Day: July 27, 2020

Mornington Peninsula Total cases: 81 – Active cases: 13 – New cases today: 1 One new case on the peninsula in the last 24 hours. Thirteen active cases. Big jump in active cases in City of Frankston. Adapting in an age of uncertainty. Key facts from today’s Victorian COVID-19 update: Victoria has recorded 532 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 8696. The overall total has increased by 515 due to 17 cases being reclassified – largely due to duplication. Within Victoria, 154 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 378 are…

The Mornington Peninsula has had one new case of coronavirus in the last 24 hours. The peninsula has had a total of 81 cases, and 13 are still active. The City of Frankston had an increase of 15 cases in the last 48 hours taking its total cases to 77. City of Frankston’s active cases have jumped from 18 to 30 since Saturday. The City of Casey has seen a jump of 28 cases in the last 24 hours bringing their total to 338 cases with 178 still active. The City of Kingston has had 14 new cases in the…

IMAGES showing conditions in that section of Port Phillip are now available online from a camera at the Schnapper Point, Mornington boat ramp. The images are refreshed every five minutes on Maritime Safety Victoria’s Boating Vic trip preparation website and app. Cameras are also located at Rye, Hastings and Stony Point. Weather information on the website and app is provided by the Weather Bureau and safety advice by Maritime Safety Victoria. “We know that many Victorian boaters love to check boat ramp cameras before heading out – Boating Vic users can access these images at the same time as local…

RYMAN Healthcare will appeal against Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s rejection of its plans to build a residential aged care and retirement village in Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza. The New Zealand-based company said after its failed application that it would take its case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Victorian development manager David Laing said: “We were not surprised by the decision as councillors and staff had foreshadowed their opposition to the proposal, and we intend to take an appeal to VCAT. “As we’ve done from the outset, we’re constantly reviewing the community feedback on our plans and will consider…

A MORNINGTON man is questioning the logic of having a primary school’s pick up and drop off areas blocking the town’s main arterial road between Moorooduc Highway and Peninsula Link. Ken McBride, a City of Knox councillor (1990-94) and deputy mayor (1994), was chairman of that city’s roads committee. He moved back to Mornington in December after previously living here some years ago. He says the absence has given him a fresh perspective. “To have a roundabout on an arterial road being the only way into and out of St Macartan’s Primary School seems a recipe for disaster,” he said.…

TWO Mornington volunteer groups are working on a plan to get residents out and about while unlocking the tourist potential of the peninsula. Along the way they are planning to complete one of the Peninsula Bay Trail’s missing links: the route from Moorooduc to Mornington. Mornington Community Safelink Group and Mornington Railway Preservation Society are promoting the shared bike and railway line trail which Safelink’s Graeme Rocke says will connect the residential, shopping, sporting, schools and work places of Mornington, Mount Eliza and Mount Martha. “Extending the current train service from Moorooduc station to Baxter and the construction of a…

STAFF at mental health charity operating on the Mornington Peninsula say they have spoken to more than 1000 “tradies” over the past seven months to “see if they are OK”. As members of Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT), they promote the message that it is acceptable to ask for help when you need it, and that any stigma linked to mental health is slowly shifting as people accept that it is part of everyday life. The issue was highlighted last week with the death of former Hawthorn and Richmond player Shane Tuck, son of former Hawthorn great Michael Tuck, who…

PROTECTIVE masks may be inconvenient and even intimidating for some humans, but they can be downright confusing for dogs. Dog owners are reporting behavioural changes in their pets since wearing masks in public became mandatory as part of the battle to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Lost Dogs’ Home says masks conceal facial expressions, which are one of the ways dogs communicate with humans. Masked-up owners are reporting changes to their dogs’ “happy go lucky personalities” and displays of “fearful behaviours”. “Traditionally dogs are creatures of habit, so instantly changing routine without a rational explanation can cause anxiety,” the…

TWO vehicles were set alight in “suspicious” circumstances last week amid reports that youths were seen “running from the scene” at the time. Baxter Fire Brigade Captain Damian Willmott said his crews took 45 minutes to contain a blaze that destroyed a VW Amarok utility in Victoria Road, Langwarrin South, 10.30am, Tuesday 21 July. CFA crews from Pearcedale and Baxter responded to initial reports that the car was “dangerously close to a shed and fire was spreading into scrub”. “Crews were quick with their initial knockdown stopping the spread of fire. The cause is unknown, and police are investigating. It…

POLICE are searching for this restored Holden FB ute stolen from the Carrum Downs Shopping Centre, Thursday 2 July. Anyone seeing the vehicle with number plates 1QR4KO or who has information on its whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000, or make a report online at crimestoppersvic.com.au and quote incident number 200239781. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 28 July 2020

ROSEBUD police have received a collection of hand-made cards and messages from students at Red Hill Consolidated School. Under the supervision of first-aid officer Louise Aston the students wrote the letters of gratitude to Mornington Peninsula’s first responders. “The children were talking about how sad everything is at the moment,” Ms Aston said. “We discussed this and then focused on some positive aspects. One of the major topics was how lucky we are to have such great people at Rosebud police looking after us – not only during coronavirus times but all the time. “The children decided to make “thank…

ROCKS regarded as a vital to bringing sand back to Portsea’s badly eroded front beach have been removed. Their removal by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) will ensure that “there’ll be no beach at Portsea” this summer, according to Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Sam Hearn. He said the shire was “deeply disappointed” the rocks had not been left at the beach to be used as the foundation for an offshore groyne (“Rock groyne ‘key’ to $20m Portsea beach plan” The News 29/6/20). “The shire had the concept scientifically modelled by coastal and ocean engineering consultancy…

WITH state government restrictions urging everyone to stay home, Mornington Peninsula Shire is encouraging residents to paint their wheelie bins in any style they choose, drawing inspiration from their area or any part of the community. The competition was inspired by Josie Jones, 2020 Victorian Local Hero Australian of the Year and 2019 Mornington Peninsula Australia Day Citizen of the Year, along with artist Jackie Green who “brought her own bin to life”. Ms Jones took the idea to council as a way for residents to think about their community connection and taking care of the environment. Mornington Peninsula Shire…

AFTER treading water for months, Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors are expected to choose Yawa as the name of the $50 million aquatic centre being built at Rosebud. The Indigenous name meaning “to swim” came first in an online public poll run by the council. The decision to choose an Indigenous word follows months of debate and has cost an estimated $200,000 in delays and extra work for shire officers and consultants. Reacting to a vocal and seemingly powerful lobby group that wanted the name Rosebud Aquatic Centre, councillors in May deferred choosing an Indigenous name and instead sought further public…

TWO extra sites have opened to boost COVID-19 testing capacity on the Mornington Peninsula. Peninsula Health has opened a Dromana pop-up test site at Dromana Community Hall, 359 Point Nepean Road, Dromana. It’s open 8.30am-3.30pm, Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 July. A Flinders pop-up test site is at Flinders Civic Hall, 54-56 Cook Street, Flinders. It’s open Thursday 30 July to Sunday 2 August with times to be advised. These are additional to existing testing clinics on the peninsula. Nepean MP Chris Brayne thanked members of the community for “following the rules during these difficult times and getting tested”. “Remember,…

SOCCER WHEN Luke Mulder gazes into a crystal ball he sees his beloved Somerville Eagles thriving at a purpose-built facility five years from now. The 49-year-old father of four only joined the Eagles in 2017 but for the past three years he has been in charge of the fledgling club’s rollercoaster ride. No other club president in local soccer circles has had to navigate a safe passage through such turbulent waters. That’s because stunning onfield success and cyclonic off-field upheaval have shared top billing in the Somerville saga. Not to mention a pandemic and its effect on the 2020 season.…

HORSE RACING MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer Shane Nichols is hoping an early start to his Group One winner, Streets of Avalon’s, preparation can pay dividends in the coming months. Nichols had Streets of Avalon kick off his preparation in the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) on Saturday 25 July where the five-year-old gelding made a promising resumption to finish in second place behind the Godolphin-owned Viridine. “He ran super and presented really well,” trainer Shane Nichols said. “He looked the winner but Viridine just got up on the fence and he’s Group One placed over 1200m so it’s a pretty good…

THESE are testing times. By ‘testing times’, I don’t mean in a ‘Naplan’ kind of way. Or even in a ‘pub test’ way, given they’re all currently closed. I mean that these are difficult times for everyone and there’s little choice but to suck it up and soldier on. Right now we’re living in a Leonard Cohen song. Not one of the pretty, romantic ones but the scary, apocalypse-before-breakfast type of songs. But despite the gloom it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to do things a little differently and to acquire new skills that – once upon a time such…

A CORRESPONDENT writes the following supplementary to the recent articles in Wayside Notes relative to the future of the Mornington Peninsula as a national asset: I would like to supplement the very picturesque account of Balnarring and other Peninsula districts that appeared in the “Standard” recently. It has always been a surprise to visitors from distant parts of the State to find that this district, lying, as it does, within the front gates of the great metropolis and its markets, has not made more progress, when it is considered that land of no more productive value and situated hundreds of…