42 gippsland lifestyle autumn

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Autumn issue #42

ISSN 1838-8124

GRACEFIELD | PHILLIP ISLAND | GIPPSLAND RECOVERY

NISSAN | HYUNDAI | DEMO & USED VEHICLES | SERVICE | PARTS | FINANCE 1-5 ROUGHEAD STREET, LEONGATHA, VIC, 3953

P (03) 5662 2327 F (03) 5662 2642 E edney@dcsi.net.au

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www.edneysleongatha.com.au

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editorial autumn #42 Autumn in Gippsland Since late 2019 the Eastern Seaboard of Australia has been battling severe bush fires that have wreaked havoc, destroyed native bushland, native animals in the hundreds of thousands, livestock and lives have been lost, but not for our amazing emergency workers, volunteers, the fireys, here and overseas, the call to assist us in our time of need was incredible.

Here in East Gippsland we have been dealt massive destruction along our coast and into our beautiful Alpine valley extending to the borders of NSW, in fact at the time of print there is still fire activity in the remote bushland of East Gippsland.

Without doubt Gippsland has been resilient but in times like this we need to support each other, and we really do need to support our local businesses throughout Gippsland. We have of course run a major feature on the fires, and Anita Butterworth and Chris West have been at the forefront of reporting on the severity of the fires in East Gippsland. With destruction there is hope and our special feature on the East Gippsland fires shows the tremendous network of assistance to East Gippsland.

Gippsland Lifestyle promotes lifestyle, business and tourism and in this edition, there are features on events that occurred during summer and of course we are promoting the upcoming events of Autumn and Winter, support all the businesses that support us, we are after all Gippslanders!

Doug Pell

index features EAST GIPPSLAND FIRES SECTION pg 25 - 67 FOOD + WINE + ACCOMMODATION ADVERTISERS & CONTENT pg 102 – 137

our content Writers Contributors Photographers Advertising Editor Creative Printers

Chris West, Lia Spencer, Anita Butterworth, JE Miller, Ken Roberts and Christina Keeble Erin Miller, Kerry Galea, Frank Butera, Christie Nelson and Christine Boucher Ken Roberts, Trevor Stow and Doug Pell Doug Pell & Maxine Sando Maree Bradshaw media101 Southern Colour (VIC) Pty Ltd | www.southerncolour.com.au

our autumn front cover Mark Knight Cartoon - Return to Gippsland (Mark Knight is the cartoonist for the Herald Sun) Instagram @knightcartoons

AGNES FALLS – The Highest Single Span Falls in Victoria A MAZE ‘N THINGS – Fun, Magic and Adventure AUTUMN EVENTS GUIDE AUTUMN HOROSCOPE WITH KERRY GALEA CANINE CORNER – Our Best Friends CHRISTIE NELSON – Healthy Mums Equals Healthy Family CHRISTINE BOUCHER – Dealing with Mental & Emotional Issues CRANBOURNE CUP – Local Greyhound’s Sweet Cup Success CURTIS AUSTRALIA – Fresh Ideas, Fresh Approach GIPPSLAND LIFESTYLE – Where to Buy your Copy GIPPSLAND LIBRARIES – Leading the Way ERIN MILLER NLP Life Coach – Feeling Misunderstood?

HEATHER FAHNLE – Mosaics by the Bay KERRY GALEA – Autumn Moon Gardening KINGBUILT HOMES – Design & Building of Custom Homes MILLIE ON SALE! Walks with Millie in Sale PHILLIP ISLAND NATURE PARKS – Explore the Wild Side of Nature PORT WELSHPOOL – The Longest Jetty RHYLL INLET WETLANDS WALK Phillip Island VETS CRICKET – South Gippsland Cricket Revolution WGCMA – See you at the Lakes – Pelican Counting + Festival

140 82-84 138-139 95 70-71 98-99 96-97 72-73 22-23 145 100-101 93 90-91 94 12-14 68-69 86 141 76-79 20-21 8-9

our advertisers our autumn back cover Virtue Homes Photography by Dave Aarons http://www.facebook.com/Open2view.gippsland/

GIPPSLAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE/COAST/COUNTRY A: PO Box 862, Wonthaggi 3995 P: 0404 301 333 E: thelifestyle@dcsi.net.au W: www.gippslandlifestyle.com facebook.com/lifestylegippsland instagram | gippslandlifestyle

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A MAZE ‘N THINGS – REBUS PUZZLE COMPETITION PAGE BRIAGOLONG FILM FESTIVAL: 5-7 JUNE 2020 COAL CREEK COMMUNITY PARK & MUSEUM CRAWFORD MARINE CURTIS AUSTRALIA EDNEYS LEONGATHA EVANS BP – JOHNSONVILLE SERVICE FISH CREEK TEA COSY FESTIVAL: 16-24 MAY 2020 FOTINI DESIGNS ONLINE GARY WILKIE DENTIST G.J. GARDNER. HOMES GROWMASTER TRARLAGON HARRIET SHING MP – STATE GOVERNMENT KINGBUILT HOMES LAURIE COLLINS SCULTURE | RED TREE ART GALLERY NATIONAL VIETNAM VETERANS MUSEUM PHILLIP ISLAND NATURE PARKS SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO WARRAGUL CH9 STONY CREEK GO-KARTS VIRTUE HOMES – Middle + Back Cover WEST GIPPSLAND LIBRARIES WGCMA – FESTIVAL AT THE LAKES WINTER JOURNEY – LUCY CHAPMAN ARTIST WONTHAGGI MEDICAL GROUP WONTHAGGI NEWSAGENCY & LOTTO

85 16 6 19 17 3 144 17 143 24 7 11 24 15 19 80 87 5 18 74-75+148 143 10 89 92 145

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SEE YOU AT THE LAKES

Fun at Eagle Point

Banded pelican 223 - Image by Deb Sullivan

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Greening Australia will be at the Festival of the Lakes sharing their knowledge.

Lakes Entrance Pelicans with breeding colours Image by Deb Sullivan

Two great events in early April will give residents and visitors the opportunity to celebrate and be inspired by the Gippsland Lakes.

The 2020 Festival of the Lakes and Great Pelican Count will be held on Saturday, 4 and Sunday, 5 April.

Partnering with local businesses, community groups, speakers and sustainable living experts, the Festival of the Lakes on Saturday, 4 April promises to be a day filled with fun, education and inspiration.

The event organised by the Gippsland Lakes Coordinating Committee (GLCC) through funding from the Victorian State Government, aims to provide an outlet to celebrate the fantastic environmental work around the Gippsland Lakes.

GLCC Co Chair, Peter Jennings OAM, said the committee recognises that there are so many amazing people dedicating their work and personal lives to creating a better Gippsland Lakes.

“We’re extremely lucky to have people like this in the community and it is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything they have achieved and learn more from them,” said Peter.

“From the Friends of Beware Reef who have dived throughout the Gippsland Lakes helping prevent the spread of marine pests right through to Marty Potts who has worked tirelessly with Greening Australia to help protect and improve the fringing wetlands of the Gippsland Lakes.

“The day will include a speaker program held in the rotunda near the footbridge at Lakes Entrance. Speakers include Sean Phillipson from East Gippsland CMA talking about seagrass and seagrass monitoring, Tammy Logan from Gippsland Unwrapped speaking about personal action, Matt Montemurro from the Marine Mammal Foundation about their research in the Burrunan dolphin and much more.

“We’ll also have some market stalls, Nicky Moffat playing music and children’s activities. We’re adding new attractions to the day all the time, so the best way to follow what’s going on is to visit the Love our Lakes website lovourlakes.net.au or follow us on Facebook @LoveourGippslandLakes.”

The Festival of the Lakes is sharing the weekend with The Gippsland Lakes Great Pelican Count hosted by Birdlife Australia.

FESTIVAL OF THE LAKES Day: Saturday, 4 April 2020 Time: 10.00am to 3.00pm Where: Near the Lakes Entrance footbridge What: community group stalls, speakers, children’s activities, music and much more!

“We’re thrilled to have Birdlife Australia at the Festival of the Lakes, but also to share the weekend with their signature Gippsland Lakes event.”

Birdlife Australia’s Gippsland Lakes Great Pelican Count provides a snapshot of the region’s Pelican population at a point in time. Year on year this data helps build a picture of the health of the Pelicans and their movement through the Gippsland Lakes.

Birdlife Australia’s Debbie Sullivan said she was looking forward to welcoming new participants to the count.

“The Great Pelican Count has grown every year and we’re looking forward to hopefully our biggest Count yet,” said Deb. “Registrations for the Gippsland Lakes Great Pelican Count are now open. Be sure to register so that we can allocate you a sight before the count.

“One of the exciting parts of our Pelican projects that can be done at any time is to record and report sightings of our banded pelicans.

“There are more than 20 Pelicans that have been banded with a red band on their leg, each of these bands features a different number.

“When these pelican sightings are recorded, we are able to track their movements. Late last year, one of our banded pelicans, number #217, was spotted in northern NSW. We were extremely excited to get this sighting more than a year after he was last spotted at the Lakes.

“These sightings help us understand Pelicans better and what sort of habitat they like, where they move throughout the year and other information that can help land managers.

“You can contribute your sightings to our database by adding them to our Love our Pelicans Facebook group or by emailing greatpelicancount@birdlife. org.au.”

THE GIPPSLAND LAKES GREAT PELICAN COUNT Day: Sunday, 5 April Time: 11.30am to 12.00pm Where: various locations around the Gippsland Lakes Register at birdlife.org.au/projects/ gippsland-lakes-program/greatpelican-count

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AT G R O W M A S T E R T R A R A L G O N I N S P I R AT I O N A W A I T S Y O U

GROW MASTER TRARALGON

COME TO GROW MASTER FOR ALL SHOPPING, GIFTWARE, HOME WARES, LADIES FASHION AND GARDEN SUPPLIES OR CHOOSE A GIFT CARDÂ

W E A R E Y O U R D E S T I N AT I O N

For advice, range and quality.

For an experience and a garden encounter that will enchant you.

For solutions, inspiration and motivation.

WANDER THROUGH THE LAYERS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL GARDEN CENTRE, EACH STEP LEADING YOU INTO ANOTHER CHAPTER OF IDEAS FOR YOUR HOME, GARDEN AND LIFESTYLE.

Hours | Monday to Sunday 9.00am - 5.00pm 62 Argyle St, Traralgon Vic 3844 Ph: (03) 5174 2861 Em: growmastertraralgon@yahoo.com.au www.growmastertraralgon.com.au

WE BUILD YOUR FOREVER HOME WITHOUT COMPROMISE 12

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KINGBUILT HOMES IS GIPPSLAND’S LEADING CUSTOM BUILDER, SPECIALISING IN THE DESIGN AND BUILDING OF CUSTOM HOMES, FITTING THE NEEDS OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FOR NOW AND THE YEARS TO COME. gippsland lifestyle autumn ����

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ARE YOU LOOKING TO BUILD A UNIQUE HOME? KINGBUILT SPECIALISES IN: Architectural designed homes | Energy efficient designs Acreage designs | Sloping site designs Challenging shape block designs

KINGBUILT - OFFERING TRUE DESIGN FREEDOM call 1300 546 428 or visit: www.kingbuilthomes.com.au Visit The Tribute Display Home 39 Blackman Drive Warragul open 12-4pm, Friday - Tuesday Visit The Phoenix & Louis Display Homes 184-186 Cross’s Road Traralgon open 12-4pm, Friday - Tuesday

1300 546 428 | sales@kingbuilt.com.au | www.kingbuilt.com.au

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FISH CREEK TEA COSY FESTIVAL 16-24 MAY 2020 ✺ Amazing tea cosies ✺ World's biggest tea cosy record attempt ✺ High Tea, tea talk, tea tastings ✺ Craft Workshops ✺ Bendigo Bank Market Day with craft stalls, magician & more!

for more info visit www.teacosyfestival.com.au

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Stony Creek Go-Karts is now well and truly one of the highlights of South Gippsland.

EVENT DAY – RETRO KARTING AUSTRALIA F100

■ Hire Karts ■ BYO Kart Membership (Day/Yearly Rate) ■ Corporate Days ■ Group Bookings ■ Birthday Parties & Functions ■ Driver Education ■ Phoenix Kart Agents ■ Kart Sales & Spares ■ Café Please check

website for dates and times.

PH : 5664 7272

EM: info@stonycreekgokarts.com.au For more information visit stonycreekgokarts.com.au Please Note: When Stony Creek Racing Club is holding a race meeting the venue will be closed. During the winter period the venue is closed mid week unless prior booking is made.

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OPEN 7 DAYS FROM 10am

CAMPION BOATS ARE BACK IN AUSTRALIA

BOATING SINCE 1964

71-77 Chickerell Street, Morwell 3840 P: 5134 6522 E: info@crawfordmarine.com.au www.crawfordmarine.com.au

MEMBER

Set in Jindivick’s rolling green hills discover an acre of recycled metal sculptures and browse the gallery space hosting the work of contemporary artists and Laurie’s small stories sculptures.

Call in anytime, no cost and see the studio (amongst the metal chaos!)

RED TREE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS Coming up at the Red Tree Gallery Jindivick over the next three months are a range of shows and activities.

AUTUMN EXHIBITIONS 2020 MARCH WENDY TWYEROULD with true to nature Paintings

APRIL YVETTE STUBBS returns with her individual take on the world – Paintings & Mixed Media

MAY Wendy Twyerould ‘The Falls’

LOUISE SEDGMAN Award Winning Equine Photography

For more info visit www.redtreegallery.com.au Thanks Laurie Good on ya

420 Main Jindivick Road, Jindivick VIC 3818 P: 5628 5224 | E: info@lauriecollins.com.au

www.lauriecollins.com.au

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Gippsland Goannas Captain: Ray Smith with Leongatha/South Gippsland Captain Gary Adams with Gippsland Lifestyle Cup

The South Gippsland Cricket Revolution

VETS THAT IS! The Leongatha South Gippsland Vets Over 60's was established in the 2018/19 season, enjoying a fruitful season of more wins than losses. With that in mind and a hunger for vets’ cricket, it was a natural progression that an Over 50's team would be developed.

Andrew O’Hoy is the instigator for developing the over 50's team, and from the fear of early concerns of filling a side, it was short-lived and as the year progressed so did the numbers of players for the new over 50's side. Many of the players I have spoken to during the season are very grateful to Andrew for providing them a passion for the game again, a game that they thought was lost after some of the players had retired from playing for their sides in competition cricket but the enthusiasm has been ignited as they are able to continue their careers in veterans cricket.

Many of the players were rivals but now they are united under the one banner.

The new over 50's side, in its first season competed in the finals, losing in a high scoring semi final at Outtrim to the seasoned Mont Albert side, but the winner is veterans’ cricket in South Gippsland.

It is hoped that a Gippsland competition within the over 50's will be eventually established and during the year a composite side was made up of players from South Gippsland, Eley Park and Forest Hill that took on Traralgon West at their home ground.

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This game had great support and players were thrilled to have local MP Russell Northe in attendance with a promise that he might put on the pads and play next season.

Melbourne sides have visited our grounds in South Gippsland, and they have all reported that they have enjoyed playing on some of the best surfaces, turf pitches and the friendship during and after the games have been developed and enjoyed.

During the vets’ season, the over 60's played off in the Gippsland Lifestyle Cup against the well-established Gippsland Goannas and the Goannas were the winners again. I think the Goannas get themselves up for this major fixture so the Leongatha/South Gippsland boys might have to find another gear!

For further information about vets’ cricket in South Gippsland, please check out our facebook page at Leongatha/South Gippsland Over 50’s & 60’s cricket teams.

Leroy Freeman bowling

TRARALGON WEST OVER 50’S L-R: Russell Northe, Sam Varsaci, Andrew Sheehan, David Gellion, Shane Griffiths, Brenton Howe, Pat Bezzine, Rino Metlikovec, Paul Quinlan, Steve Mcrae, Greg Foley, Paul Howard, Leroy Freeman, Anthony Hetherton & Steven Cooke

Brian Knight batting

COMBINED OVER 50’S Russell Northe, Andrew O'Hoy, Graham Dolphin, Rod Manning, Andy Henkel, Anthony Faltum, Chris Johnstone, Alex Cooper, Philip Richards, Brian Knight (c), Darren Bookluck &Michael Whiteside

Mick Whiteside

LEONGATHA/SOUTH GIPPSLAND FIRST OVER 50'S GAME V MITCHAM Chris Fall, Mick Whiteside, Mark Nicholls, Andrew O’Hoy, Ricky Platt, Chris Johnstone, Peter Dixon, Colin Knox. Front: Trevor Allen (Captain), Brian Knight, Barry Kerr & Brett Gay Andy Henkel batting and wicket keeper Greg Foley

GIPPSLAND GOANNAS OVER 60'S Captain of Traralgon West – Sam Varsaci MP for Morwell – Russell Northe and Captain of the Combined Team: Brian Knight

LEONGATHA/SOUTH GIPPSLAND OVER 60'S Action at Traralgon West

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FRESH IDEAS, A TRADITIONAL CRAFT MOVING A visit to Bairnsdale based jewellers Curtis Australia certainly is a rewarding experience. Not only can you see beautiful, handcrafted jewellery (original designs that you can't get anywhere else) - in their well appointed, private showroom - you can even see where their jewellery is made.

This makes the difference for many of their clients, who like the idea that everything is made in house, and importantly never leaves the expert care of Curtis craftsmen.

It's these differences that set this jeweller apart, along with collections of exclusive designs and an enviable, international award winning reputation for the highest quality. These exacting standards have even seen Curtis create for Royalty, and owning a Curtis piece means you join a very exclusive family.

Scratch the surface at Curtis and there's a whole lot more to learn, and with a clear vision, there are exciting things happening at this unique Gippsland jeweller.

“Jewellery is constantly evolving,” says Master Jeweller Glenn Curtis.

“We're always coming up with new ideas and new pieces to excite our customers. New for 2020 are our new Gum Nut pieces, Australian inspired pendants and earrings in two tone gold and silver, set with champagne diamonds - truly unique."

“We love to see you here at the showroom, where you can see and touch jewellery, but if you can't visit we're busy updating our website so you can choose and buy your next piece of jewellery from us online.”

NATURAL PEARL EMBRACED BY FLOWING YELLOW GOLD

LUSTROUS CREAMY WHITE PEARLS SURROUNDED BY POLISHED YELLOW GOLD

PEARL EARRINGS IN PINK OR YELLOW GOLD

“If quality is in the detail, and I believe it is, then the products offered by ‘Curtis Australia’ are indeed of the highest calibre”..... Nancy Olson, Stylus Magazine USA 22

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FRESH APPROACH WITH THE TIMES

EACH DIAMOND CAREFULLY CHOSEN AND HAND SET

BY PAUL HENDERSON

THE FINAL POLISH IS ALWAYS BY HAND

This is a trend that jewellers Curtis have embraced, moving quickly with changing times. It allows 24/7 access to their jewellery collections, you can see and decide on a piece even if you are far away.

“Some of our clients work away and find it tricky to come and see us, so our website is invaluable for reaching them and providing even better service,” says Glenn.

Imagine working away – you might not be anywhere near a town. You're busy, and wondering about how you'll find time to choose a gift for that special occasion coming up. Now Curtis allows you to pick a piece online for delivery or pick up when you are next home. With a 30 day return policy Curtis takes away the worry from choosing the perfect piece.

The Curtis service extends even further, you can even commission your own design. With over 40 years of experience, Glenn can create a design that suits your personality perfectly. “What's interesting about this process is that often people come in with no idea what they might like,” says Glenn.

HANDCRAFTED RING IN WHITE GOLD WITH FIVE STUNNING BRILLIANT DIAMONDS

”To help with this, we start showing different pieces, or photos of pieces we've made, and from these you can quickly feel when something strikes a chord. From there, we focus on a design theme or idea that will suit perfectly. It seems as though everyone knows what they like when they see it!”

Add to this a full raft of jewellery services such as repairs, remakes and remodelling and it's clear to see what keeps Glenn Curtis motivated to help his valued clients with every aspect of their jewellery.

Next time you're in Bairnsdale, pop in for a chat and a look around, and if you can't get there, be sure to check out their beautifully presented and easy to use website at www.curtisaustralia.com Either way, you'll be rewarded with a sparkling experience.

INTERWOVEN 'KNOT' EARRINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN YELLOW, PINK OR WHITE GOLD

IN YELLOW GOLD, THIS COLOURFUL WHITE OPAL RING HAS WHITE GOLD DIAMOND SHOULDERS

Glenn and the team at Curtis Australia are ready to help you.

Problems solved, give Curtis Australia a call on 5152 1089 or call in to 129 Macleod Street Bairnsdale and see for yourself what this very creative team of jewellers really can do.

You can see more at Curtis Australia’s stunning work at www.curtisaustralia.com or, next time you are in Bairnsdale, why not pop into their studio at 129 Macleod Street. Ph | 03 5152 1089

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THE KORUMBURRA DENTIST

The Korumburra Family Dental Surgery is located upstairs in a historical building in Korumburra and blends today’s dentistry with a cost effective professional environment.

Dr Gary Wilkie BDSc (Melb) has been servicing the Bass Coast and South Gippsland communities for over 30 years, as a local family owned and operated dental practice which was established in 1945.

We bulk bill eligible child dental scheme and Veteran Affairs patients.

Dr Gary Wilkie B.D.Sc. (Melb) L.D.S. F.R.A.C.D.S. F.A.I.C.D. Member of Australian Dental Association

Call now 5655 1026 1 Radovick Street, Korumburra 3950

Support LOCAL, SUPPORT Gippsland "We are open for Business"

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East Gippsland Bushfires

2019/20

THE EAST GIPPSLAND BLACK SUMMER FIRES WERE UNPRECEDENTED, COMPLEX – IN SHEER SIZE, BEHAVIOUR AND UNRELENTING POWER. OVERCOMING THE BEAST WAS NOTHING SHORT OF AN ARMY NUMBERING IN THE THOUSANDS.

BLACK SUMMER BUSHFIRES REPORT FROM CFA THE FIRES & DESTRUCTION IN EAST GIPPSLAND A MAMMOTH EFFORT BY THOUSANDS CLIFTON CREEK PRIMARY SCHOOL AFFECTED AND TO REBUILD NOAH’S ARK FERRIES FURRY FRIENDS FROM FIRES ESCAPE FROM MALLACOOTA MIRACLE BUCHAN SURVIVAL FEEDING HEARTS & MINDS – SIKH VOLUNTEERS AUSTRALIA GIPPSLAND FARMER RELIEF OFFERS A HELPING HAND WILDLIFE’S GUARDIAN ANGEL, SUSIE PULIS PLANTS IN FIRE AFFECTED AREAS LEAD RECOVERY REBUILDING LIVES – GERF AND BLAZE AID THE LONG ROAD TO TOURISM RECOVERY EAST GIPPSLAND “WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS” MP TIM BULL’S TOURISM PUSH

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Black summer bushfires WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

AS 2019 DREW TO A CLOSE, TINDER DRY CONDITIONS AND DRY LIGHTNING COMBINED FOR WHAT WOULD EVENTUALLY TURN INTO A MILLION-HECTARE BLAZE, SPANNING THROUGH EAST GIPPSLAND AND ACROSS THE NEW SOUTH WALES BORDER. On November 21, 2019 a large band of dry lightning traversed the Great Dividing Range igniting 24 different fires, with the Bruthen, W-Tree, Ensay and Marthavale fires growing as the days ticked on. It would be almost a month before the Bruthen fire was contained and the W-Tree fire amassed almost 400,000 hectares.

On the eve of a new decade, the fire hit fever pitch, with a total fire ban across the state on December 30, 2019. A new threat – the Cann River – Banana Track fire was found, and this would eventually go on to impact Mallacoota on New Year’s Eve. Most of the fires eventually joined together, making a behemoth blaze across East Gippsland, and as of early February, four Incident Control Centres continued to manage the fire, which has also joined neighbouring fires in the Hume Region and southern New South Wales in some locations.

Five people lost their lives in Victoria in the Black Summer bushfires, hundreds of properties were lost or impacted, and thousands of firefighters traipsed the scorched earth, protecting what they could.

“The challenge with this complex of fires is to have this much fire in what is, when you think of the State of Victoria, a relatively small space, is quite an extreme experience for the communities,” explained Swifts Creek Deputy Incident Controller Emma Conway.

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“Because normally when you have communities impacted you have the communities around them that can support them. You don’t have to go far to get a level of normalcy. The challenge for East Gippsland is that everywhere is impacted. And if you’re not directly impacted by fire, then you’re impacted by severe levels of smoke. And if you’re not impacted by fires, you’re impacted by an influx of refugees or you’re impacted by a lack of tourism. Everyone is impacted by these fires.”

Emma’s career in the CFA spans more than 12 years, and includes working on the Thomson Dam fire and Black Saturday. But she admits, this fire was a different beast altogether. “The scale of the fire outgrew our capacity to manage with our normal resources very, very quickly.”

While the sheer scale of the fire was one huge obstacle, another was its behaviour.

“The challenge that we’ve had this season is that all the normal strategies that we’ve put in place about forest fire behavior haven’t worked. So, we’ve had to really reassess how we deal with these sorts of fires. Because they’ve just been so extreme, and you’re sitting there going, based on everything we understand about fire behaviour, they should not be running flat out, at night, downhill in the rain. They’re not supposed to do that.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Ruby Fire Brigade volunteer firefighter Darren Hardacre, who’s been involved with the CFA for 25 years.

“Every fire and every job you go to, you learn new skills and you appreciate that the fire is a living beast in itself. And you expect the unexpected,” Darren said.

“We’ve had challenging times. We’ve had new members that have not been in a brigade that long that have done the training and come along and they’ve got to see the devastation of not only the damage for miles and miles and miles in the bush but lots of houses being destroyed which is really devastating, even after 25 years. It’s a harrowing experience.”

Lieutenant Matilda Connell (left) from the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment and Deputy Incident Controller Emma Conway (right) from the Country Fire Authority, conduct ground reconnaissance to assess fire damage in Omeo, during Operation Bushfire Assist.

Photo by PTE Madhur Chitnis, Commonwealth of Australia Department of Defence

Nar Nar Goon CFA in action

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E Lieutenant Matilda Connell and Corporal Trent Jones from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment conduct map reconnaissance with Deputy Incident Controller Emma Conway (right) and Commander Mitch Simmons (left from the Country Fire Authority, to assess fire damage in Omeo, during Operation Bushfire Assist.

Photo by PTE Madhur Chitnis, Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence.

EMMA SAYS THE BLAZE HAS BEEN A HUGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL AGENCIES, AS WELL AS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SUCCESSFUL EXISTING PROCEDURES. “One of the things that we also need to recognise is that while there’s a lot of things that we’ve sat back and gone, ‘well that didn’t work very well’, there’s also been a whole lot of things that have worked really well. And I suppose I look at the Tambo Valley where I’ve been working, places like Tambo Crossing, Omeo, some of those centres that were directly under threat, whether by good luck or good management, we managed to protect for the most part.”

Despite her more than decade-long experience with the CFA, Emma says she realised early on with the East Gippsland fires that the ‘rules didn’t apply’ anymore, based on the initial fire behaviour.

“I was pretty confident that we weren’t going to hold the fires. That was purely based on my assumptions around the consequences of the drought. What that was going to do to our fuels.”

But she says she’s proud of what all of the agencies involved have been able to achieve, including crews from the US and Canada.

“It’s actually an incredibly humbling and invigorating environment to work in. It didn’t matter how hard it got, everyone was doing whatever they could to make the situation better. Even if it was just a little bit better. Everyone pitched in and it was just an incredible experience to be part of.”

AS OF EARLY FEBRUARY, THE COMBINED FIRE SIZE IN VICTORIA WAS 1,150,667 HECTARES. Photos supplied by the Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence Photos supplied by Trevor Stow

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Various CFA vehicles at Omeo Deputy Incident Controller Emma Conway from the Country Fire Authority, during a media brief at Swifts Creek, on Operation Bushfire Assist.

Photo by PTE Madhur Chitnis, Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence

“I WAS PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE WEREN’T GOING TO HOLD THE FIRES. THAT WAS PURELY BASED ON MY ASSUMPTIONS AROUND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DROUGHT. WHAT THAT WAS GOING TO DO TO OUR FUELS.” Swift’s Creek CFA Strike Force Base

Black summer bushfires

Australian Army soldier of the 7th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, Private Luke Jones (right) speaks with local volunteer firefighters in the Victorian township of Orbost in support of Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20.

Photo by CAPT Megan McDermott, Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Fires swept through Clifton Creek

The fires & destruction in East Gippsland Many holidaymakers evacuated into Bairnsdale. Temporary camping spots like this one on Clifton Creek in Bairnsdale sprung up overnight. Photo by Phil Jones

SES and Army Reserve clearing Great Alpine Road after landslides

Fires swept through Sarsfield

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Fires swept through Clifton Creek

Great Alpine road and valley badly damaged

Fires swept through Sarsfield

Destruction in Sarsfield Property destroyed at Reedy Flat

It's not only the fires that affected people's lives. The weeks of smoke that engulfed the region also took its toll.

These pictures were taken in the Gippsland Lakes near Fraser Island where visibility was down to about 200 metres at midday.

Trees burnt at Reedy Flat

70% damage to Innisfail Sheep and Cattle property

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Fires swept through Clifton Creek

Great Alpine road and valley badly damaged

Clifton Creek farmer, Arthur Kenny and dog Skye still manage a smile following the fire. Arthur's house was spared but much of his farm was burned despite Arthur staying on the property and doing his best to defend his assets. Photo by Trevor Stow

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Watching the fires approaching can be a scary business. This is the Clifton Creek fire before it hit the small community.

Photos taken by Matthew Daizel

After the rains, major landslide impact along the Great Alpine Road

The farmland of Granite Rock saw the fury of the fires. Fencing was wiped out on many farms. Photo taken by Trevor Stow

Australian Army Reserve at base camp in Bairnsdale.

Photo taken by Trevor Stow

All images by Doug Pell, Trevor Stow, Matthew Daizel and Phil Jones

L-R Horsham CFA Volunteer Jo Gellary, Sarsfield CFA Captain Ian Brownrigg, Tex & Horsham CFA Volunteer Sue Martin

The long road to recovery

Re-growth of native trees near Bruthen

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

A Mammoth

effort by thousands WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

Baby koala in bag waiting to be checked

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THE EAST GIPPSLAND BLACK SUMMER FIRES WERE AN ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED COMPLEX – IN SHEER SIZE, BEHAVIOUR AND UNRELENTING POWER. AND OVERCOMING THE BEAST WAS NOTHING SHORT OF AN ARMY NUMBERING IN THE THOUSANDS.

FFM Vic – image by Brad Fisher

Forest Fire Management Victoria - image by DELWP

Battling blazes that eventually scorched more than one million hectares of earth was a huge operational undertaking by several different agencies and an overseas contingent that topped more than 2000 people under the Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) banner alone.

It included personnel from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Melbourne Water, VicForests and Parks Victoria.

While the usual scope of work for FFMVic falls to fire management on public land, this complex was so widespread, that the CFA assisted in its protection of private land, and vice versa.

“We’ve gone through some of the worst fire conditions since Black Saturday in East Gippsland,” explained Deputy Chief Fire Officer Gippsland Region FFMVic Beth Roberts. “We’ve had our Incident Management staff and firefighters hard at it since November, so that’s a lot of people on the ground for such a long time doing some really amazing response and recovery work for our community.

“And I really want to recognise all the local communities themselves that are pitching in and helping out with relief, right down to local suppliers like pubs and bakeries in small towns that pulled out all the stops to help feed all our firefighters. It’s not a small undertaking and really, we can’t understate the scale of just how many people are involved.”

FFM Vic – Image by Steve Colquitt

The complex of fires that ignited in November last year was so significant that multiple levels of control arrangements were enacted to co-ordinate the huge amount of people involved.

“WE ALL HELP EACH OTHER OUT, FROM A LOCAL, STATEWIDE, INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. “We have ongoing interstate and international agreements in place where we can push the button to bring in our colleagues from other states or overseas. Earlier in the season in September we headed interstate and helped out with the fires in NSW and Queensland, and in the months to follow others have come in to help us out in return.

“We’ve also had three rotations of American taskforces come into East Gippsland. They came in for about 20 days at a time and were either on the fireline doing active firefighting alongside our local crews or carrying out specialist leadership incident management roles in our incident control centres.”

Alongside personnel from agencies were local machinery contractors, who used their local knowledge, skills and heavy equipment to play an integral part in firefighting efforts.

Baby koala being checked

Forest Fire Management Victoria - image by DELWP

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E Koala being rescued in the Gippsland Fires - image by JMcArthur

“SKILLED OPERATORS CREATED STRATEGIC CONTROL LINES, CLEARED HAZARDOUS TREES AND MADE ROADS AND AREAS SAFER TO ALLOW FASTER VEHICLE ACCESS FOR FIRE RESPONSE AND TO PROVIDE SAFER WORKING SPACES FOR OUR GROUND CREWS. “It’s been one of those really hard years where many locals involved were fighting the fire out on the fire ground or the incident control centre, then going home and defending their own property at the same time.

“It’s been such a crushing time for us in Gippsland where people have lost their own homes and property while they’ve been out helping the community. It’s just been devastating.

“I’m just incredibly proud of all my staff and everyone across the board.”

Alongside the human impact of the fires has been the huge impact on native wildlife and their habitat. DELWP’s trained wildlife officers were deployed to find, assess and rescue wildlife, working with veterinary staff at mobile triage centres in Bairnsdale, Gelantipy and Mallacoota.

While much of the work has now turned to relief and recovery, the work of the agencies continues, particularly in remote regions. And Beth admits the road to recovery is a long one.

“Multiple communities were isolated by these fires, due to fires continuing to block access and then safety challenges brought on by road damage and hazardous trees falling down.

“The sheer scale of the fires means that the recovery process continues to be huge and will be ongoing for some time to come.

“Some of the Black Saturday recovery took over a decade, and that’s just the physical recovery. The mental health and wellbeing of our community, firefighters, contractors and volunteers is just a whole new type of recovery that is going to take a long time.”

Images supplied by Fire Forest Management (DELWP)

Forest Fire Management Victoria - image by DELWP

Joint FFM Vic and USA – image by Brad Fisher

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | clifton creek primary school ˚ 37.7020° S, 147.6594° E

Clifton Creek

Primary School WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

WHILE IT MAY HAVE HAD JUST 11 STUDENTS, CLIFTON CREEK PRIMARY SCHOOL WAS A HUGELY IMPORTANT PART OF THE COMMUNITY, AND ITS LOSS DURING THE FIRES WERE FELT FAR AND WIDE. "We were devastated," said Clifton Creek Primary School Principal Sue Paul. "We were thinking there'll probably be a good chance the school will close as a result of the fire, that's a thought that everyone had. Great relief when they announced that they would rebuild, it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride."

Work has already begun on rebuilding the school, and in the meantime the students have been warmly welcomed at Nicholson Primary School.

"We've placed a portable there for our school and we'll be our own little entity in Nicholson Primary School."

The school community has also been buoyed by donations of books and supplies from around the world.

"THAT'S BEEN OVERWHELMING, AND ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. AND THAT'S PUT SMILES ON ALL THE KIDS' FACES THAT PEOPLE HAVE CARED SO MUCH, AND IT'S WHAT SPURRED US ALL ON."

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | mallacoota ˚ 37.5500° S, 149.7500° E

‘Noah’s

’

FERRIES FURRY FRIENDS FROM FIRES WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

An LCM8 transits from HMAS Choules to HMAS Cerberus to disembark evacuees from Mallacoota during Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20 Photographer: POIS Helen Frank – Copyright Commonwealth of Australia

THEY’RE THE IMAGES THAT MADE HEARTS SWELL ACROSS THE WORLD – DOGS OF EVERY SHAPE AND SIZE SNUGGLED WITH THEIR OWNERS, AFLOAT OFF THE COAST OF MALLACOOTA ON THE HMAS CHOULES.

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For those onboard with the furry contingent, it was a calming experience after witnessing the horror of unprecedented bushfires cutting a swathe through their homes and much-loved holiday destination. As Mallacoota evacuees bunkered down for a 30-hour journey to safety, holidaymaker Kristine Daniels made her way around the vessel, taking images of the pets and their owners. What she captured was the essence of humanity.

“We love the variety of activities, the seclusion of the town, the beautiful beaches, the main street that never seems to change, the koalas that live in the caravan park trees, the mobs of kangaroos that are always about, the occasional seal on the beach, the proximity to Gabo Island, and the inlet that always seems to change,” Kristine explains, when asked why she loves Mallacoota.

“There’s always a Saturday market during the Christmas holidays, where we can get great local produce and other wares. The Foreshore Caravan Park (where we’ve always stayed) allows us to camp so close to the inlet, while giving us the peace of mind that we can quickly cycle up to Food Works or IGA if we’ve forgotten anything. The campers at the caravan park are always welcoming, happy to look after our site if the weather turns while we’re temporarily away, and always happy to have a chat.”

A true animal lover, Kristine’s volunteered in South Africa’s Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife and sits on the board of The Lost Dogs’ Home in North Melbourne. The natural wonder that is far East Gippsland was a perfect fit for her annual Christmas holiday.

But as the dawn of a new decade approached, it was apparent that her 2019 Mallacoota trip would be unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

“We were monitoring the VIC Emergency app, which advised us to stay in Mallacoota, so we spent the 40-degree Monday the 30th of December 2019 playing on the beach. There was a thunderstorm warning around 3:30pm, so we hurried back to the caravan park to seal up our tents, only to be advised 30 minutes later that we needed to evacuate to our safe locations due to impending fire.

“Our other friends had children and, after a hasty and anxious discussion, they opted to go to the jetty and community refuge centre, while we opted to take our dog for a night on the beach. There were maybe 200 others on the beach (contrary to the 4000 reported) – many families with young children, and there were 15 SUVs/utes on the beach.

“Nothing really eventuated and around 7pm our friends rang us that they were advised it was safe to return to the site, but there was concern a cool change from 1am - 4am would create another fire evacuation. So, we returned and hastily packed up everything but our tent, moved the car away from the trees, and returned to the beach around 8pm to camp out under our beach shelter.”

For the next few hours, Kristine, her husband Brian Borowsky and hundreds of others endured the uncomfortable conditions on the beach.

“Sand is harder than you realise, and the wind often shifted, changing the temperature quickly between 30s down to 20s and back. My 13-year-old Labradoodle kept pacing, as we could all see the sky glowing red in the distance, plus smell the smoke. Around 6am Tuesday the 31st the wind kicked up, making us feel like we were in a sandstorm. I let out the poles of my beach shelter, collapsing the shelter around us, and we huddled under the shelter while the sand whipped around us (like in a movie).

Below: Mallacoota residents, tourists and their pets are evacuated to HMAS Choules on one of the ship’s landing craft Photographer: LSIS Shane Cameron – Copyright Commonwealth of Australia

“Most families with young children abandoned the beach around this time, because the sandstorm was terrible, heading for the Community Centre. Around 7am we, too, gave up and started trudging back, aiming for the Community Centre (where I really didn’t want to go, not fancying the idea of being in a windowless building with 500+ people during a fire).

But someone chased after us, advising we check if any of the abandoned cars were unlocked, and luckily the first one we tried was unlocked, and we sheltered there, in a stranger’s abandoned car for the next six hours.”

After a harrowing night, came day break – but not daylight.

“From about 8am-10am, the sky turned pitch black, and that’s when we saw the flames crest Bastion Point – maybe 750 metres away. It was obviously frightening, and I kept an eye on my boogie board, in case we needed to head for the water and needed a flotation device. Though I knew we were safe (nothing but sand and water between us and the fire), it was still scary, exacerbated by the stinging sand and embers blowing all around us. The sky turned red from maybe 10-11am, and then pale yellow thereafter.

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | mallacoota ˚ 37.5500° S, 149.7500° E An evacuee from Mallacoota, Victoria disembarks HMAS Choules with her dog at Western Port Photographer: POIS Nina Fogliani – Copyright Commonwealth of Australia

We could occasionally hear the loud boom of a gas tank exploding – a very unsettling sound. Around 1pm our friends (who spent an anxious, hot night in the Community Centre) rang to let us know it was okay to return to our campsite.

“When we returned, we were surprised that, despite the fact that our campsite was 20 metres from the tree line, and about 50 metres from some spot fires, our tent was intact. So, we relocated to another site in the same caravan park, closer to the Community Centre, and adjacent to where our friends also relocated.”

While the immediate fire threat had eased slightly, the town now had to deal with complete isolation.

“The next few days were trying. The entire township had no power and, with only one road in and out of town, supplies could only be shipped in. Because the road to the tip wasn’t safe, rubbish lay uncollected, and effort was devoted to clearing that road to avoid any sort of health outbreak. Some items (bread, twominute noodles) in the Food Works and IGA (who were using generators) were sold out. Petrol and diesel was being rationed (mainly affecting those using generators), and while water was unpotable for only 12 hours on Wednesday, we were advised to ration water use."

“The caravan put on a generator for one of the six shower blocks for only a couple of hours/day for hot showers – I never made it and took cold showers only. Spot fires continued to burn across the inlet, and the air was still very smoke-filled, prompting many of us to use masks Tuesday through Friday. We drove around to see which parts of the town were luckily untouched, and which homes were unfortunately lost to fires – a useful exercise in perspective, reminding me that I have a home to return back to.”

However, returning home was never going to be an easy task. With outof-control fires burning around the town, the only way to escape was via the water or air – and Kristine explained that the heavy smoke made flying conditions uncertain. So began the task of ferrying 1200 people on naval ships and another 500 via helicopters.

“We had numerous briefings from the Navy, police and CFA, and we had to decide whether to cross our fingers that a) the roads would reopen in the next fortnight and b) Saturday’s forecasted 40C day wouldn’t prompt another fire front, or evacuate via Navy ship.

Mallacoota residents and tourists line up at the local community centre to register their interest in evacuation to HMAS Choules Photographer: LSIS Shane Cameron – Copyright Commonwealth of Australia

“We chose the ship option but were unsure if demand would be too high and whether we’d get scheduled for the Sunday voyage. Luckily, around 10:30pm Thursday night we learned that we’d be on the Friday voyage.”

In a matter of a few days, Kristine and hundreds of others had gone from the normality of summer holidays and every day life, to boarding an Australian Navy vessel to safety.

“The excitement of the Navy vessel was a welcome distraction from what we had gone through. The Navy and other Australian Defence Force personnel were astoundingly flexible, giving us freedom to visit any area of the ship, except locked doors. We even hung out on the captain’s bridge, light-heartedly sitting in the captain’s chair, pretending to press the ship’s control buttons.

“By luck my husband and I were allocated bunks in the troops’ quarters, whereas most passengers had to sleep on floors / in hallways / on sofas (the crew provided all of us blankets and mats if needed). It was interesting being on the ship: watching them crane the three small boats (that transported us from the jetty to the naval ship) onto the ship, reading all the safety messages posted in the hallways, watching the maintenance of the helicopter, and endlessly going up and down stairs to meander the ship. We were fed four meals (pasta, chicken schnitzel, veggie meals, breakfast cereal, even soft-serve ice cream!) and we couldn’t believe how much attention was paid to making us as comfortable as possible.

An evacuee from Mallacoota with her dog on board MV Sycamore Photographer: LSIS Shane Cameron – Copyright Commonwealth of Australia

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“It was longer than the 17 hours reported though: we mustered for the bus to depart for the Bastion Point jetty Friday at 9:30am (the last bus was scheduled for 1:30pm), boarded at 11am, and finally left around 7pm Friday night, docking in at the Bluescope Steel facilities around 5pm, arriving at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre around 6pm, and home around 7:30pm Saturday night.

Among the 1200 human evacuees, were more than 150 pets, mainly made up of dogs, as well as some cats, a rabbit, and even a parakeet.

Kristine says the animals were just what everyone on board needed.

“We would have struggled to leave our dog with a carer. She’s 13-yearsold and is easily agitated, and it would have had a horrible impact on our emotional wellbeing if we had to leave her. On a practical note, it was in the town’s interest to evacuate as many people as possible, due to dwindling supplies of petrol, food and water; so any enticement to leave, would have been welcomed by those who remained.”

Kristine says the mood on the HMAS Choules was mixed, with many reluctantly fleeing their homes.

“I’m sheepish that I had to keep reminding myself that not everyone was as lucky as I was. I was with many Mallacoota residents who either lost their homes, or decided to escape for the safety of Melbourne. For them, their ordeal continues, whereas for me, the ordeal is mostly over and will end when we can retrieve our car, camping gear and other personal belongings still in the Mallacoota caravan park. The mood on board was communal and pleasant – although many got seasick. Queues for meals were long (maybe 30 minutes) but we all felt lucky to be fed. Crew members were incredibly good natured, patient and welcoming. The mood on the pets’ vehicle deck was even more communal, where people were happy to try to console someone else’s agitated pet, to share dog food and water, to allow strangers to pet our dogs, and no one grumbled when a dog toileted anywhere (there were no set areas for dog toileting).”

HMAS Choules sailor, Leading Seaman Communications and Information Systems Afton Mitchell pats the dogs evacuated with their owners from Mallacoota Photographer: POIS Helen Frank – Copyright Commonwealth of Australia

Kristine decided to snap photos of the pets and their owners while on her journey home, and the images eventually went all over the world. They struck a chord with millions who were watching on the sidelines as the devastation unfolded.

“It’s almost universal that happy animals can bring delight – across cultures, languages, and borders. Most bushfire photos have rightly revealed loss and devastation, so it was a much-needed circuit breaker to see photos of animals bringing joy and comfort to people. The cavernous ship environment (including military vehicles in the background), the filthy paws, the sleeping in rough conditions, and dim lighting didn’t detract from the seriousness of the photos. But the photos helped those from afar realise that evacuees’ emotional well-being was being treated just as importantly as our physical well-being.

“Plus, we all had a giggle to see some animals resemble their owners!

I only took the photos to share on my own Facebook with friends. As an afterthought, I posted them to the Mallacoota Community News Facebook group, and I was struck by how quickly they went viral.”

For Kristine, the trauma of the bushfires is still raw, and her thoughts remain with the many locals and wildlife still dealing with the fallout, many weeks later.

“I would encourage everyone to donate and spend money in regional towns affected by bushfires. When donating, take care to research what you’re donating to, i.e., some organisations are state-based (CFA vs RFS, Wildlife Victoria vs WIRES). When visiting, bring an empty esky so you spend more locally.

Most importantly, just come back!”

Images: Kristine Daniels and Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | mallacoota ˚ 37.5500° S, 149.7500° E

‘we were waiting for the apocalypse’

ESCAPE FROM MALLACOOTA Forrest looking back at devastation

The peaceful bush surroundings of Jeeralang Junction, with its gentle bird song and lush green undergrowth, are a far cry from the crisp, blackened earth in far East Gippsland. It’s a fact not lost on Graham and Linda Snell as they sit on the deck of the property, not far from the Morwell National Park.

Speaking just a few days after the ferocious fires in the far east of the region reached Mallacoota on New Year’s Eve they’re still visibly shaken by the monster that licked at the town and left them stranded.

Out on the water, during their annual Christmas break in the town, the first Linda and Graham knew of any fires was an alert on the Vic Emergency App. “We’re out fishing, Graham hooked this massive flathead and then the app went off to say that there was a couple of fires started at Wingan River,” Linda explains. “At that stage the wind was blowing north east, down from Mallacoota and across Wingan River and we really just kept an eye on what was going on. But within an hour, that area had been put on emergency alert.

“You could see the smoke kick off pretty quickly. Some hikers had been dropped into Wingan River and by the time the guy drove back to Mallacoota, he had to organise a boat retrieval to get them back out of there.”

By mid-morning the next day, Monday December 30, it was already deemed unsafe to try and leave via the southern route. A journey home to the Latrobe Valley would mean detouring via Canberra, while dodging other fires. The couple decided that given they had their holiday unit and boat for shelter, they were better to stay put.

The town lost power late afternoon, and with the mercury hitting 40 degrees, fridges began to thaw, and being inside was unbearably hot.

“We ended up sleeping on the boat on the Monday night, tied up alongside the wharf, because we felt it would be safer and couldn’t sleep inside because of the heat. Our dog, Forrest, either spooned with me or he just sat and watched. We hadn’t had much sleep, just snatched a couple of hours here and there, and then Forrest jumped up onto the deck at about 4.30am when the wind change came through. He weighs a bit so it rocked the boat and it woke me up and woke Graham up and you could see the conditions starting to change and it brought the fire right back to Mallacoota. The smoke was so thick we ended up going back to the unit hoping that the air inside might be more breathable.

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WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH By then the colour of the sky was like sunrise but it just went all different shades of orange. I think it was about 8.30am Graham ran back to the boat to grab another headlight because there was no power, you couldn’t see anything and the sky was just black. Three hours after sunrise the sky was just pitch black.”

The couple tied their boat to the wharf that morning, December 30, as they’d been told at the community meeting that either the wharf or footy ground would be the places authorities would be most able to protect.

“I stood up on the wharf there and had a bit of a look around at the scene and it was like something out of a movie,” Graham recalls. “There were people just huddled and waiting. Waiting for the apocalypse. And then it started to go dark. The image of a young mother huddled, sobbing under a blanket, a child crying under each arm, wet towels over their heads believing they were taking their last breath before being incinerated is one that will stay with me for a long time.”

Despite the impending fire wall headed towards them, Graham remained relatively calm, having come face to face with a similar situation during the 2013 Aberfeldy fire, when he lived near Heyfield.

“You just do what you’ve got to do. There’s no point in panicking, you just think about where you’re going to and what you’ve got to do,” said Graham.

But Linda admits, she was far from calm as the flames came closer, admitting she thought they may not make it.

“He made far better decisions than I did, I started to panic. When those sirens when off, you just panic, I had the dog and I only got maybe ten steps from the door and I got, ‘Where are you going! You’re got to stay here.’ He was very good at giving directions, because I was leaning towards panic. Especially when we were watching that fire go through Coull’s Inlet and Shady Gully, you just think, ‘Am I going to die today?

Is this it?’ So just trying to reign that in and stay in the moment and just deal with what you had to do. You’re fighting your own inner panic the whole time.”

The couple decided to ride out the fire front on New Year’s Eve at the wharf along with hundreds of others.

“We knew that we were ok because directly upwind there was some distance between us and any significant fuel load, but we could see across to the other side of Coull’s Inlet as the fire raged through Shady Gully and up to Banksia Avenue where several homes were lost,” explained Graham. “All the while listening to gas cylinders venting and exploding like bombs, perforating the scene of devastation unfolding before us.”

On board HMAS Choules

Graham, Linda and Forrest Snell

That night, once the main threat had passed, most people opted for an early night, rather that counting down to the new year.

By the next morning came the realisation that with fires still burning around the town and roads cut off, supplies would soon run out. Once Linda and Graham heard of the federal government’s plan to ferry people out via the Navy, they decided they’d try and get a place onboard.

“It takes a while of thinking about that before you realise, perhaps we should be on that boat. We should evacuate. Because when you realise that not just the Mallacoota-Genoa road up to the highway is closed off, but the Princes Highway for perhaps 100 – 200km is blocked off,” said Graham. “And there’s a lot of work involved before it can be cleared in both directions up to the NSW border as well. So, the whole town at this stage could run out of food before the military started to supply us. It wasn’t going to be long until there could be severe restrictions on what you could get in the way of food.

“It was only the next day I went to put fuel in the boat to go up to Gypsy Point and see how a mate of mine was going up there, because you couldn’t get up there by road, I couldn’t get any fuel for the boat. $15 worth of fuel for generator use only, and that was just the next day.”

“I’m looking forward to going back, I didn’t want to leave,” Graham admits. “Every fibre of your being tells you to stay because there are people to be helped, but the reality was they needed people to leave.

“There is a lot of tourist-oriented businesses that if they don’t make money during the tourist season, they die. They are out of business, that’s when they make their money and they just survive during the rest of the year. Christmas and Easter and school holidays they make their money. I think people will go back. I think people like us are going to get an awful surprise when they drive to Mallacoota this time. Just about all of the way, pretty much past Bairnsdale is going to be black.”

Linda adding, “People from the cities need to get out into these areas and explore and enjoy nature while we’ve still got some. The ferocity of these fires is just cooking everything, there’s so much damage to the wildlife. These areas are just pristine and beautiful. We’ve been out there even in peak seasons and you can sit out and fish and there’s no manmade noise it’s just the beauty of the national park and the wildlife and the odd fish. And people need to go out and explore that. I think if people reconnected with nature, they’ll get a much better appreciation of what’s going on.”

Images by Linda and Graham Snell and Anita Butterworth

After a series of meetings to talk evacuees through the process, the couple added their names to the list and waited, with Linda volunteering to help with the registration process.

“On Friday morning I walked down to check the evacuation list at quarter to nine and we were on the ten past nine bus to go!” said Linda. “So, a mad panic and we got there as quick as we could and just as we arrived our bus was being loaded so we jumped on and we were on the boat by ten o’clock.

“You never imagined you’d be getting a lift home with the Navy!”

Both Linda and Graham say the inclusion of pets as part of the evacuation process had a profound impact on the mood.

Graham saying, “Animals do have a calming influence on people. People could have started to panic and get a bit sort of frazzled but the mood on board was fairly controlled. The Navy personnel on the Choules were very good, very professional. Always had a smile on their faces and couldn’t have been nicer.

Now safely back home at Jeeralang Junction, Graham and Linda say they want to continue their love affair with Mallacoota, and are urging the rest of Victoria to do the same.

Linda and Forrest

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | buchan ˚ 37.5122° S, 148.1658° E

Miracle

Buchan survival WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

FOR MARY AND DENNIS GILBERT, THE HEARTBREAK OF LOSING THEIR BELOVED, HANDBUILT HOME OF THREE DECADES IS STILL RAW. BUT THE BUCHAN COUPLE KNOW THEIR ESCAPE FROM THE FIRE THAT RAGED THROUGH THEIR PROPERTY ON DECEMBER 30 IS NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE. The Gilbert family home destroyed

Dennis and Mary reunited with family

Eventually, in the final days of 2019, the fire began licking at their doorstep, and on the night of December 30, despite all the preparations, it moved frighteningly fast.

“It all happened too quickly to ‘feel’ anything. I didn’t feel scared or shaky or nervous, I guess adrenalin kicked in and we just did what we had to do. It did seem to take forever for the front to pass. There were embers everywhere and the roaring, thundering sound. I kept saying ‘please pass, please pass!’

In the weeks leading up to their home being impacted, fires sparked by dry lightning started in the Gelantipy and W-Tree areas. Mary, 67, and Dennis, 70, watched as strike teams and firefighters regularly passed by their property, and heard the constant drone of water bombing helicopters passing overhead.

“We were very prepared throughout those weeks,” Mary explained. “We had extra water reserves, numerous IBC 1000 litre water tanks, buckets, wheelbarrows, watering cans and mopping bags placed in strategic positions around the family home and shedding ready for ‘mopping up’ after the front had passed.

“We also had firefighting pumps and hoses at the ready. In early spring, Dennis had whipper snipped and poisoned weeds along all the fence lines to keep them safe from burning. And excess trees were cleared as well. We were well aware of the weather conditions and always kept an eye on the prevailing winds to know where and when the fire was active or on the move.”

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“We took shelter in our rock-walled shed. The walls were two feet thick! Luckily, I had packed heaps of woolen blankets - the old classic Onkaparinga heirloom ones. I had them wrapped around me from the start, plus I had a helmet and mask. We realised we had to move once realised the fire was not letting up but was in fact engulfing the property and getting worse! The heat and suffocating atmosphere was unbearable.

I could feel my airways closing over and the taste of smoke in my mouth”.

The couple left the shed, and drove through the ember-studded darkness, with the incredible roar of flames in their ears. Making their way to their dam wall, Dennis and Mary could do little but watch as the monstrous blaze annihilated their property.

“The night was very long, very hot and quite emotional. We were very hot and thirsty. Our supplies were in Dennis’ car which we couldn’t use as it had caught alight and my supplies were back in the shed. I had a face washer, which we doused in the dam and used for moisture, sucking on it, then spitting out.

“During the night we had a swim in the dam to cool off. But the water was so icy cold. I guess that’s because we were so hot from the intense heat all around.”

Pebbles survived after hiding in pizza oven

After the fires - Farmhouse

Buchan Farmhouse Accommodation aftermarth

As they waited out the firestorm the couple feared for their beloved family pets, their dog Coco and cat Pebbles. “We in fact were very relieved to find Pebbles two days later. Having taken shelter in the pizza oven, he was severely traumatised and injured with third degree burns. Now with constant vet attention he is recovering.”

Before the fires - Family home

The couple were also injured during the fire. “Dennis received very bad burns to his hands. The blisters were about two to three centimetres in height and width. During the night he kept dunking them in the dam for relief from the pain, and then would ‘hug’ into his wet gloves for relief from the heat! I had a small burn to my arm caused from the heat of my silver bangle,” Mary explained.

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, THE ENORMITY OF WHAT THEY’VE LOST HAS HIT THE GILBERT FAMILY. “We spent the night watching the fires burn all around us and our beloved Buchan Farmhouse Accommodation home. For 15 years we had operated a very popular holiday accommodation venue for farmstays. We enjoyed guests both nationally and internationally, from all walks of life, occupations and backgrounds. Everyone found the farmhouse and its surrounds simply serene and blissful. Children loved the farm animals and their experiences here.”

But, like many in the region, the family is well into the process of rebuilding.

“Thanks to our son and daughter, their partners Madi and Luke, and their many Tradie friends and contacts we are managing to get back on track for the time being. Dennis and our son Garth and friends have helped with caring for our livestock, with hay cartage, building electric fences and maintaining suitable temporary electric fencing for our livestock.

Meanwhile my daughter Hannah, and her partner, have helped with doing all the associated paper work (applying/ registering for grants, insurance, replacing lost cards etc).

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | buchan ˚ 37.5122° S, 148.1658° E

Miracle Buchan survival Dennis and Mary showing Dean and Timmy where they hid

“WE’VE BEEN SO BUSY WE HAVEN’T HAD MUCH TIME TO THINK LONG TERM PLANS BUT DO EXPECT TO REBUILD A ‘NEW ‘ DREAM HOME OF COURSE.” The couple admit however, the emotional scars will take much longer to heal.

“This will be an everlasting effect and there will be a forever on-going task of rebuilding, re-establishing our business, lives and livelihoods. The utter catastrophe of this bushfire will not only have a permanent impact on our psyche and our lives but there will also be an indelible impact on the natural environment in which we live.

“The landscape as we knew it is changed and many aspects are lost.

The many stunning century-old eucalypt trees which lined the roadways are gone, the natural landmarks of streams, gullies and rocky outcrops have been exposed and will suffer further erosion.

And sadly, for our area, the beautiful, historic and unique 100-year old Howe Trestle bridge, which we passed daily, has been totally annihilated.

For me this is a most sad impact.”

Images supplied by Dennis and Mary Gilbert and Hannah Gilbert Photographer

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BUCHAN RISING FROM THE ASHES Meanwhile, for Buchan and surrounds, the recovery is being fueled by the efforts of fundraising groups across Gippsland.

The team behind the Boisdale Drought Breakers swiftly switched its focus from the big dry to the fires in early January, starting a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise $20,000 for Buchan and Gelantipy.

The funds raised, which at the time of printing is close to $15,000, are helping purchase essential items requested by the Buchan and Gelantipy communities.

The three women behind the fundraiser say as farmers themselves, they know the pressure locals are under.

L-R Janice Coats, Dennis Gilbert, Kate Hodge, Dean Wilcox, Hannah Gilbert and Timmy Garth

“The damage is huge, landowners have lost tens of thousands of fencing, poly pipe, troughs, sheds etc,” explained fundraising co-ordinator Lashay Tricker. “It will take a long time for them to recover from this. Many had cancelled insurance due to the crippling impact of the drought on their finances, that’s without the cost of feeding livestock and the loss of pasture etc. Tourism will be also impacted with the damage to the caves area and the uncertainty of when visitors can return, but at the moment the communities need time and assistance to recover.”

The women say seeing the community come together in a time of devastation shows the true spirit of the East Gippsland region.

“Our community has been fantastic, from those that have directly donated bags of dog food or that have quietly walked into Elders to donate what they can. We surely do live in a great place.”

BUCHAN & GELANTIPY BUSHFIRE APPEAL www.gofundme.com/f/buchan-and-gelantipy-bush-fireappeal

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | bairnsdale ˚ 37.8333° S, 147.6167° E

Feeding hearts & minds

A group of the volunteers cooking meals in the kitchen at Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House during the fires crisis.

For sixteen days, a team of representatives of Melbourne-based nonprofit organisation Sikh Volunteers Australia gave their time to provide complimentary meals for people who escaped the East Gippsland fires to seek shelter at the relief centre in Bairnsdale.

“Offering emotional support was something that we were also able to do. After we came back, people were still sending us messages. They appreciated that someone was there to listen to the stories of what they had gone through.”

In the process, some media reports indicated that locals had described them as “legends”. Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews also praised the volunteers on his Facebook page in the midst of the crisis, expressing his thanks for their help.

Travelling to East Gippsland was the furthest that Sikh Volunteers Australia have ever gone to assist in a crisis.

Speaking to Gippsland The Lifestyle after completing their duties in Bairnsdale, the group’s Vice President Manpreet Singh and Treasurer Bhupinder Singh said that their mission had wider purpose than just providing food.

“Food was breaking the barriers, but as the days progressed we got to know the evacuated people. It felt like I was helping my own family,” Manpreet suggests.

“The community is in pain and shock. People were talking to us about their losses, including some who were not insured.”

Bhupinder agreed that providing emotional support was just as important an ingredient in their overall contribution at the relief centre.

“The food was good for their brain and heart, but people in these situations also need moral support,” he stated.

The community barbecue event at Bruthen on January 18th.

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“We also helped out last year around the Bunyip fire where we served meals for three days at a relief centre that was set up at Pakenham Library, but that was on a much smaller scale,” Manpreet says.

The organisation was formed in 2014, when a like-minded group of Sikh friends from Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs who had met during their time as students started thinking about what they could do for the community in their spare time outside their everyday jobs.

“Our establishment was a group idea rather than the action of any one particular individual.

There were about twenty five of us at the beginning and our numbers have now grown to almost one hundred,” Manpreet reveals.

The aim of the organisation is ‘wellbeing and prosperity of everyone’. In its infancy, the group formed associations with several councils in Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong and began by providing voluntary help at a number of running and cycling events around Melbourne.

Sikh Volunteers Australia representatives Bhupinder Singh, Tejinder Singh and Sukhjit Singh accept an Australia Day Award from Anthony Byrne MP, Federal Member for Holt.

SIKH VOLUNTEERS AUSTRALIA EARNED THE RESPECT OF THE EAST GIPPSLAND COMMUNITY THROUGH ITS SELFLESS CONTRIBUTION TO THE BUSHFIRE CRISIS. WORDS: CHRIS WEST

Volunteers at Bairnsdale

“We would do things like give out water, do marshalling, cleaning up and other duties,” Manpreet recalls.

“We have also just bought another van which will be modified soon to become our second food van,” Manpreet adds.

In January 2017, the group purchased a van which was modified over the next month so they could begin to provide a mobile catering arm to their operation.

As the group has grown over recent years, it has gradually built up its capacity to make a large scale contribution in disaster situations.

“We now have three main areas of activity, the first of which is running the van twice a week to provide free meals to homeless and needy people in Melbourne,” Manpreet explains.

Manpreet says they first learned about the fire in Mallacoota from monitoring the Vic Emergency Facebook page.

“I communicated with the group on 30th December and we met a 2.30pm that afternoon. Within an hour we had decided we should go there,” he remembers.

“We also continue to provide free food at community events in conjunction with councils and the organisers, plus the third thing we do is to lend a hand at emergencies or disasters like we’ve just done with the fires in East Gippsland.”

The group quickly mobilised into action and began preparing curry and rice meals in a commercial kitchen located at the Lynbrook Community Centre.

The group’s volunteers put in money themselves to fund their operation.

“We had five people cooking, led by our main cook Sukhwinder Kaur, and by 6pm all the food was ready,” Manpreet recalls.

“Beyond that we also receive donations from the community,” Manpreet says.

Enough curry and rice meals for around 200 people were loaded onto the van and kept warm during the drive to East Gippsland in ten bain maries.

Last year the group purchased a property in Devon Meadows to become the future base for their operation. Work will soon begin on the construction of a commercial kitchen within the home and a conversion to create short-term accommodation facilities for homeless people.

“We left from Lynbrook at 6.30pm and were originally intending to go to Sale, but we were contacted by a lady named Leanne Jennings from Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House who suggested it would be better if we went there instead,” Manpreet says.

Jason Wood MP, Federal Member for La Trobe presents an Australia Day Award to Sikh Volunteers Australia's main cook, Sukhwinder Kaur.

The community barbecue event at Bruthen on January 18th.

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | bairnsdale ˚ 37.8333° S, 147.6167° E

SIKH VOLUNTEERS AUSTRALIA “The barbecues were a way of bringing people together,” Manpreet explains.

“There were about four hundred to five hundred people at the Bruthen Recreational Reserve on the Saturday and around three hundred at the Sarsfield Recreation Reserve the next day,” he estimates.

“We recognised many people that we had met while volunteering in Bairnsdale. They thanked us for what we had done and said they again wanted to taste our food.”

For the barbecues, the Sikh Volunteers prepared a combination of dishes – pasta salad, pakora (a snack made with potato and bread then dipped in flour before frying), chick pea curry and veg korma - whilst the locals cooked sausages.

Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews greets Manpreet Singh and other representatives of Sikh Volunteers Australia during their time in Bairnsdale providing free meals for fire affected East Gippslanders.

When the four volunteers who had travelled to Bairnsdale arrived at their destination, they were shocked to see the fire so close.

“We did our cooking for the barbecue at the Bruthen Neighbourhood House on Saturday and brought the food up from Melbourne for the Sunday at Sarsfield,” Manpreet says.

“There were more than a dozen of our group at the barbecue in Bruthen and five of us went on to Sarsfield the following day.”

Both Manpreet and Bhupinder believe their group’s involvement in East Gippsland may not yet be over.

“The flames were only five to ten kilometres away,” Manpreet recalls.

On that first night the volunteers served meals at the relief centre at Bairnsdale oval from 9.30pm to 1am to ensure everyone was fed.

“We then slept in our vehicle for a few hours before starting cooking again at 4.30am,” Manpreet says.

More volunteers and cook Sukhwinder Kaur arrived on the second day, as the group settled into a routine of providing breakfast, lunch and dinner on a daily basis.

“The Gippsland community helped out a lot in providing groceries and other support to us,” Manpreet notes.

A local restaurant allowed the volunteers to use its premises for cooking on the second day before the group made the kitchen facilities at Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House its base for the remainder of the stay.

“For the first three days we were cooking for around two hundred to three hundred people,” Manpreet says.

“Then more people came and the number of meals increased to around eight hundred to one thousand.”

“The people up there are getting on with the cleaning and repair. If they need anything, we are ready to go there and help provide food for the groups and organisations that are involved with those tasks,” Manpreet states.

Bhupinder emphasises the importance of tourists visiting the areas that have been affected by the fires.

“We want everyone to go there to help the East Gippsland people to get back on their feet,” he says.

DONATING TO SIKH VOLUNTEERS AUSTRALIA If you would like to contribute to Sikh Volunteers Australia, you can donate via direct deposit to the following bank account: Bank: Account name: BSB: Account number:

Commonwealth Bank Sikh Volunteers Australia 063595 10732130

Visit the website at www.sikhvolunteersaustralia.org for further information.

Manpreet says he is proud of the work the volunteers performed.

“It was a real team effort from everyone,” he comments.

“We were also honoured to receive recognition for our voluntary and humanitarian services at the Australia Day Awards ceremonies held in the Federal electorates of both Holt and La Trobe that were presented by Anthony Byrne MP and Jason Wood MP respectively.”

Less than a week after completing their service and returning to Melbourne, the group was invited back to East Gippsland to be involved with community barbecues in Bruthen on Saturday, 18th January and the following day in Sarsfield.

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Photographs supplied by Sikh Volunteers Australia

˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E Fijian 4WD Club

Gippsland Farmer Relief offers a helping hand

WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

Farmers are resilient by nature, but even they have storms that are almost too much to weather. For those making a living from the land in much of East Gippsland, prolonged drought had already brought them to their knees, before fire added another layer of disaster in 2019.

Many were already being supported by community organisations, and rather than buckle under the pressure of yet another disaster, groups like Gippsland Farmer Relief (GFR) stepped up to the plate.

WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

The organisation provides regular food aid hampers to families, and works as a gateway referral service to funnel families to existing services.

When the fires tore through the East Gippsland region, many of those battling the drought found themselves facing yet another blow.

Solely volunteer-run, not-for-profit and with the support of East Gippsland Shire, GFR already had a client base made up primarily of East Gippslanders seeking regular drought relief.

“WE WERE INUNDATED WITH DONATED ITEMS SO THIS STEPPED UP TO HELPING WITH BUSHFIRE RELIEF IN GENERAL,” EXPLAINED GFR VOLUNTEER CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND FOUNDER, MELISSA FERGUSON. “We have initially supplied one truck load to a few towns in the first response and then established a distribution centre at Bairnsdale’s Dahlsens store where referrals were made to us from the East Gippsland council relief centre, DHS, Vinnies and Farmer self-referral or via counsellors or responders.

“The third step of the program was aid delivered by The Blue Green Crew and VicPol four wheel drive clubs. Each team consisting of currently serving police, army, RAAF officers and a paramedic within each team.

Ensuring thorough health and welfare checks for farmers with a friendly point of contact approach. Cuddle, chat, cuppa, food and pet supplies.

Whatever was needed on an individual basis.”

“We will continue our monthly support as we have done for the past three and a half years to those in need of a hand up with a compassionate approach. We will continue to aid as the need arises until people are on their feet and no longer needing. Farmers being a prideful bunch soon let us know when the aid is adequate.”

Anyone wanting to help fundraise or volunteer with Gippsland Farmer Relief can find more information at the website: http://gfrinc.wixsite.com/home/fundraise

Images supplied by Gippsland Farmer Relief

The donations to GFR were overwhelming, coming from as far as Geelong, Bendigo, Shepparton and Ballarat. Melissa says it’s a common theme, with Australians always responding strongly to disaster relief.

“The town fire victims and farmers have been extremely grateful especially those counselled over coffees at our distribution centre at Dahlsens whilst their cars were loaded with supplies.”

While GFR has made a huge impact on the lives of farmers in East Gippsland, Melissa admits there’s still work to be done as the region recovers from a double blow of drought and fire.

Blue Green Crew 4WD Club

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | raymond island koala & wildlife shelter ˚ 37.6486° S, 147.7196° E

Wildlife's

guardian angel WORDS: CHRIS WEST

SUSIE PULIS IS ONE OF THE MANY DEDICATED PEOPLE PROVIDING SHELTER, CARE AND NUTRITIONAL SUSTENANCE TO NATIVE ANIMALS AFFECTED BY THE DEVASTATING EAST GIPPSLAND BUSHFIRES.

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Devoted wildlife carer Susie Pulis was looking forward to the next phase of her life after relocating the Raymond Island Koala & Wildlife Shelter to the mainland at Waterholes in September last year.

Susie had acquired the former Waterholes Guest House on Archies Track earlier in the year and set about making the necessary modifications to the property to accommodate her voluntary operation, which specialises in the care of injured or orphaned koalas and kangaroos but also helps other native animals in need.

“I had to build a shelter at the new place and added a portable building as well to house the joey rooms,” she says.

The days just before and immediately after Christmas were consumed by the animal evacuation and fire preparation, with Susie receiving tireless assistance not only from Jason Nicholson, but her 23-year-old son, Shaun also came to her aid. The trio had intended to stay and defend the property from the fire, but made a sudden decision to evacuate themselves on December 29 after receiving advice from the CFA. Susie was the last to leave, taking with her the final two joeys in her care but deciding to leave behind seven kangaroos that had recently been released back into the wild. She drove to Nyerimilang to pick up Lilly and then went to Raymond Island to stay in safety.

Susie is in awe of the assistance she received in managing the evacuation.

“But in choosing to relocate to Waterholes I knew I’d found a really good spot. The area offered an abundance of suitable habitat for releasing koalas and cutting food from trees.”

Susie was ready to implement a range of ideas designed to take the shelter to a new level, but most of her upcoming plans and ideas were soon put on hold when a lightning strike started the Marthavale fire in November.

“It was twenty kilometres north of us. Although it started very small, I can tell you I was worried from day one,” she admits.

“Summer hadn’t even begun, so it wasn’t a good sign.”

With the fire growing, Susie quickly organised a working bee at her property to attend to mowing, pruning and general tidying up, before starting a program of heavy watering. It was always her intention to evacuate the animals from the shelter if the fire came within ten kilometres, but less than a week before Christmas the blaze did an unexpected run which caught her by surprise.

“The fire was thirteen kilometres away at the time. It had been a very hot day and then during the night at about 1.30am I was heading down to feed the joeys, when I noticed that the wind had picked up and the sky was glowing red,” Susie recalls.

“I GOT A CALL FROM THE CFA TO SAY THAT THE FIRE HAD TAKEN OFF AND WAS HEADED MY WAY. IT DID A MASSIVE RUN, GOING PAST US IN JUST AN HOUR AND WAS ONLY FIVE KILOMETRES AWAY. I WAS HERE WITH JUST MY ELEVENYEAR-OLD DAUGHTER LILLY AND THE KOALAS AND KANGAROOS IN MY CARE AT THE TIME. IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF US.”

“The amount of work done by the volunteers was just phenomenal.

People rallied together to help us, even cancelling their own plans for Christmas and New Year,” she comments.

Susie returned with Jason and Shaun on New Year’s Day to contrasting scenes of miraculous escapes and total devastation. Her property had emerged unscathed from the raging inferno that had blazed a trail of destruction close by.

“My place is untouched. Only the outskirts got burnt,” she reports.

“When you come here you pass through burnt out forest that looks like you’re on the moon and then you arrive at my property which is like driving into an oasis. It’s green, lush and buzzing with life. To say we were very lucky is an understatement. I consider it a miracle. It was like we had a guardian angel around us.”

But the danger wasn’t over. The situation was still very serious and the fire flared up again on January 4. Conditions weren’t safe for Lilly to return for several days.

Once back together at Waterholes, Susie and Lilly began looking for injured animals around the local areas. Some parts escaped unscathed and they found animals alive and well with no burns or other obvious effects of the fire. In other places, however, the fire had been so intense and hot that Susie could only describe it as looking like a bomb had gone off.

“In those areas there was nothing left, no sign of life. You couldn’t see bodies because it was too heavily burnt and everything was incinerated.

The areas that I used to cut and liked to visit previously had an abundance of vegetation and were full of life - birds, wallabies, lace monitors, snakes, everything you could think of - now it’s all gone.”

The progressive evacuation of the animals commenced two days before Christmas. With temporary accommodation needed for eleven koalas and around twenty kangaroos, Susie had to utilise her network of contacts to find suitable facilities in safe areas.

The toll that the fires have had on the innocent native wildlife and the suffering the animals have endured is something most people cannot even bear thinking about. Not surprisingly, Susie was deeply shocked by the devastating scenes she surveyed upon her return to Waterholes.

The koalas were entrusted to the care of Susie’s former neighbours on Raymond Island, Wendy Hendrickson and Jason Nicholson, who remain an invaluable part of her operation.

“It was indescribable. There are really no words to explain how I feel about it all, but I’m trying to remain strong for the animals that survived and are the future,” she says.

“Wendy and Jason are registered wildlife carers who do a lot of koala rescuing on the island for me and help out tremendously. I am also fortunate to have in place another team of volunteers on the island headed by Shelley Robinson,” she acknowledges.

“Although I am starting to feel better now I still get a bit teary thinking about it.”

Most of the koalas Susie had been caring for at Waterholes at the time of the evacuation were either starvation cases or had been orphaned as a result of a dog attack. They were all in sufficiently good health to make the one hour journey to Raymond Island.

“Jason stayed here for a period to help with the evacuation and took nine of the eleven koalas away in one load,” Susie says.

Whilst the koalas found a safe haven from the fires on Raymond Island, most of the kangaroos went to locations around Metung and nearby areas.

“Wendy also took five of the bigger kangaroos to Raymond Island. My daughter Lilly initially went to stay in Nyerimilang with one of the ladies who was looking after several of the joeys,” Susie says.

Amid the terrible scenes she has witnessed, Susie says there have been some beacons of light.

“In areas that are completely annihilated we’ve come across a few uplifting things like finding a possum in a burnt out tree in the middle of nothing.

We were also delighted that the seven kangaroos we had released before evacuating had all survived initially, although we later lost two of them due to stress and shock when the fire flared again on January 4. I should say we thought we had lost two, but amazingly one of them, Jilly, returned a month later. I was in utter shock. She was almost unrecognisable being so thin, but the important thing was that she was alive. It was a very emotional moment. I looked upon it as another miracle. ” There have also been heart-breaking moments like Susie being involved in the rescue of a wombat which was found reduced to half his normal body weight. Unfortunately, despite their best attempts he could not be saved and later succumbed to the effects of starvation.

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | raymond island koala & wildlife shelter ˚ 37.6486° S, 147.7196° E

WITH ANIMAL STARVATION AN EVER PRESENT THREAT, AN IMPORTANT INITIATIVE SUSIE AND LILLY UNDERTOOK IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE FIRES WAS TO PROVIDE FEED FOR THE WILDLIFE IN THE LOCAL AREA THAT HAD SURVIVED

With animal starvation an ever present threat, an important initiative Susie and Lilly undertook in the aftermath of the fires was to provide feed for the wildlife in the local area that had survived. Together with a friend and her daughter they put out feed stations along local roads for as far as they could go.

After assessing the initial impacts after returning to Waterholes, it wasn’t until January 12 that Susie felt the immediate danger had sufficiently passed and commenced the progressive return of the evacuated animals back to the shelter.

“The animals had been away for close to three weeks,” Susie observes.

“We’ve been doing more of that now as the roads have been cleared,” Susie says.

“Lilly and I also go out day or night to top up the feed stations, which are heavily eaten every night and often empty when we check. We put out things like carrots, sweet potato, apples, oranges and pears, along with kangaroos pellets, horse mix, lucerne hay and fresh water.”

Susie is uncertain as to what the long-term effect of these fires on the wildlife population in East Gippsland and other parts of the country will ultimately be.

“I’m sure there will be some areas where the animals won’t return, but that’s not the case where I am. Animals are already returning around here.

There are survivors in some areas and they will breed,” she states.

“I DO HAVE CONCERNS, HOWEVER, ABOUT SOME SPECIES. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE GLIDERS FOR INSTANCE. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY SIGN OF THEM YET AND THAT WORRIES ME. THERE ARE VERY FEW TREES LEFT FOR THEM AROUND HERE. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY RINGTAIL POSSUMS EITHER, ONLY BRUSHTAILS. “Swift parrots are another concern. I’m not sure about them due to the loss of habitat. In the main though I do believe the animals will come back, but I just don’t know to what extent.”

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“The kangaroos came back first, but I haven’t brought the evacuated koalas back from Raymond Island and don’t intend to. They were nearly ready for release and there’s no feed here to cut for them. It’s all been burnt.”

Like she found with the willingness of people to assist with her evacuation prior to Christmas, Susie has been amazed with the level of external support and expert care that has been provided to the animals in major East Gippsland centres since the height of the bushfire crisis.

As part of its response, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning established Wildlife Triage Units at Mallacoota and Bairnsdale.

This includes support from the RSPCA’s Mobile Animal Unit, Zoos Victoria, Wildlife Victoria and AVA veterinarians.

Susie has given refuge to orphaned baby koalas that were treated at the triage unit in Bairnsdale after being rescued from the fire at Gelantipy and is expecting to take in more from both there and Mallacoota.

“People everywhere have been awesome with assisting the animals,” she says.

“We even had two visiting international helpers from New Zealand – veterinarian Rebecca Walker and nurse Abbey Pogan - come and stay at our premises for over a week. They offered their services to anyone who needed help with anything. While they were here they also went up to Goongerah Wombat Orphange.”

Wildlife's guardian angel

Orphaned baby koalas Mayvis and Neddy were rescued from the Gelantipy fire.

Susie’s efforts on behalf of the animals also caught the attention of the New York Times, which dispatched journalist Livia Albeck-Ripka and an accompanying photographer to spend a day with her in early January.

“I met the girls from the New York Times - Livia and Kristina – on Raymond Island and then we came up to Waterholes,” Susie says.

“We still had a bit of an active fire and the conditions remained extremely dangerous at the time. The roads were slippery and the visibility poor. I think the whole experience was an eye opener for them. They were really blown away by what they encountered.”

The resultant article in the New York Times clearly had an emotional impact on its readers.

“The story was responsible for generating $10,000 in donations for the shelter from people overseas which was incredible,” Susie remarks.

As the fire season passes and Susie gets on with picking up the pieces, she will once again be able to revisit her plans for the wildlife shelter.

“Because of the fire situation and what has just happened, I’ve decided that we’re going to have permanent facilities on Raymond Island as well as here at Waterholes,” she says.

“We’re going to have cages on the island for low care cases, whilst any animals requiring specialist care will come to me.”

“I have retained the Raymond Island Koala & Wildlife Shelter name for now because it has become well known over the seven years since we started in 2013, but I will be changing it in the future to Waterholes Wildlife Sanctuary and incorporating a focus on educating the public on Australian native animals,” she reveals.

“I intend to turn one of the three spare rooms into an educational display facility with information for school groups and other visitors to learn about the animals. The other two rooms I will revert into accommodation like they were when the property was formerly a guesthouse.”

Susie hopes the income generated through the accommodation facilities will help fund her work, which is all voluntary at present. She is using the money she receives in donations to buy food, pay for medical care for the animals and to improve the facilities.

Keeping busy and occupied with the animals as ever, Susie isn’t contemplating a holiday or rest any time soon.

“That’s nothing new for me. I haven’t had a break since 2012,” she admits.

The animals around Waterholes can take comfort in the fact that their guardian angel will continue to be there for them day and night as nature begins to take its course once more and life slowly finds its way back to some sort of normal.

Some images supplied by Raymond Island Koala & Wildlife Shelter

Susie says a new name for her operation and other major changes are also on the cards.

Visiting New Zealand vet Rebecca Walker cares for a starving and dehydrated wombat.

DONATING TO RAYMOND ISLAND KOALA & WILDLIFE SHELTER If you would like to support Susie’s work in caring for animals in need, go to www.koalashelter.org/help/donate for details.

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Grass trees in Cape Conran Coastal Park Credit: Parks Victoria

Plants in fire affected areas lead recovery GREEN SHOOTS PROVIDE HOPE Grass trees in Cape Conran Coastal Park Credit: Parks Victoria

Epicormic regrowth in Croajingolong National Park Credit: Masha Prokudina

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Banksia seeds open following fire in Cape Conran Coastal Park Credit: Parks Victoria

Parks across East Gippsland and North East Victoria have been seriously affected by fire. But while fire is still an issue, Mother Nature is already slowly starting to regenerate in some areas.

The most obvious part of many parks is the plants – towering eucalypts, lush tree ferns, creeping ground covers and flowering shrubs to name a few. Not only are they a source of food for wildlife and critical part of the ecosystem, they are also often what attract us to these peaceful places.

This fire season has burnt more rainforest – which does not recover well from fire - than any fire in recent memory. Therefore, all remaining vegetation now takes on extra significance and we must take care of the precious remnants that we still have.

Many Australian plants are well adapted to fire, and some even need fire to survive or flourish. Many plants such as some eucalypts and banksias have a swelling at the base of the stem just below the soil that contains dormant buds and food reserves. This is called a lignotuber. When the plant is burnt, the lignotuber rapidly develops new shoots. Other eucalypts will drop seeds into the bed of ash where they will regrow.

Plants with lignotubers also usually have epicormic buds in the bark, which is why you will often see trees and plants with red shoots up the trunk.

The first flowering season is a key stage of recovery as this attracts insects, including native bees and wasps, which then attracts birds and in turn other wildlife.

If you live in the bush or visit it, keep your eyes and ears open for the early signs of recovery. Things to look for in relation to plants include:

TREE FERNS – these are often one of the first signs of lush green in an otherwise black forest landscape.

QUOTES, ATTRIBUTED TO MARK ANTOS, MANAGER SCIENCE & MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS, PARKS VICTORIA

“The way the environment recovers from fire is a complex process with many variables. We can’t always predict exactly what will happen and when.

Weather will have a huge impact on the speed of plants’ recovery – good steady rainfall will speed the comeback of many plants, whereas torrential rain that washes away topsoil, or extended dry will make the recovery slower. The intensity of a fire in any given location will also have a significant impact on how the plants there recover.

Some will provide spectacular displays, whereas other species may never recover. Parks Victoria will be out there, along with many others, in the years to come to monitor and take action to help our parks and broader landscapes recover as best they can.”

*Note – for their own safety people should abide by all park closures and not enter closed areas.

For more information please visit: www.parks.vic.gov.au

EPICORMIC REGROWTH – leaves sprouting right up the trunks of many kinds of eucalypts.

GRASS TREES – often one of the spectacular sights after fires, large displays of grass trees are a special sight to behold.

BANKSIAS - have thick cones that protect seeds during fire; look for the “open mouths” of the seed chamber on the woody cones indicating that the heat of the fire has triggered the release of seeds.

BUSH-PEAS AND WATTLES - their hard-coated, soil-stored seeds are cracked by fire and it only takes a little bit of rain to create a mass germination of wattles and peas.

Regrowth in Cape Conran Coastal Park Credit: Parks Victoria

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Rebuilding WHEN NATURAL DISASTERS OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE RECENT EAST GIPPSLAND FIRES OCCUR, IT IS VOLUNTEER-BASED ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS THE GIPPSLAND EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND AND BLAZEAID THAT COME TO THE FORE TO HELP PEOPLE ALONG THE PATH TO RECOVERY THROUGH THE PROVISION OF THEIR OWN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FORMS OF ASSISTANCE. WORDS: CHRIS WEST

GERF Executive Committee Members (from left) Doug Caulfield (Vice President), John Mitchell (President), Lynda Bertoli (Vice President), Robyn Dossett (Secretary) & Alan Wilson (Honorary Treasurer).

Absent: Danny McDonald (Communications)

Long-serving Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund President, John Mitchell has seen many catastrophic events, but none will leave more lasting effects than the fire that ravaged East Gippsland over the post-Christmas and New Year period.

“The scale and intensity of this fire is going to stay on the minds of people for a long time,” he laments.

“We hadn’t really witnessed anything quite like it before.”

John assembled the GERF Executive Committee Members on New Year’s Eve to discuss the worsening fire situation.

“Like everyone else, we had been transfixed watching the crisis unfolding.

When we came together on 31st December, which was the Tuesday, we took immediate action and launched our appeal that afternoon and have been working on it virtually every day since,” John says.

“Our Honorary Treasurer, Alan Wilson generously gave up space at the offices of his business Alan Wilson Insurance Brokers in Traralgon for our Executive Committee and additional volunteers to use as a base for coordinating our activity and administering payments.”

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GERF’s fundamental role is to provide emergency cash assistance to approved eligible applicants separate to any other forms of Government payments or grants and any insurance claims they may be pursuing.

It is aptly described as a local instrument devised by locals to help locals in times of need.

“One of our great advantages is that we are set up to be able to act quickly in an emergency,” John states.

“We processed our first batch of payments to recipients just two days after we launched our appeal and that was with the New Year’s Day public holiday in between.”

John knew that this crisis would require GERF’s biggest ever fundraising effort in its 42-year history. In response to the Black Saturday fires in 2009, it allocated $4.4 million to 860 families including six businesses and provided around $400,000 for farmers to replace fencing, along with 19 vehicles to families and four commuter buses.

“This time around, based on the preliminary information following initial assessments done by emergency services and the Australian Defence Forces, we originally estimated that there would be about 1,600 fire affected properties in East Gippsland, with around 1,300 of those eligible for funding from us as being primary places of residence,” he says.

˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Lives GERF President, John Mitchell with a sizeable donation from the Victorian Hazara Community.

“Using those figures, we calculated that we would need $5 million or more to respond properly. However, due to the number of evacuations turning out to be greater than anticipated, we have had to revise our target even higher.”

John says the response to GERF’s appeal from corporate organisations and individuals was immediate.

“It’s been fantastic. We’ve been blown away by some of the fundraising efforts undertaken on our behalf,” he comments.

“In these situations people can get confused about which is the best organisation to donate to but it helps us that GERF is such a well-established and trusted brand. We’ve been Gippsland’s trusted emergency fund provider since our formation in 1978. It is also important to people that as a completely voluntary organisation and registered charity, every dollar they donate to GERF is passed on to those in need.”

By late January, GERF’s fundraising tally had passed $5 million and was still climbing. Individual donations had been received from one dollar to as much as several hundred thousand dollars. Every contribution is greatly appreciated, no matter what the size.

“Some youngsters have even been emptying their piggy banks. We even have a young boy from Yallourn North coming in today to donate $800 he has raised from washing cars to help the East Gippsland residents impacted by the bushfires,” John says.

GERF has received donations from nearly 40 countries, including places you wouldn’t have expected like Ecuador, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Slovakia and the Ukraine. The Executive Committee even got word of a fundraising event taking place for their cause in an Irish pub.

With funds coming in rapidly, the onus was on GERF to distribute payments into the hands of the suffering East Gippslanders as quickly as possible.

“We’ve all witnessed the dislocation of residents, particularly around Mallacoota. It is important that we are quick and efficient with our processing,” John emphasises.

Approved applications are received by GERF in batches from councils in the region. Each of the incoming batches are usually processed within 24 hours and kept right up to date.

“Over the years we’ve developed a very solid set of criteria around our application and assessment process through the councils. We have four levels of assistance based on a scaled assessment rating of severe, major, moderate or minor,” John explains.

“We do the final check when completed applications are sent to us in an endeavour to safeguard against any errors or duplications, before then making the payments electronically.”

GERF had approved and paid more than 1,000 applicants from the East Gippsland fires before the end of January.

“The recipients decide what their immediate priorities are and what they want to do with the money,” John says.

“Some people have escaped with just the clothes they were wearing. So for them it could be just to buy something as basic as more comfortable clothing or shoes for themselves or their children. We know of one lady who just wanted to buy a bed to get a decent night’s sleep on. I don’t think the level of trauma or impact on some families and individuals is fully understood. We have received a folder full of thank you letters telling us how much our assistance means to them.”

A resident of Nicholson whose house was totally destroyed in the fires summed up the thoughts of many in expressing his appreciation to GERF and his surprise at the generosity and speed of the payment.

Importantly, one of GERF’s local business contacts led to an introduction to Kimberlee Wells, CEO of the Melbourne office of worldwide creative agency TBWA – The Disruption Company.

“I was quite stunned at the amount and how quickly the money was in our bank. It’s an unexpected financial bonus that’s going to help us in our recovery,” he comments.

“Kimberlee’s assistance has opened so many doors for us,” John remarks.

“My wife and I had lived in the house for thirty years, but now it’s all gone. We’ve lost everything, so understandably we’ve been in a state of shock and uncertainty. Fortunately though, the insurance company has paid off our claim in full, so we’ve been able to purchase a new house in Bairnsdale,” he continues.

“At no cost to us Kimberlee leveraged outdoor advertising signage in prominent locations around Melbourne and facilitated coverage of our fundraising campaign on television and radio. The GERF exposure into Melbourne was something we’ve never had to that extent before.

“It reinforced the benefit of establishing good relationships with a wide network of contacts. The other thing it highlighted was the power of the media and the 24/7 digital world in spreading the reach of the GERF message. We’ve learned a lot about giving platforms in this changing digital landscape and also the power of having a celebrity patron.”

“Of course, no amount of money can compensate for all the memories and the things we’ve lost that can never be recovered. Some things you collect over such a long period of time really are irreplaceable. But the funding from GERF will certainly be very useful in helping us to furnish our new house or to purchase other things that we need. It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll get there.”

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

DURING THIS SUMMER’S CRISIS, BLAZEAID HAS BEEN ACTIVE ACROSS NEW SOUTH WALES, QUEENSLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND VICTORIA, ESTABLISHING DOZENS OF CAMPS IN THE PROCESS. THE FIRST OF ITS BASE CAMPS SET UP TO ATTEND TO FARMERS IN EAST GIPPSLAND IS LOCATED AT THE BRUTHEN RECREATION RESERVE. AT THE TIME OF WRITING, PLANS WERE IN MOTION FOR SEVERAL MORE BLAZEAID CAMPS TO FOLLOW IN THE REGION. One of the ongoing challenges for GERF is to ensure it has enough funds in reserve whenever a big event occurs.

“We have endured more than our fair share of fires and floods in Gippsland over the years,” John notes.

“An organisation like ours can’t survive if its donations don’t match its outlay. At some previous events we’ve ended up in the negative. We now have some individuals and family contributing to us on a monthly basis, which helps us build our reserves in readiness for the next emergency. We always say the best year for us is any year when GERF is not needed.”

The Bruthen camp is being coordinated by Lakes Entrance resident, Phil Fraser, who has previous experience working on BlazeAid camps at Terang and Bunyip for several months in the past.

“We commenced with sixty four volunteers in Bruthen over the Australia Day long weekend and expect the numbers to settle at around fifty,” Phil reports.

Another issue GERF is mindful of is the risk of “appeal fatigue”.

“A lot of the volunteers have come from Melbourne and some from as far away as Sydney. We have people from most parts of Gippsland as well.

Some people come for a day and put in for a day and some stay for a weekend. Those who are retired like myself can commit more time. We run the camp seven days a week because the faster we put the fences up, the quicker people can heal.”

“If there is another event in 2020 for example, you can’t always expect to keep going back to the same well,” John observes.

Phil says it is difficult to estimate exactly how long the camp at Bruthen will be required.

“With those sorts of thing in mind, we are currently working on the development of a strategic plan to build our capacity to deliver in the future.”

”We’ll stay as long as it takes, but I’d expect it will be three to four months at least. A few other groups of volunteers including footy clubs have helped out. They’re not as organised as us, but they’ve got stuck in and done plenty of work.”

John was also buoyed by an announcement in late January of the establishment of an alliance with the Victorian State Government, which will result in the release of an additional $4 million in payments to fire affected families through GERF and The Salvation Army; $2.5 million of these funds will be provided to GERF to distribute.

“This partnering role with the Government is a goal we have been seeking for some time,” John says.

As part of the same announcement, the Government advised that it is making up to a further $1 million available through BlazeAid, another voluntary organisation that is making an invaluable contribution to the bushfires crisis through helping farmers replace fences on their properties that have been destroyed.

Whilst GERF is specific to Gippsland, BlazeAid has assisted families and individuals across rural Australia following natural disasters such as fires and floods since being founded in 2009 by Kilmore-based Kevin and Rhonda Butler.

During their time at the camp, volunteers bring caravans, mobile homes and tents to sleep in. Some even roll out swags in the back of utes.

“Each day begins with breakfast from 6am to 7am. Then soon after breakfast we have muster to go through safety procedures, making sure everybody has a buddy to work with, along with a packed lunch and all the gear they will need,” Phil explains.

The work teams head off around 8am to drive to their sites where they will meet the farmers at their properties and receive direction from them on what work is to be done for the day.

“Generally the way it works is that the farmers provide the materials and we provide the labour,” Phil says.

“Sometimes if we’ve got spare money we are able to buy materials for people who desperately need them but for whatever reason can’t provide their own. The farmers design the fence and are expected to work with us to get the job done.”

The focus of BlazeAid’s work is on replacing fencing.

“Apart from fence building, we’ve got a few cattle yards up here that got burnt so rebuilding those is another job we’ve put on our list,” Phil notes.

Normally the volunteers aren’t required to bring anything, but because of the huge demand this summer on BlazeAid’s equipment trailers, many of which have been deployed interstate to assist with other fires, on this occasion the organisation has asked people to bring gloves, eye protection goggles, masks and wire cutters.

Not all volunteers go out to the properties. A group of around ten to fifteen people remain at the base to run the camp, carrying out duties including cleaning, mowing, cooking and tool maintenance.

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

BlazeAid Volunteers working on rebuilding fences

A fence that has been repaired by BlazeAid Volunteers Muster at Bruthen Recreation Reserve going through safety procedures

Muster at Bruthen Recreation Reserve going through safety procedures The volunteers working out on the farms down tools at around 3pm each day and head back to the base camp for dinner together at 6pm.

“We use the facilities at the Bruthen Recreation Reserve for cooking and a lot of the food is kindly donated to us,” Phil says.

“It costs a lot of money to run a camp like this, so donations are very important to us. Some people donate materials as well.”

Shire councils are also very supportive of the work BlazeAid does.

“Without their cooperation and support we’d be lost. We wouldn’t be able to set up camp and do what we do,” Phil suggests.

There is currently huge demand for the type of work BlazeAid is providing and anyone who would like to volunteer their time at a camp would be warmly welcomed.

HOW TO DONATE GIPPSLAND EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND Donations to GERF can be made in the following ways: ❚ By deposit direct to the GERF bank account: Account name: Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund Inc BSB: 083 932 Account number: 74 019 6862 ❚ At any NAB branch; ❚ Online via PayPal at www.gerf.org.au; ❚ By cheque or money order to Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund at PO Box 508, Traralgon Vic, 3844; or ❚ In person at Alan Wilson Insurance Brokers 40 Argyle Street, Traralgon.

“Farmers have had three years of drought and most of them haven’t got the funds at the ready to rebuild their fences. Many have dropped insurance over the past twelve months due to not being able to afford the cost,” Phil observes.

BLAZEAID

“So many of the farmers got a hammering from the fires and need our help. We get a bit of a rush of volunteers initially when the crisis is top of mind but then the numbers start to drop off. We would welcome volunteers for the next few months. The idea is that we have forty to fifty people on a consistent basis. We get a lot of ex-farmers but you don’t need specialised skills as we provide the necessary training to do the job.”

❚ Direct deposit by EFT

Phil says there is immense satisfaction to be gained from being part of a team that is united in its efforts to assist others in the community.

“We’re all on the same pay scale – which is zero,” he emphasises.

❚ Online via PayPal at www.blazeaid.com.au; ❚ By cheque or money order payable to BlazeAid Inc at PO Box 73, Kilmore Vic, 3764; or ❚ By credit card over the phone – call Debbie on 0418 990 267

“The big benefit is just helping out.”

Note: All donations to GERF and BlazeAid are tax deductible.

Donations to BlazeAid can be made in the following ways:

Account name: BlazeAid Inc Bank: Bendigo Bank BSB: 633 000 Account number: 149 795 908 Details: Your name

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | omeo ˚ 37.1000° S, 147.6000° E Rafting Australia Exciting Rapids on the Mitta River.

Image by Tracey Smith

Rafting Australia Melbourne Zoo Staff enjoying the Mitta.

Image by Tracey Smith

Tracey Smith with her husband Linton Smith and son Tyler

The long road to For most East Gippsland tourism operators, summer heralds an influx of thousands of tourists who flock to its natural wonders, swelling populations and pouring millions of dollars into the region.

But even before the peak summer period started in 2019, towns were already cut off, choked by smoke and living under the constant threat of bushfire. Now with roads re-opened those who rely on tourism say they’re still living under the shadow of the mammoth fire’s impact.

“It is a big blow,” explains Tracey Smith, who runs Rafting Australia just out of Omeo at Hinnomunjie. (Alex there are 3 images) “Sometimes we’re there until March, sometimes till the end of December, but we haven’t run a trip since the end of November and that’s because of the actual fires and because of the smoke. People are worried to book so we haven’t had bookings coming in and the bookings that did come in have had to cancel.”

Tracey and her husband Linton have been operating Rafting Australia for three decades, with a passion for the area’s natural beauty. With adrenalinpumping adventures that rival rapids around the world and incredibly experienced guides, the couple bring a whole new element to the East Gippsland tourism industry.

“We love what we do, we have the passion for what we do, we’ve got an amazing river, we have international guides that come in, different ones each year and they’re blown away by what’s there and I think we just keep trying to do what we can.”

The couple, who live in the Nariel Valley haven’t yet returned to Omeo since the fires, which drove them from East Gippsland on New Year’s Eve. It’s meant a huge financial burden, coupled with no income.

“There was a disaster relief for $500 and another one for $1000 which of course is greatly welcomed but it hardly scratches the surface. When you’re paying for accommodation when you’re not allowed home, I think I looked at the credit card which normally has nothing on it because I’m always on top of it, it was over $4000, and I thought where did that go?

What big things did we buy?

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I still haven’t had a chance to sit down and look at it properly. On top of that we ended up having to buy a generator, so it’s just been forking out.

“Our guides have all missed out on work, which is hard for them, they’re usually holding down three or four jobs at a time and put aside time for us and to have to give that up, they don’t necessarily get something else to replace it. It’s definitely a flow on effect. People come to the towns and eat, sleep and play also.”

They’re pleading with businesses to band together to support the region, and for the wider community to look ahead to supporting East Gippsland into the future. From Omeo’s historic buildings and rich goldmining history to hiking the Bogong High Plains, operators say there’s so much to discover.

“Get the word out there and help each other, not just to people who are tourists but other businesses try and help each other. The general public if you’re looking to come and make bookings in this region, buy vouchers or tickets now that will help boost and keep business like ours running.

We can run on the smell of an oily rag and a little bit of money helps. If we can try and get everyone to come and make bumper season that would definitely help.”

The story is echoed by other businesses in the region that rely on tourism dollars.

“The Gallery has had no sales in six weeks,” said Helenka King, Great Alpine Gallery Swifts Creek Marketing Manager.

The Great Alpine Gallery supports local artists through rotating displays, as well as selling works crafted by local artisans. With free entry five days a week from Thursday to Monday, the gallery is hoping visitors will once again return and support the important work of local artists.

“And we don't expect a return to normal income for a while yet. While visitors will return to the coastal areas, the Great Alpine Road area may be forgotten as people head for places like Mallacoota which obviously has had an appalling time, and badly needs visitors, both for economic and moral reasons.

˚ victoria | gippsland fires | swifts creek ˚ 37.2503° S, 147.7122° E

Great Alpine Gallery Painting by Tiffany Forster ‘Child’

˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E

Great Alpine Gallery Variety of Media

tourism recovery WORDS: ANITA BUTTERWORTH

But we don't expect to have the usual numbers up here. It'll be a hard year we think for the Gallery and local artists.”

Destination Gippsland says it’s working to spread the word far and wide that East Gippsland is open for business.

While things are slowly returning to normal, many visitors are staying away, after weeks of being told to steer clear of the region.

“It’s really tough. In terms of the impact of tourism, in East Gippsland as you can imagine places such as Lakes Entrance that rely so heavily on summer, coastal regions it’s their peak season and for the fires to occur when they did, New Year’s Eve means that they’ve lost their summer peak season.

“All roads were closed for a considerable amount of time. We had experienced a week or so road closures in November, on the Great Alpine Road from Bruthen to Ensay, due to fire activity. Then in December, the road was closed again for some weeks, then briefly opened, and then closed again when rain caused mass debris - trees and rocks - to make it unsafe. All tracks were closed.

“The Great Alpine Road was then also closed at Dinner Plain, the Omeo Highway through MItta, and the Corryong Road to Corryong, north. We were completely cut off for a couple of weeks. We simply could not get out of the area. All roads are just now open. It's such a relief to be able to get out and get back to some normality.”

The hope is that tourists will return to the East Gippsland area over the Easter period and support events like the popular Omeo Rodeo in April.

“We are developing a marketing strategy to encourage visitors - a gallery trail throughout the area - which will focus on markets in Melbourne, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland. We are hopeful that we can access bush fire recovery money from the Government, and quickly, as we need to tap into the ‘come back to Gippsland’ message that is beginning to emerge in other areas. A lot of the work that tourism and government bodies are doing to encourage tourists back into the area centres around the coastal areas, and while that is obviously essential, we do need to include the mountains and valleys to the north of the coast.

“Swifts Creek and Omeo are a day trip from the coast and we rely heavily on visitors to keep the area active, as there are no major employers up here. It's our plan to be up and running with people back in good numbers

by Easter. It's our second biggest period after Christmas. And we do love having visitors to our gallery!”

“The current estimate is $65 million of impact on the tourism industry in East Gippsland alone. The rest of Gippsland has also been impacted, there are businesses that are shedding staff and really struggling for cashflow and what the future holds, so there’s some very grim and personal and emotional stories coming out of this. Mallacoota has been directly impacted, there are communities that are still isolated and it will take some time for that community to rebuild.”

The tourism body is calling on Victorian holidaymakers to visit as soon as they can, or plan ahead, but part with their cash now.

“We just need visitors, businesses need customers, we really want the message that a large part of Gippsland and east Gippsland is untouched. A real, tangible way is to visit now and come and see for yourself and spend money and you’ll be really helping the community,” said Destination Gippsland CEO Terry Robinson.

“For those that aren’t able to do that, our message is book now. Book and plan a holiday now, and you can travel later. You can book something even in Mallacoota and plan for next summer. Or you can book in Metung and travel at Easter. If you book and pay now that cash injection and the confidence that it gives the town is really vital. At the moment, businesses are refunding money rather than earning money as people cancel, and no forward bookings so we’re looking ahead to a hope given for the rest of the year.”

Photographs kindly supplied by Tracey Smith, Destination Gippsland & Great Alpine Gallery

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Wild Harvest Seafood Festival Mallacoota in April

Boardwalk Lakes Entrance

Sardine eatery + bar Lakes Entrance Fishing at the Ninety Mile Beach

East Gippsland The Loft Bairnsdale

Northern Ground Bairnsdale

Mark Johnstone – Snowy River Black Garlic

Albert & Co Lakes Entrance

Nicholson River Winery Bullant Brewery Bruthen Metung Hotel

Lightfoot & Sons Wines Bairnsdale

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˚ victoria | gippsland fires | east gippsland ˚ 37.4976° S, 148.1893° E Bruthen Inn Hotel

Sweet Little Honey Shop Marlo

Nicholson River Winery

Lakes Entrance Seafood

“We are open for business" IMAGES SUPPLIED BY DESTINATION GIPPSLAND

Ferryman’s Seafood Café Lakes Entrance

Bullant Brewery Bruthen

Sardine eatery + bar Lakes Entrance

The Loft Bairnsdale

Northern Ground Bairnsdale

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MP’s Tourism Push

˚ victoria | gippsland fires | gelantipy ˚ 37.1475° S, 148.2527° E TIM BULL MP WITH DAMIAN DRUM MP LENDING A HAND AT GELANTIPY

MP SAYS BUSINESSES NEED SUPPORT AFTER DEVASTATING FIRES WORDS: LIA SPENCER

#emptyesky It’s a social media hashtag which has gone viral after catastrophic bushfires swept through Gippsland in December and January. The movement encourages people to take an empty esky to areas affected by the fires and fill it with items purchased through businesses doing it rough due to the fall in tourism.

Tim Bull has echoed the sentiments of the popular hashtag. The East Gippsland MP is optimistic tourism will return but is calling on the state and federal government to help support businesses in need.

TIM BULL MP AT LAKES ENTRANCE PROMOTING TOURISM TO RETURN

Mr Bull has seen the devastating effects of the fires first-hand. Not only did he have to protect his own home from the ferocious blaze, but he has also been speaking to and trying to help hundreds of residents impacted by the horrific event.

“When the situation erupted, my focus was on defending my own home as the fire came within about 300m of my fence line,” Mr Bull said. “(I was also) responding to the enormous number of enquiries that came through the office in relation to the order to evacuate the region. Then it turned to dealing with the impacted families and assisting in coordinating the initial response.”

Tim said that many popular towns, which were once thriving on the back of holidaymakers, were quiet and hurting following the fires.

“Over recent weeks I have had numerous examples of hardship, including a tourist business that took over $125,000 last January, compared to a little over $2,000 this year and is on its knees; an accommodation house that is down $100,000 on bookings for the January-April period due to cancellations and a freight company that has simply been unable to operate due to the highway closure for the past month,” Mr Bull said.

“These are just three of a large range of examples that could be provided. Both Federal and State Governments need to come to the party.”

Mr Bull said more needed to be done by both state and federal governments to help local businesses. He welcomed the Federal Government’s $50,000 pledge to businesses directly impacted and interest free loans to others, but said it was not enough.

“There is no cash support for those that have been financially decimated, and loans have to be paid back. Interest free loans, tax concessions, business mentoring and the like just won’t cut it this time around, our businesses need direct financial assistance,” Mr Bull said.

“Over recent days I have had several businesses, some that’ve been around for decades, advise they will be closing the doors after three years of drought and now this, if they don’t get help.

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“Imagine if for a month we told all of Victoria they could not go to Chadstone Shopping Centre and blocked the roads – how do you reckon they would be going? Well that is what has happened to us from an economic perspective. It’s unique and it needs special concessions made.

“We need the promotional campaigns that are underway, but we need to have the businesses still in existence for when the visitors start coming back.”

Whilst businesses need more support to get the towns back on their feet, Mr Bull said he believed tourists will return to the region, though it may take time.

“Coming off three years of drought and then copping this event in the peak tourist season has hurt many businesses that now need direct support,” he said. “East Gippsland is a great place to visit and nothing has changed, it is the natural beauty and ruggedness that makes it so good. Where else do you have surf beaches, incredible coastal lakes, great National Parks and then snowfields on the doorstep?”

“We need to get as much out of the remaining summer as possible and then focus on strong winter visitations and make next summer a cracker.

The best thing people can do to help, is to come and enjoy our hospitality - whether that be a day trip, overnighter or a week - just come and support our local economy to recover and have a great time while you’re here.”

East Gippsland Bushfires

2019/20

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PAGE Gippsland Lifestyle would like to thank the following contributors who assisted in this Special Feature on the East Gippsland Fires and Recovery.

Country Fire Authority Deputy Incident Controller Emma Conway Country Fire Authority Ruby Fire Brigade volunteer Darren Hardacre Defence Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Forest Fire Management Victoria Deputy Chief Fire Officer Gippsland Region Beth Roberts Clifton Creek Primary School Principal Sue Paul Sikh Volunteers Australia Gippsland Farmer Relief Volunteer Chief Executive Melissa Ferguson Raymond Island Koala & Wildlife Carer Susie Pulis at Waterholes Parks Victoria Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund President John Mitchell BlazeAid Bruthen Camp, Phil Fraser Tim Bull MP Destination Gippsland Great Alpine Gallery Swifts Creek Marketing Manager, Helenka King Tracey Smith, Rafting Australia Alex Smirnakos Anita Butterworth Chris West Lia Spencer Trevor Stow Phil Jones Matthew Daizel Hannah Gilbert Photography Dennis and Mary Gilbert Graham and Linda Snell Kristine Daniels

WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL TO ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES AND DEFENCE FORCES FROM HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD FOR THEIR REMARKABLE EFFORTS. In another show of support for those affected by the East Gippsland fires, one of our journalists is donating part of his payment to various organisations featured within this edition of our magazine that are assisting with this crisis.

AND REMEMBER GIPPSLAND IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS Photo credit: Parks Victoria - Masha Prokudina

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Millie on Sale!

I decided to travel only a short distance and visit the many things that I had never bothered to go to or perhaps thought that “one day” I would get around to doing. This was the day!

The fantastic award winning Port of Sale complex houses the Wellington Shire Library, Information Centre and expanded Gippsland Art Gallery. I had been before many times so we went to the nearby Portside cafe in the Wedge entertainment centre for a drink.

Millie and I went to Sale which is in central Gippsland and I found so much to surprise and delight me!

Millie wanted to stand on the Swing Bridge, so we back tracked along the river to find it. Built in 1883, it was the first movable bridge in Victoria and is an amazing monument to the engineering skills of the day. A lovely place to have a picnic, fish off the riverbank or enjoy the bird life. Millie loved investigating it all and was intrigued in the workings. There is much information available there about its history.

The Port of Sale is a hub of many things to do and is a great starting point for a day out. The Port of Sale Heritage Cruises on the historic Rubeena is really a must do, especially for locals. Alan, the captain, has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the area and its history. The languid journey along the calm waters is a trip back in time as Alan narrates the changes that have occurred over time.

He points out indigenous canoe trees, koalas and many other flora and fauna. The trip culminates at the historic swing bridge and then we leisurely ambled our way back to the Port. As well as enjoying the sights and sounds it’s the perfect chance to slow down, relax and take the time to enjoy the tranquillity on offer.

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Another place I had often passed by, but always been too busy to stop, was the boardwalk at Sale Common. It covers approximately 300 hectares and the boardwalk takes you through a variety of scenery from freshwater marshes, Red gum woodlands and grasslands. It’s such a haven and so close to the centre of Sale. There is so much local history that we never find out unless we get out and about exploring. Just like the Sale Powder Magazine which was built in 1864, converted into a house in the 1920’s and restored in the late 1990’s.

We are so fortunate in Gippsland that there are so many places to see.

Sometimes what happens though is that we don’t see what is right before us.

Photos & Words by Ken Roberts

It was built to store explosive powder used in the gold mining industry with massive walls and buttresses. The building is surrounded by pleasant parklands and walkways connect it to my next location, Lake Guyatt.

I’m embarrassed to say that I had never been to Lake Guyatt but was totally surprised at how lovely it was. Located next to its bigger brother Lake Guthridge, Lake Guyatt has been developed over the last few years as a real destination in its own right and is a wonderful place to walk and stroll.

The path way winds around the lake and there is a bridge, miniature maze, interesting indigenous information signage and lots a different bird species.

I hadn’t realised before how many “family friendly” places Sale had on offer.

Great walking spaces and wonderful things for kids to see and do.

The next must see was the newly restored historic water tower in central Sale. It opens on Saturdays 2 to 4pm and has a wonderful vista of Sale from the top level. It was lovely to see a unique building saved and preserved.

The water tower sits at the entrance to Victoria Park, a beautifully landscaped park with lovely gardens, expansive lawns, sculptures and an original town rotunda. It’s the perfect place to relax, walk the dog and enjoy the fresh air. Sale in general has much to offer.

There is the large shopping complex, many modern eateries, a traditional main street and a relaxed country feel. It has many sporting facilities, a cinema and a wonderful indoor and outdoor swimming complex. It took me the time to stop and look and see what was available to realise what was on my doorstep and what I really underappreciated. Busy travellers often pass through it on the way up the coast without realising it could be a destination in itself. It should be considered as a great idea for a day out and even then it would be difficult to fit in everything available to see.

Now that I realise what is on offer, Mills and I will be tripping back again to walk the lakes and parklands and even stroll through some of the streets to see many of the restored original grand houses. It’s another of Gippsland’s hidden gems waiting to be rediscovered!

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autumn

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r e n cor

Charley - the Australian Shepherd

Gizmo @ 6 months

Levi - Maltese Shih Tzu cross (Malsi)

Ollie - luv my beanbag!

Meg - Cape Paterson - Best place to play

Tilka - Oi Yogi wotchya sayin

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our best friends Do you want to place a photo of your dog in Canine Corner ?

It's easy, just email us your pic and their name at thelifestyle@dcsi.net.au

...just pawfect

Jet - ' I'm ready to play'

Millie - Where to next Ken

Dozer - My owner loves me

Charlie - where's my stylist

Yogi - Canine Corner, just saying Tilks

Murphy -'The Star

Lucy loves Biggy rat - mmm!!! gippsland lifestyle autumn ����

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Often Imitated wins the 2020 Cranbourne Cup Photo by Clint Anderson

LOCAL GREYHOUND’S Hot favourite Often Imitated claimed her second Group 2 trophy with a dominant victory in Saturday night’s Backman’s Greyhound Supplies Cranbourne Cup Final (520m).

Trained locally at Pearcedale by Kel and Jackie Greenough, Often Imitated won the Group 2 McKenna Memorial over 595m at Sandown Park last July, while she also contested the finals of the Group 2 Laurels, Group 3 Cup Night Sprint and Group 3 SA Oaks.

A superbly-bred daughter of former staying sensation Sweet It Is, which won the Victoria Cup over 699m on Cranbourne Cup night in 2014, Often Imitated was the $2.20 favourite, ahead of dual Group 1 winner Barooga Brett ($4.80), Jaro Bale ($5.60) and Ultimate Bling ($6.10).

In a flawless front-running exhibition, Often Imitated scored by 5.14 lengths in 30.09 seconds, her third win from four 520m assignments at Cranbourne, with Jaro Bale second and Ultimate Bling third.

“That one was less stressful because the two (Scatterbox) and the three (Ultimate Bling) just ran wide up the track so she had a big space to go through,” Jackie Greenough said post-race.

Guest Speaker Kevin Sheedy

“Once she got in front it was going to take a pretty strong dog to run her down and I didn’t think they could.”

Trainers Greg Carter and Geoff Villinger

Often Imitated will now be chasing Group 1 glory on Saturday night, February 15 at The Meadows in the Rookie Rebel invitational (600m) on the opening night of the Australian Cup Carnival.

Often Imitated has now won 19 races from 41 starts, while the $50,000 first prize took her career earnings up to $203,000.

Her victory from the number one box meant another $250 towards greyhound racing’s Go The Red Dog bushfire fundraiser.

Trophy The Van Echteld Special Event 311m Winners Gail Carter & Geoff Villinger - GRV Cranbourne

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Often Imitated with trainer Jackie Greenough & daughter Angela Jackson Photo by Cling Anderson

SWEET CUP SUCCESS

By Gerard Guthrie

AFL great Kevin Sheedy with former Richmond teammate and Greyhound Racing Victoria Board Member, Emmett Dunne – Photo by Clint Anderson

Greg Miller GRV Deputy Chairman

Shane Gillard Acting CEO of GRV and Barry Toner President of GRV Cranbourne

Bernadette Dillion – GRV Marketing Manager and Speaker Kevin Sheedy

Cranbourne CFA Members

BACKMAN’S GREYHOUND SUPPLIES CRANBOURNE CUP FINAL

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VIRTUE HOMES 'BUILDING EXCELLENCE'

We invite you to visit and be amazed with our wide range of displays to inspire and help with ideas for your future home.

41-45 Standing Drive Traralgon Open 8.30am to 5pm weekdays or by appointment.

AN AWARD WINNING TEAM The company’s success at winning FIVE MASTER BUILDER AWARDS TWO HIA VICTORIAN HOUSING AWARDS 2019 LATROBE CITY BUSINESS & TOURISM ASSOCIATION TRADE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2019 WINNING WAS A TESTAMENT TO TEAMWORK. THAT ENTHUSIASM FILTERS DOWN TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS.

NEW STATE OF THE ART DISPLAY HOME COMING TO WARRAGUL gippsland lifestyle autumn ���� IN 742020

YOUR LOCAL GIPPSLAND BUILDER

2018

2019

WINNER 2019

WINNER 2019

NEW

SHOWROOM & OFFICE

NOW OPEN Our experienced design and building team offer a complete home building experience including block site inspections, custom home design, interior design and landscaping, all from our location in Traralgon through to Warragul and Drouin.

Having built new homes for over 300 satisfied homeowners in the Greater Gippsland area, Virtue Homes has established a reputation for exceptional quality.

Founded by Mick Nicola in 2003 and based in Traralgon, Virtue Homes’ open and honest approach, combined with outstanding attention to detail, allows each client to fully customize their dream home.

Whether it’s your first home or a prestige custom build, Virtue Homes are here to guide you every step of the way.

Our years of building experience ensure that you’ll have a stress free and enjoyable journey to your new home.

VIRTUE HOMES DISPLAY HOMES at The Rise Estate in Traralgon OUR TWO DISPLAY HOMES ARE OPEN AND WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 11.00 AM - 4.00 PM The homes are situated next to each other in The Rise Estate, Traralgon (just off the Traralgon-Maffra road)

Visit our showroom at 41-45 Standing Drive Traralgon

Phone: 03 5176 5997 Email: info@virtuehomes.com.au

www.virtuehomes.com.au

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RHYLL INLET WETLANDS WALK PHILLIP ISLAND

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The differing surroundings make the Rhyll Inlet Wetlands Walk a worthwhile exploration.

Rhyll Inlet is a wetland of international significance. The delightful wetland habitat is a sanctuary for many resident shorebirds, waterbirds and migratory waders.

Travel down the Cowes-Rhyll Road to the Conservation Hill car park to begin your journey through the reserve and continue along the Rhyll Inlet to Rhyll. The Wetlands Walk offers set tracks and a boardwalks, which is easy to navigate and lends time for walkers to observe the unspoilt wetland and enjoy good bird watching opportunities.

You will pass over mangroves, salt marshes and tidal flats.

There are three walks that vary in length. The mangrove boardwalk is a 1.25 kilometre round trip. The first part of the walk is a wide compacted gravel path with a seat at the halfway point. The walk out into the mangroves and onto the channel is on a wooden boardwalk and ends at an observation platform overlooking the channel and beyond.

Some lookouts along the way and helpful information boards spell out the history and value of this place.

In 1968 a proposal to develop a marina in the Rhyll Inlet was defeated by the passionate locals who fought the proposal to enable preservation of the inlet and for future generations to enjoy. The community involvement ensured that the shorebirds could call this area home, year round, and migratory birds that visit each summer will have a safe haven in this calm, natural environment.

Birdwatchers will revel in the scenery, as you’re likely to spot Royal spoonbills, herons, cormorants, Great egrets and Pied oystercatchers while visiting.

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RHYLL INLET WETLANDS WALK PHILLIP ISLAND

‘The Ferry Captain’ This carving is made from a large old cypress pine tree, which in August 2016, a storm badly damaged the tree and it had to be cut down. Designed and carved by Brandon Kroon.

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Another walking track continues along Rhyll Inlet to Rhyll and the jetty, which is a 7km return adventure. Travelling east to Lady Nelson Point and onto the village you will find an array of cafes, bar and restaurant serving locally sourced food and drink.

The Rhyll Jetty is one of the launching places for Wildlife Coast Cruises, which offers a variety of cruises including whale and seal watching cruises, and would totally recommend that you add this to your wish list.

Visit their website for tours and cruises www.wildlifecoastcruises.com.au Also, check out www.visitphillipisland.com for more walks on Phillip Island and surrounds.

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PHILLIP ISLAND WINERY IS A BOUTIQUE WINERY FEATURING A RESTAURANT, CELLAR DOOR TASTINGS, EVENT SPACE, FLORIST & GIFTWARE OFFERING AND EXPANSIVE GROUNDS. FAMILY AND DOG FRIENDLY.

Open Thurs – Sun from 11.30am | 414 Berrys Beach Rd Ventnor | PH 03 8595 2155

www.phillipislandwinery.com.au

Step back in time. Built in 1917, Genesta House Bed and Breakfast offers boutique accommodation in the heart of Cowes. Situated 5 minutes walk from the stunning north facing Cowes Beach and an easy walking distance to the many varied restaurants and shops.

Genesta House offers three individual bedrooms,all with ensuite, air-conditioning, in-room continental breakfast and free WiFi. Each room has a verandah overlooking the beautiful gardens, featuring 100 year old trees and pond. This is the perfect place to enjoy all that Cowes has to offer, whilst relaxing in the beautiful surroundings and enjoying the stunning beaches.

18 Steele Street, Cowes, Phillip Island, Australia, 3922 Phone: +61 412 032 173 For bookings email: genestahouse@gmail.com 80

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IT'S THE FUN FAMILY ATTRACTION ON PHILLIP ISLAND. PERFECT FOR FAMILIES OR GROUPS LOOKING FOR THINGS TO DO ON PHILLIP ISLAND THAT EVERYONE WILL ENJOY. Words: JE Miller

When me and Mum walked up the quaint little board walk, I saw a great big tap above the roof of the building as well as a waterfall running down the outside wall.

‘Woah!’ I exclaimed to Mum. I’d never seen anything like that before! We giggled and stopped to look at the water and all the other amazing things. But if I thought outside was great… then we went inside! There was a bright and colourful café where mum had a latte while I had a really yummy cupcake.

There were so many wonderful toys to play with and I could see Mum the whole time. I liked waving over at her and making her smile. We’d had a pretty long drive to get there, but everyone had said such amazing things about A Maze’N Things that we just had to go there.

Mum took me to the counter where we bought our ticket from a beautiful lady who said she liked my jacket, then it was time for us to enter.

Oh my goodness! It was such a huge indoor space with so much cool stuff to do!

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It was so much fun and Mum and I laughed a lot!

There were big puzzles and games, and I helped some awesome people work together to solve riddles and save the trains from crashing. Mum and I even found a real treasure! We went into a shrinking machine and I shrunk Mum, and then she shrunk me. It was very funny – pretending and being silly.

We pressed our bodies onto a strange wall of these big weird red things, and when we walked around the other side, I could see Mum-andLucy shaped figures! There was this huge mirror maze that went on for ages. I held Mum’s hand, so that she didn’t walk into the mirrors. It was so pretty and very tricky. Sometimes, when we stood in just the right place, we could see about a hundred reflections of ourselves!

Then, just when Mum and I thought that the day had finished, and that there was nothing more to see, we came to the entrance of Magic Manor.

Little did we know, our day was just beginning.

We walked under a waterfall, down a dark passageway and were transported to another world. It was a little bit scary for Mum, but I gave her a cuddle and then she was ok. First there was a mysterious stone alleyway with lots of strange sounds, and I spotted little gremlins poking out of hidey places. Mum showed me all the interesting magical things and told me stories about them.

I put my hand in and… well… Mum says real magicians never reveal their secrets, so I’d better not say. We found a secret passageway which led to… Mmm… I think it’s a secret. No, it’s too good not to tell you. It was this incredible room which reminded me of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of that place, but it’s from a story about a boy named Harry Potter. Mum’s been reading me books about him ever since I was a little baby.

As well as the amazing ceiling, there were magic books and magic puzzles and… I really shouldn’t tell you anymore. But it was brilliant!

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A very lovely lady showed me how to pull and turn the levers, and then helped me make some silk scarves disappear. I even learnt a magic word and made Mum disappear! While the nice lady told me a story about some very cheeky rabbits, Mum went into a hall of horror.

While we waited for our snack I ran and played, and Mum wrote down some notes about our fun filled day. Mum had had a big day, so I looked over at the table every now and then to check that she was still ok. She smiled again every time I waved at her.

She looked a little scared when she came out, but I gave her another cuddle and she was totally fine. We walked down a magical street lined with shop windows full of robes and other magical things, just like Diagon Alley (that’s another place from my favourite wizard story). We went into a haunted bar and… nope, that’s another secret.

All the people at A Maze’N Things were so nice.

‘Thanks for coming,’ they said, waving as we left.

‘Thank you,’ replied Mum. ‘That was such great value. We had an amazing time.’

I waved and said, ‘Thank you. Bye, bye.’

Next, we found a time machine! I think it was one of my absolutely favourite things!

‘Again, again?’ I asked, and Mum said yes. I think she liked it too! We went back in time so many times that some of her wrinkles disappeared.

We reluctantly left Magic Manor, as it was getting late and we were both feeling a bit hungry. I gave Mum a big hug and said, ‘Thank you Mummy.

You’re the best!’

‘You’re the best!’ she replied, and we giggled some more.

I ran all around the enormous maze and Mum even kept up! I love running!

Everyone smiled at me.

We hopped into the car and started to drive down the road. I don’t remember much more after that. But I wasn’t sleepy at all. I do remember a very nice dream about a magical machine with flashing lights and whirring sounds and a beautiful room with a starry night sky and… no wait… you know what they say… Shh… keep the secrets. It’s amazing!

Make the visit today!

Images supplied by A Maze’N Things, Dale Rogers & JE Miller

We went on an adventure together to find a flag… around the bridge, up the stairs and… oh wait… there’s probably some things I shouldn’t tell you. After all… half the fun is discovering it for yourself… right?

The Maxi Mini Golf course was great, even though Mum couldn’t get the ball in the holes.

She tried really hard though.

‘Look Lucy, what’s that up there?’ There were people hanging above us on the SkyTrail!

With our adventure over, the bright doors slid open and we went into the amazing café with SO many toys again. There was a toy kitchen and counting beads and… SO many toys.

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Open 7 days from 10am SkyTrail open 11am weekends & Victorian school holidays 1805 Phillip Island Road, Cowes Ph: 03 5952 2283 for more information visit www.amazenthings.com.au

Gippsland Lifestyle Reader's Special Take a photo of this ad & present it when purchasing admission to receive a free 6"x9" Shrinking Room photo.

One photo per family or couple. Offer valid until 30th April 2020.

Use the illustrated pictures, words, letters or numbers to solve a familiar word, saying phrase or cliche.

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Insects

Australiana

Take a sand safari at WILD on Phillip Island. Marvel at Orangutans, Great White Sharks, Giant Pandas and more, in larger than life sand sculptures.

Surrounded by the Island’s colony of more than 30,000 Little Penguins, learn about wildlife from across all 7 continents at risk of disappearing from our planet. Carved from 700 tonnes of sand and more than 5,000 hours’ intricate sculpting work, this exhibition must be seen to be believed.

Discover the secrets in the sand and solve the puzzles to find out how you can help protect these endangered animals. There are activities for the whole family with a free play sandpit and sand sculpting space, plus sand bottle art and guided tours with the artists also available.

Great Barrier Reef

Save money by bundling your tickets with the Antarctic Journey at the Nobbies and feel the chill of the Antarctic. Look out for the beautifully sculpted Emperor Penguin family while you explore the immersive gallery.

In the evening stay and see the magic of the Penguin Parade as the resident Little Penguins waddle home.

Your visit contributes to vital conservation projects that protect Phillip Island’s wildlife.

Visit www.penguins.org.au/wild for more information Images supplied by Phillip Island Nature Parks

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PHILLIP ISLAND RSL A VENUE FOR ALL OF LIFE’S OCCASIONS BIRTHDAYS | CHRISTENINGS | ANNIVERSARIES | WEDDINGS | CONFERENCES | MEETINGS | WAKES

FAMILY FRIENDLY AND FULLY ACCESSIBLE | KIDS PLAY AREA OPEN DAILY MENU FEATURES HEALTHY CHOICE OPTIONS CATERS FOR VEGETARIANS, VEGANS, GLUTEN FREE | SENIORS AND KIDS MENUS AVAILABLE

OPENING HOURS PHILLIP ISLAND RSL MONDAY TO SATURDAY 9AM UNTIL LATE SUNDAY 10AM UNTIL 11.30PM

LONE PINE BISTRO PHILLIP ISLAND RSL LUNCH: NOON TO 2PM DINNER: 5.30PM TO 8.30PM IDEAL FOR PRE PENGUIN DINNERS

Phone BH: 03 5952 1004 Enquiries: functions@pirsl.com.au www.pirsl.com.au

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Mosaics by the Bay WORDS: CHRISTINA KEEBLE

My day began as they always do with a burst of energy from my children, the hustle and bustle of the morning and battling my ever persistent nemesis, time. I ushered my tribe out of the car, watched them run onto the school grounds, then onward I went.

I was off to Ventnor on Phillip Island to meet Heather Fahnle, artist and owner of Mosaics by the Bay. I had done my homework, perused her website www.heatherfahnle.com and social media accounts and I was looking forward to finding out more about her mosaic art, the stories they tell and her workshops. I was even more excited to have been invited to lunch on a workshop day.

As I drove, I could hear my phone pinging with messages and emails and I felt angst creep into my thoughts feeling pressure to respond. Technology has brought with it an insatiable appetite for instant gratification and regularly disconnecting from it was on my mind.

Traffic was doing what traffic always does and as I rolled into Heather’s driveway I glanced at the clock and realised I was 10 minutes late. Great.

I saw people sitting, in a studio attached to a 2 story house with the most amazing mosaic art wall depicting underwater sea life. As I approached the people, unusually no one seemed to notice my presence until I got within touching distance. It was then that I understood why. They were deep in the moment, engrossed in art. The strength of their mindful attention was enviable. Heather stood to greet me, and she was just as I had envisioned. A woman of warmth, quiet strength and creativity. To imagine her as anything other than an artist was not possible.

Heather showed me around the outside of her home. We passed the magnificent mosaic art stairwell wall where the star of the piece was an octopus whose arms stretched beyond the confines of the underwater scene serving as a transition from her glimmering feature wall to her future walk through gallery space. Just beyond the feature mosaic wall lay Heather’s “happy place.” A hidden garden area bursting with plants, succulents and mosaic art. Just past the entrance to her home is Heather’s original, smaller studio.

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Within it was the kiln which Heather uses to create her own mosaic tiles.

I had the joy of holding a bisque firing of some leaf shaped tiles which had come out of the kiln that morning and were still warm at lunch time.

The smaller studio houses all of Heather’s tiles and I noticed she had an abundance of penguin shaped tiles she had made.

Heather proceeded to share with me that not only is she a wife, mother of 2 boys, grandmother to 4, a former florist, and a thriving artist, she is also a local penguin ranger! When Heather spoke about the Little Penguins and the importance of conservation, I heard her passion and it was easy to understand why so many of her mosaics I had seen told stories of the little penguins.

In the minutes I spent exploring Heather’s, “paradise and happy place” I began to understand why Heather was so content. Her balance she has created in life, with the loving support of her husband Manfred is perfect.

Heather has quiet, reflective and creative time in her studios, meaningful social connection with her workshops and the excitement of evenings spent with tourists and the little penguins.

The workshop ladies, Heather and myself enjoyed a magnificent lunch upstairs with a bay view and a glass of wine. Sometime during this process I realised my stresses had melted away. I’d muted my phone and was present in the moment. This process is what happens when you join Heather for a workshop. It is so much more than learning the mosaic art process and creating a work of art in a day. It is about meaningful connection, storytelling, mindful attention and sharing our most precious resource, time with other human beings.

I listened to Heather and finished my glass of red, listening to stories about her and Manfred’s journey to Phillip Island. She described how once they bought the block of land, they started out camping and then stayed in a retro caravan while Manfred built their house on the weekends. Their house was designed by architect John Lucas and it was inspired by Villa Savoye, a house in France designed by Le Corbusier. It is clear to see and feel the love imbued in every aspect of their home.

heather fahnle

The space is calming, welcoming, warm and is filled with bits and pieces of them. From the family pictures, to the printers’ trays filled with sea-urchin shells, to the birds nest tastefully placed on a frame it is apparent Heather is at heart, a story teller.

Her family’s story is evolving and this is reflected in her home, garden and art. It will never be a space that is “finished” as it is a dynamic space that reflects Heather’s journey and part of what makes it so comfortable.

As my part in the workshop day drew to a close, I resisted it a little while longer and focused on the stories that were flowing about the therapeutic benefit of mosaic art, the importance of daily mindful practice and how human connection is being lost in our thirst for technology. Once it was time to get back to the art of creating, I watched Heather and the ladies head downstairs to their works of art and their quiet, mindful focus. I understood why Heather had said, “My favourite work is doing commissions for people. I love starting with an idea and making a story.”

The journey, the process and the finished piece all bring us back to how we should be living each day, mindfully present. That was Heather’s gift to me as I drove home to disconnect from the rest of the world and to just be with my children.

For more information

Mosaics By The Bay e: heather@fahnle.com.au | p: 0417 562 625 www.fahnle.com.au

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WONTHAGGI MEDICAL GROUP

Accredited Providers of High Quality Medical Services to the Bass Coast Community

YOUR LOCAL GENERAL PRACTICE FOR • Medical Services for the whole family • Obstetrics - Pregnancy Management/Birth • Palliative Care • Aged Care • Vascular Health Assessments • General Health Assessments • Healthy Kids Check

• Immunisation • Diabetes Management, Education and Risk Assessment • Asthma Management & Education • GP Management Plans • Chronic Disease Management - Team Care Arrangements • Skin Checks and Lesion Removal • Travel Health Advice

OPENING HOURS 42 Murray Street, Wonthaggi

8.30am - 6.00pm Mon - Fri 9.00am - 12.00pm Sat

25 A'Beckett Street, Inverloch

9.00am - 12.30pm | 2.00pm - 5.00pm Mon - Fri

Consulting Suites, Wonthaggi Hospital After Hours

9.00am - 12.00pm | 2.00pm - 5.30pm Mon - Fri 6.00pm -8.00pm

2/1524 Bass Highway, Grantville

9.00am - 12.30pm | 2.00pm - 4.30pm Mon - Fri

Holiday Season

MOO’S is closed on CHRISTMAS DAY & BOXING DAY Then OPEN 7 Days a Week until the end of January

Tel: 5672 1333 For Appointments and After Hours www.wonthaggimedical.com.au

feeling

misunderstood?

By Erin Miller

everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience who you really are Unknown

Feeling misunderstood is a common and sometimes painful theme for many people, the dread of being misunderstood, unheard and not validated.

That feeling when whatever you say will be taken the wrong way, twisted or misconstrued for something entirely different than your intent in the first place. That feeling when whatever you say will be the wrong thing to say.

That feeling when you should just be seen and never heard.

Can you relate?

Often we learn to play it safe, choosing the role of the “nice” and “likeable” person, always pleasing and charming to everyone, sitting on the fence, never one to have an opinion about anything, never speaking up if displeased with something, just riding along as a passenger in everyone else’s flow of life, nodding and smiling your way through.

With years of suppression for many people this can be the catalyst for depression, anxiety, mood disorders, disease, sickness, burn out, break downs and the list goes on.

So before we hit rock bottom what can we do when we feel misunderstood?

1. Create the awareness around what exactly you are feeling and why you are feeling that way. We can’t change what we don’t know.

2. Acknowledge all the feelings; thank them for showing up and highlighting something that needs to be healed and explored further.

3. Find another effective way to communicate where you will feel validated, understood and heard – perhaps via a personal blog, journaling, video post, singing or sharing with a close friend.

From very early in life (the years 0-7) often we learn to censor our words and emotions, showing only the parts of us that people find pleasant and approving. These other parts of our being, the real you, we hide away from the world – in many cases very few have ever experienced this part of us – even family, childhood friends or intimate partners.

4. Self-responsibility; your own happiness begins with you and therefore you’re the only person responsible for how you feel However, when we are dealing with big emotions sometimes it’s tricky to think through something on your own, that’s when I encourage people to call in the big guns and have a session with a coach or therapist who can look at things from an outsider perspective, guiding you to find clarity.

When we feel perpetually misunderstood it becomes safer and easier (or so we think) to shut down this part of us. We direct all our focus and life-force energy into those things external to us, for example: you could take on the role of being the “go-to” person in a time of crisis or perhaps you may turn your attention to shopping, gambling, alcohol, promiscuous relationships etc.

5. Sometimes regardless of what you do say or how you say it – some people will never understand you and what you stand for – walk away, they are not your people. Spend your energy on those who love you, understand you and value what you have to say.

The thing is that when we turn our focus external to us, we miss our internal warning signs that our own needs are not being met.

For those who understand you, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand you, no explanation is possible.

Erin Miller is a NLP life coach, mentor, writer and proud mama to 3 very active young boys.

Her previous career roles have been quite diverse and she has a background in hospitality/travel, disability/mental health and business management.

Trained in a variety of modalities including NLP, Life Coaching and as a Soul Modes Mentor, she has had the privilege to work with clients all around Australia and also runs empowerment workshops, retreats and group events.

For further information please call 0418 328 441 or visit my website www.erinmiller.com.au or follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Do you have a question or a topic you would like Erin to write about? Send her an email at erin@erinmiller.com.au

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MOON GARDENING

ANCIENT MOON GARDENING FOR GROWTH, HEALTH AND HARMONY … BE IN FLOW WITH MOTHER NATURE TO GROW AND CREATE IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE. Life and growth have a rhythm and we can look to the Moon to see this natural flow of life. The ancients used the rhythm of phases and Moon signs to work in harmony with the land and animals, with their health, and for ceremonies and rituals. They had no artificial streetlights to block out the night sky and knew the cycle of the Moon and the stars intimately.

They had time to watch, study and be aware. We can use this knowledge for our gardens and farms, for herbal remedies, and to help create a life of harmony.

Living with the Moon’s rhythm we find there are specific days each month which are perfect to plant and sow, to initiate and begin, days to prune to increase growth, days to harvest herbs for remedies, days to build better outcomes, days to prune to retard growth and limit outcomes, days to analyse and build, days to weed and harvest for storage, and days to gather goodwill and reap rewards. Using this we can pick the best time for a myriad of activities.

ANCIENT MOON GARDENING PLANTING DAYS WORDS & CHART BY KERRY GALEA 29th February - 1st March

Waxing Fertile 1st Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables whose leaves we eat.

5th, 6th March

Waxing Fertile 2nd Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables that bear fruits or seeds for eating.

10th March

Full Moon in Virgo

Official gardeners rest day … so do nothing.

Share your observations.

12th 13th 14th March

Waning Fertile Moon 3rd Quarter

Plant root crops

24th March

New Moon in Aries

Rest and (ideally) do nothing. Develop a sense of adventure.

27th 28th and morning of the 29th

Waxing Fertile 1st Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables whose leaves we eat.

1st 2nd April

Waxing Fertile 2nd Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables that bear fruits or seeds for eating.

8th April

Full Moon in Libra

Official gardeners rest day … so do as much of nothing as you can.

Show others how to practise courtesy and kindness.

10th 13th 14th April

Waning Fertile Moon 3rd Quarter

Plant root crops

23rd April

New Moon in Taurus

Rest and (ideally) do nothing. Allow yourself some time spent in leisure

28th 29th and morning of the 30th April

Waxing Fertile 1st Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables whose leaves we eat.

5th May

Waxing Fertile 2nd Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables that bear fruits or seeds for eating.

7th May

Full Moon in Scorpio

Official gardeners rest day … so do nothing.

Share an attitude that searches for truth.

11th 12th May

Waning Fertile Moon 3rd Quarter

Plant root crops

23rd May

New Moon in Gemini

Rest and (ideally) do nothing. Be curious. Start asking questions.

25th 26th 27th May

Waxing Fertile 1st Quarter

Perfect for all sowing and planting.

Especially for vegetables whose leaves we eat.

Along with New Moons and Full Moons there are only 4 things to remember... waxing, waning and fertile or barren.

Astrology, Palmistry and Ancient Moon Gardening | Email: kerry@kerrygalea.com.au | Web: www.kerrygalea.com.au

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Following on from Part one in our Summer Edtion #41

AUTUMN MARCH | APRIL | MAY 2020 SUN SIGN ASTROLOGY forecast with KERRY GALEA ARIES !

LIBRA '

21 March – 19 April

23 Sep – 22 Oct

While you want some quiet times away from the action, the world asks you to step forward and be a leader, and sooner rather than later. You may find yourself trying to lead those who should be the leaders. Mid-season, this will get tough but don’t run… hold your position, and adjust as needed… but hold. What you need to know will come to you, and while some people may disagree, others will agree. Later in the season, focus on your values and what you share. While energy levels may reduce, it is a time to express your point of view and to seek information.

You want more sharing and deep intimacy with loved ones and family. Some will welcome it with open arms. Some won’t know how to react, and may need guidance. Others will be so afraid that they pull away, or react with tension. It’s not you… they don’t yet know how to respond. Mid-season, you may begin to feel held back or blocked and a creative project needs much more attention to keep it moving forward. Even family suddenly demands more attention. Busy times!

Later in the season, self-discipline is not that easy to attain and it’s easy to jump from one thing to another.

TAURUS "

SCORPIO (

Shine doing the things you love. For even if you want to hide, you will be seen and recognised… so may as well enjoy it. People will listen, so share your opinions but take care not to force your viewpoint as you have more to learn. Mid-season begins a time of hard work. Authority figures don’t see things the same way as you do. If in doubt, consult an expert. Success lies in getting the job done. Later in the season you are focused on what you want. Luckily this is a perfect time to talk or undergo negotiations in order to achieve it.

This is a month of relationships, friendships and connection with others. Enjoy making links, and creating more networks but don’t rush or force any ideas. Let it be a time of constructive and informative debate, rather than trying to assert ideas. Mid-season, it’s time to concentrate on the home front. Do you need to renovate or to build? And I am not just talking about house and home. It also means family connections and relationships. Later in the season, emotions run high… so be gentle with yourself. Also allow time to enjoy a playful adventurous time.

20 April – 20 May

23 Oct – 21 Nov

GEMINI #

SAGITTARIUS )

21 May – 20 June

You will soon find out what’s really happening in your working life. Travel for pleasure will be limited, but you could be much more mobile with work. Be patient and allow this time to be an inner journey rather than an outer one, for nothing is as clear as you want. Mid-season, you may find yourself holding knowledge private. Arguing with others is not going to help, for you will not be able to convince them of anything. Later in the season it’s a great time to express your point of view and to open conversations. The “gift of the gab” has finally returned!

22 Nov – 21 Dec

Information is likely to change and plans will need revising, so wait till later in the month before making important decisions. What you possess is not the most valuable thing in life. Value yourself, not what you have. Avoid the 3 traps of shame, blame and justification. Mid-season, it’s time to get your words prepared and organised for you will have much to say. Don’t hold fast to old worn out ideas as they will be challenged. Listening, as well as talking, is a great asset. This continues through the rest of the season, so keep listening.

CANCER $

CAPRICORN *

21 June – 22 July

Ask questions, dig deep and soon you will get most of the answers to what you seek. Don’t expect partners and friends to know what they are doing... as they don’t even know! And they will soon easily rush, or over-react without thinking.

Mid-season, you will be asking yourself about respect. Do you feel that your inner worth is respected? Open up and experiment with trusting and you will find exactly what you need to know. Late season, you are going to want to express your ideas and thoughts, but give yourself some wiggle room as new information will lead to new ideas.

22 Dec – 19 Jan

Energy and vitality keep increasing, along with the tendency to over-react. Staying still is detrimental, whilst being active is beneficial and creates opportunities. You are more than what you think you are. Ask questions, connect and talk, and you will find out what you need to discover. Mid-season is the perfect time to fully realise the hold that finances and possessions have over identity. This is the ideal time to add self-value for yourself. What needs to be revised and reviewed? Later in the season, half of you wants to make a decision, and the other half is hesitant, so keeping things in perspective is important.

LEO %

AQUARIUS +

23 July – 22 Aug

Once you ask, things will generally come your way, especially at work. Loved ones need to delay decisions as information will change and revising will be needed. You may get bogged down in small details and lots of hum-drum responsibilities… but ask for help and it will come, and you will be astounded at how much you can achieve. Mid-season, differences of opinions with friends and loved ones come to the surface. It will be more complex than you think, so sort out priorities and realign expectations. Later in the season, a new direction or more information, especially at work, becomes clearer.

20 Jan – 18 Feb

Be aware that ever a slight delay can throw plans into disarray. You will prefer home life rather than a busy external life, so rest when you can. A sense of uneasiness can arise so ask yourself, who is reacting to past conditioning? Them or you? Mid-season begins a time of disciplined energy and hard work which can easily lead to successes. But if you procrastinate, dither, and leave solutions to other people... this will be a time of rising inner tensions. Keep working hard... this intense dynamic feeling will finish soon, so you may as well take advantage of the energy and get things done.

VIRGO &

PISCES ,

23 Aug – 22 Sep

Follow your bliss or enjoy the search to find it. Be open to something new and different. When emotions run high, give yourself a hug and a big dose of self-love.

Creativity and exploration are the key words. Life is not always about duty... until it is. Sorry…. but responsibility does return mid-season and you will be dealing with consequences and attending to details and routines. Including health routines.

Projects may become more complex, but you have the ability to readily solve the issues. Late-season is a great time to learn how to do things differently and then take this knowledge into your workplace.

19 Feb – 20 March

Communication and networking will soon improve. These bring ideas about your future goals and some of them may have surprised you… and may surprise you yet again. It’s a perfect time to forge ahead, so be ready to step forward. Then mid-season there is a time of increasing noisy background static. While you may see where you want to go... you cannot figure out how to get there. The solution is to consult a map. If you keep talking, you will find who has the map. By seasons end, show your hand and claim your ground.

KERRY GALEA ASTROLOGY, PALMISTRY AND ANCIENT MOON GARDENING Email: kerry@kerrygalea.com.au | Web: www.kerrygalea.com.au

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Dealing

ith the Mental & Emotional Impact of a Bushfire

WHAT A WAY TO START 2020! YOU MADE PLANS TO TAKE A SUMMER HOLIDAY, OR MAYBE A STAYCATION. RELAXING AT HOME, TAKING SOME TIME OUT TO READ A BOOK, SLEEPING IN AND CATCHING UP ON SOME WELL EARNT REST AFTER A HECTIC 2019.

AND… WELL, YOU SIMPLY NEVER GOT THE CHANCE. Instead, you were on high alert, eyes constantly glued to the Vic Emergency App or listening to ABC News or radio. Some of you had to evacuate on more than one occasion, experiencing the difficult task of packing prized possessions, documents and animals to transport to a safe haven. Unfortunately, for others they were struck with the cruellest blow, losing everything to the fires.

Every resident of Gippsland has been impacted by the bushfires either directly or indirectly. The state of heightened stress, emotion, fear and loss has penetrated the fabric of our community. Each person has experienced some feeling or emotion through this time. From breakdown to resilience and anywhere in between.

It is common to react to a natural disaster and experience a variety of emotions. It is important that we acknowledge our emotions and deal with any imbalances recognised in our family, friends, neighbours, workmates, community or ourselves. What is paramount is that we seek the support that we and others need at this time.

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SOME COMMON REACTIONS AND EMOTIONS MAY INCLUDE: Feeling stressed or overwhelmed Unable to focus, loss of work productivity, or increase in mistakes, forgetfulness Difficulty sleeping, bad dreams related to the bushfires Feeling overwhelming guilt or remorse Feeling detached from others and isolating oneself Consuming alcohol, cigarettes or drugs as a coping mechanism Feeling agitated, outbursts to loved ones or work colleagues Panic symptoms or chronic stress - fast heartrate, increase blood pressure, shallow breathing, dizziness, gut disturbances.

If your daily functioning is affected or if you are witnessing someone who is acting in a manner which is unusual to their daily routine or personality.

If they are not their “normal, selves”, check in, offer support, and refer them to a GP or mental health professional. It is ok to not be ok. It is not ok to ignore it.

CHRISTINE BOUCHER of Natural Health Balance is a corporate health and performance coach transforming organisations to work productively and cohesively as a team. Improving the health of staff and the well-being of business through performance management, health coaching and team building to improve productivity, performance and profitability.

Christine is dedicated and passionate about Health & Wellness. Holding a Bachelor of Nursing Degree, specialising in Intensive Care Nursing.

With over 20 years’ experience working in the healthcare industry.

www.naturalhealthbalance.com.au

When we are in a state of stress for lengthy periods, our bodies are at a continual heightened response. The chronic stress can become the new norm and we may not even recognise how it is affecting our physical, mental or emotional health. It is important to listen to friends and family that may acknowledge our behaviour as out of character or listen to the work colleague that comments about our loss of enthusiasm. External warnings or cues provide feedback that alerts us to the potential of our internal system being out of balance.

WHAT CAN WE DO IF WE ARE OUT OF BALANCE?

connection Connecting with those we love is priority: When we connect with a loved one, a hug, talking, touching we release a hormone called oxytocin that has an inbuilt de-stress mechanism. Dilating blood vessels reducing the symptoms of stress, the fast heart and high blood pressure. Giving us a surge of feel good hormones that help us to relax, calm down and feel happy.

talk Talking is healthy and helps us to release emotions and process the events we have experienced. Talking about feelings, talking about what happened and what you experienced promotes the recovery process.

Talk to friends, family, work colleagues or if needed talk to your local GP or healthcare professional.

time Take the time you need for you. Take the time to talk when you are ready, take time away from added pressures or extra tasks. Continue with your routine but focus on activities that promote rest, health and well-being.

There is no hurry, no stress, no pressure, take all the time you need.

rest The stress of a natural disaster drains our physical, mental and emotional energy. It is important to take the time to rest. To stimulate the rest and digest response and bring the body back into a normal homeostatic balance post the bushfire stress. Meditation, listening to music, sleeping, all help to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system encouraging the internal healing of cell rejuvenation, immune system stimulation and digestion reabsorption. In other words, our bodies can go back to a healthy default.

plan Set realistic goals that keep you motivated, but do not take on too much.

Have a plan to maintain positive changes and plans to deal with times of stress or reminders of the trauma. This event will stick in your memory for a lifetime, what is important is how you perceive and deal with it ongoing that promotes a healthy resilience and a healthy YOU.

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healthy WHEN WE HAVE A CHILD, OUR LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED IN MANY AMAZING WAYS AND A LOVE AND BOND IS CREATED LIKE NO OTHER, THE MINUTE WE BECOME PARENTS. With the arrival of this new little human, we experience a variety of changes in our world which can come in the form of emotional changes, relationships, finances, sleepless nights, time restraints and mental health, but probably the biggest changes for a mother are the physical and sometimes social adjustments.

I’ll gladly put my hand up and say that during my first pregnancy I “ate for two”. I indulged in copious amounts of ice-cream after dinner and my son would gladly wriggle around in glee at the sugar rush, which I’m sure has contributed to his sweet tooth to this day. Postpartum though, I quickly realised that my ice-cream intake and the toll it took on my bum and hips may take a little longer than thought to say goodbye to. Isn’t it supposed to just disappear the minute the baby is born?

I clearly recall setting myself up with the TV remote, a cup of tea that would go cold anyway, perhaps a biscuit that I would eat over baby’s head and drop crumbs on, the cordless house and mobile phone, all within arm’s reach and cloth nappy poised over my shoulder with my baby ready for feed time, and all set to be seated for lengthy periods of time trying to get it all right.

As a person who doesn’t like to sit still for very long, mixed with a baby who cried from feed to feed for a long time at night, topped off with having lots of difficulty feeding, I found myself in a state of mild post-natal depression. I discovered that walking with my baby in the pram not only got him off to sleep but got me out of the house and enjoying some fresh air and Vitamin D, some ice-cream burning exercise as well and improvement in my mind and physical health.

Around the same time, the mothers’ group I was placed in was where I met one of my best friends and the two of us started a casual mums’ and bubs walking group along the local rail trail for like-minded people.

Thirteen years later, we still walk and hike together and ironically do so as a bit of child-free time now but for all the same health reasons. It’s safe to say that I kept much fitter and healthier throughout my second pregnancy and have continued these good habits on until this day.

There are many different ways to keep active throughout and post pregnancy, and there’s a lot more information and classes available now thanks to strong education, modern technology and growth in the health and wellness sector in general.

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Exercise before or after the birth of your baby should be completed under the guidance of a GP or physio and can prepare you for labour, motherhood and also: ❚ helps promote better sleep and fight fatigue ❚ reduces pain, is good for muscles and bone health ❚ reduces the risk of chronic disease ❚ can improve brain health, memory and sex life ❚ supports posture, breathing and core strength (= strong back health for toddler-wrangling) ❚ increases cardiovascular activity and muscle toning ❚ strengthens pelvic floor ❚ prevents unnecessary weight gain ❚ releases endorphins which leads to feeling happier and ❚ can reduce stress and anxiety chemically as well as providing a healthy distraction from fears.

Some activities to try that are low impact and low intensity are swimming, yoga, Pilates, walking, cycling, exercise DVD’s, apps or YouTube, dancing and the development of classes specifically designed for mums and bubs, such as local Kanga Classes which are a wonderful way to get active, social and you bond with your baby without needing to seek childcare to get to a class. (See: kangatraining.info/country/au for more information.)

Stepping into health and wellness with our children from an early age also sets a positive example for them and helps create healthy habits long term. Keep it fun and make exercise a family activity and encourage options such as taking the stairs not the lift and then everyone benefits.

Particularly in the current world of modern electronics and virtual exercise, kids and teens are said to require at least sixty minutes of exercise per day. Children benefit from aerobic exercise such as basketball, dance, running and swimming and also require strengthening and stretching exercises like scaling the monkey bars or simply bending whilst tying shoe laces.

ACTIVE CHILDREN WILL HAVE: ❚ lower blood pressure and improved outlook on life and their mental health ❚ reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes ❚ leaner bodies and better weight management.

Always be kind to yourself, allow for some guilt free exercise and listen to your body when you need to.

For those new mothers or fathers who need support following the birth of their baby can go to www.panda.org.au or call 1300 726 306

mums

equals healthy, happy family Words: Christie Nelson

Christie is a dual health and wellness business owner, business builder, social networker, educator and busy Mum who can offer solutions and products to those looking for a postive change.

For further information, please email youcanactivewear@gmail.com or go to www.youcanlifestyle.com.au | www.christienelson.arbonne.com youcanactivewearandlifestyle youcanactivewear christienelson0827

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GIPPSLAND LIBRARIES

Leading the Way

PARENTS AND CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM CEO’S PROGRESSIVE POLICY WORDS: LIA SPENCER

Left to right is: Bec Noon – Manager Marketing and Strategy and mum of two. Heather Serong – Collections and Acquisitions Officer and mum to two. Leanne Williams – CEO and mum of three Charlotte Williams – Leanne’s youngest child. Linda Fowler – Manage People and Culture and mum of two, Rachael Davidson – Technical Services Officer and mum of one. Emma Fawcett – Library and Programs Officer and mum of three

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THE TEAM ALL INTEGRATE WORK AND FAMILY IN DIFFERENT WAYS INCLUDING KIDS COMING TO WORK BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL, STAFF LEAVING EARLY TO PICK KIDS UP FROM SCHOOL THEN WORKING FROM HOME AND TAKING KIDS TO MEETINGS.

Imagine having an important business meeting which clashed with your child’s awards presentation at school. Or having a breastfed baby who you need to put in childcare while you return to work. Or not having anyone to mind your kids while you work during school holidays.

These are just a few of the challenges many parents face while trying to juggle work and families.

Leanne said juggling work and family was a skill which couldn’t be learned overnight and could often take many attempts of trial and error.

“I did have another presentation where I brought my older daughter too which didn’t go as well,” she said. “But I didn’t pack food or anything to occupy herself with, so I didn’t set us up for success.”

But, according to CEO of West Gippsland Libraries Leanne Williams, family-workplace integration shouldn’t be complicated. In fact, it should be both supported and celebrated in Australian workplaces.

Leanne said bringing children to work not only benefited both the employer and staff, but it was also beneficial to children. “When kids see their parents at work, they learn, understand and appreciate what they do for a living,” she said. “For my children, they get to see leadership in action.”

Leanne recently implemented a policy which allows parents to bring their children to work if the need arises. The proactive mother of three said she wanted to lead by example.

Leanne hoped that the proactive West Gippsland Libraries policy would encourage other workplaces within the community to also find ways to support working parents.

“I am bringing my kids to work all the time and I didn’t want my staff to think I could do it, but they couldn’t. I wanted to empower all staff by having an agreement which is documented and accessible by everyone,” she said.

“While our policy is catered to the office environment, I would like other directors and managers to think about how they can create a policy which suits their workplace yet supports working parents,” she said. “Anyone can do it. It’s about starting a conversation.”

“OUR POLICY IS VERY MUCH ABOUT VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS AND BUILT ON TRUST. I THINK IF YOU SUPPORT YOUR EMPLOYEES, THEY WILL FEEL APPRECIATED AND GIVE 100 PER CENT WHILE THEY ARE AT WORK.” Leanne said that breaking down mental barriers was crucial to the policy’s success.

“A lot of times we are worried about what other people will think if we bring our children to work with us, but if done correctly, it can be an amazing experience for everyone,” she said.

Leanne recalled a meeting she had to take her toddler daughter to two years ago. Leanne packed food, drinks and an iPad to keep her daughter busy while she spoke to a room of stakeholders. Leanne had to navigate her way through the presentation while also helping her daughter get Peppa Pig to play on screen and find a tissue for her snotty nose.

“We worry about whether other people will think we aren’t professional or we aren’t good at our job, but it’s important to myth bust those perceptions in our head,” she said. “What actually happened during that presentation was that everyone was very much engaged in what I had to say and were left impressed with my juggling skills.”

The Williams Family, 6 year old Madeleine, Husband Matt, Leanne, 4 year old Charlotte and 8 year old Henry.

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lifestyle | coast | country

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Gracefield THERE’S NO NEED TO LEAVE GIPPSLAND TO DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY ESCAPE. WORDS: CHRIS WEST

When the sun retreats behind the hills surrounding Gracefield Estate and another day draws to a close, it’s impossible not to notice the sheer peace and tranquility. There’s not a neighbour in sight in any direction, or any sound to disturb the silence.

It’s the perfect time to sit back and pour a drink, or simply relax and enjoy one of Gippsland’s most unique and idyllic country retreats.

Gracefield’s undoubted point of difference is that it provides such a beautiful setting for a getaway whilst continuing to operate as a working farm, complete with a resident menagerie of animals including cattle, sheep, deer and pigs.

Located on 100 secluded acres of green pastures, rolling hills and natural bushland on the edge of the Neerim State Forest, the property offers two separate accommodation experiences on the one site – Gracefield Farmhouse and Gracefield Cottage.

Having two options gives guests the flexibility to tailor their choice of accommodation to best suit their needs. Couples or smaller families can decide between the modern comforts of the spacious threebedroom homestead style farmhouse or the intimacy of the twobedroom cottage.

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Larger families or groups can opt to book both guest houses, which are close to each other but separated by enough distance to ensure privacy if needed.

Guests know they have come to a special place from the moment they enter the grounds at 135 Latrobe River Road in Neerim South and slowly travel along the winding driveway. It’s a first chance to admire the scenery as you pass by a number of cattle and deer grazing in blissful contentment in the lakeside paddock at the front of the site.

Gracefield’s manager of farming operations and guest services, Pawel Kiewel wants more Gippslanders to discover the delights of a property situated right on their doorstep.

“Why go to Melbourne or the Yarra Valley for a getaway when there is a place like this here in our region offering a premier experience?” he asks.

“This is a property that has something for everyone and caters to different requirements in terms of guest numbers and budget.”

Gracefield’s location, just five minutes from the township of Neerim South, makes it a perfect gateway to the wide variety of popular attractions in the region.

Many visitors use the property as a base for winter ski trips to Mount Baw Baw, which is just under an hour away by car.

We also cut our firewood here and I make sure to have the wood fire stocked and prepared for use if required,” he explains.

“We’re very accessible to the snow during the ski season, but it’s a similar travelling time down to the coast for the beaches in summer and only around an hour to Melbourne as well,” Pawel states.

Other hospitable touches include the complimentary breakfast provided for the first morning of every stay which is filled with breads, eggs, fresh fruit, spreads, tea and coffee.

“The idea is that people come here to relax and we do all that we can to make that happen so that their stay is enjoyable from start to finish,” Pawel adds.

But if guests prefer not to venture too far during their break, there is also so much on offer close by, including some wonderful local wineries in the area. Those who seek great places for bushwalking and enjoying the natural attractions outdoors are also spoilt for choice, with Tarago Reservoir Park just minutes away and Tooronga Falls within an hour’s drive.

“Everything is within easy reach,” Pawel observes.

In his role as manager, Pawel recognises the importance of ensuring that guests feel instantly welcome on arrival at Gracefield. He also prides himself in presenting the property in pristine condition.

“Creating a positive first impression is extremely important, so I want everything to be right when guests arrive, including having the lighting switched on and either the cooling going in summer or the heating on in winter.

Although Gracefield’s location is rural and away from the crowds, the property does have WiFi access if guests want to stay connected with their business or friendship networks at any time during their stay.

Given advance notice and subject to his availability, Pawel is happy to provide guests with a supervised tour of the property grounds by arrangement during week days. This includes an opportunity to hand feed the animals in the paddocks.

“Visitors love to take a walk around outside to look at the animals and also appreciate the abundance of birdlife we have here, which includes king parrots, rosellas and galahs. It’s just a short stroll from either the cottage or the farmhouse to the lake on the grounds, which provides the perfect spot for guests to enjoy a picnic,” Pawel notes.

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Sustainability is an integral part of Gracefield’s essential being. As an active working farm, the property operates on a self-sufficient eco system of growing and living.

Gracefield’s owners Graeme and Amber Bulte have invested a lot of heart and soul into the establishment, whilst also separately maintaining successful business careers of their own.

The design features of the property owe much to Amber’s professional flair and creativity.

She has worked hard to strike the balance between luxury wilderness retreat and tasteful comfort. Many of the elements around the property reflect an influence from both Gracefield’s past history as a deer farm and echoes of Amber’s former homeland Canada.

Down the corridor to the other end of the home is the main bathroom, which has a spa bath available for use either as a regular bath or with the addition of the jets. There is also a separate laundry if any washing is required.

One of the highlights of any stay in the farmhouse is utlising the outdoor relaxation zone which includes an infrared sauna and the adjacent concrete spa and separate plunge pool built into a landscaped rockery. These facilities provide the perfect way to unwind in privacy.

The latest addition to this area is a Hawaiian style fire pit with cooking grill which now provides an extra layer to the outdoor experience at Gracefield.

The décor throughout the farmhouse is stylish, contemporary and comfortable. The furniture and appliances are all of high quality and nothing has been overlooked in ensuring guests have everything they need at their fingertips. Should any urgent supplies happen to be needed, the township of Neerim South is only five minutes drive away.

“We are always looking to make further improvements wherever we see opportunities,” Pawel says.

The kitchen is appropriately equipped for self-catering, with electric stove top and oven, dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator. An island bench provides plenty of room for preparation.

Amongst the current delights growing in the organically grown garden are tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, leek, capsicum, spinach, asparagus, rhubarb, artichokes and strawberries.

An open lounge area adjacent to the kitchen offers a television, CD and DVD player, along with a wide selection of movies to choose from.

Storage cupboards within the home are also well stocked with games and toys to entertain the kids.

“If guests need herbs for cooking they can use something from the garden,” Pawel says.

Sleeping arrangements have the master bedroom located off the kitchen/ living area, which ensures separation and privacy from the remaining two bedrooms positioned at the opposite end of the home. The master bedroom features a comfortable king sized bed for a good night’s sleep, along with an ensuite with shower and there is a walk-in robe with plenty of hanging space for clothes.

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Providing a buffer between the farmhouse and the nearby cottage is a flourishing vegetable and herb garden which changes with the seasons.

Just beyond the garden is the cute and cosy two-bedroom split level cottage. Guests step inside to ground level living area complete with lounge, wood heater, television, DVD player, kitchen, bathroom and laundry with washing machine and dryer. Both bedrooms are located upstairs and provide picturesque views of the farm. The cottage also features a private patio and barbecue facilities.

Irrespective of whether you favour the charms of the cottage or the additional room and luxury extras of the farmhouse, Gracefield offers a selection of stay package options and special promotions which are detailed on the website at www.gracefieldcottage.com.au. Presently it is advertising a midweek escape deal providing a $90 saving off the weekend rate when booking for two nights during the week.

An exciting new dimension has been added to the Gracefield experience through the establishment of exclusive food and beverage supply arrangements with renowned local chef Trevor Perkins and boutique Warragul bottle shop The Press Cellars.

Trevor has operated Hogget Kitchen restaurant in Warragul for the past three years, having previously built his reputation locally at Big Spoon Little Spoon, whilst the team at The Press Cellars – husband and wife Stuart and Saffron Hay and co-owner Margot Walker - are experts in the local wine market and craft beer industry.

Pawel believes these unique partnerships can help elevate Gracefield to a new level of luxury and become a drawcard for hosting weddings, parties and other celebratory functions on site.

“Having Trevor on board is a great asset for us. He specialises in using the best Gippsland produce and has a great reputation in his field for what he does and how he represents the local region in his cuisine,” Pawel says.

“Our arrangement with him extends beyond special events. We now offer staying guests the opportunity to treat themselves to a little gastronomic indulgence by having Trevor cook a private meal for them at the property.

It’s an amazing optional extra touch that isn’t available anywhere else and is worth every cent of the additional cost.”

Trevor is happy to tailor his menu to suit the occasion and the guests’ personal tastes, whether it be catering for a formal dinner, cocktail style finger food, casual barbecue, or even something as simple as preparing platters for a picnic.

The Press Cellars are also experts in selecting local wines or craft beers to complete the total Gippsland experience.

“Having the beverage arrangement with The Press Cellars complements our partnership with Trevor perfectly. Stuart Hay and the team there always know the right choices for any occasion,” Pawel states.

“Stuart also played a key part in helping us to establish Gracefield’s own wine label using locally sourced product and we currently have a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay in our collection,” he adds.

Word of mouth has played an important role in quietly helping to increase awareness of Gracefield, not only within the local tourism market but also amongst a growing number of interstate and overseas visitors.

The guest book in the farmhouse is filled with messages from delighted guests, many of whom have journeyed from other parts of Australia and numerous overseas countries purely on the recommendation of others.

Gracefield Now that you are better acquainted with Gracefield, if you would like to experience this idyllic property for yourself with someone special, visit www.gracefieldcottage.com.au to check availability and to make a reservation online.

Booking enquiries can also be made by email at gracefield@bultegroup.com or by phoning (03) 8772 9230.

“Gracefield is very popular all year round but autumn can mark the start of one of our busiest periods of the year, so I’d encourage anyone not to delay,” Pawel advises.

“Whether you come for a night or stay for a week, however long your visit we’ll make sure your accommodation experience here is a unique and unforgettable one.”

Gracefield Estate - Farmhouse and Cottage 135 Latrobe River Road, Neerim South, 3831, Australia www.instagram.com/gracefield_lifeoutside www.gracefieldcottage.com.au

Photographs supplied by Gracefield Estate

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THE REINVENTION OF THE PAKENHAM HOTEL IT’S BEEN PAKENHAM’S ICONIC MAIN STREET WATERING HOLE SINCE THE 1920S, AND MUCH LIKE THE TOWN ITSELF, THE FORMER PAKENHAM HOTEL HAS UNDERGONE A TRANSFORMATION – A REINVENTION THAT HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING WELCOMED BY THE COMMUNITY.

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In its more than 90 years, the hotel has seen Pakenham grow at an alarming pace, and in more recent times the need to keep up has become more and more evident, leading to last year’s rebranding to The Drake Tavern.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just trying to create a venue that we think the town is ready for,” explained co-owner Brendan Theobald. “It appears that the people of the town agree.

“The town’s changed and grown and diversified and there’s more venues now but for a long time it was the heart and soul and it was basically a hotel that you would have expected back in those decades, and it served the community well. That was the culture back then but as the town has grown it’s had to grow with the town like everything else. If you don’t modify yourself moving forward and adapt to the community expectations, you’ll get left behind unfortunately.”

Brendan and co-owner John O’Halloran purchased the hotel in 2005 - a huge changing of guard for the business which had been in the Cunningham family for many decades.

“It was basically untouched and we performed a reasonably sizable renovation in 2007 whereby we tidied it up a bit and created a new bistro off the side of the hotel and removed the bottle shop and created a car park.”

After the initial renovations, the hotel traded for several years as a hub for food, drink, entertainment and for a short time, accommodation.

But it wasn’t until last year that the Pakenham Hotel was given its most dramatic facelift, rebrand to The Drake Tavern.

“We again renovated in 2019 and we’ve been open now for about 10 months as The Drake Tavern. The Drake Tavern get its name because the hotel sits on the corner of Main Street and Drake Place.

“Drake Place was named after a bit of a Pakenham institution called Bernard ‘Bunny’ Drake, a very active member of the community during the formation years of the town. The reason we changed the name is because there is a bit of confusion in the town, there are two Pakenham Hotels. We’ve reinvented the hotel, let’s give it a fresh name as well and a bit of a logo, give it its own identity and start the next chapter of The Pakenham Hotel.”

Brendan admits the renovations were a bold move, and ruffled more than a few feathers in the town, largely due to the closure of the hotel’s sports bar. But, according to the hotelier, it was a necessary change. While the hotel had been much-loved for many decades and had serviced the community with its country pub atmosphere, it was time for a change.

“We’re obviously building a new bar trade because the public bar is gone.

The bar trade that we’re building is very different to the bar trade that patronised our hotel for the last 40 to 50 years.”

“In decades gone by it has been a great hotel and for the time it was a great hotel because Pakenham was basically a country area up until about a decade ago, but now obviously Pakenham’s joined to Officer, which is joined to Beaconsfield which is joined to Berwick and so on, so it’s basically a metropolitan suburb now, so it’s almost a city type expectation.”

The revamped hotel has also become a popular half-way meeting point for those in Gippsland wanting to catch up with family and friends from the city and enjoy a meal and a drink, without either group having to travel too far. The new-look Drake Tavern boasts a dining room, bistro, private function room, terrace courtyard, conference room and lounge.

“We removed the public bar and the TAB and we’ve created what we call the Member’s Area which is essentially similar to a public bar feel but without the bar. We’ve expanded the capacity of the lounge bar and that accommodates the bar area. We’ve upgraded the outdoor area, we call that The Terrace, there’s a grassed area and booths there and tables and umbrellas and a large outdoor screen there as well so we’ve even been showing movies there.

“We’ve created a private function room and we’ve named it after basically the hotel’s longest-serving staff member which is Stan Young, we’ve named it after him. We’ve created a lounge bar through the middle with a very long couch and the bistro has been freshened up again with new paint, carpet, furniture, a little bit of greenery, room dividers and new lighting and also the deck again has been freshened up as well, just to give the whole hotel a fresh feel when you walk in.”

The hotel provides entertainment two nights a week, and a menu to please both pub-meal lovers and the more adventurous.

“We’re not trying to scare people with food and put items on the menu that they’ve never actually heard of, we still have very traditional pub fare.

You’ll find the things on our menu are the kinds of things that you expect when you go to a hotel. However, on the specials board we try and be a little bit creative. We realise that while people do like their roast, their parmas, their steak and their fish and chips, there are some people when they go out, they’re looking for something a bit new, a bit fresh, a bit interesting.”

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The changing tastes of locals has filtered through to not just the food, but the beer taps.

“Previously we would just put on generic type beers but now we’ve got a couple of craft beers on tap, we’ve got a premium beer and they sell now, which I guess again points out that when the demographic is changing and when people do go out, they are looking for something a little bit different a little bit special.”

Brendan says both he and John are proud to have given the community an alternative venue to enjoy.

“The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

Initially a few of the old guard were not happy with the changes but the reality is that is a diminishing market and the town is progressing to a different direction to that and if you don’t adjust to what the community wants and expects when they socialise these days, they’re just not going to come to you. We’re happy with what we’ve created, and we can’t wait to see lots of new faces at The Drake Tavern.”

Co-owner and publican Brendan Theobald

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153 Main Street, Pakenham, Vic 3810 Open every day 11.30am till late For bookings and more information, ph: 03 5941 1748 em: info@thedrake.com.au w w w. t h e d r a k e. c o m . a u Head Chef Herbie Quinn

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West Gippsland’s premier wine, food, function and Day Spa destination has added the ultimate feather to its cap, now offering the chance for customers to arrive in style via helicopter.

The addition of a helipad to the beautifully located restaurant, vineyard and Day Spa and partnership with Mile High Australia allows city-based customers the ability to chopper in from Essendon Airport for a supreme arrival.

“I think it’s a very attractive option to our customers as they have the option of not just enjoying our amazing food at the restaurant but also making use of our renowned Day Spa as well; therefore, allowing them to have many wonderful experiences all at one place,” explained Brandy Creek Estate Director of Operations Harry Perera.

The service is perfect for anyone wanting to mark a special occasion, make a grand entrance on their wedding day, highlight a corporate function or just whisk away their loved ones.

“This is again to do with us striving to go above and beyond to enhance our customer experience at BCE with providing new and exciting options for our dear customers.”

With the dawn of a new year comes more exciting changes for Brandy Creek Estate including the addition of new seasonal menus to complement the popular existing menus.

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BRANDY CREEK ESTATE flying high Words: Anita Butterworth New events will also feature on the Brandy Creek Estate annual calendar, each with its own unique menu, designed by the restaurant’s executive chef. The premier events this year got off to a romantic start with a sublime five-course Valentine’s Day dinner, with a Mother’s Day event planned for Sunday, May 10, and the annual Spicy Fusion dinner on Friday, April 17.

With its culinary roots firmly tied to the Spanish cuisine, Brandy Creek Restaurant will continue its hugely popular monthly paella feast, with plenty of other delectable events scheduled for the rest of the year.

Over at Brandy Creek’s world class Day Spa, new, luxurious pampering packages are being curated, for the ultimate indulgence. “In essence we are focusing on taking our customer experience to the next level at BCE,” said Harry.

Brandy Creek Estate’s crown as a premier wedding venue in Gippsland is now firmly in place, after attaining a 5 Star Certificate of Excellence from Easy Weddings. It comes as Brandy Creek Estate prepares to announce its new wedding packages, being designed for events this year and beyond.

Finally, as a beloved Gippsland destination, Brandy Creek Estate has been proud to play its part in the region’s recovery from the recent East Gippsland bushfires, pledging to donate 10% of all online wine sale for an entire month to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

Keep up to date with every event happening at Brandy Creek Estate via the website www.brandycreekestate.com.au or follow Brandy Creek Estate on Facebook and Instagram.

Images supplied by Brandy Creek Estate + Bruce Langdon Photos

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HOURS: 8AM - 4PM EVERY DAY EXTENDED TRADING HOURS IN SUMMER

30 Main Street FOSTER 3960 E: thekitchentablefoster@gmail.com P: (03) 5682 2587 Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram

Local fresh cuisine Located within the Heritage Bay Estate, The Fig & The Bay resides in the Hughes Heritage Homestead.

Dine in the beautifully appointed restaurant or under the majestic fig trees overlooking the beach.

Open for Breakfast and Lunch Private Functions including weddings, engagements, birthdays and more

Monday/Tuesday - Closed | Wednesday + Thursday 9am - 3pm | Friday 9am - 3pm 6pm - 9pm | Saturday + Sunday 9am-4pm

Bookings recommended Phone: 5678 0337 Email: info@figandthebay.com.au 24 Liberty Crescent, Corinella, Victoria 3984

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Enjoy perfect alfresco dining under the willows or the stars!

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/ Phone: 5635 2455

www.willowgroveduckinn.com.au gippsland lifestyle autumn ����

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Andrew taking a relaxing break on the Noojee hotel balcony

Andrew, his base player and guitarist

Andrew Swift and

The Nooj

Gippsland’s Noojee Hotel, affectionately known as The Nooj, is a popular bush venue that regularly hosts some of the biggest names in Australia’s country music industry.

WORDS & IMAGES BY WENDY MORRISS It was there Gippsland Lifestyle recently had the pleasure of catching up with the exceedingly talented guitarist, singer and songwriter Andrew Swift, who this year received his first Golden Guitar awards for ‘Qantas New Talent of the Year’ and ‘Alt Country Album of the Year’.

He spoke before his performance and we found him to be, not only a talented artist, but an unpretentious, intelligent and powerfully engaging person with a warm personality.

Although Andrew has played at the Noojee Hotel previously, this night was to be his first headline ticketed performance. In 2018, he played at the venue for the first time with Gretta Ziller and in August last year he opened as supporting artist for Catherine Britt.

He said during his past performances in Noojee, the audiences had been very supportive and now he was really looking forward to doing his own show. “There are about 200 people attending which is a great sized crowd and a lot of familiar faces among them, so a lot of support, which is great.”

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When asked about his experiences while performing in the venue, he said he loved The Nooj. “How could anyone not love The Nooj. My most worn hoodie is my Nooj hoodie, I wear it everywhere and so does everybody else. No it’s a great pub, I love coming here where there’s no phone reception for a bit, there’s beautiful scenery out the back and the publican is great. The whole Duck family are fantastic; they’re very supportive and great to deal with.”

Andrew made his big first impression in the country music world when he performed as a Toyota Starmaker Grand Finalist in 2017. He released his award-winning album, 'Call Out For The Cavalry' in March 2018 and it reached number one on the ARIA Australian Country Chart. Singles taken from the album that topped airplay charts included 'Runaway Train', 'Ball and Chain' and 'Fire and Ice,' a duet with Catherine Britt.

The artist constantly tours the country either solo or in support of some of Australia's biggest country music stars, including The Wolfe Brothers and Shannon Noll and performs at festivals. In 2017, he teamed up with Gretta Ziller to take their music and stories to holiday makers in caravan

Andrew and Catherine Britt playing at Noojee Hotel

parks along the coast from Melbourne to the Tamworth Country Music Festival. During this time, the duo recorded the single 'Second Hand' together, penned by Gretta. It was released in September last year and this year, they were awarded ‘2020 Golden Guitar Collaboration of the Year Finalists’. Andrew is currently preparing to release the first single from his next album, which he hopes will be out in a few months.

He said he likes performing in the smaller more intimate venues in regional areas. He finds the audiences more responsive, appreciative and attentive. “It’s a more loving audience and you feel connected. It’s great for storytelling and you can have a laugh with a few people directly and get them involved in the show.”

He proudly proclaimed he’s an Aussie. His mother moved to the United States to live about ten years ago but Andrew grew up in Beaconsfield in Victoria. “That’s where I spent my childhood days, running amok around the streets and coming home when the sun went down,” he said. “I went to primary school and high school there. I’ve always lived in and around the area and even now I live close by in Berwick.”

He said hearing his name read out when he was awarded two Golden Guitars last year was the highlight of his career. “I had quit my day job fixing caravans to work as hard as I could to get a nomination, which was all I hoped for. Getting four nominations and winning two of them was way more than I had hoped to achieve.” The awards have boosted his profile, provided him with more opportunities and management, and put him on a national platform.

“Once, when I was booked to play at a festival, I’d be asked to do a signing afterwards and my first thought would be I hope someone rocks up,” he said. “Now there’s a line for me to sign things and people wanting photos. It’s a little bit surreal but after chipping away for 18 years or more, it’s really nice to finally feel like I’m having some success.”

Andrew Swift playing in his own show at the Noojee Hotel

It was during his high school years that his interest in a musical career developed. A few of his school friends started a band and invited him to join. It was a pop punk band and it was where he thought he belonged, but for many years afterwards he wasn’t quite sure what genre he fitted into and said he fought the whole country thing for a long time.

In 2014 and again in 2015, he went to Tamworth Country Music Festival and it was there he had an epiphany and realised that country music was where he belonged and where he wanted to be. “I co-hosted a radio broadcast from the festival in 2015 where 70 artists were interviewed over five days, so I was able to hear a lot of country music and all the different sub-genres that come with it,” he said. “It was an eye opening experience and I’ve never felt more at home and more supported as I have been in the country music scene. It’s helped me find a focus and really set goals to aim for and achieve.”

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The perfect place to relax and enjoy drinks with friends, balcony lunch or family dinner!

Delicious affordable meals & fast friendly service!

Relaxing family-friendly atmosphere In the most beautiful location in Gippsland!

411 Mt Baw Baw Tourist Road, Noojee | Ph: 5628 9514 www.noojeehotel.com.au 120

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COURTESY BUS Wednesday and Friday nights

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VENUE OPENING TIMES Monday-Thursday 9am -12am | Friday-Saturday 9am- 1am | Sunday 10am-11pm

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FUNCTION ROOMS TAB | Café | Bistro & our Kids Club

LEGENDS THYME ON YORK | BISTRO HOURS Monday-Sunday Lunch 12pm-2pm | Dinner 5:30pm- 8:30pm

233-235 YORK ST, SALE, VIC, 3850 | PHONE: (03) 5143 2345

www.sportinglegends.com.au

Understanding smoke taint impacts for Gippsland’s grape wine growers

By Frank Butera

The 2019/20 grape growing season (so far) has raised many environmental challenges for our region’s grape growers. These include early spring frosts, declining rainfalls, poor fruit set due to adverse wind and rain events, spring and summer heat days, hail and then bush fire smoke.

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When vineyards and grapes are exposed to smoke this can result in wines with undesirable sensory characters, such as smoky, burnt, ashy or medicinal, usually described as ‘smoke tainted’. Consumers have been shown to respond negatively to smoke tainted wines. The compounds in smoke primarily responsible for the taint are the free volatile phenols that are produced when wood is burnt. These can be absorbed directly by grapes and can bind to grape sugars to give glycosides that have no smoky aroma. Often these glycosides are described as smoke taint precursors. During fermentation (and also over time in barrel or bottle) these glycosides can break apart, releasing the volatile phenols into the must or wine, and allowing the smoky flavour to be perceived.

The key factors that determine whether smoke-exposed grapes become tainted are the grapevine growth stage, grape variety, smoke composition and the length of smoke exposure.

However, it is not until the grapes undergo the fermentation process that they really become apparent in wine, releasing a range of traditionally undesirable flavours.

Using laboratory analysis and small-scale ferments, grape growers and wine makers can work out whether their grapes have been exposed to smoke, and how significantly it may be expressed in the final product. This may determine whether grape growers harvest their fruit, or leave them on the vines.

Researchers in Australia and around the world have learned a great deal about how smoke affects in a relatively short period of time.

What we know is that the effects of smoke are dictated by the age of the smoke, the proximity to the fire, duration of smoke exposure, geography, weather conditions and how close the grapes are to ripening.

When grapes are exposed to fresh smoke, certain flavour compounds are absorbed by the skin of the grapes and are sequestered there – very little actually gets into the flesh of the berries.

There’s very little movement of smoke compounds from leaves into grapes, and they don’t enter the grapes through the soil or roots either. Any smoke effects are present for a single season only: if a vineyard is affected by smoke one vintage, there is no carry over to the following vintage.

One of the biggest risk factors during a smoke event is the growth stage of the grapes at the time of smoke exposure.

While there is a low-to-medium risk right up to the point of veraison (when grapes start to ripen, softening and changing colour) the greatest risk is during berry ripening – just before the grapes are picked. In Gippsland, it is my understanding that smoke events over vineyards occurred weeks prior to veraison. The current fire season has occurred earlier and as a result had the potential to impact grapes while the grapes were pea size.

According to leading researchers in smoke taint there had not been a similar example.

In Australia, our harvest dates differ vastly from region to region, so the vulnerable period for grapes is different for each region. Gippsland is the largest (in area) grape growing region in Australia and expands 400 km east to west and 200 kms and north to south.

When there is smoke present, we know that the risk is greatest the closer the vineyard is to the fire and when the smoke is ‘fresh’.

Even though smoke haze looks and smells bad, due to the way that smoke moves and disperses, research has identified that the greatest risk is from thicker, new smoke rather than from smoke that lingers after a fire event or has spread over a great distance. However, there are always exceptions and extended exposure to smoke is a concern.

Understanding the effects of smoke in wine is a complex science. However, laboratory tests are available to quantify some of the key compounds that create ‘smoky’ flavours so that grape growers and wine makers know if there is a risk that smoke will affect wine made from the grapes.

The testing is conducted approximately two weeks prior to the harvest date. This provides the wine maker information regarding the potential impact of smoke taint for Vintage 2020. Gippsland has experienced multiple fire events over recent years including the Bunyip State Forest and Grantville Reserve fires in 2019, Hazelwood coal pit fire in 2014 and French Island fires in 2008 to name a few. Our region’s wine makers have the experience and skills to make informed decisions regarding harvest and wine making.

It is expected that Vintage 2020 will produce smaller than average yield, mostly due to uneven berry and bunch sizes. Smaller berries often produce grapes with higher skin to pulp ratio and these wines tend to produce wines with greater fruit depth.

In summary, do not ignore wines from 2020, experienced wine makers will make the right decision based on laboratory testing and pre-harvest tastings to produce wines that express the region and varietal. In my opinion, the best way to support Gippsland Wines is to visit a cellar door, buy local wines and enjoy the current releases.

Frank Butera is the winemaker at Bass River winery. frank@bassriverwinery.com

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LEONGATHA RSL •

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GOOD FRIDAY | 10TH APRIL | CLOSED EASTER SATURDAY | 12.00PM - MIDNIGHT EASTER SUNDAY | 12.00PM - 8.00PM EASTER MONDAY | 12.00PM - 8.00PM

OFFICE: RECEPTION: BISTRO:

12AM - 10PM 10AM - 10PM 10AM - 10PM 10AM - 11PM 10AM - 11PM 10AM - MIDNIGHT 10AM - MIDNIGHT

ANZAC DAY

5662 2012 5662 2747 5662 4487

www.leongatha-rsl.com.au

SATURDAY | 25TH APRIL 12.00PM - 8.00PM

Find us on Facebook

BOOK YOUR FUNCTION TODAY AT LEONGATHA RSL

Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Any Special Occasion Catered for Business Breakfasts Seminars

CALL RICKY TO ORGANISE A QUOTE! Corner of Smith Street & Michael Place, Leongatha

CORNER OF SMITH STREET & MICHAEL PLACE, LEONGATHA

moo’s at meeniyan restaurant & café

SOUTH GIPPSLAND’S TOP FOOD, WINE & SERVICE BREKKIE | LUNCH | DINNER | TAPAS | COFFEE & CAKE moo’s at meeniyan | 89 whitelaw street, meeniyan vic 3956 Phone: (03) 5664 0010 | Email: eat@moosatmeeniyan.com.au | visit www.moosatmeeniyan.com.au

Aaron of Tangled in Food

SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2020

Peter and Kathleen of Friends of Agnes Falls with customers

St. Fiacres Farm

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Alberto’s Local Garlic Farm

Tilson Hill Wines

Mountain Gold Garlic

Red Door Estate

Leading Senior Constable Paul McDonald and Volunteers of Meeniyan CFA Greg Goss with the Great Southern Rail Trail

Fish Creek Mount of Olives

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Prom

Perfection

On a stunning property in South Gippsland, Promontory Restaurant and Winery has been captivating the hearts - and tastebuds - of people from near and far.

Foodies and wine-lovers have been flocking to the Foster North restaurant since it opened its doors a year ago. And it’s easy to see why it’s so popular, with its beautiful coastal views of Wilson’s Promontory, award-winning wines and delicious menu.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Christopher Garms, who runs it alongside his partner, Angela Iorlano. Together they have a wealth of experience in the food industry. Angela has a background in catering and managed a local deli for several years. And for 35 years, Chris either joined wait staff or managed teams at dining hot spots including Tivoli Brisbane, Tolarno’s Melbourne, Pier Nine Brisbane and Waldorf London.

But as much as Chris enjoyed his time in the big smoke, he decided to turn his back on the big city lights to follow his dream of opening a restaurant and winery in picturesque South Gippsland.

“Restaurant life has been in the blood since I was ten-years-old and my father bought his first restaurant in Brisbane called The Olde Court House Restaurant,” he said. “From then on, I was addicted to the hustle and bustle of restaurant life.”

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FOSTER NORTH RESTAURANT SERVES UP BEAUTIFUL FOOD & STUNNING VIEWS WORDS: LIA SPENCER

Chris purchased a 120-acre farm on O’Grady’s Ridge Road in Foster North which is a short distance between Fish Creek, Meeniyan and Foster and has expansive views over the coast. Chris worked in and around the area for ten years while planning and developing the restaurant.

“The 400gram locally farmed rib-eye beef and the locally caught flatty tails are among the favourites,” Chris said. “Personally, I can’t choose a favourite. I love it all.”

“The location for a restaurant on my farm near Foster was always the intention, but it was more about timing more than anything,” he said.

Visitors can also choose from a list of tantalising beverages, with the local award-winning Bellvale wines also available for purchase from the cellar door.

With the help of his father, Chris designed and built the restaurant, something he also is passionate about as he had spent many years restoring old homes in Queensland.

“I am lucky enough to have had my father Harry help me build Promontory Restaurant and Winery,” he said. “Not many restauranteurs build and then run their own restaurants.”

It was during the ten-year planning and building phase that Chris met chef Chantelle Peters. With her extensive knowledge of local produce and creative flare for beautiful dishes, Chris knew she would be the perfect fit for Promontory Restaurant and Winery and he asked her to join the team.

Chantelle created the gourmet menu and changes it quarterly to ensure she can incorporate as much fresh local produce as possible. However, a couple of the most popular items remain on offer all year.

Chantelle also caters for dietary requirements such as gluten free, vegetarians and vegans.

“We have a lot of lovely local wines including Bellvale wines by John Ellis. The Rosé was voted the best in Australia and the Silver 2017 Quercus Pinot Noir recently won silver at the 2019 International Wine Challenge in London.”

Chris also has three acres of vines on location consisting of pinot, chardonnay, merlot and sauvignon blanc.

Besides serving scrumptious lunch and dinners, Promontory Restaurant and Winery also host functions such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. With its backdrop of the coastline, in-room and alfresco dining, it’s the perfect place to hold that special event.

Chris said he and Angela would work with the clients to develop a food and wine package which suited their vision and budget.

“We have had several weddings in our short time open and we are very adaptable to the smaller functions,” he said.

Whilst the restaurant has been very popular, Chris said he hoped to expand on the thriving business well into the future.

“With the proliferation of AirBnB, and the support from locals, we hope to evolve and develop for many years to come,” Chris said.

Anyone wanting to know more about holding a function at the venue is encouraged to call Chris or Angela and have a chat.

Promontory

Restaurant and Winery 23 O’Grady’s Ridge Road, Foster 3960 Open Thursday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.

Bookings are recommended.

Contact 5682 1538 for more information.

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TRUCKING AROUND GIPPSLAND TO ALL YOUR EVENTS, WE CAN CATER ANY LOCATION. We are fully self-contained and can take care of everything including attendants.

BOOK US FOR LARGE SCALE FESTIVALS - EVENTS - CORPORATE FUNCTIONS.

Get In touch with us and we will help sort out the family feast this Christmas. Order your festive season Christmas Platters for a stress free Christmas. Call us now.

We also offer catering for many other occasions including birthdays, weddings and engagements.

You can find us at Markets around Gippsland and we can prepare our menu to suit your event.

Contact us today on 0447 728 547 or brent@brentsinclaircatering.com.au 130

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When looking for a superior culinary experience from an intimate gathering to a lavish banquet choose Brent Sinclair Catering.

Relax and have the Brent Sinclair Catering team handle all the details and tailor any menu to perfectly suit your event.

Call Brent Sinclair on 0447 728 547 146 McCartin Street, Leongatha, Vic 3953 E: brent@brentsinclaircatering.com.au www.brentsinclaircatering.com.au

Discover

PROM COUNTRY CHEESE in the lush Moyarra Valley

Experience the flavours of unique sheep and cow cheeses, all handcrafted on the farm. Stay for a ploughman’s lunch served with local beer and wines.

Open weekends 10am - 4pm Open Easter Saturday | Sunday | Monday 275 Andersons Inlet Rd Moyarra, VIC 3951 For other times and group bookings call (03) 5657 3338 www.promcountrycheese.com.au

ROSEDALE BUTCHERS Local Family Owned Country Butcher

Three generations of Vaux Family owned and operated business since 1977.

In 1986 their first smokehouse was purchased and then later in 1992 a second larger smokehouse was obtained and are still used today, which allows them to produce the quality products that Rosedale Butchers have become known for.

Ray and Janet Vaux took over the business in May 1977 with their son Neville starting his apprenticeship with them and eventually he and his wife Debbie took over the business in July 1995. In turn, in 2012 their son Matthew after completing his apprenticeship in 2012 took on the job of smallgoods making and created the line of Matty’s Gourmet Sausages.

Call now for all Meat and Smallgoods Needs 32 Prince Street, Rosedale 3847 Ph 5199 2210 Like us on Facebook www.rosedalebutchers.com.au gippsland lifestyle autumn ����

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MIRBOO NORTH ITALIAN FESTA HELD ON SUNDAY 9TH FEBRUARY The Mirboo North Italian Festa was a fun filled, family festival held at the Baromi Park with thousands in attendance.

From delicious food stalls, drinks terrace, music, singing, dancing, kids entertainment, Italian cooking demonstrations and grape stomping to vintage car displays, market stalls and a spaghetti eating competition.

Well done to the dedicated team of volunteers; another successful, fabulous event.

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Bringing an old Bakehouse Back To Life

Nestled in the main street of Garfield is a popular hidden gem with a gourmet menu and rich local roots.

Cannibal Creek Bakehouse and Café opened in 2017 by co-owners Kane Warenycia and David Rushton. It is renowned for their amazing artisan sourdough and barista-made coffee. But whilst the bustling café has only been open for a short time, the building has been a staple of the town for more than 100 years.

Perhaps what makes Cannibal Creek Bakehouse and Café so unique is that Kane bakes his delicious bread in the original woodfired oven with iron works which was cast in England around 1890. The brickwork for the building is estimated to have been laid about twenty years later.

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Originally refurbished by the previous owners, Kane knew the potential the building had and he saw a golden opportunity when the bakery went up for sale in 2016.

“I had worked in the automotive industry for 17 years but was sick of it,” Kane said. “At the time, I was baking sourdough at home. Once I started, I didn’t stop and haven’t bought a loaf of bread since. I got to a point that I was confident I could do it as a business but knew it would be a big change.”

Kane approached David, who has 12 years of experience as a barista, and together they decided to take a leap of faith and go into business together. Kane would bake bread and David would make the coffees, with a shared vision to eventually open a café.

A Baker and Barista have helped transform a country town’s Café Culture Words: Lia Spencer

They started by selling bread off a rack and making coffees from David’s home coffee machine, but it didn’t take long for word to spread and orders to form. People came in droves to get their morning coffee and fresh bread. Soon after opening, the duo was able to earn enough money to renovate the dining area and they opened the café in December 2017.

“We started with humbled beginnings by selling toasties and tasting plates,” Kane said. “Then we hired our chef Kanny in July 2018 and she brought her own unique flavours to the café.”

Kanny has created a gourmet seasonal menu incorporating locally sourced ingredients and produce. The menu boasts an array of options including five different types of eggs benedict and other scrumptious favourites.

This Winter, the popular Japanese Pancake and Egg Shakshuka will be back on the menu. For those wanting something sweet, there are also homemade cakes and slices to choose from.

Kane, David and Kanny have brought the bakehouse back to life, echoing it’s success from the roaring 1920’s when Garfield was bigger than its neighbouring town Pakenham and attracted many visitors. However, the bakehouse wasn’t open on weekends back then.

Now, the bakehouse serves its delicious bread and coffee seven days a week and has four different blends of coffee on offer - including a decaffeinated blend - and there is a wide selection of milks available.

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Cannibal Creek Bakehouse

“People don’t come here for something ordinary. They want something different,” David said.

“Quality is very important to us, as is supporting local.”

David and Kane use Gippsland Jersey milk, meat from the Garfield Smokehouse and distribute through Cheffields Providore. Pastries come from Sharons Home of Patisserie, Little Bertha Bakers and Magdalena Medovik. There is also an array of local speciality products for sale such as butter, cheese, dukkha and other tantalising treats.

Kane and David also pride themselves on being environmentally friendly, using an energy-efficient oven and refusing to wrap their bread in plastic.

Kane and David’s passion for delivering amazing food, coffee and service has not only attracted locals, but outside visitors as well. Garfield was dubbed a ghost town nearly ten years ago, but the bakehouse helped transform the sleepy suburb to a bustling tourist destination. It is now abuzz with culture, featuring great local cafes such as Cannibal Creek Bakehouse and Café, as well as other diverse shops, sporting facilities, nature walks and art hubs.

“It was a pretty quiet town when we started, but it’s been a bit of a snowball effect,” David said.

“Garfield is now bustling. It’s a great community.”

Cannibal Creek Bakehouse and Café is open 8am until 4pm Monday to Saturday and 8am until 2:30pm on Sundays.

Bookings are recommended.

Call 5617 8286

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Located on The Great Alpine Road in Bruthen only 15 minutes from Bairnsdale in East Gippsland.

A destination rather than just another boutique brewery.

Bullant beers are designed to match their menu just like wine, but they are equally enjoyable as a solely refreshing beverage.

The brewery complex is welcoming and generous, purpose built to offer the best facilities.

The working copper brewhouse can be viewed through large, wide windows.

We invite you to visit and experience the Bullant Brewery Bruthen – the home of ‘beer with bite’.

OPEN HOURS Wednesday : 11am to 5pm | Thursday : 11am to 5pm | Friday : 11am to 10pm Saturday : 11am to 10pm | Sunday : 11am to 5pm

46 Main Street, Bruthen 3885 | Phone: (03) 5157 5307 www.bullantbrewery.com

Your Events Guide to Autumn MARCH

APRIL

GUIDED RANGER WALK AT THE SALE COMMON Discover the Sale Common Reserve by learning secrets of the bush Date: 6 March Time: 10am Location: Start at the Wetlands car park

WILD HARVEST SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, MALLACOOTA Come and support Mallacoota and enjoy a great weekend of food, festivities and fun Date: 3-5 April Time: Saturday: 11am-7pm | Sunday 10am Markets – Inlet Cruise – Music by The Grubby Urchins – Oysters and Champagne tale – Fishing Clinic Location: Mudbrick Pavilion Precinct | Mallacoota Lake

WELSHPOOL AUTUMN FLOWER SHOW Beautiful floral displays, plant sales and teas Date: 6-7 March Time: Friday 1.30-5pm | Saturday 10am-4pm Location: Welshpool Memorial Hall

GIPPSLAND LEISUREFEST ROADSHOW EXPO A huge range of caravans, camping and accessories Date: 3-5 April Time: 10am Location: Kernot Hall Gardens Morwell

INVERLOCH JAZZ FESTIVAL 3 days and nights of music in all styles of jazz, food and wine Date: 6-9 March Time: Fri-Gala Concert 7.30pm | Sat-Parade 10am Sun-the Glade 11am Location: Inverloch venues and The Glade YARRAM & DISTRICT CANINE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP DOG SHOW Enter your pooch in the Show – dogs must be registered with ANKC Free for spectators Date: 7 March Time: 8.30am Location: Yarram Recreation Reserve, 25 Buckley St STAMP & COIN FAIR INVERLOCH Andersons Inlet Stamp Club stamp and coin dealers Date: 7 March Time: 9am-3pm Location: Inverloch Uniting Church Hall, Williams St

TROSP WALKS AT WILSONS PROM At the end of the walk the TROSP provide a delicious morning tea to raise funds for the project Date: 15 March Time: Walk start from 9.30am Location: Hourigan’s Lane – Tidal River

BEE GEES REVIVAL Presenting Bee Gees Revival Night Fever Date: 16 May Time: 8pm Location: Lakeside Club, Guthridge Parade, Sale

IAN MOSS – MATCHBOOK 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Solo & Acoustic Date: 4 April Time: 8pm-11.30pm Location: The Wedge, Foster Street, Sale BAW BAW PET EXPO Featuring pet related stalls, food trucks, activities for dogs Date: 5 April Time: 10am-3pm Location: Burke Street Park, Warragul ALICE IN WONDERLAND Performance of a very special adventure down the rabbit hole!

Date: 5-6 April Time: Sunday 1.30pm and 5.30pm | Monday 11am Location: The Wedge, Foster Street, Sale

AURORA BY CIRCUS OZ Featuring loveable arctic characters performing acrobatic feats Date: 11 March Time: 7.30pm-8.45pm Location: Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre

WORKING HORSE AND TRACTOR RALLY A great display of vintage agricultural machinery Date: 21-22 March Time: 10am-4pm Location: 5875 South Gippsland Hwy Nyora (Opp. Lang Lang Golf Course)

SPARTAN KIDS A muddy fun day out for kids in a non-competitive, safe environment Date: 7-8 April Time: Tuesday 9am to Wednesday 3pm Location: Civic Park Drouin

FARM WORLD 2020 – LARDNER PARK Agricultural show – latest in technology + best of agribusiness Date: 26-29 March Time: Thursday to Saturday 8.30am-4.30pm Sunday 8.30am-4pm Location: 155 Burnt Store Rd, Lardner

SALE TO SEA 2020 ONE DAY KAYAK CHALLENGE Entry Forms available at www.saletosea.com Date: 14 March Time: 9am-4pm Location: Start in Paynesville to northern side of Raymond Island to Metung for lunch and return via the southern side, supporting local businesses.

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ORBOST AUTUMN FESTIVAL Art Exhibition and Festival including entertainment and Easter egg hunt Date: 27 March – 10 April Time: 27 March at 2pm – 20 April at 1pm Location: Orbost Exhibition Centre & Forest Park

TARRA EASTER FESTIVAL 2020 Street Parade, Concerts, Art Shows, Markets, Vintage Cars, activities, Easter egg hunt and much more Date: 9-13 April Location: Commercial Road and Church Road, Yarram Art Show at Regent Theatre

RACE THE RUBEENA 2020 Can you beat the Boat? Sale Community Fun Run 10k and 5k run/walk Date: 29 March Time: 7.30am - 10 km | 9am - 5k Location: Port of Sale Heritage Day Cruises, Desailly St, Sale

77TH ANNUAL LANG LANG RODEO Barrel Racing, Saddle Bronc, Team Roping, Steer Roping, Bull Ride and ‘Dog High Jump’ at lunchtime Date: Easter Monday 13 April Time: 9am-4pm Location: Lang Lang Showgounds, Westernport Road EAST GIPPSLAND FIELD DAYS EQUESTRIAN EXPO 2020 Demonstrations, workshops, stalls Car boot sale on Saturday Date: 17-19 April Time: 9am-4pm Location: Bairnsdale Aerodrome

Get out in Gippsland!

MAY TROSP WALKS AT WILSONS PROM At the end of the walk the TROSP provide a delicious morning tea to raise funds for the project Date: 19 April Time: Walk start from 9.30am Location: Tidal Overlook – Tidal River STRATFORD DOG AGILITY TRIAL Some of the best dogs in the state compete Date: 25-26 April Time: Saturday 12pm | Sunday 8.30am Location: 40 Llowalong Road, Stratford

GIPPSLAND LAKES PADDLE CHALLENGE 2020 Paddling the open water on the Gippsland Lakes Date: 2 May Time: 10am-4pm Location: Start at Paynesville for the elite paddler or Metung for the recreational paddler to finish at the Iconic Lakes Entrance Footbridge

GIPPSLAND VEHICLE COLLECTION SWAP MEET Featuring Garag-enalia, man cave and motoring related treasures Date: 26 April Time: Gates open at 7am | Camping available Saturday night Location: 1a Sale Road, Maffra Gippsland Vehicle Museum

BACH ALONE Five Solo Cello suites Performed by Joan Evans Date: 3 May Time: 2pm Location: Wesley of Warragul 64 Victoria Street, Warragul Tickets at the door Contact: www.trybooking.com/593596 50 SHADES! THE MUSICAL PARODY The hilarious and sexy musical parody Date: 28 April Time: 8pm-9.30pm Location: The Wedge, Foster Street, Sale

EAST GIPPSLAND VEGETABLES INNOVATION DAYS 2020 Farm to Fork Grazing Event – Vegetable Tour – Lakes Sunset Cruise – Spinach Conference and more Date: 4-8 May Time: 8am-5pm Location: Main Road, Lindenow BEE GEES REVIVAL Presenting Bee Gees Revival Night Fever Date: 16 May Time: 8pm Location: Lakeside Club, Guthridge Parade, Sale HEYFIELD VINTAGE MACHINE RALLY 2 day event of steam engines and memorabilia, tractor pull & much more Date: 16-17 May Time: 9am Location: Gordon Street Reserve, Fawaz Street, Heyfield DAMIEN LEITH – A TRIBUTE TO ROY ORBISON WITH STRINGS Golden Anniversary of ‘Only the Lonely’ Date: 16 May Time: 7.30pm Location: Latrobe Performing Arts Centre, Traralgon TROSP WALKS AT WILSONS PROM At the end of the walk the TROSP provide a delicious morning tea to raise funds for the project Date: 17 May Time: Walk start from 9.30am Location: Vereker – Tidal River GIPPSLAND GROOVERS CLUB WARRAGUL Dinner and dancing for people with disabilities Date: 22 May Time: 7pm-10pm Location: Warragul Downtowner Sporting Club, 55 Victoria St

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AGNES Agnes Falls is situated just off the South Gippsland Highway at Toora, following the Silcocks Hill Road. Did you know that at 59 metres, Agnes Falls is the highest single span falls in Victoria?

The meandering Agnes River cascades over rocks into a deep picturesque gorge. Take a short stroll through the Blue Gum Forest to a viewing area overlooking the falls or relax and enjoy a picnic on the grassy banks of the Agnes River. It is a great day out for all the family, including your beloved pooch.

There were over five and half thousand visitors participating in the walks and viewing the Agnes Falls over the month of January 2020.

A cantilevered viewing platform concept was presented back in 2014 to Parks Victoria and the South Gippsland Shire Council, and the Friends of Agnes Falls.

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FALLS Over the years after all the grant applications, a final decision by the Council in September 2017 was granted to fully fund the construction.

Unfortunately, the Administrators of the Council withdrew this funding in November 2019, after preliminary work had commenced.

A petition to pass the Cantilever Viewing Platform funding was handed over by the Friends of Agnes Falls Secretary Kathy and Vice-President Peter to Danny O’Brien MP. This petition will be tabled in Parliament in February 2020.

This viewing platform would immensely benefit this natural attraction and all hopes are with the Friends of Agnes Falls to have the money regranted to them.

THE LONG JETTY AT PORT WELSHPOOL

Port Welshpool's historic Long Jetty is an iconic destination in the South Gippsland region. The Long Jetty and its extensive 900 metre iconic structure stretch out to the waters of Corner Inlet.

Once used as a base for industrial vessels, the jetty is now used solely for pedestrians and recreational fishers.

First constructed in 1936-38, the Port Welshpool Long Jetty was closed for many years following a fire and the decaying effects of decades of seawater exposure, but following a multi-million dollar restoration the jetty was officially opened in 2019.

Now back and better than ever (albeit slightly shorter than it once was), the Long Jetty is an ideal destination for a leisurely 20-minute walk or some recreational fishing. The jetty is wheelchair accessible and there is also plenty of parking nearby.

As the jetty gently curves out into the water, you'll also find a shelter shed and the historic Broman Diving Bell, once used by divers in the Bass Strait oil industry.

For information visit: www.visitpromcountry.com.au

Broman Diving Bell Signage with historical information and The First Peoples – Clans of Gunaikurnai

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REACH GIPPSLAND AND GET LISTED...

GET YOUR BUSINESS SEEN IN OUR NEW CLASSIFIED SECTION COMING SOON

for more information visit gippslandlifestyle.com

SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORTING GIPPSLAND GET ONLINE WITH GALLERIES AND CURRENT STORIES, PLUS MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO ADVERTISE AND GET IN TOUCH WITH US. ADVERTISE + CONTRIBUTE + ENQUIRE

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EVANS BP JOHNSONVILLE JOHNSONVILLE

1760 Princes Highway, Johnsonville, Vic 3902

Office/Fax: 5156 4102 Workshop: 5156 4233 Email: johnsonville@evanspetroleum.com.au

BP Service Stations FISH CREEK 2 Falls Road, Fish Creek, Vic 3959 Tel/Fax: 5683 2521 Email: fishcreek@evanspetroleum.com.au

FOSTER 94 Main Street, Foster, Vic 3960 Tel/Fax: 5682 2008 Email: foster@evanspetroleum.com.au

INVERLOCH 25 Williams Street, Inverloch, Vic 3996 Tel/Fax: 5674 1442 Email: inverloch@evanspetroleum.com.au

JOHNSONVILLE 1760 Princes Highway, Johnsonville, Vic 3902 Office/Fax: 5156 4102 Workshop: 5156 4233 Email: johnsonville@evanspetroleum.com.au

KORUMBURRA 2-8 Commercial Street, Korumburra, Vic 3950 Tel/Fax: 5655 1668 Email: korumburra@evanspetroleum.com.au

LEONGATHA 95 Bair Street, Leongatha, Vic 3953 Tel/Fax: 5662 2440 Email: leongatha@evanspetroleum.com.au

BP Johnsonville Automotive Workshop since 2015, offering outstanding customer service with qualified, experienced mechanics that have been in the industry for many years.

BP Johnsonville stocks a wide range of products and services to better serve their customers.

Opening Hours | Monday - Sunday | 6:00am - 8:00pm

MIRBOO NORTH 106 Ridgway, Mirboo North, Vic 3871 Tel/Fax: 5668 2377 Email: mirboo@evanspetroleum.com.au

MUDDY CREEK 26 Foster Road, Toora, Vic 3962 Tel/Fax: 5686 2324 Email: toora@evanspetroleum.com.au

NEWMERELLA 5327 Princes Highway, Newmerella, Vic 3886 Tel/Fax: 5154 1601 Email: newmerella@evanspetroleum.com.au

SALE 344 Raglan Street, Sale, Vic 3850 Tel: 5143 1030 Fax: 5143 2686 Email: sale@evanspetroleum.com.au

TRARALGON 23-29 Shakespeare Street, Traralgon, Vic 3844 Tel: 5174 1138 Email: Tim@evanspetroleum.com.au

WESTSIDE 7 Anderson Street, Leongatha, Vic 3953 Tel/Fax: 5662 2834 Email: westside@evanspetroleum.com.au

WONTHAGGI 103-105 McKenzie Street, Wonthaggi, Vic 3995 Tel: 5672 3988 Fax: 5672 5229 Email: wonthaggi@evanspetroleum.com.au

Service Manager Stuart Thomson

YARRAM 325 Commercial Street, Yarram, Vic 3971 Tel: 5182 6019 Fax: 5182 6458 Email: yarram@evanspetroleum.com.au

EVANS PETROLEUM HEAD OFFICE 22 Hughes Street, Leongatha Vic 3953 Tel: 5662 2217 Web: www.evanspetroleum.com.au

WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR COPY GIPPSLAND LIFESTYLE OUTLETS Bairnsdale newsXpress 21 Bailey St Bairnsdale Main Street Newsagency 212 Main Street Berwick Newsagency 29-31 High Street Boolarra Store & Newsagency 9 Tarwin Street Bunyip IGA 2-6 Main Street Churchill Newsagency Hazelwood Village Shopping Centre Cowes Newsagency 44-46 Thompson Avenue Dalyston General Store 4213 Bass Highway Drouin Newsagency 93 Princes Way Fish Creek Alison Lester 1 Falls Road Fish Creek Discount Pharmacy Plus 25 Falls Road Foster FoodWorks 37 Main Street Garfield Licensed Post Office 77 Main Street Glengarry General Store Main Street Grantville Newsagency & Post Office Shop 2, 1503 Bass Hwy Heyfield IGA 18-22 George Street Inverloch FoodWorks 10-12 Reilly Street Inverloch Newsagency 10 A'Beckett Street The Jindi Caf 1055 Jacksons Track Korumburra Michael's Supa IGA 1 South Railway Cres Lakes Entrance Newspower 297 The Esplanade Lang Lang IGA 32 Main Street Leongatha Authorised Newsagency 30 Bair Street Leongatha Michael's Supa IGA Cnr Church & Bruce Sts Loch Village Food Store 35 Victoria Road Maffra newsXpress 144 Johnson Street Metung Village Store 62 Metung Road Moe Nextra Lotto Shop 2, 1-3 Moore Street Morwell Newsagency 174-176 Commercial Road Nar Nar Goon, Clough Fuel 1975 Princes Hwy Neerim South IGA 147 Main Road Newry General Store 44 Main Street Omeo Post Office 155 Day Avenue Pakenham Newsagency 99-101 Main Street Poowong IGA 17-19 Main Street Rhyll General Store 41 Lock Road Rosedale Butchers 32 Prince Street Sale Newsagency 308-310 Raymond Street San Remo IGA 135 Main Parade Stratford IGA 67 Tyers Street Swifts Creek General Store Great Alpine Road Tarwin Lower IGA 45 River Drive Thorpdale Bakery 34 Station Street Tinamba General Store Maffra-Rosedale Road Toora FoodWorks 66 Stanley Street Trafalgar IGA 5 McCrorey Street Trafalgar Newsagency 97 Princes Hwy Traralgon Seymour Street News 83 Seymour Street Ventnor The Anchorage Caravan Park Ventnor Road Venus Bay General Store 139 Jupiter Blvd Warragul Newsagency & Officesmart 43 Victoria Street Welshpool Supermarket 18 Main Street Welshpool The Olive Branch Prom Country 35 Main Street Wonthaggi Newsagency 31 Murray Street Yanakie General Store 3640 Meeniyan-Promontory Road Yarram newsXpress 195-197 Commercial Road Yinnar General Store 44 Main Street

EVANS PETROLEUM OUTLETS Fish Creek 2 Falls Road Foster 94 Main Street Inverloch 25 Williams Street Johnsonville 1760 Princes Highway Korumburra 2-8 Commercial Street Leongatha 7 Anderson Street Leongatha 95 Bair Street Mirboo North 106 Ridgway Newmerella 5327 Princes Highway Sale 344-350 Raglan Street Toora 26 Foster Road Wonthaggi 103-105 McKenzie Street Yarram 325 Commercial Street

RITCHIES SUPA IGA Stores Bairnsdale 30 Howitt Avenue Churchill 5-8 Georgina Way Cranbourne 23 High Street Maffra 102 Johnson Street Paynesville 3-5 Wellington Street Sale 177 York Street Wonthaggi 160 Graham Street

WONTHAGGI NEWSAGENCY & LOTTO OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK | CLOSED SUNDAY 31 Murray Street, Wonthaggi Vic 3995 Tel: 5672 1256

Gippsland the Lifestyle Magazine is published quarterly.

This magazine is distributed throughout Victoria. All photographs in this publication are copyright to Gippsland the Lifestyle, and if any are used in other publications or used in a commercial sense, you are liable to prosecution. Permission to use any photos in the publication must be obtained by contacting South Gippsland Publishing Pty Ltd via email to: thelifestyle@dcsi.net.au Disclaimer: South Gippsland Publishing Pty Ltd 2020 has the discretion to add or remove words or photos that are deemed unsuitable for the magazine. South Gippsland Publishing Pty Ltd is not responsible or liable for any inaccuracies, omissions, nor use of information contained within these pages, offering no warranties, either expressed or implied with respect to any material contained within the pages. Material in this magazine cannot be published or reproduced without South Gippsland Publishing Pty Ltd's written consent. Failure to heed to this could result in prosecution. The opinions and views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

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Where the lifestyle continues

blue Hills Rise

Family owned and operated - Blue Hills Rise joins the multi award winner Blue Hills Residences as the best 55 plus resort lifestyle options in Cranbourne East. Looking for the best way to spend your retirement, Blue Hills Rise offers six unit designs with modern furnishings and fittings.

If you want to downsize our two bedroom Stephanie Apartments, may just be the answer.

Live independently, within a secure, caring environment.

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gippsland lifestyle autumn ����

START THE RETIREMENT YOU HAVE WORKED TOWARD....

CALL THE TEAM AT BLUE HILLS RISE TODAY (03) 5991 5000

fa n ta s t ic On s i t e fa c i l i t i e s There are so many 55 plus lifestyle resorts around, all offering something different, the biggest question you need to ask is ‘What am I looking for?’

If you are looking for a quality home with access to some of the most amazing onsite facilities, then Blue Hills Rise is the best choice for you.

This family owned and operated 55 plus resort, has a variety of home designs, all offering something just a little different.

You will quickly realise that the Resort Owners, the Clarkson family, are serious about the homes they build in their very popular resort in Cranbourne East. No expense has been spared; all fittings and furnishings are of an extremely high standard.

Swimming Pool / Spa Indoor Bowls Dance Floor Tennis Courts Alfresco Café - Orange Leaf Gymnasium Library Restaurant Sports Bar Cinema Arts and Crafts Centre Administration Centre ATM Computer Room BOWLING GREEN VILlAGE BUS

With the addition of Shopping On Clyde Shopping Centre right next door - you have a great variety of shops within walking distance.

Remember Blue Hills Rise is only a 50 minute drive to Melbourne, and close to the Dandenong Ranges and the door step to Phillip Island and the Gippsland region.

Call David & Rikki today to kick off the retirement you have worked towards Blue Hills Rise 240 Berwick-Cranbourne Road Cranbourne East 3977

phone: 03 5991 5000

Open 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, or via appointments on the weekend.

www.bluehillsrise.com.au

VIRTUE HOMES BUILDING EXCELLENCE

EXCELLENCE IN BUILDING AWARDS 2019

AWARD WINNING BUILDER WE ARE MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION AWARD WINNING BUILDERS Best Custom Home in 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well as Best Display Home Victoria 2017, Best Display Home 2019 $250-$350K and Best Display Home $350-$500K On the local front we were recognised by the local community in the Latrobe City People's Choice Awards 2018 & 2019 as Best Customer Service in the Trades Services Category!

Whether it's your first home or a prestige custom build, Virtue Homes are here to guide you every step of the way.

Our years of building experience ensure that you'll have a stress free and enjoyable journey to your new home.

Contact us today on 5176 5997 to inquire about building your new Custom Dream Home or visit www.virtuehomes.com.au for home plans, house and land packages and much more info!

Visit our Display Homes Regiment Lane, Traralgon

www.virtuehomes.com.au

Photographer: Dave Aarons http://www.facebook.com/Open2view.gippsland/