaks, roast and parmigiana is standard and there’s a children’s menu.

When we visit, there’s a selection of light lunch and starters, including salads, baguettes and sesame chicken with wasabi and plum sauce.

We’ve worked up appetites taking in the sea air and find ourselves drawn to more substantial mains such as salmon, laksa and calamari.

In the end we choose the touted favourites; Espy Marinara and Seafood Mixed Grill. The serves are generous and well presented.

The seafood in both dishes is deliciously fresh and plump and well complimented by other flavours. The delicate garlic and chilli linguine is the perfect vehicle for the marinara seafood selection that includes prawns, mussels and calamari. The Mixed Grill will please sweet chilli and lemon fans. We’re so satisfied with our choices that dessert feels beyond us, as tempting as the panacotta and pecan tart appear.

Brad is looking forward to the next stage of the Esplanade development. Plans are well underway for the refurbishment of the second storey to include a function room that will seat 150 and a fine dining area for fifty. The project is scheduled for completion in time for Easter 2009. For Brad, it’s a welcome opportunity to establish a fine dining venue and oversee two kitchens.

And for diners, it will provide yet another reason to revisit this hotel favourite. C

Cooking School dates – Season 5 Summer Sunday 9th November

10.30am – 2.30pm

Mediterranean Cooking

Sunday November 16th

10.30am – 2.30pm

Thai Style

Saturday November 22nd

10.30am – 2.30pm

A Spanish Affair

Saturday November 29th

10.30am – 2.30pm

Indian Banquet

Saturday December 6th

10.30am – 2.30pm

Festive Food

Saturday December 13th

10.30am – 2.30pm

Summer French

Saturday January 3rd

10.30am – 2.30pm

Mediterranean Cooking

Saturday January 10th

10.30am – 2.30pm

10 Meals in 10 Minutes

Tuesday/ Wednesday 13th/14th January

10.30am – 2.30pm

Kids in the Kitchen

Tuesday/ Wednesday 20th/21st January

10.30am – 2.30pm

Kids in the Kitchen

Saturday January 24th

10.30am – 2.30pm

Moroccan Magic

Saturday January 31st

10.30am – 2.30pm

Mediterranean Cooking

Thursday 5th February

5.30pm – 9.30pm

BBQ’s for Men

Saturday 14th February

2pm – 6pm

Indian Banquet

Saturday 21st February

2pm – 6pm

A Spanish Affair

Saturday 28th February

2pm – 6pm

Summer French

Thursday 5th march

5.30pm – 9.30pm

Gourmet Fast – gourmet food for every day

For more information please either call us at the cooking school or go to www.spiceisland.com.au Private classes for parties of up to 12 | Gift Vouchers | Accommodation and Cooking School Packages SPICE ISLAND | SUNDERLAND BAY VIC 3922 | PHILLIP ISLAND AUSTRALIA TEL. +61 3 5956 7557 | FAX. +61 3 5956 7550 | info@spiceisland.com.au | www.spiceisland.com.au Spice Island.indd 1

13/11/08 8:10:38 AM

!QPDAJPE? 3KQPD !BNE?=J )J@E=J #QEOEJA all dishes cooked fresh from original family recipes handed down from generation to generation...

Also specialty dishes like Fish Curry, Crab Curry, Prawn Curry and Biryani Take Away or enjoy a night out in our country courtyard dining huts under the stars licensed and BYO All Halal food available all cards accepted

Curry Leaf Takeaway Shop 9 Vista Place Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island Curry Leaf.indd 1

Phone 5956 6772 20/11/08 8:19:19 AM

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coast property

Your dedicated lifestyle property guide featuring homes, builders and real estate on the coast.

see green at seagrove Looking for an enviromentally friendly lifestyle? The grass is always greener at Seagrove Estate. Turn to page 150 to find out more.

coastal property lisitings

your coastal real estate specialists AREA

ADDRESS

Cowes Silverleaves Ventnor Ventnor Cowes Cowes Ventnor Berrys Beach Koonwarra Loch San Remo Rhyll Pyramid Rock Kilcunda Cape Paterson Inverloch Inverloch Dalyston, Inverloch Cowes Cowes Cowes French Island Cowes Harmers Haven

113-119 Justice Rd 2/103 Silverleaves Ave 6/2 The Esplanade 36 Cadogan Ave $ 3/14 Steele St 7 Spaven Ct 414 Berrys Beach Rd 3 Glamis Road Lyrebird Hill Winery and Guesthouse Victoria Manor 7 Bonwick Ave Lots 2 & 3, 23 Janssen St Two parcels available 25&28 acres 27 Gruber St 66 Coral St 14-16 Cuttriss St, Dalmont Bay Estate Glen Forbes Rd, John Flagg Rise Seagrove Estate Holmwood Guesthouse Shearwater On the Island ‘Godward’ 700 Coast Rd GreenLeaf Retirement 1-1.5 acre allotments

EPR

AGENT/CONTACT

$2,850,000 $1,600,000 POA 725,000 $649,000 $329,000 POA POA $1,400,000 POA POA POA From $1,100,000 $410,000 $455,000 $465,000 $140-155,000 $98-126,000 $425,000 From $135,900 $1,100, 000 From $135,000 $650,000 From $345,000 POA

Judith Wright 03 5952 5100 Judith Wright 03 5952 5100 Judith Wright 03 5952 5100 Judith Wright 03 595 25100 Judith Wright 03 595 25100 Judith Wright 03 5952 5100 Alex Scott & Staff 03 5952 2633 Alex Scott & Staff 03 5952 2633 Prom Country Real Estate 03 5664 0224 Prom Country Real Estate 03 5664 0224 Sandcastles Real Estate 03 5952 1600 Sandcastles Real Estate 03 5952 1600 Sandcastles Real Estate 03 5952 1600 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 Stockdale and Leggo 03 5672 1477 LJ Hooker 03 5952 2670 Alex Scott & Staff 03 5952 5100 Erika Proctor 0488 923 914 GreenLeaf 1800 533 533 Southcoast First National 03 5664 0224

PG NO. 149 149 149 149 149 149 160 161 154 158 156 156 156 152 152 152 152 152 152 150 157 4 207 162 160

Wonthaggi Cotton Mills Self Storage South Gippsland’s premier storage facility

• Units starting at 1.5m x 3m up to 3m x 6m • Fully secure facility with individual access codes and monitored survellience • Excellent for anything from document storage to car and boat storage • Inspection is welcome

Contact Southcoast First National, 2/23 Murray Street - Wonthaggi p.56723255 m. 0418 363915 coast 148

113-119 Justice Road, COWES

Once in a lifetime opportunity

$2,850,000

Brand New 5 Star Development – approx. 10,000m2 - 1km from Cowes. Purchase the whole property or 8 units available for separate purchase (STCA). All units include quality furniture and appliances and have access to full size tennis court, swimming pool, children’s playground and BBQ area. The main residence comprises 40 sq of living, 4 bedrooms plus study, formal lounge, billiard room, home theatre, kitchen/ dining, 2 car garage on engineered concrete slab, ducted evap. Cooling/heating.

2/103 Silverleaves Avenue, SILVERLEAVES

Prestigious Waterfront Living

6/2 The Esplanade, VENTNOR

Prestigious presentation - Private position POA

This property has views of the entrance of Westernport bay and the Peninsula.

Featuring 4 ultra modern bedrooms each with ensuites, downstairs entertainment area, open fireplace, projection unit with hidden screen, full bar, outside deck, DLUG, pool, gourmet kitchen with a fully equipped butler’s kitchen. A spacious living room adjoins a lovely outdoor living area complete with outdoor kitchen. All materials are of the highest quality – spotted gum timber floors and stone bench tops and vanities.

36 Cadogan Avenue, VENTNOR

Last piece of paradise!

Magnificent townhouse right in town

$649,000

Judith Wright

real estate 03 5952 5100 www.judithwright.com.au

$725,000

Now here is a rare block of land on offer. This magic block of land is just a short stroll along a track from a private beach (about 100 metres) and has views looking over to Cape Schanck and the Mornington Peninsula. Build your dream home!

3/14 Steele Street, COWES

This immaculately presented two story townhouse has all the luxury fittings and is so conveniently located. In the heart of town it is so close to the beach and shops. Comprising of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, gourmet kitchen, open plan living/dining that leads onto a beautiful decking area. An opportunity like this won’t last for long.

$1,600,000

A rare and exclusive property in Silverleaves offers private access to the beach from the back yard. Enjoy stunning views from large entertainment decks, or in the private Jacuzzi room. Comprising of 3 bdrms with BIR, 3 bthrms one being ensuite from master with spa, 2 built in wood fires, billiard room, large open plan living/ kitchen/dining area, DLUG, s/s heating & cooling.Inspection will impress!

7 Spaven Court, COWES

Rural aspect

$329,000

Here is a lovely home located on a huge block of approximately 1046m2, with lovely rural views. Comprising of 3 bedrooms with BIR (ensuite and WIR from master), generous open plan living/dining/kitchen, 2nd bathroom, s/s air conditioning, gas heating, and a large LUG. Within just a short stroll from the beach and a short drive to Cowes, this is a great purchase.

The Phillip Island Specialists

Judith Wright 0407 558 933 Mike Foenander 0408 547 677 Peter Buitenhuis 0407 045 525 Cameron Watters 0407 803 958

Judith Wright

real estate

LICENSED ESTATE AGENT

email: jwright@judithwright.com.au 54 Thompson Avenue, Cowes 3922

See the light seagrove

Environmental sustainability hasn’t always been at the top of David Jobe’s priority list. Twenty years ago, we were at school together and I’d have voted him person-least-likely to champion environmental causes. But, as his award-winning Seagrove Estate at Cowes demonstrates, change is always possible.

When his family made the decision to sell their farmland at Cowes seven years ago, David Jobe saw a great opportunity. After six and a half years in the RAAF, time in Japan, and the experience of running the Continental Hotel in Cowes, he was ready for a new challenge.

“We were approached by people who wanted to buy the land,” he recalls. “I thought, how hard can it be?”

Judging by his grin, the process of researching, planning and developing the Seagrove Estate, which incorporates the latest in sustainable and environmentally sensitive principles, may have been more testing than he first thought. But if it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, the experience hasn’t dampened David’s enthusiasm for the project. There’s a definite spring in his step as he leads the way through the site. Sales of the six current releases have been excellent, but David is also clearly delighted with what has been achieved.

“I’m proud of the standard we have set,” he says. “And of the way it’s been received by the community.”

David was born and bred on Phillip Island. It was while he was studying engineering in the RAAF that he began to “think very critically about things”. His wife Jane’s commitment to environmental science also significantly helped him to see the (green) light.

David saw the Seagrove development as a great chance to put his environmental philosophy into practice. “It became obvious that we

coast 150

could do things in a way that would have a better environmental outcome,” he says.

He assembled a project team with expertise in land development, urban design and environmental sustainability to develop a range of premium home sites, wetland habitats and landscaped parks on the 36- hectare site.

The team devised an estate with environmentally innovative features that include an underground LPG gas system, energyefficient street lighting and an integrated series of water-sensitive, urban design measures estimated to save over 10 million litres of drinking water annually and reduce the amount of stormwater flowing into Western Port Bay. They were “immensely proud” to have their work recognised at the 2007 Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards in the category of Environmental Excellence. The judges commended the Seagrove Estate for “setting a new benchmark for sustainable residential development”.

David is particularly pleased with the 23-million-litre, computerdesigned wetland in Seaberry Creek Park, which uses specially selected wetland plant species to naturally clean storm water before it enters the bay and also encourages the region’s rich bird life.

“We get Swamp Harriers and occasionally Wedge Tails (eagles),”

“It’s just striking how you can get a much better environmental outcome by doing things that are all pretty simple.”

words fiona power photos warren & maria reed

promotional feature

David says. “There are lots of rosellas, especially around the mature eucalypts, and kookaburras, magpies, wagtails, Superb Blue Wrens and many others.” Two months ago, a Royal Spoonbill paid a visit.

The Seaberry Creek bridge is also the preferred hang-out for the Pobblebonks, otherwise known as Eastern Banjo frogs. “That’s Pobblebonk Place,” David laughs. “The boys like to sit underneath the bridge because they get a really good sound up – it’s like singing in the shower. They’re the biggest pobblebonk on the block!”

Seagrove Estate was designed to enable the natural environment to be part of residents’ everyday lives. The generous 25 metre street widths allow for indigenous tree plantings and wildlife corridors and, along with the absence of front fences, give a spacious feel. Pathways enable easy pedestrian and bicycle access to the beach, which is just 700 metres away, or nearby shops and community facilities. The landscaped parks – featuring mature eucalypts, boardwalks, barbecues and children’s play equipment – make up almost ten per cent of the overall site.

Seagrove Park, a high conservation value eucalypt woodland that includes around sixty mature trees, is due for completion at Christmas. Unlike typical parks, there’s mulch rather than grass under the old trees to discourage people from going underneath

them. “When these trees start to senesce, (that’s grow old and die) that’s the point where they really start to get important because they are hollow bearing,” David explains. “The birds obviously benefit but bats and other native species also nest in the trees.” Fallen trees have been placed on the ground as habitat for fauna, such as lizards and frogs. The park will also feature play equipment selected by David’s two children and solarpowered barbecues.

All Seagrove purchasers are offered a complimentary twelvemonth membership of Urban Landcare along with thirty indigenous plant seedlings grown at the local Barb Martin Bush Bank. Guidelines encourage residents to consider environmental issues and ensure new homes add to the look and value of the streetscapes. “It’s just striking how you can get a much better environmental outcome by doing things that are all pretty simple,” says David. “A lot of it is common sense. A house that’s well designed can save an enormous amount of energy and it’s just a really nice place to live in.”

When he’s not working on this project, or his company’s 340lot residential development at Lyndhurst, David likes to make the most of Phillip Island’s beaches and natural environment. “I love bringing up my family here,” he smiles. “It’s my home.” C

HOLIDAYS 24/7

27 Gruber Street, KILCUNDA

66 Coral Street, CAPE PATERSON

It would be hard to find better value than this 2 level home, within an easy walk to the local shop, hotel & beaches. Upstairs consists of main BR, ensuite, open plan living / dining / kitchen area which utilizes the magnificent coastline views. Downstairs has 2 BRs, bathroom, & 2nd living area with solid fuel heating.

Style, privacy and panoramic views are just the start. Newly renovated, modern 3storey home featuring 3 BRs, ensuite, study, 2 entertaining areas, sunken lounge, open dining / kitchen, d/w, living area on the second level, third level with stunning ocean views, SLUG & R/C air con. The list goes on.

Seeing is a must.

$410,000

Contact Rod James 0434 186 130

PARADISE & PANORAMIC VIEWS

$455,000

Contact Kim Ross 0418 806 037

14-16 Cuttriss Street , INVERLOCH

Stunning architect-designed townhouses located close to Inverlochâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popular Inlet beach. These spacious and stylish townhouses offer quality living, featuring a light filled, north facing courtyard for outdoor entertaining off the living area, ensuite & Double Lockup garage with storage completes the package. Several available with roof decks that have views of the Inlet beach. All townhouses completed with quality fixtures & fittings plus STUNNING TOWNHOUSES CLOSE TO BEACH $465,000 landscaped grounds that provide a quiet space beneath leafy trees. All this within a few Contact Russell Wilson 0409 005 524 or Patrick Barry 0418 124 100 minutes walk to the Inlet beach.

WONTHAGGI Cnr Murray & Bilson Sts 5672 1477 CAPE PATERSON Shop 3, 2-6 Market Pl 5674 8208 INVERLOCH 2a Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Beckett St 5674 3977

Glen Forbes Road, DALYSTON

Dalmont Bay Estate, INVERLOCH

Prestigious address with block sizes from 600 sq.metres up to 800 sq.m.

Relatively flat and easy to build on.

Also some of the blocks have quite reasonable seaviews of Bass Strait.

Why not purchase land, build what you want and save thousands on Stamp Duty.

Church paddock Estate. A real surprise

and its your choice as to whether you would prefer ocean views or rural views. These blocks are to be fully serviced (not gas) and apart from the views, offer the opportunity to be part of this great little community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dalyston. Most blocks are between 670 to 726 sq. metres and all are at affordable prices.

Price range from $140,000 to $155,000

Priced between $98,000 and $126,000

Contact Patrick Barry 0418 124 100

Contact Patrick Barry 0418 124 100

John Flagg Rise , INVERLOCH

RUTTLE ESTATE

Priced from $425,000

Allotments in the last stage of the exclusive Ruttle Estate are now available for sale. Allotments range from 1.2ha to 1.74ha with sensational ocean views. Ruttle Estate reflects the passion of the Vendors to preserve and enhance the natural environment with both planning scheme provisions and covenants guiding development. This is a unique opportunity to purchase a special lifestyle on the magnificent and diverse Inverloch coast - within easy driving distance from Melbourne.

Contact Patrick Barry 0418 124 100 or Euan Wightman 0409 133 735

WONTHAGGI Cnr Murray & Bilson Sts 5672 1477 CAPE PATERSON Shop 3, 2-6 Market Pl 5674 8208 INVERLOCH 2a Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Beckett St 5674 3977

coast property

for sale a luxury lifestyle

promotional feature

lyre bird hill A rare and wonderful opportunity exists to purchase Lyre Bird Hill Guest House and Winery. Situated on 15 sheltered acres just outside of Koonwarra, on the way to Inverloch, Lyre Bird Hill Guest House and Winery is positioned to take advantage of the active tourism industry within Prom Country. Beaches, wineries, galleries and eateries are all within easy reach.

the vineyard & winery Lyre Bird Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vineyard is a sheltered, near level 6 acres, visible from the house. Lyre Bird Hill Winery is a self-suffi cient, fully operational winery, processing a combination of purchased and estate-grown grapes.

Presently covering 2.4 hectares (or 6 acres approximately) the vineyard itself comprises 8 different grape varieties. The winery is equipped to process in excess of 50 tonnes per annum. In 2008 production totalled approximately 33 tonnes. About a third of that was estate fruit. The winery buildings encompass a total of 722sqm (approx) of combined storage, garaging and operations. Included as part of the sale will be

coast 154

the estateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ford Transit Van, all equipment relating to functions ie marquee etc; heating and refrigeration; wine making; tasting and catering; pizza operations; vineyard machinery and more. A detailed inventory relating to all winery and vineyard inclusions is available to interested purchasers. Ongoing winemaking expertise is offered subject to negotiation. A dedicated clientele enjoys wine and woodfired pizzas at the cellar door, and private outdoor functions.

Lyre Bird Hill is a member of the regional Tourism Associations, the regional winemakers industry groups, and strongly supports their promotional campaigns.

Upcoming Events at Lyre Bird Hill Koonwarra Farmers Market First Saturday of every month. 8am till 12 noon

the residence & guest house The Fasham-Johnson design of Lyre Bird Hill’s main residence ensures a relaxed and gracious living style, maximising the benefits of northern orientation, brick, glass and timber.

Flowing living spaces and soaring ceilings form the backdrop for the three separate living zones contained within Lyre Bird Hill’s main residence.

Perfectly suited to either guest house accommodation, or superb as a completely private, luxury residence, four bedrooms enjoy their own private ensuites and direct access through floor-to-ceiling windows to the verandas.

A roomy hostess kitchen is equipped to entertain, with a huge walk in pantry and spacious benchtop gas burners and two electric ovens.

There’s a big office/study, huge laundry, spacious foyer and ample storage to cater for a thriving guest house facility. Wood fires and split system air conditioners control room climates, with the help of clever design and orientation.

The residence is offered fully furnished and with whitegoods, to enable its continued operation as a Guest House. A detailed inventory is available upon request.

the grounds Rambling, cottage style gardens are to be enjoyed all year round at Lyre Bird Hill. More than 300 roses, fruit and mature deciduous trees invite residents and guests to enjoy the bird life from patios, lawns and seats dotted around the grounds.

Also within the surrounds of Lyre Bird Hill is a separate, 3 bedroom cottage, presently catering for informal family or group stays. Fully self contained, the cottage would be ideal for inlaw or teenage accommodation, permanent rental or to be continued in its present function. Asking price $1,400,000.

For enquires please call:

Kaz Hughes 0417 516 998 Allen Bartlett 0417 274 624 80 Whitelaw Street, Meeniyan, 3956 Phone: 03 5664 0224 Fax: 03 5664 0266

Pizza Days at Lyre Bird Hill First Sunday of the month and additional days as listed below. Available Noon to 3pm. November 08 to April 09. Call into the winery for a Pizza lunch, prepared and cooked by Sam & Rose of Paradise Pizza in our fabulous wood fired oven. Of course, accompanied with a Lyre Bird Hill wine.

Dates for 2008: Sunday ... December 7 Sunday ... December 28 Dates for 2009: Saturday ... January 3 Sunday ... January 4 Sunday ... January 11 Sunday ... January 25 Sunday ... February 1 Sunday ... March 1 Sunday ... March 8 - Inverloch Jazz Festival Sunday ... April 5 Saturday ... April 11 - Easter Saturday

Lyre Bird Hill at these famous events: Tastes of Prom Country January 17 & 18, 2009 - Foster Harvest of Gippsland March 1, 2009 at Lardner Park Inverloch Food & Wine Festival Inverloch, March 14 Lyre Bird Hill Winery & Guest House 370 Inverloch Road, Koonwarra, VIC. 3954 Australia Phone: +61 3 5664 3204 Fax: +61 3 5664 3206 Email: rowen@lyrebirdhill.com.au

7 Bonwick Avenue, San Remo

Luxury Home - Development Opportunity Situated high on the hill at San Remo in a position that has brilliant views across Westernport Bay towards Newhaven and Rhyll beyond, in the west, and a wide arc to the North and East.Excellent in its condition and presentation the house offers expansive accommodation with two large living areas, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The downstairs area consisting of a games room , bedroom and bathroom could easily be operated as a separate flat. There are good views across the water from both upstairs and downstairs.

The property has been offered for holiday rental with considerable success. The land - 20.8m x 102.5m (2,125m2) rises behind the existing dwelling and borders parkland at the rear. There is potential to subdivide and build 2 more houses (STCA) both on generous allotments and both with excellent views due to the natural slope of the land. This property offers unique potential.

Lots 2 & 3, 23 Janssen Street, Rhyll

Blue & Green Should Never be Seen

Except from the deck of your NEW HOME which will overlook the tranquil waters of Westernport Bay, surrounded by mature trees and shrubs in this select, gated sub division. Enter through a pruned and manicured tree lined driveway to your very private allotment.

Walk to the Rhyll foreshore and enjoy the European ambience of this small fishing village with various waterfront restaurants and boat launching facilities.

Choose from 2 Lots either 650m2 or 850m2 approx.(STCA)

Watch the relentless waves pound the rocks and beaches below your vantage point and wonder at the ever changing moods of mother nature that constantly alter your landscape. This is a place for contemplation. For brisk winter walks and summer surf. Truly a place to enrich your life.

There are two parcels of land to choose from: Parcel 1. 25 Acres or 10.12 Hectares. (Approx.) $1,100,000 Parcel 2. 28 Acres or 11.33 Hectares. (Approx.) $1,600,000

43 Thompson Ave. Cowes. 3922.

Phone: 5952 1600 Fax: 5952 1700 Email: sandcastlesre@bigpond.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Better Alternative.â&#x20AC;?

coast property

In 1988, Phillip Island couple Serena and Eric van Grondelle purchased a dream. It came in the form of ‘Holmwood’ - a two-bedroom cottage in Cowes, built in 1934. Serena and Dutch-born Eric initially set it up as a very small bed & breakfast and Art Gallery run by Serena, whilst Eric worked as a chef on the island.

dreams for sale

words Sally O’Neill photos supplied

historic holmwood

In 1994, the couple embarked on a major project to transform Holmwood into a stylish guesthouse, modelled on those which were so prevalent on the island in the 1930 - 50s. It was on a small scale, yet offered something different and more personal than the usual motel. Despite its humble size, the guesthouse and total Holmwood experience gained in popularity and went from strength to strength.

Guests from around the world enjoyed its charm and also that of its hosts. “After five years we added two individual cottages on the same property,” says Eric. “This offered more space and incorporated a

contemporary style which complimented the more traditional feel of the guesthouse.”

After building Holmwood into an award-winning property that has a loyal following of guests from near and far, Eric and Serena are ready for a change of lifestyle and are looking to move on and pass Holmwood to new owners who will continue the tradition of warm hospitality in one of Phillip Island’s most historic properties. This is an accommodation business in its prime, with all the hard work done for some lucky owners to just walk right in. C

This piece of history is for sale and features: • A delightful, 1930’s styled residence in the heart of Cowes on a huge corner allotment.

• Guesthouse with three large guest bedrooms, each decorated to an individual theme (each with own bathroom and w.c.). Guesthouse has lounge room, sun room, open fireplace, dining room and kitchen.

• Owner’s quarters consists of large family room, bedroom with en-suite, walk in robe, laundry, offi ce, kitchen and separate, self-contained, two-bedroom family studio.

• Two adjoining modern and stylish self-contained units with spa.

• A beautiful cottage-style garden beckons the many visitors to this fine property.

• Quiet, tree-lined street location only minutes from the beach and Cowes shopping and restaurants.

For enquiries call Brendan Feltrin from LJ Hooker on 0434 922 356

coast 157

coast property

for sale an antique dream

Loch Village

promotional feature

victoria manor

Victoria Manor will ignite your imagination with its variety of ideal uses: continue with the antique business theme; create a boutique hotel of warmth and period magnificence; live here yourself and use the cottage for B&B or in-law accommodation ... endless possibilities and an idyllic village lifestyle.

The property is offered on two titles totalling 2000sqm.

The first title incorporates the manor, cottage and the lock up double garage, while the retail shop and old â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;butcherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apprenticeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cottage make up the second title.

If you have ideas of a tree change, this rare offering is sure to make you think about bringing them to a reality now.

the residence

the cottage

the grounds

In the heart of Loch Village, Victoria Manor, built in 1902 and originally the Union Bank with double storey manager’s residence is a marvellous example of the constructional integrity and architectural interest of its era.

A rarity in South Gippsland, walls of up to 5 brick thickness and 4 metre ceiling heights form the rock solid foundation while delicious period features such as Victorian arch ways, tessellated tiles, ornate fireplaces, lots of leadlight, and 12inch skirting boards are mostly original and restored to their former beauty.

The 5 bedroom residence incorporates at ground level a stunning formal lounge and dining room with inglenook and French doors opening to gardens; study/office; and an all blackwood hostess kitchen with double oven and extensive cabinetry.

Views from the upstairs rooms are breathtaking, looking out across the village to the surrounding hills and sky.

Sharing the Manor’s land title is a pretty, two bedroom cedar cottage. Completely self contained and maintained to a high standard, the cottage enjoys a private, fenced front courtyard and opens onto glorious kitchen gardens, picturesque hen house ‘folly’ and manicured lawns.

The cottage offers potential for additional income, and is also perfect for in-law, or teenage accommodation.

With its own street frontage and separate driveway, guests may come and go in complete privacy.

Magnificently kept grounds adorn the various buildings and pathways, enhancing the overall feeling of gracious and relaxed living.

An original 3 roomed cottage (power and water connected) would work well as a studio/ workshop, spa/sauna area or simply a brilliant potting shed! On two separate titles, the property also encompasses another shop (originally the Loch butchery). This old retail shop has plans prepared for improvement (STCA) and incorporates various rooms, is powered and has main street frontage.

the shop A substantial north facing shop/showroom (formerly the banking chamber itself ) complete with Chubb barrel vault and gleaming Baltic pine floors, enjoys a commanding town presence. It sits atop a short flight of steps, with custom fitted ceiling, antique front counter and oodles of space, with a private adjoining office.

Presently used as an antique shop, these rooms have excellent restaurant potential, or could convert to private living use.

Kaz Hughes 0417 516 998 Allen Bartlett 0417 274 624 80 Whitelaw Street, Meeniyan, 3956 Phone: 03 5664 0224 Fax: 03 5664 0266

Victoria Manor shop and dwelling plus adjoining block 42 - 44 Victoria Road LOCH 3945 realestate.com.au (ID 105286798) realcommercial.com.au (ID 5466819) Inspection by appointment with sole agent

coast 159

Address: 414 Berrys Beach Road, Ventnor Contact: Brian Silver 0407 347 509 Greg Price 0419 337 441

PHILLIP ISLAND VINEYARD AND CELLAR - Auction Saturday 17th January at 2pm

(if not sold prior)

If you’re looking for a lifestyle property that will provide you with lots of options, then you must inspect this property. Phillip Island Vineyard and Cellar, set on 10 acres, is the Island’s longest running winery. Established in 1994 the property’s sheltered vineyard has consistently produced award-winning wines. Located on one of the Islandhighest points, the elevation provides the property with fantastic Ocean and rural Views. The “cellar door”

154 Thompson Ave, Cowes

operates from a charming Mount Gambier limestone cottage, with spacious glassed verandahs that take full advantage of the fantastic outlook.The property is supported with an excellent layout which includes town water, established all weather drive and car park, large free span machinery shed and acres of space for future growth. This beautiful property is your chance to turn the dream into an affordable reality.

5952 2633 www.alexscott.com.au

coast property

oceanfrontparadise

The home features panoramic views of the ocean and headlands surrounding Berry’s Beach.

promotional feature words Greg Price photos Alex Scott & Warren Reed

A spectacular oceanfront property on over 2 acres on Phillip Islands beautiful Berry’s Beach will give one lucky buyer to purchase the property that only dreams are made.

The phrase often sought but rarely found was never truer with regard to this magnificent property. Set on 8361 m2 with over 90 meters frontage to one of the Islands most beautiful surf beaches, this property has it all. The house which has been fully renovated and remodeled has been sensitively located in its environment.

The home features panoramic views of the ocean and headlands surrounding Berry’s Beach. Its contemporary design offers a central open plan living area with a large bright kitchen and 3 bedrooms all

with ocean views, which include a spacious master bedroom with renovated en-suite. A large sheltered outdoor entertaining area looks over a synthetic grass tennis court, which has been set amongst the property’s established low maintenance garden which includes abundant birdlife, a landscaped dam and native shrubs and grasses indigenous to the local coastal area. With only 50 meters of coastal reserve between the home and the beach this is the Perfect Coastal Retreat . This is a fantastic property. Inspection will confirm.

3 Glamis Road, Berrys Beach, Phillip Island

For sale by negotiation. If you would like to inspect this superior property please contact Greg Price at Alex Scott Real Estate, Cowes on 5952 2633 or 0419 337 441 www.alexscott.com.au

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THE COUNTRY GARDENER

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words Tracy VanderZalm

building a future

Bass Coast is growing rapidly. We are building more now than we ever have before; that dream house, the second-storey to take in the ocean views, a boardwalk meandering through bushland, a barbeque shelter that inadvertently becomes the community hub.

Most of us undertake a building project at some time in our life. But, if not done properly, the project to build that dream house could come crashing down around you.

There are a number of rules that govern the construction of buildings.

Contrary to people’s perception, Bass Coast Shire Council’s Municipal Building Surveyor, Tim Blankenstein, says he is not here to stop people from building.

“People think we are just another step in an already long process, but we are here to help,” Tim said. “It costs you nothing to call us and we are only too happy to explain the requirements. It’s free, technical advice.”

Council’s building surveyors are the first to admit that the process in applying for a building permit can be confusing. Victoria is the most highly regulated state in Australia. The main reason for this legislative framework is ensuring community safety.

“In the old days, you paid your $50 and you got your permit with a stamp,” Tim said. “Now, we need to ensure we achieve a safe and usable building for all concerned, and we rely on Victorian building legislation as the minimum benchmark.”

There is a lot of pressure on building surveyors today. They must be registered building practitioners, meet academic requirements, have the appropriate work experience and insurance in place for the work they do.

Assistant Building Surveyor, Tony Cook, says they just can’t hide under the umbrella of Council. “We can be suspended, we can be fined and our registrations cancelled. As individuals, we are exposed and need to justify our decisions,” Tony said.

The pair explained that building permits were required in 99 per cent of cases. There are certain exemptions, but they are usually for very minor, non-structural works. Tony says that it is sometimes the spirit and goodwill to provide something for the public to enjoy that may get community groups into trouble.

“There is a misconception that building permits are not required for community-driven and built projects,” he said. “A house requires a building permit because it needs to be safe as people occupy it for long periods of time. Why, then, wouldn’t we say that a community facility doesn’t need one?”

In some cases, Council waives building permit fees for community groups. “We waive these fees because we understand that many not-forprofit groups simply can’t afford it,” Tim said. “To us, community safety is paramount and we’ll forego the fees as an ongoing support to the community.”

Council’s Building Services team works with the ultimate objective of health, safety and amenity of the people that use those spaces.

“I don’t want to say that we’re the building police – we’re not here to drive around and pick people’s work to pieces,” Tim said. “We’re here to facilitate the enforcement side for Council, which is an educational and proactive approach to community safety.”

More information on when and how to apply for a building permit can obtained from the Building Commission website at www.buildingcommission.com.au or contact Council’s Building Services team on 1300BCOAST (226 278). C

Pool safety A pool barrier is required by law. Drowning is the second major cause of child injury death for children aged 0-14 years, coming second only to transport accidents. The rising drowning toll of toddlers is forecast to increase by 20 per cent in a new report by the Royal Life Saving Society.

Council’s Building team says people can become complacent about the family pool and the danger it represents, especially to toddlers who drown quickly and silently. Here are some things to remember: . Remain vigilant. Inspect the pool area frequently, even over winter. . Undertake regular maintenance of the pool barrier and surrounding area.

Gates can jam, poles can shift and vegetation can obstruct the barrier and affect its effi ciency. . Always supervise your children when they are playing in or near the pool area. . Anything that holds more than 300mm of water is a drowning risk; like waterfilled buckets, fish ponds and inflatable pools.

Council’s Building Services team provides free advice and inspections for pool barriers.

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CREATIVE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

www.dbdesign.com.au DARREN BROWN

R e g i s t e r ed B u i ld i n g P r a c t i t i o n e r

3/65 Backbeach Rd, San Remo 3925 p. (03) 5678 5226 m. 0418 379 301 e. darren@dbdesign.com.au website. www.dbdesign.com.au DB FINAL.indd 1

25/11/08 2:26:26 AM

With almost 100 years experience, we carry the best range in furniture. With our professional, friendly service you’ll be sure to find what you’re after.

Our huge range of quality furniture now includes Beds ‘R’ Us, so come in and browse around – we know you’ll be impressed 119 Graham Street, Wonthaggi, Vic. 3995 MelbFurnish.indd 1

T: 03 5672 1027 F: 03 5672 2434

E: melbfurnco@bigpond.com 21/5/08 10:19:29 AM

+

building & renovation feature

building renovation Living your dream lifestyle on this wonderful coast of ours is a lot closer than you think! With the extensive range of services and products available, you will be building, improving or buying your coastal haven in no time.

Building, renovating or buying a home does require planning and research. This ensures that you take each step at the right time and that you make the most of your all-important budget. Securing finance and ensuring you have all of the right approvals and permissions is essential. Then, confirming a budget will help guide you as to what you can realistically achieve with your hard-earned cash.

Building and renovating are not without pitfalls and employing professionals at each step of the way will help to ensure you avoid common errors. Also, a chat with your local council at the very start will prepare you for the regulations and permits you will need to obtain.

Importantly, don’t forget to be creative and enjoy the process of building your dream space. Make it work for you and your lifestyle – now and into the future. Take time to look around at other people’s houses and the wide range of display homes on offer. Start a ‘dreaming folder’ where you jot down ideas about colours, materials and features of places that inspire you.

When you’re ready to talk about your plans in line with your needs, budget and any planning requirements, you will make the important choice of designer or builder. Our coast abounds with talent in this area so you are sure to find one that suits you down to the ground. You will need to secure planning approval and it’s important to note that, for all building

projects over $5000, you and your builder need to sign a major domestic building contract, and only builders registered with the Building Practitioners’ Board can enter into these contracts. For contracts over $12,000, your builder must take out builder’s warranty insurance which covers any structural defects for six years and non-structural defects for two years.

Green initiatives are important considerations and you will be pleasantly surprised by the commitment to ‘building green’ on the coast. Using solar power, for example, is becoming increasingly accessible and well worth considering in your planning.

Once your building has taken shape, there’s the challenging and exciting task of your interior finishes.

From paint to tiles to luscious fabrics, furnishings and furniture, you’ll be spoilt for choice on this coast of ours.

And buying locally is great for the local economy, the environment and your hip pocket!

Our wonderful coastal lifestyle is also reflected in our outdoor spaces. Creating a garden that is unique is an exciting challenge. Consider your garden as an extension of your indoor spaces and the talented landscapers in the area are sure to make your outdoors just as special and liveable as inside.

Coast’s building and renovation feature has taken the hard work out of locating builders, finding suppliers, and sourcing the expertise and products required to start your project. Read on to find out more . . .

coast 165

Introducing the boardwalk series . . .

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Over 60 standard plans || Or we can quote your plans || Custom design First homes || Investment homes || House & land packages || Finance available

Part of the Kirway group - winner of four 2008 MBA awards including MBA Victorian regional builder of the year for Racv Inverloch.

Display home

3 Endeavour Place, Inverloch Open Sat thru to Tues 1-4 pm T: 03 5674 3700 Susan Stam 0411 212 932

Traralgon OfďŹ ce 66 Church Street Traralgon T: 03 5174 4698

Sale OfďŹ ce

203 York Street Sale T: 03 5143 0030

www.cavalierhomes.com.au E: info@cavalierhomesgippsland.com.au

guide building & renovation quick find guide

Your complete toolbox for building your dream from the bottom up!

Builders

Beach House Constructions (03) 5952 3900 Burke Homes (03) 5674 1813 Cavalier Homes (03) 5674 3700 Coldon Homes (03) 5672 1999 Colin Vanderstaay 0409 694 270 Eric Van Agtmaal Builder (03) 5672 3590 Home Design & Construction (03) 5678 5777 Hotondo Homes (03) 5674 3058 Langford Jones Homes (03) 9579 2277 New Dimension Homes 0407 852 790 Smiths Beach Constructions 0417 946 878

Drafting & Design

Beaumont Concepts (03) 5672 5196 Darren Brown Design (03) 5678 5226 Steve Smart (03) 5956 6845

Advice & Information

Bass Coast Shire Council 1300 BCOAST (226 278) Westernport Water Freecall 1300 720 711

Outdoor/Gardening

Blue Gum Garden Supplies (03) 5952 3855 Coastal Native Landscapes 0432 060 528 Eastwood Paving and Landscapes 0408 322 652 Hunter Trade Services 0400 824 696 Island Garden Supplies (03) 5956 7397 Island Landscape & Design (03) 5952 3838 Islandscape Transformations 0418 521 976 Kush Kush 0408 575 452 Pellet Fires Gippsland (03) 5674 2830 Eco Waterwise Tanks (03) 5952 6566 Revivea Deck 0418 304 920 The Country Gardener (03) 5672 4866

Pools & Spas

Compass Pools (03) 9379 1555 Just Spas (Mc Donaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Electrical) www.justspas.com.au

Interiors

Eli Sheerin Concreting 0402 632 529 New Wave Concreting 0402 454 742

Amici (03) 5674 6060 Aqua Inspired (03) 5678 5580 Bass Coast Refrigeration & Electrical (03) 5672 2426 Floorworld (03) 5672 5590 Indulgence By Conci (03) 5952 1333 Melbourne Furnishings (03) 5672 1027 Metrix New Granite 0428 142 020 Nordic Designs (03) 5672 5553 Paint Place (03) 5952 2522 (03) 5672 5522 PKB Tiles (03) 5952 1999 South Coast Furnishings (03) 5952 1488 Southern Bazaar 0409 234 482 Wonthaggi Tile & Woodheating (03) 5672 2543 Woodwork Solutions 0458 520 347

Finance, Legals & Lending

Property Agents

Building Suppliers

Archisigns 0418 91 90 09 Loes Hardware (03) 5672 1628 Van Steensels (03) 5678 8552 Wonthaggi Plaster & Hardware (03) 5672 1535 Wylies True Value (03) 5672 5955

Concreting

Birch Ross and Barlow (03) 5655 1066 Commonwealth Bank commbank.com.au

Solar Solutions

Gippsland Solar Hot Water 0400 531 555 Solarhart 1300 721 946 Solar Shop 1300 786 769

Lifestyle Options

Seagrove Estate, Phillip Island www.seagrove.com.au Shearwater on the Island, Phillip Island 1300 shearwater Greenleaf Retirement Resorts 1800 533 533

Alex Scott Phillip Island (03) 5952 2633 Judith Wright Real Estate (03) 5952 5100 Prom Country Real Estate 0417 516 998 San Remo Realty (03) 5678 5141 Sandcastles Real Estate (03) 5952 1600 Southcoast First National (03) 5672 3255 Stockdale & Leggo Wonthaggi (03) 5672 1477

building your dreams we give the heads up on the best builders

Beach House Constructions

Established six years ago, the Beach House team has gained a reputation as one of Phillip Island’s premier builders. They are proud to have opened their new display home at 3 Redwood Dve and Corner of Thompson Ave in Cowes. The design of this new display was a collaborative effort between Director Mark Plant his wife Melissa and designer Ashleigh Beaumont. The design allows for a seamless flow between zones giving it a feeling of space and connection to the garden which was designed and constructed by Matt Crooks of Island landscape and Design.

Coldon Homes

Coldon’s greatest strength continues to be the building of quality homes at competitive prices. They offer a resident environmental drafting service to help design your home with all of the green trimmings. You can also select from their designs, of which there are over 40 plans to choose from. They will build to your architect’s design and in the materials of your choice. They can build you a small home or a mansion.

It’s nothing unusual at Coldon to build a second third or even a fourth home for clients whose needs have changed with the passing years.

Burke Homes

Burke Homes in Inverloch is a local, family-owned and operated business servicing the Bass Coast. They provide quality workmanship and products, using local employees and suppliers.

They are committed to ensuring that building your new home is an enjoyable experience.

ANGFORD JONES HOMES

Building quality, affordable homes in South Gippsland and Coastal Phillip Island for the past 40 years”

Langford Jones Homes

Langford Jones Homes has been building quality, affordable homes in South Gippsland for over 40 years. Visit their wide range of display homes across our coast.

coast 168

Smiths Beach Constructions

This team of local, top quality tradespeople has an absolute passion for design and building. They see their relationship with their clients as the secret to their success. Every home is a unique design developed closely with the owners to suit their personal taste, style and needs.

Eric Van Agtmaal Builder

Local builder Eric Van Agtmaal’s philosophy is ‘no job too big or small.’ With a solid reputation in building, he also specialises in deckings and pergolas.

building & renovating

New Dimension Homes

Cavalier Homes

New Dimension Homes has built its reputation on providing quality and value-for-money home building options throughout Melbourne. They have established a growing presence in the Mornington Peninsula, South East Gippsland and the Bass Coast regions. New Dimension Homes is an awardwinning member of the HIA and consistently ranks in the state’s top 100 builders.

Cavalier Homes is the housing division of Gippsland’s Kirway Group - MBA regional commercial builder of the year for the last 3 years and builder of the RACV complex at Inverloch. We have over 60 plans to choose from including the gorgeous new Boardwalk, Check our ad out in this edition of coast...

Hotondo Homes

Inverloch is home to this family-owned and run business. With over 50 years experience, they distinguish themselves by offering over 90 house plans and a personalised service where clients deal directly with the builder from the point of sale to handover.

Being part of a national network enables them to provide quality affordable, award-winning homes whilst maintaining the independence and attraction of being a local builder.

Home Design & Construction

A commercial and residential builder, Home Design and Construction is based in San Remo. They offer expert advice (and free quotes) on extensions, new homes, commercial projects, unit developments and house and land packages. The master builders and designers work closely with their clients to achieve homes and buildings of architectural distinction.

Colin Vanderstaay

When asked about his design philosophy, Colin Vanderstaay believes that we can live simply and in harmony with nature.

“Buildings can be quite economical.

Glass should face north and sourcing ordinary, inexpensive materials makes the process cheaper,” says Colin. His energy efficient designs capture the winter sun and use cross ventilation for cooling, which saves on household running costs.

coast 169

Our NEW Sundance 249 Display

Choose from over 90 floorplans. Change any plan to suit your lifestyle. Enjoy complete peace of mind with a fixed price contract. Build on a sloping block. Choose to knockdown and rebuild rather than renovate. Enjoy the personal attention of a local builder with the backing and professionalism of a national network.

At Hotondo Homes, we don’t build hopes. We build dreams.

Display address: 6 Artisan Way, Inverloch. Open hours: Sat/Sun 1pm-4pm & Wed 1pm-3pm, or by appointment.

Or visit our Shopfront at 2 Ramsey Blvd, Inverloch. Open 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri. Phone 03 5674 3058 Fax 03 5674 3142 Mobile 0418 512 969 Email enquiries@hotondoinverloch.com.au

Visit our website www.hotondo.com.au

Get free electricity from the sun

Help save our environment and insulate yourself from rising electricity costs Solar Shop Australia have been designing and installing solar systems purpose built for Australian conditions since 1999.

Solar Shop Australia has the largest range of regional and rural advisors, based in locations across Australia, ready to come out to your property and discuss a solution to meet your specific solar energy requirements.

We use only premium Japanese, German and Australian technologies to get maximum results from your installation.

Solar Shop Australia makes it easy for you to switch on to solar energy.

We take care of all the paperwork, from the government rebate to your current supplier, and we can complete the installation within one day.

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Solar Shop Australia is Australia’s number 1 provider of Grid Connect Solar Systems and are committed to renewable energy solutions.

Display Home NOW OPEN! (pictured above) located at 184 Thompson Ave Cowes

Quality from start to finish With over 50 years experience, the team at New Dimension Homes bring a vast knowledge of building affordable quality homes that suit all tastes and requirements.

We will deliver your new home on time and on budget. With a large range of designs, we can adapt to suit your individual needs. New Dimension Homes can deliver the home of your dreams. Quality design, workmanship and materials go a long way toward achieving a house that you, the home owner and the builder, can both be proud of.

Dont miss our new display home in Inverloch call Colin 0416 152 075 area manager call Karen 0407 852 790

Steve believes that your design should not only be aesthetically pleasing and functional but also encompass all elements of passive solar design. Good design is about the intelligent use of space and materials and orientating your home appropriately, working with the climate and landscape.

Darren Brown Design

With over seventeen years of local experience, Darren Brown Design has forged itself as one of the region’s most reputable building design companies. Their service is unique in their ability to connect with their client’s individual desires and style whilst embracing good design philosophies. The result that is both functional and stylish. Having a strong network of building professionals, consultants and builders, Darren Brown Design removes confusion throughout the building, design and documentation process. The team is highly motivated, approachable and focussed on providing absolute clarity and direction whilst pushing the boundaries of good design in the pursuit to exceed expectations.

Property Agents

Alex Scott Phillip Island

Call Greg Price or one of the friendly team at Alex Scott. They’ve got Phillip Island covered - from rural to family homes or holiday retreats.

Judith Wright Real Estate

Judith Wright and team are the Phillip Island specialists. Call them to make your Island lifestyle dreams come true!

Prom Country Real Estate

Prom Country Real Estate: presenting beautiful properties across South Gippsland. Whether you are buying or selling, their approach to real estate is like a breath of fresh country air. “Call us anytime,” says Kaz.

San Remo Realty

This is a dynamic Real Estate firm covering San Remo, Newhaven, Cape Woolamai and surrounds. The staff has years of experience in the area, with a reputation for being the ‘San Remo experts’ and a proven sales record.

Sandcastles Real Estate

Sandcastles brings a different approach to real estate marketing. Our approach is more proactive and creative and sets out to find that special person that is right for your property.

Southcoast First National

Tony Quinlan and his team put you first when you are buying or selling your property.

Stockdale & Leggo Wonthaggi

With offices in Wonthaggi, Cape Paterson and Inverloch, this is the team with the local knowledge to help you sell or buy your coastal or rural property.

Lifestyle Options

Seagrove Estate, Phillip Island

Enjoy environmentally-sensitive living by award-winning designers. Walk to the beach, restaurants and cafes. Releases 5 & 6 are now complete, with land overlooking parks from just $135,900.

Shearwater on the Island, Phillip Island

Only steps away from the golf course, minutes from the beach and Cowes shopping strip, Shearwater on the Island is your piece of island life.

Register today.

Greenleaf Retirement Resorts

Spacious display villas that are central to Cowes on Phillip Island.

coast 172

Beaumont Concepts

legals

designers, agents & legals

Steve Smart

Winner of the Building Designers Association 2008 Award for Residential New Home Design up to $300,000 Construction Cost – Beaumont Concepts Building Design and Architectural Drafting deliver a unique look and create functional designs for easy living. Ashley Beaumont’s expertise, and 15 years experience in the building industry, provides clients with a total package solution to producing any project at any budget. At Beaumont Concepts we endeavour to find and apply innovative solutions to enhance the client’s investment with great home design.

Bass Coast Shire Council

Get the right advice before starting on your building or renovation project. Current regulations allow very few exemptions for work that can be done without a permit. Contact Council’s Building Team before you plan your next project, however big or small.

Commonwealth Bank

With a Commonwealth Viridian Line of credit, you can have money at your fingertips to pay trades people, buy materials and make those renovation dreams come true! All at Home Loan interest rates!

Birch, Ross & Barlow

Birch, Ross and Barlow solicitors have been servicing South Gippsland for over 100 years and have offices in Korumburra, Leongatha, Wonthaggi and Cowes.

Westernport Water

If there was an emergency at your home, could repair crews access your backyard quickly? Without a side drive or a drive-through garage, teams have to enter via your neighbours’ properties. And every minute of delay could mean more damage to your house and fittings. Designing a house? Westernport Water suggests a 2.5m-wide driveway or drivethrough garage.

A holiday is not a holiday if you spend it cleaning the pool!

With a Compass self-cleaning pool, you’ll never spend precious holiday time getting the pool ready to use. Whenever you want to swim it will be clean and fresh - even if you’ve been away for a while! Need proof?

Just visit one of our display centres, they’re open 7 days.

Compass

Pools

1300 764 270

www.ecowaterwise.com.au or Seni s en Citiz nt u Disco Round 4800 LTR $1050 Slimline 2600 LTR $1250

(03)5952 6566 Helping save the gift of water Tanks Manufactured on Phillip Island available for FREE DELIVERY coast 173

Christmas is empty when you have nothing.

Please help us give hope.

Donate by credit card 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) or salvationarmy.org.au

Call the professionals at Reviva Deck to revitalise your old deck, jetty or fence. Their qualified tradesmen will have them looking like new with their professional application techniques.

Phone: 0418 304 920 or 0407 845 479 coast 174

Christmas is empty when you have nothing.

Please help us give hope.

Donate by credit card 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) or salvationarmy.org.au

your ultimate lifestyle builder

Steve Demos 0417 946 878

SMITHS BEACH CONSTRUCTIONS & DESIGN Pty Ltd

Steve Demos.indd 1

6/11/08 8:47:36 AM

concept

design

create

turning concepts into reality 79 Watt Street Wonthaggi Vic 3995 ph. 03 56725196 m. 0409933771 abeaumont@iprimus.com.au Beaumont conceptsa.indd 1

www.beaumontconcepts.com.au 9/11/08 8:32:15 AM

sure

foundations words David Hughes

photos Warren Reed

With all the ups and downs of a changing world, there is some comfort in knowing that at least one building company is standing the test of time...

When glass artist, Margaret Geddes decided to build a new home on Phillip Island she wanted peace of mind that her investment would be sound. “We chose Coldon Homes to build our beach house a few years ago and we’ve been extremely pleased with it. The decision to build again - even in this climate is an easy one.

With Coldon Homes’ long standing commitment to design, quality and value for money, I can leave it all to their efficient staff and concentrate on doing what I enjoy”.

All of the Coldon Homes are energy and resource efficient, great value for money and guaranteed for six years.

The Coldon Guarantee Every client has access to a full inhouse drafting service and enormous flexibility and buying power via the associated Capeview businesses: Capeview Kitchens; Capeview Windows and Doors; Capeview Mitre 10 stores and Capeview Trusses. With over 6,000 homes and more than 40 years experience building in the Gippsland area, the Coldon Homes guarantee of: ‘For as long as you live in a Coldon Home we will assist you to care for your home” is a sure foundation anyone can build on.

Display Centres: Coldon Homes have display houses in various locations across Gippsland and the Mornington Peninsula.

Brochures, prices and information is available at: Head Office and Display: 03 5672 1999 CAPE PATTERSON ROAD, WONTHAGGI VIC 3995 Phillip Island Office and Display: 03 5956 7992 PHILLIP ISLAND ROAD, NEWHAVEN VIC 3925

www.coldonhomes.com.au

Southern Bazaar

Create your dream modern retro home interior with Southern Bazaar in Inverloch. Wendy is happy to help you with any aspect of selecting pieces for your home. Quality pieces at great prices and you’ll be amazed at the range. Essential shopping for all coastal groovers! You can even shop online before you arrive.

.

Wonthaggi Tile & Woodheating

When choosing tiles and heating for your home, you can’t go past the local and friendly team at Wonthaggi Tile and Woodheating. Visit their friendly, boutique tile shop which has over 4500 tiles on display. Great service is Joan and Stephen’s biggest priority. They offer an extensive range and a full colour matching service. They will spend the time to help you create the perfect look.

Floorworld

Floorworld offers a wide range of carpets, timber, laminate and vinyl cushion flooring.

They have a flooring product to suit any contemporary or traditional style home, as well as commercial applications. Wonthaggi Floorworld endeavours to be the leader in Bass Coast when it comes to quality flooring installations. As a Boral Solid Timber and Hycraft Wool Carpet Distributor, we grant our neighbours quality and luxury at affordable prices.

Woodwork Solutions

Kevin Holden has over 33 years of experience in joinery. He has just returned from the Middle East where he was the technical director for the world’s biggest joinery company.

Specialising in unique timber solutions, such as bi-fold doors, kitchens and more, Kevin also does custom fit-outs of yacht interiors.

South Coast Furnishings

Situated on beautiful Phillip Island, with two stores in Cowes, South Coast Furnishings specialises in interior and exterior furnishings. They offer free measure and quotes on all our services and can provide a package combination of floor coverings, window coverings, furniture - including bedding and ornamentation.

-

PKB Tiles

Established in Cowes in 2001, this locally-owned and operated outlet supplies quality tiles for commercial, trade and residential clients. Paul was one of the leading tilers in the area and now retired from tiling, he uses his knowledge to give you the best, most up to date advice at the right price!

Melbourne Furnishings

Melbourne Furnishing Company has been serving Wonthaggi and surrounds since 1910.

They trade in a large range of Australian made and imported furniture. From contemporary to traditional there is a style and price range to suit everybody.

Paint Place

Paint Place specialises in all brands of house paint, marine finishes, wallpaper and accessories needed to complete the job. With two convenient locations, come and visit Rob and team at Wonthaggi or David and his team at Cowes. Their 25 years of experience in the industry means that they pride themselves in giving the right advice at the right price.

Metrix New Granite

Peter at New Granite is available for resurfacing over your existing kitchen, laundry and bathroom benchtops. He can also replace your hotplate and sink. New Granite is extremely hard wearing with a wide range of colours.

interiors

Creating an inspired interior is the ‘icing on the cake’ of your renovation and building project. Many of these outlets offer fantastic advice and even a professional interior design service. Check out Aqua Inspired in San Remo, Kudos Gallery also in San Remo, Amici in Inverloch, Nordic Designs in Wonthaggi and Indulgence by Conci for some interior inspiration!

PKB Tiles Showroom 11 The Concourse, Cowes Victoria 3922 phone 03 59 521 999 fax 03 59 521 246 mobile 0412723348 email. pkbtiles@waterfont.net.au

colin vanderstaay

building your dreams

Registered building practitioner • Vanderstaay & son Pty Ltd abn 17 064 900 223 • dba 6261 • mba 46870 • po box 312, San Remo, Victoria 3925 ph 0409 694 270 • fax 03 5956 6611 • web address - http://colinvand.server101.com

New display home now open

The Cambridge

Opening Hours: Sat and Sun 1pm – 4pm or by appointment.

8 Artisan Way, Inverloch Take advantage of the First Home Owners Grant now!

CALL BURKE HOMES TODAY ON 5674 1813 OR BRETT ON 0430 068 424 www.burkehomes.com.au Burke Homes_v2.indd 1

www.glenvill.com.au 21/11/08 11:28:28 AM

Building supplies Archisigns

If your building project requires signage, the local team at Archisigns can help you with quality, architectural sign solutions. Specialising in architectural signage and large format digital printing, CNC cutting, aluminium welding and fabrication.

Loe’s Hardware

This is the tradie’s hardware store! Specialising in industrial hardware, Loe’s supplies hire equipment, aluminium pool fencing, Stratco fencing, concrete reinforcing, power tools and safety equipment.

Van Steensels

Van Steensels Timbers offer so much more than timber. Their family has been operating the business in the Grantville area for more than 18 years. Offering friendly, professional service and advice, visit them for all your hardware, water storage (tanks) and timber needs.

Wonthaggi Plaster & Hardware

Wonthaggi Plaster stocks an extensive range of CSR Gyrock and plasterboard products for your building project or renovation. With their large range of boral bricks and pavers, they have all your interior and exterior building supply needs covered.

Wylies True Value

With over 30 years of knowledge and experience in hardware, Wylies True Value Hardware in Wonthaggi already has an unbeatable reputation. ”Come in and see for yourself. We know what our customers want,” says Perry.

Concreting

Eli Sheerin Concreting

Servicing Bass Coast and South Gippsland, Eli Sheerin Concreting specialises in stencil pattern, colored, exposed aggregate, driveways, footpaths, house and shed slabs. No job too big or too small!

New Wave Concreting

New Wave Concreting offers an exciting range of decorative concrete options to complement the style of your home. With over 10 years experience, Luke and his team aim to impress!

Outdoor & Gardening Integrate your house and garden by calling in the professionals; Island Landscape and Design for contemporary drought tolerant gardens, Coastal Native Landscapes for the best in . . . you guessed it - coastal natives and Bill Guy at Islandscape Transformations for all aspects of landscape design. For a beautiful selection of trees, shrubs and plants and garden ornaments, visit the Country Gardener in Wonthaggi. For garden features with an Asian influence, visit Kush Kush in Cape Woolamai.

Property Maintenance & Solar products Hunter Trade Services

The plumbing team at Hunter has diversified and is now focussing on the business of total property maintenance. This is a ‘one-stopshop’ for all building maintenance to assist with property upkeep and improvements. Let them develop a programme of complete service to keep your property ship shape.

Gippsland Solar Hot Water

Solar hot water systems reduce household emissions significantly and are one of the most cost effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Andy and Richie have over two decades of experience in the building industry and are excited to offer this environmentally friendly product.

Solarhart

Solahart Gippsland is a local, family-owned business with over 25 years experience. Be it domestic, commercial or industrial, they can custom-design a premium quality solar hot water system to suit your needs. Save up to 75% off your water heating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Shop

Solar Shop Australia offers expertise in renewable technology, local area knowledge and personal service while visiting local homes and properties. Having your solar system designed and installed correctly is critical for long-term efficient electricity production. Solar Shop Australia is Australia’s No.1 Provider of Grid Connect Solar and has a full-time staff of correctly trained and skilled installers. They are also the only renewable energy solutions provider associated with Planet Ark.

Blue Gum Garden Supplies

This one-stop shop offers free computer water testing, pool servicing and supplies. They will supply and deliver gardening and building products in bulk for the professional, or smaller loads for the home builder. They specialise in custom blended soils and potting mixes and stock Phillip Island’s largest range of mulches and garden rocks on Phillip Island.

Eastwood Paving

Scott Eastwood is the third generation of his family in the landscaping business. Paving, retaining walls, landscaping and plant selection are equal specialties.

Island Garden Supplies

Island Garden Supplies stocks everything you could need for the great outdoors. Sand, pavers, blended soils, screenings, rocks, pebbles, sleepers, barks, mulches, path and driveway toppings, mesh and trench reinforcement, and Phillip Island concrete. You’ll get that garden up to scratch in no time at all.

Pellet Fires Gippsland

Have the magic of an open fire and feel good that this unique heating system is environmentally friendly. With push button start, these heaters are so easy and economical to use.

Eco Waterwise Tanks

Eco waterwise poly water tanks are manufactured on Phillip Island with a Roto Moulding machine built in Australia. The material used is a low density polyethylene powder (pre coloured and UV Stabilised).

With our unstable climate and minimum rainfall, every household should do their bit for the environment and invest in a home or business water tank. Different colors, styles and capacities available.

Revive A Deck

Decks are the perfect part of any dream home, but it can take a lot of work to keep them looking good. Let the expert team at Revivea Deck look after your decks, jetties and timbers so you can spend your time relaxing on them!

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Pools, Spas & Air conditioning Compass Pools

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy your own backyard pool.

Call Compass Pools and you can holiday all summer in your own private resort! Make your pool dream a reality today.

Just Spas at Mc Donald’s Electricals Electricals

Whether its relaxation, fitness or socialising with friends and family, a spa or swim spa is the ultimate finishing touch to your outdoor living area and can be used all year round. Just Spas offers Australia’s largest range of spas and swim spas built to comply with Australian and International standards using state of the art facilities and the best quality components.

Aavailable locally at Mc Donald’s Electrical.

Bass Coast Refrigeration

The team at Bass Coast Refrigeration can meet all of your air conditioning requirements. Sales, installations, service and repairs are all carried out in-house by qualified refrigeration mechanics. They also offer obligation-free quotes.

beach house constructions pty ltd

DESIGNERS & BUILDERS

Display open: Monday to Friday by appointment Saturday & Sunday 1.00 - 4.00

www.beachhouseconstructions.com.au p.o. box 5106 cowes, victoria 3922 mob. 0418595410 email: info@beachhouseconstructions.com.au

VAN STEENSEL TIMBERS BUILDING MATERIALS & WATER TANKS FRIENDLY & EXPERT ADVICE WATER TANKS TIMBER HARDWARE

PAINTS

TOOLS

....AND MORE

CNR. CORINELLA TURN OFF & BASS HWY, GRANTVILLE

(03)5678 8552

Van Steensel Timbers V_2.indd 1

21/11/08 4:43:25 PM

REPLACE YOUR EXISTING

ELECTRIC H.W.S. WITH A QUANTUM SOLAR HEAT PUMP FOR

( NO ROOF PANELS )

$495

*

Price Includes: - 270 Ltr. Quantum Heat Pump - Plumbing Installation - CertiямБcate of Compliance - Electrical Installation (Subject to Availability of Rebates) * Includes Regional Vic. Solar Hot Water Rebate.

Govt. Eligibility conditions apply

FOR MORE INFORMATION PHONE

Richie Davie 0400 531 777

OR

Andy Horvath 0400 531 555

663 Back Beach Rd. Ventnor P.O. Box 88, Cowes, 3922 sales@gippslandsolarhotwater.com.au www.gippslandsolarhotwater.com.au

Gippsland Solar Hot Water V_2.in1 1

21/11/08 2:50:10 PM

ISLAND GARDEN SUPPLIES

DISPLAY GARDENS NOW OPEN Sand, Pavers, Blended Soils, Screenings, Rocks, Pebbles, Sleepers, Barks, Mulches, Path and Driveway Toppings & Mesh and Trench Reinforcement, also PHILLIP ISLAND PRE-MIXED CONCRETE.

886 Phillip Island Road, Newhaven, 3925 Island Garden Supplies V_2.indd 1

FEATURING Island Landscape & Design Coastal Native Landscapes Islandscape Transformations Eastwood Paving & Landscapes Ray Mattock Concreting

Ph: 5956 7397

Fax: 5956 7929 25/11/08 1:12:05 AM

ELI SHEERIN CONCRETING

Specialising in stencil pattern, colored, exposed aggregate, driveways, footpaths, house and shed slabs.

Eli Sheerin 0402 632 529 Eli Sheerin V_2.indd 1

22/11/08 2:51:23 PM

Wonthaggi Traders

for everything in paint

WONTHAGGI 21 Billson Street Tel (03) 5672 5522 Fax (03) 5672 5533

COWES 149 Thompson Avenue Tel (03) 5952 2522 Fax (03) 5952 2593

1300 JUST SPAS

PROVIDING SPAS AND SWIM SPAS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BASS COAST

FREE

Mention this ad and receive a

SET OF CEDAR STEPS AND CHEMICAL START UP PACK WITH

EVERY SPA PURCHASED

McDonalds Electrical & Bass Coast Pumps - 323 White Road, Wonthaggi, VICTORIA email: mcdonaldsbcp@aapt.net.au Opening hours: Mon-Fri - 8.30am-5pm, Saturday - 9am-12pm

www.justspas.com.au

THIS IS THE TRADIE’S HARDWARE STORE! Specialising in industrial hardware, Loe’s supplies hire equipment, aluminium pool fencing, Stratco fencing, concrete reinforcing, power tools and safety equipment.

37 McKenzie Street Wonthaggi 3995 Phone 03 5672 1628 Fax 03 5672 3745 website www.loeshardware.com.au Email sales@loeshardware.com.au

Wonthaggi Traders

“Go to a store that treats their customers as neighbours, providing quality and luxury at affordable prices.

Go to a store that takes care in getting you the best products and installing the job professionally.”

How do you take time out?

Mathew Hadden

WONTHAGGI FLOORWORLD 321 White Rd (Bass Hwy) Wonthaggi VIC 3995.

Ph. 5672 5590 Fax (03) 5672 5590

New Season’s

FLOOR AND WALL TILES NOW ON SHOW

Come and visit our friendly, boutique, tile shop where great service is our priority. With a huge range of over 4,500 tiles and a color matching service, we will spend the time to help you create the perfect look.

WONTHAGGI TILE& WOOD HEATING 323a Bass Highway, Wonthaggi, Vic 3995

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Phone: 5672 2543 Fax: 5672 2326

Wonthaggi Traders

‘ Avoid The Extremes ‘ reverse cycle air conditioning

Colin and Rick at Bass Coast Refrigeration are here to serve all your air conditioning requirements.

Sales, intallations, service and repairs are all carried out in house by qualified refrigeration mechanics.

Call them or drop in for an obligation free quote and find out the benefits and savings a new Daikin Inverter split system can offer you.

Bass Coast Refrigeration V_1.ind1 1

21/11/08 10:46:11 AM

HUNTER TRADE SERVICES TOTAL PROPERTY MAINTENANCE We offer ‘Total Project Management’, including programmed monthly maintenance services, provision of building related trade services, building conditions (planned and responsive), refurbishments (capital upgrades).

Friendly and attentive service.

LICENSED PLUMBERS AND GAS FITTERS. ACCREDITED GREEN PLUMBER. RAIN WATER HARVESTING. GREY WATER SYSTEMS SOLAR. WATER AUDITING - COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC. PROGRAMMED BUILDING MAINTENANCE. ON SITE WASTE WATER TREATMENT - BIOLYTIX

JOHN HUNTER P.O. Box 435, Wonthaggi, Vic 3995 Ph: 0400 824 696 Office: 0437 005 608 Email: john.tricia@bigpond.com ABN: 27400765007

Hunter Trade Services_v2.indd 1

21/11/08 8:53:59 AM

lifestyle review

home

words Sue Webster photos Warren Reed

when a house becomes a

Two homes in one, that’s what Joe Gulifa and Debbie Murphy have built on their land in Rhyll.

On second thought ... make that three.

The four-bedroom, double-storey brick veneer house offers selfcontained spaces suitable for multi-generational living. Joe said, “Debbie’s parents have the opportunity to come and stay without having to climb stairs. Downstairs there’s a complete kitchen and everything they need.” And besides offering two homes, the house is also a wonderful place to host visitors and even stage business meetings.

The upstairs section of the house offers commanding views of the water. The open-plan living/dining and kitchen section brings real ‘wow’ factor to the home. “We have a lot of overseas visitors, and we often have people staying for the weekend. We sometimes have meetings here, too. And I’d have to say everyone is impressed by the views,” said Joe. One of the hallmarks of good design is that a house feels welcoming without anyone else there. “I enjoy it on my own,” Joe added. “You know … not shaving, having a coffee reading the paper in the morning. It’s a really comfortable place to be.”

Joe and Debbie are Melbourne-based business owners, operating freight forwarding and logistics businesses that see Joe

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travelling frequently overseas and interstate. Time-pressed? You bet.

The pair wanted to get away from the rat-race from time-to-time, but found they were spending too much precious leisure time driving to their destination. Then they discovered Rhyll. They found the right block of land and began thinking of building. “It started as a small holiday home and we’ve finished up with quite a massive one,” Joe laughed.

Apart from a brief specifying ‘lots of glass’, the couple left the overall design in the hands of Ben White of San Remo firm Home Design & Construction. “We finished up with a magnificent home - better than I’d imagined,” said Joe. Originally it seemed that they weren’t going to get their sought-after northern light. “This created some design challenges because the block faced the wrong way”, said Ben. “So we fitted corner glass windows and opened up the northern face.”

You enter the house from the rear. It doesn’t show all its talent to the street; the real genius of the house reveals itself when you walk inside. “The brief was to make it look simple but stylish,” said Ben. “A lot of houses these days play around with different textures>

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lifestyle review

“It’s our happily-ever-after house.”

and different colours, but these clients had a different take on things. They did not want a wide range of materials. And I think the more minimalist approach has worked well.”

“My thing was to capitalise on the views and the light,” said Joe. “I wanted Ben to concentrate on glass and give us as much of the view as we could get.” Debbie’s priorities were different. “I wanted a standard staircase, not one of these modern ones with open steps and flimsy handrails on one side.” Ever-practical, she wanted a sturdy set of stairs that would give confidence to her parents (and elderly dog!) to climb to the top floor. Sasha, the twelve-year-old Cairn Terrier, is keen on lounging on the upper deck in the sun. “When dogs get older they lose their eyesight, so I wanted a solid stair with blocked-in steps. An animal feels it needs some sort of safety going up and down,” said Debbie. “Also I was very pedantic about ensuring that the fencing was done properly.” Part of the fence comprises spaced slats. “I wanted the slats not too close together so the dog can see what’s going on around it and it doesn’t feel that it’s being blocked in.” The laundry tub had to be deep enough to take a sandy dog, but the bathroom was solely Debbie’s domain. “I wanted a bath tub I

could stretch out in.” She got it.

Ben said it has been the largest house built in his company’s ten-year history. “And there are two things that really stand out for me: the two separate self-contained levels and the flow of the upstairs living area out on the balconies.” Well, make that three . . .

“The bedroom gets the glorious morning light, and being on the east side it doesn’t get hot in summer,” Ben added.

Joe and Debbie’s Melbourne base is an architect-designed 40-square home. “And I’d have to say our Rhyll house is on par with that one,” said Joe. “We didn’t skimp with the fit-out or the materials - we didn’t spare the expense.”

The entire home is underpinned with uncompromising quality. Ben recalled the wait they all endured while special tiles were imported from Italy. “Joe chose spectacular tiles and they look fantastic - well worth the wait,” said Ben. Joe knew what he wanted. “Definitely brick, and I wanted it to be a home, not just a holiday house. We wanted something a step above a holiday shack and who knows … we might retire there one day. It’s our ‘happily-everafter’ house.” C

We have an extensive range of soils, sand, mulch, garden rocks, screenings, crushed rock, mushroom compost and much more.

• Yes We Hire!

• Wacker

• Dingo &

• Power Tools

Attachments

• Compressor

• Brick Cutting Blue Gum.indd 1

• Bobcat & Tipper

home

Now offering free computer water testing.

Pool Servicing and pool supplies BLUE GUM 92-94 Dunsmore Rd, Cowes 3922 Phillip Island Victoria Tel (03) 5952 3855 Fax (03) 59521888 25/11/08 1:15:52 AM

design & construction

master builders & designers

www.homedesignandconstruction.com.au

• Architectural/Custom Built Homes • Extensions • Unit Developments

Open 7 days, for expert advice

Inquiry office

75-77 phillip island tourist road, san remo 3925

ph. 03 5678 5777 fax. 03 5678 5515

Accommodation Bear Gully Coastal Cottages

Fashion & Accessories 200

01 Soul

198

Cleanskin Kitchenware

129 201

Enlighten Now

205

Begin

198

Fiddlestix

Holmwood Guesthouse

157

Denis Hawkins Jewellery

73

Floorworld Wonthaggi

186 201

Quest Apartments

53

Island Shoes & Leongatha ShoeGallery

57

Garden of Thoughts

RACV Resort Inverloch

99

Julie Wade

198

Jamboli Wooden Toys

204 164

Silverwater Resort

15

Karmella Fashions

132

Melbourne Furnishings

Taylors Waterfront Restaurant

195

Kush Kush

60

Nordic Designs

95 & 199 201

The Castle Villa by the Sea

200

La Bella

39

Ramalama Bookstore

The Waves Apartments

65

Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery

33

South Coast Furnishings

9

Zenergi

133

Lime Fusion

133

Southern Bazaar

29

Wonthaggi Tile and Wood Heating

186

Antiques

Pandemonium

212

L & J Tuddin Antique & Decor Gallery

197

So Me

73

Sandsford Antiques

129

Studio 41 Gallery Mornington

107

Tyabb & South Gippsland Antique Centre

123

Indulgence by Conci

57

Artists and Galleries 222 Contemporary Gallery

Gardens, Landscaping & Green Living 89

Blue Gum Garden Supplies

191

Arty Farty Gallery

199

Coastal Native Landscapes

209

Angela Newberry & Gooseneck Pottery

89

Compass Pools

173

Deborah Halpern

199

Eastwood Paving & Landscaping

209

Emily Koenders

199

Island Garden Supplies

183

Four Corners Framing

131

Island Landscape & Design

209

Gecko Studio Gallery

197

Islandscape Transformations

209

Kudos Gallery

197

The Country Gardener

162

Lucas Piera Lens to Life

69

Gippsland Solar Hot Water

182

Mingara Gallery

87

Solahart

189

Powlett Gallery

197

The Solar Shop

170

Renee Carmody Art Zillery

78

EcoWaterwise Water Tanks

173

Builders & Designers Beach House Constructions

Hair, Health and Beauty 181

Akers Eyewear

201

Beaumont Concepts

175

Amcal Chemist Cowes

68

Burke Homes

179

Beachside Hair & Beauty

69

Cavalier Homes

166

Chem Mart

64

Colin Vanderstaay Homes

179

Cowes Hairdressing

203

Coldon Homes

176

Darren George Hair

202

Darren Brown Design

164

DK Denture Clinic

202

Home Design & Construction

191

Future Pure Water

204

Hotondo Homes

170

Island Healing

95

Langford Jones Homes

206

Jane Hackel Retreat

205

New Dimension Homes

171

Jaydeez

131

Smiths Beach Constructions

175

Jeminy Hair & Health

203

John Gemmill

202

Leah McKay

203

Steve Smart

178

Entertainment Kongwak Market

200

Matt Lynch Chiropractor

205

Phillip Island Action Attractions & Fun Shed

90

Nettiya Morrison Massage

205

Art & Soul Festival

85

Phillip Island Eco Retreat & Day Spa

66

Cowes Night Market

65

Phillip Island Medical Group

64

Reliv

204

Phillip Island Community & Learning Centre 87 Wonthaggi Show & Mud Run

78

San Remo Pharmacy

66

Mossvale Music Festival

76

Cara Robertson Make Up Artist

203

French Island Llamas

200

Home & Homewares

Chill Island Cinemas

43

Amici

198

Chill Island Festival

20

Aqua Inspired

204

Stony Creek Racing Club

83

Chicory of Cowes

60

Professional Services Archisign

207

Birch Ross & Barlow

207

Commonwealth Bank

211

Meehan Design

11

Restaurants & Cafes 100 Monkeys, Koo Wee Rup

202

Cafe Lugano

193

Curry Leaf

145

Esplanade Hotel

142

Fai Thai

140

Hard Loch Cafe

194

Harrys on the Esplanade

195

Infused Restaurant,Cafe, Wine Bar

11

Kahloa Restaurant

54

Nude Food

196

Ocean View Hotel Kilcunda

136

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory

139

Philllip Island RSL

139

Rusty Water

142

The Red Elk Bar

140

Sandbanks Restaurant & Bar

195

Sarah Ashe

136

Sherwoods Restaurant

136

Silverleaves Store

194

Spice Island Cooking School

145

Taylors Waterfront Restaurant

195

The Gilded Lily

196

The Wonthaggi Cub

146

Tomo Modern Japanese

193

Traceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place

195

Westernport Hotel

196

Woolamai Pizza

194

Real Estate Alex Scott and Staff P/L Phillip Island

160

Erika Proctor, French Island

207

FKP Shearwater on the Island

203

Green Leaf

162

Judith Wright Real Estate

149

Prom Country Real Estate

154,158

Sandcastles Real Estate

156

San Remo Realty

207

Stockdale & Leggo Wonthaggi

152

Tourism & Travel & Outdoors A Maze’N’Things

59

Bass Coast Caravans

47

Classic Fishing Charters, Tooradin

119

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

91

Phillip Island Nature Park

90

Ride On Bikes

47

Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne Wildlife Coast Cruises

83

Wonthaggi Toyota

37

Trades & Services 187

Eli Sheerin Concreting

183

Eric Van Agtmaal builder

206

Evan’s Petroleum

208

Hunter Trade Services

187

Loes Hardware

185

McDonalds Electricals

184

New Wave Concreting

206

Paint Place

184

Pellet Fires Gippsland

189

PKB Tiles

178

Van Steensel Timbers

182

Metrix New Granite

207

Wylies True Value Hardware

207

Revive a Deck

174

Woodwork Solutions

207

Wonthaggi Plaster

206

Wineries Purple Hen Wines

194

La Fontaine Estate

132

Windy Ridge Winery

196

MORNINGTON PENINSULA 103

Brighton Grammar

111

Coffee Traders

113

Endota Spa

114

Mizu B&B and Spa Retreat

111

Riccas in Mount Martha

114

Sketa

107

Studio 41, Mornington

123

Australian Gourmet Seafoods

111

Tutti Frutti

108

Yoko, Mornington

108

Zen Living, Mornington

want more? www.coastmagazine.net

Bass Coast Refrigeration

tomo & joh 23 A’Beckett St Inverloch 3996

p 5674 3444

jonathan+amy

148,160

coast directory

2

Southcoast First National

builders • property • services • homewares • art • food • fashion • attractions • gardening & more

Seagrove Estate

71 THOMPSON AVE COWES

5952 5636

HLC_132x88.5.qxp

3/08/2007

1:10 PM

Page 1

Silverleaves Store relax, indulge, enjoy

Gippsland wines, & cellar door sales Gourmet provisions

To accompany our addictive Fair Trade, Organic Coffee and All Day Breakfast, HLC offers a varied & seasonally influenced luncheon menu to please Local wines available by the glass or to purchase by the bottle Grand Ridge Brewery beers also available HLC also now stocks a GREATER RANGE of local products including Berrys Creek Cheese, Gurdies Wine, Hazelnuts, Hope Farm Bread Fresh Every Wednesday, Sweet Tips Asparagus, cookies from the Home Baked Cookie Co... * Hampers Available - The ideal gift to take home

Breakfast, lunch & everything in between

Group dinners/meeting space/refreshments available Local tourist information Indoor outdoor dining

10 Smith Street, Loch

P: 5659 4466 Available for private functions!

Coast Ad

19/10/07

8:49 AM

Page 1

Cnr Sanders Road & Honeysuckle Grove, Silverleaves. Phillip Island ( 1 km from Cowes) 03 5952 1110 www.phillipislandgetaway.com.au

WOOLAMAI PIZZA

Silverleaves Store_b.indd 1

PURPLE HEN

3/11/08 7:51:45 PM

Gourmet and Traditional Pizzaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Try our Pumpkin Pesto, Smoked Salmon & Guacamole, Thai Chilli Chicken, Volcano; or from our traditional range Hawaiian, Napolitana, Aussie, Mexican and more. . .

Vineyard & Winery 96 McFees Road Rhyll Phillip Island Hours: 11am - 5:30pm School Holidays - 7 days a week Other times: Friday - Sunday plus public holidays Phone: 5956 9244 www.purplehenwines.com.au coast 194

WOOLAMAI PIZZA 5956 7000

2 Vista Place Cape Woolamai

Wrap ‘n’ Roll Cafe where fresh is best!

The Tower Lunch $18.50

Waterfront dining with panoramic bay views Open 7 Days for breakfast and lunch Gourmet burgers, wraps, foccacias, ice cream, coffee and much more!

Local fresh produce with seafood straight from the boat, Island grazed beef & lamb, and in house bakery. Accommodation now available.

144 Marine Parade San Remo

17 The Esplanade Cowes, Vic Phone (03) 5952 6226 www.harrysrestaurant.com.au

5678 5589 Trace's Place.indd 1

17/11/08 8:35:03 AM harrysb.indd 1

Spectacular Ocean Views day and night. Open for Dinner 7 days a week.

Fully licensed. Lunches Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, Before & after penguins, Childrens menu, Special events

1215 Phillip Island Tourist Rd, Phillip Island

p. 03 5956 7371

Email: restaurant@waterfront.net.au

25/11/08 4:10:30 AM

Modern Australian Cuisine, Woodfired Pizza, Freshly Shucked Oysters, Pasta’s, Parma’s & Regular Specials.

Family Owned & Operated, Family Orientated, BYO & Fully Licensed 8 - 10 Forest Ave, Newhaven, Phillip Island Tel 5956 6766

Nude Food Organic Gourmet Food Store The way food should be!

Open 7 days Slow Cooking, Juice Bar, Local Wines & Licensed Cafe

Perfect for end of year functions; night & day • Meet for breakfast, lunch and coffee • Fresh local, and market produce • All dietary requirements catered for • All food made on the premises

141 Marine Parade San Remo

(03) 5678 5530

Nude Food V_2.indd 1

35 Victoria St Loch

a/ 161 Marine Pde San Remo t/ 03 5678 5205 e/ info@thewesternport.com.au www.thewesternport.com.au

23/11/08 2:32:11 PM The Westernport.indd 1

modern menu, Intimate & cosy dining, private rooms for group bookings.

coast 196

Sunny outdoor area . . . new flavours . . . comfy couches . . . friendly faces . . . premium wines . . . cold beer and local produce. Live entertainment with a great pub atmosphere!

p. 5659 4488

23/11/08 6:44:50 PM

gecko

L&J TUDDIN restorations

ANTIQUE & DECOR GALLERY

studio gallery

A NT I Q U E S / / A RT I F A CT S / / D E C O R / / B E A D S

15 Falls Road Fish Creek 03 5683 2481 0423 721 593 0421 209 878 “custom framing, original artworks, select art materials, cards & decorated tiles”

RESTORED FURNITURE FROM EUROPE & CHINA 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.

email: framing@geckostudiogallery.com.au www.geckostudiogallery.com.au opening times fri-tues 10am-5pm Kerry Spokes & Michael Lester

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37 Powlett Street, Inverloch Tel/Fax (03) 5674 3982 Email ljrestore@live.com.au

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137 Marine Parade, San Remo Ph/Fax 03 5678 5944 * Remaking fashion * trollbeads * Original one off clothing, gifts & homewares * Lalo treasures: hand painted resin.

Featured * Inimatable style with quirky touch

Quality Art & Craftwork by Bev and Dennis Leversha Reflecting the clarity & freshness of South Gippsland

‘By appointment or by chance’ 5 Dunn St Wonthaggi 5672 2277

Karin Booth Retail Therapist

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open every day 21/11/08 2:47:14 PM

begin

Make-up by Ally De La Rosa

jewellery & accessories

Wish, Ladakh, Purr, French Kitty, All About Eve, Mermaid Sister, Grab

clothing

Quality ladies clothing, lingerie & accessories

Stockists of…

• Marco Polo • R-Jay • Black Pepper • Toronto

Shop 1, 18-22 Thompson Ave, Cowes (Next door to Amcal)

141 graham Street, wonthaggi

(03) 5672 5338 coast 198

• Playtex • Triumph & many more…

Ph: 5672 1485

jonathan

Insight Elwood Stussy Freshjive Mooks Mossimo Cult Industries Paul Frank

137-139 Graham Street, Wonthaggi

The soul has no color . The soul has no creed . The soul is but One . One Soul.

Streetwear & Body Jewellery

Bendon Fayreform Berlei Sports bras

“We will fit you with the perfect bra”

5952 2209

1SOUL

• • • •

homeware•interior design 17b a’beckett st inverloch 5674 6060

Emily Koenders ART GALLERY

$57< )$57< 6&8/3785( 678',2FRPPLVVLRQV ZHOFRPH

A major art exhibition

‘For the Love of Birds’ 3 - 31 January (including Australia Day) open daily 11 - 5pm

Ruby fairbank rd fairbank 5662 5808

&ODVVHV DYDLODEOH IRU DGXOWV DQG FKLOGUHQ LQ PRVDLF GHVLJQ FHUDPLF VFXOSWXUH Call Sian on 0418519181 or 59566377

NORDIC DESIGNS LAUNCHES . . .

Workshops with

Deborah Halpern

award winning sculptor

Mosaic Workshops February 14th & 15th

Fibreglass Sculpture Please contact Deborah if you are interested in a one day “How to use Fibreglass Workshop”.

Enquiries and bookings for all classes, please call Deb on

p. (03) 9844 3247

m. 0417 352797

deborahhalpern@ozemail.com.au

Shop 2, IGA Supermarket Arcade 156 Graham St, Wonthaggi 03 5672 5553

www.nordicdesignshome.com.au

the castle

Bear Gully Coastal Cottages

villa by the sea

phillip island

images © d-tales photography

romantic getaways, weddings and private functions

Luxury Boutique Accomodation Indulge your senses.

7-9 steele street, cowes p. 03 5952 1228

www.thecastle.com.au

French Island Llama experience

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Snugly set into the coastline of South Gippsland, Bear Gully Cottages overlook beautiful Waratah Bay to Wilson’s Promontory. With spectacular ocean views and foreshore frontage, these charming fully self contained two bedroom seaside cottages are definitely for those who enjoy the “difference”.

AAA Tourism Star Rating

33 Maitland Court, Cape Liptrap Victoria Tel. 03 5663 2364 E. beargully@bigpond.com www.beargullycottages.com.au

11/11/08 4:59:11 PM

‘Stay a little calmer – go walking with a llama’

EVERY SUNDAY from 10 am - Inside & Out

LIVE MUSIC FROM 11AM

Enjoy beautiful coastal views over Westernport Bay to Phillip Island while strolling through rural farm land and along local laneways to our bushland picnic spot. Your llama will carry a delicious lunch featuring our organic olive oil and local wines.

For groups of 4 – 8 people. Bookings essential.

Cost: $80 per person (excluding ferry fare). Includes morning tea and 3 course lunch with wine. Ask us about our vouchers.

Tel: (03)5980 1287 www.fillamas.com.au email: fillamas@bordernet.com.au

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Main Street, KONGWAK, Victoria (only 10 minutes from Inverloch)

For more information call Jane on 0417 142 478

RAMALAMA BOOKS Gippslands largest range of 2nd hand books for all booklovers.

Akers Eyewear is distinctly different and caters for all your optical needs.

The comprehensive range of fashion frames and sunglasses will definitely impress. The range includes Elizabeth Arden, CK, and Levis along with Serengeti, Bolle, Mako and Maui Jim, plus many more. They also carry an extensive range of accessories.

Catering for all ages, their optometrist also specialises in childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision.

services Eye examinations are bulk billed. Contact lenses, veterans affairs, behavioural optometry.

1/41 Murray Street, Wonthaggi, 3995

p. 5672 1965

akers eyewear

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fiddlestix

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Licensed products including AFL, Ford, Holden, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Bundaberg Rum and many more. â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

GIFTS CLOTHING POOL CUES ETC BAR ACCESSORIES GLASSWARE LOCAL POTTERY

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Beautiful baby gifts and clothing

Homewares

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MOR Body products

a garden of thoughts

pure indulgence giftware

Open Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Saturday Plaza Arcade, 140 Graham Street, Wonthaggi 3995 Ph/Fax: 03 5672 3304 E: barlyncons@yahoo.com.au Fiddlestix.indd 1

Jewellery

Leanne Piasente 120 Graham Street, Wonthaggi Tel. (03) 5672 1622

5/11/08 11:10:50 AMof thoughts_b.indd 1 A Garden

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Helping families in South Gippsland by using the best of Eastern and Western natural medicine

Leongatha Natural Medicine Centre Wonthaggi Natural Medicine Centre

Wholefoods & Organics Store & Cafe Health Foods inerals ■ Vitamins & M s ■ Organic Vegie Care Products ■ Natural Skin n Free ■ Wheat/Glute Products rocery Items ■ Wholefood G

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Open Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 1pm

John Gemmill

Louise Norton - Acupuncturist - (Registered CMRB)

General health & fertility management, natal care Phone 0409 166 924

293 Rossiter Road, Koo Wee Rup

Ph: 5997 1601

Acupuncturist - (Registered CMRB) Naturopath (including herbs and iridology) Bowen Therapist Phone 5672 2692 or 5662 5644

Morgan Wayaani - Kinesiologist, Chinese Masseur, Massage Therapy Phone 0403 853 141

. Private Consultations . Private Health Insurance (HICAPS) . Emergency Repairs . Veterans Affairs . Mouth Guards . Home/Nursing Home Visitations . Victorian Denture Scheme . EPC (Medicare - Patient Care Management Plan)

By Appointment Only

DK DENTURE CLINIC PTY LTD

41 Phillip Island Rd, Newhaven 3925 Consultations available at Cowes Medical Centre - Tues 8.30am - 12.30pm For Appointments ring 59567002 A/H Emergency Repairs ring 0412 231 268 coast 202

Darren George Hair 6-14 The Esplanade, Cowes Phone 03 5952 2647

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2009

CARA ROBERTSON Professional make up artist

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

Summer Hair

Make-up by Ally De La Rosa

HAIR LEAH McKAY 5956 6991 0439 866 991 CAPE WOOLAMAI

COMMERCIAL // ALTERNATIVE // EXTREME WEDDINGS // FUNCTIONS // CORPORATE EVENTS

Cowes Hair & Beauty • Ladies & Mens Hairdressing • Waxing, Tuscan Tan & Alysun Solarium • Xtreme Lashes Eyelash Extensions • Acrylic & Gel Nails

OPEN 7 DAYS

5952 1258

Shop 1/134 Thompson Ave, Cowes Victoria

Photo by Lucas Piera from Lens to Life

• Weddings • Debutantes • Special Occasion Hair by Beachside Hair & Beauty

T: 0412 454 244 • Napoleon Perdis products

Filtering your water beautifully

Reliv makes optimal nutrition simple with patented products Reliv is a home-based business providing you with the tools and support you need to be your own boss!

reliv international: changing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives

. Handmade in Australia . Cost effective. Only 2 cents per litre filtration . High fired stoneware creates the perfect environment to filter and store your water . Removes chlorine, bacteria, amoeba, suspended solids, giardia, cryptosporidium, aluminium, mercury, lead and copper . An attractive addition to any home or office

1615 approved

Futurepure Water Purification Systems

Story Calls Available 24/7 - There are two calls â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to listen simply dial Freecall: 1800 501 706 Pin 735 484 or 661 860

PO Box 225 Cowes 3922 P. (03) 5952 6735 mobile. 0400 432 149

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Independent Reliv Distributor - Andrew Morrison Mobile: 0428 171 441 Email: relivz@people.net.au Skype ID: healthywealthy200 Web: www.reliv.com

20/11/08 3:00:40 PM

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5/11/08 10:12:06 PM

Massage & Miyoga at Cape Woolamai

Pure Bliss

Yoga

Hatha Relaxation Meditation

Massage

Heartworks Lomi Lomi Relaxation Indian Head Massage Intuitive Foot Massage

Massage

Shape-up & Hi Energy Remedial & Posture Therapy

Accommodation

- Get-Away & Healthy Stay Package - My Prostate Care Health Retreat

z

Phone Nettya Morrison

a: 53 Toorak Road, Inverloch p. 56 74 1993 mob. 0466 520 942 e. myhealthsanct@gmail.com

0422 372 178 03 5956 6658 Massage&Miyoga.indd 1

Dr. Matt Lynch

INLET CHIROPRACTIC

18/11/08 6:18:36 PM

CARE

Helping you live a healthy lifestyle by the coast

4 Williams Street, Inverloch 180 Graham Street, Wonthaggi Shop 1, 65 Back Beach Road, San Remo

03 5674 1919

Eric Van Agtmaal

Langford Jones Homes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Winner of the 2008 HIA CSR Victorian Housing Awards in the category of Project Homes up to $250,000â&#x20AC;?

Builder

no job too big or small specialising in pergolas & decking

Wonthaggi eric.vanagtmaal@bigpond.com

Display Home Locations Phillip Island, Grantville, Korumburra, Wonthaggi & Inverloch For display home locations, price listings, inclusions & plans Phone: (03) 9579 2277 or 56 725 680 Email: sales@ljhomes.com.au LJ0034

B.P No DB -U 6131

03 5672 3590 0417 584 273

Wonthaggi Plaster Warehouse & Showroom Expert Advice Friendly Staff Prompt Delivery

Wonthaggi Country Hardware Boral Bricks Masonary Blocks 24 Hour Display Complete Range

LUKE HINRICHS 0402 454 742 coast 206

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23/11/08 5:17:54 PM

Wonthaggi Plaster (03) 5672 1535 Wonthaggi Country Hardware (03) 5672 2267 42 Inverloch Rd, Wonthaggi

FOR SALE /RRNLQJ WR OLYH E\ WKH FRDVW" Paradise found at French Island

/HW XV KHOS \RX 9/95 Marine Parade, San Remo www.sanremorealty.com.au Ph: 5678 5141

“GODWARD” 700 COAST ROAD

$650,000

Located in Westernport Bay is this 75 acre lifestyle property with continuous water, clean air, peace, close to sandy beach. No shire, no rates, newly fenced. 12 and 240 volt power system. Comfortable, newly converted 2 bed barn with new appliances. Satellite broadband, workshop, art studio, 4 bay machinery shed, hothouse, veggie gdn, chook house, orchard, bore and irrigation. 2 dams, cleared and bush areas.

CONTACT: Bruce or Erika proctor@wideband.net.au phone 03 5980 1216 mobile 0488 923 914

Metrix New Granite

specialised joinery solutions Custom made: • Yacht Interiors • Timber Bi-fold Doors • Sliding Timber Doors • French Doors • Timber Windows • Consultancy for the joinery & interior industry • In house and onsite training • Technical advice and solutions • Representative for StairBiz software in Australia

Specialist Interior Finishes Italian & New Zealand Engineered Stone

At last affordable granite for kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, furniture & commercial applications Wide variety of colours to suit your decor Face Lifts & Renovations

Kevin Holden PO Box 789, Wonthaggi 0458520347

Great Service & Price Peter Barton PH. 0428 14 20 20 FAX. 03 5659 4444

chiSIGN

ARCHITECTURAL+ACCESS SIGNAGE

can take this...

Proud to be part of South Gippsland

10/30 The Concourse Cowes VIC 3922 0418 91 90 09 john@archisign.com.au

put it on this...

and give you this...

Distributors for South Gippsland “Locals employing locals” COWES, FISH CREEK, FOSTER, INVERLOCH, KORUMBURRA, LEONGATHA, MAIN DEPOT, MIRBOO NTH, TOORA, WONTHAGGI, FISH CREEK & YARRAM.

...in time for Christmas

BRB

Birch Ross & Barlow

For everything in hardware …

WYLIE’S TRUE VALUE HARDWARE Friendly service & great advice all at the right price!

Your local solicitors operating in South Gippsland for over 100 years

OFFICES:

Korumburra (03) 5655 1066 Leongatha (03) 5662 2275 Wonthaggi (03) 5672 1377 Cowes (03) 5952 1325 coast 208

Your new LOCAL hardware

9 Murray Street, Wonthaggi Wylies.indd 1

03 56725 955 21/11/08 9:49:21 AM

&RDVWDO 1DWLYH /DQGVFDSHV Australian plant specialists, creating unique coastal gardens

Specialising in:

Concept & detailed Landscaping Plans Supplier of Stone & Marble Water Features Rock/Sleeper retaining walls Paving & concreting Water gardens/features Bobcat & Tipper hire Easily maintained drought tolerant 0418 521 976 indigenous gardens www.islandscapetransformations.com.au

Bill Guy

G N I V A P D O O W T S EA NDSCAPES AND LA LOO

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Jacquie Chambers 0432 060 528

Pat Barrett 0422 685 045

Fully qualified Horticulturists RMB 5768 Cowes Victoria Fax. 5952 1424

Email: jcpb@aapt.net.au

Coastal Native Landscapes.indd 1

5/11/08 7:36:42 PM

27/10/08 5:23:00 PM

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Soft landscape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; using Australian plants Consultation, Design, Construction, & Maintenance Drought tolerant, Low maintenance Revegetation works and Bobcat / Tipper hire Native plants for sale (by appointment)

JTMBOE MBOETDBQF

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Cutting edge design & landscaping for seaside gardens

DESIGNING LOW MAINTENANCE GARDENS TO ADD STYLE TO YOUR HOME Specialising in driveways, outdoor living, retaining walls, brick paving, crazy paving, excavating and all aspects of landscaping.

. design consultations EAS AND LANDSCAPES . water features

. low maintenance/ drought tolerant gardens

0408 322 652. paving & retaining walls

Scott Eastwood M: 0408 322 652 A.H: 5956 8060

www.eastwoodpavingandlandscapes.com.au

. mediteranean/pacific style gardens . over 15 years experience . latest styles and products

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

a moment in time . . .

words Sally O’Neill photo Maria Reed

Twenty-five years ago, Eli saw a vision which changed her life. From that moment, she chose to follow her “true path”. While many people may be sceptical of ‘the other side’, Eli happily works full-time as a clairvoyant with psychic and mediumship abilities and lives in Corinella with her husband Dennis.

I was in crisis in my life, and one night an entity appeared in front of me: he was just the most amazing spiritual being. He looked straight into my eyes and said: ”The truth will set you free.” I’ll never forget that, and the enormity of those words. From there, I started to get honest with where I was at, who I was, where I wanted to go.

I realised that all the baggage I had, all the things that had gone on in my life, had been sent to me for a reason. I knew in my heart I was a healer, and those words set me free. They put me on a journey of self-preservation and self-healing.

Ever since I was little, I could see energies around plants and visions around people. I could feel if something was or wasn’t right.

I believe that everyone has this ability; it’s just that they’re ‘asleep’. It’s not until they wish to ‘wake up’ that their abilities and intuitions can kick in.

My work is not all thunder and lightning; it’s simple - it’s just a reality check. I can’t teach people anything; I can only help them discover things for themselves. With mediumship, I can liaise with people who have ‘passed over’. My psychic ability is just intuition and looking at what your needs are at the moment. With clairvoyance, it’s what I see in front of me, it’s an auric field, the colours that are around you. I’ll ask a simple question, you give me the answer, but

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your aura may tell a different story. People think clairvoyants will read their future. No clairvoyant can really read anybody’s future. I can only use my intuition to give you guidance as to where you are at the moment.

I get a lot of sceptics. A man came to me with major health problems. He said he didn’t believe, but I asked him what he had to lose. He went through the healing, said he felt a little different and left.

He came back a few months later and said, ”I’m gob-smacked; they (my problems) are gone”. I asked him if he was still a sceptic and he said no.

All I ask is that people give me a go, that they don’t shut me out.

Today, I feel an inner peace that I never felt before. I know that I have choices. I have a wonderful relationship with my husband, children, and grandchildren. I feel I have something to offer the world. It’s nothing to do with money; inner peace is so much more important.

Know that life is precious: it’s about learning lessons, not feeling trapped, and believing that there are always choices. Just hand over, lift the paddles and go with the flow. Don’t try to force life to happen - it’s never going to work, and you’ll just get sick. Inside of us is where the answers and treasures are. If everybody healed themselves, the world would be a better place. C

Ms Jordan wears Two Belles. Mr Orlando wears Tommy Rocket.

Pandemonium Clothes for Kids

Pandemonium for Kids, 42 Thompson Ave Cowes. Phone 03 5952 1143