The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has declared an El Niño weather event with modelling suggesting it could be the strongest on record. It’s rough news for Gippsland farmers who have already experienced an extreme dry season last year.

What is El Niño? El Niño is a climate phenomenon where surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than usual. This disrupts weather patterns and usually brings drier conditions to parts of Australia.

• Rainfall and temperature impacts from one El Niño event to another can vary.

Comparing two different El Niño seasons. Image from the BOM.

Impacts on Australia: The BOM’s three month forecast predicts that rainfall is likely to be below average across parts of southern and eastern Australia. Temperatures are likely to be above average in most areas, except parts of the north.

Average rainfall declines during an El Niño year. Image from the BOM.

What does it mean for Gippsland?

Much of Victoria is expected to have below average rainfall for winter and spring, which could add pressure to farmers who already experienced a drier than average season last year.

In October last year, Neerim South dairy farmer Dave Johnson told the Monitor it had probably been the driest season he’d experienced in 40 years.

Johnson said the season had been so dry his farm had “exhausted all of our feed reserves, which we thought we had reasonable levels of. That was probably the biggest impact on the profitability last financial year.”

How an El Niño event will impact Gippsland’s winter ski season

“If it's drier then you don't get snow, you get nothing.”

Why is this El Niño stronger? This event is likely to be graded as strong to very strong due to forecasts of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific.

• Research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states there is a 63 percent chance that this year's El Niño would rank among the strongest events since historical records began in 1950.

Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific. Image from NOAA.

It’s getting hot in here: The southern half of Australia has had above average temperatures so far this year and an El Niño events typically boosts global temperatures in the following year.

Australia has had 14 of its 15 warmest years on record since the year 2000.

⏱️ This Wednesday edition of our newsletter is a six-minute read.

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

Firstly, I want to say a warm greetings to the 152 new subscribers that signed up to our newsletter in the last week! And welcome back the 13,802 subscribers who were already signed up.

We’ve almost cracked 14k!

Over the last year-and-a-half I’ve had such a blast talking to you all and covering issues across Gippsland. I want to say thank you to everyone who’s watched, commented on and appeared in our articles and videos - we can't do what we do without your help.

If you’d like to support local reporting in Gippsland, there’s a link on the banner below to donate. Chip in if you can.

Click this banner to donate!

📸 Here’s another 35mm negative I got developed a few weeks ago. This one is overlooking the scenic George Bass Coast Walk that runs between San Remo and Kilcunda.

👀 Looking ahead. In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

• 🎻 The Lady of the Swamp Musical;

• 🗺️ New Gippsland flood maps that show a heightened risk to 900 properties;

• ❄️ How an El Niño event will impact Gippsland’s winter ski season;

• 👷 Whether offshore wind turbines will be built in Gippsland, and;

• 💸 Australia’s obsession with get rich quick courses.

🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🥁 Musical about Gippsland's mysterious Ladies of the Swamp sells out in Tarwin Lower

The story of Margaret and Jeannie Clement, Gippsland’s so-called "Ladies Of The Swamp",  has fascinated locals for generations.

But maybe none more so than Tarwin Lower resident Patricia Freeman, who along with her five sisters has been touring a Lady of the Swamp Musical since 2018.

A quick recap - who were the Clement sisters?

Margaret and Jeannie Clement bought Tullaree, a 1,016-acre property in Buffalo (33 kilometres south of Leongatha) in 1907.

The Tullaree homestead in South Gippsland.

• Due to a large family inheritance, the sisters lived in style and travelled the world often, according to newspaper articles at the time.

• But over the years they were swindled, robbed, and taken advantage of by various employees and by the 1920s, debts had piled up and they were forced to mortgage the property.

With no money to pay employees, the swamp slowly reclaimed the Tullaree estate.

The swampy Tullaree grounds.

Tough life: According to one newspaper report, the women lived without running water, electricity or sewerage. There was no wood to light a fire, and they lived on cold, tinned baked beans and bread.

• Jeannie Clement, 72, died at the Tullaree homestead in 1950 of natural causes. It was the middle of a freezing winter and eight men were tasked with retrieving her body.

• In 1952 Margaret vanished. The day after her disappearance at least 100 people were searching for her. It was feared that she had fallen and drowned while wading through the swampy marshes, but the searchers failed to find any trace of her.

“For weeks police and neighbours searched the swamps round the homestead in search of her body. It was never found,” reads a newspaper report in the Argus.

Read why Patricia Freeman chose the Clement sisters as the subject for a musical here.

🌊 South Gippsland Council releases flood maps showing heightened risk for 900 properties

New flood maps released by South Gippsland Council have identified roughly 900 properties and 180 dwellings that will likely be impacted by an increased risk of floods and water inundation.

What happened: The 10 new maps, developed by council and the West Gippsland Catchment Authority (WGCMA), were compiled using historical flood information, on-site research and computer modelling.

• The maps attempt to identify how towns, rivers and catchments throughout South Gippsland will be impacted by the increased risk of floods and water inundation as severe weather events become more frequent and more intense.

Where it’s at: The majority of properties impacted by potential flooding are located in Foster, Hedley, Kongwak, Welshpool, Venus Bay, Sandy Point, Waratah Bay, Port Franklin, Toora, Agnes, Welshpool and the Tarwin River catchment along South Gippsland's coast.

Read the full story here.

⛷️ How an El Niño event will impact Gippsland’s winter ski season

Over the long weekend, ski season kicked off around Australia’s East Coast with snow guns billowing out soft white powder over the mountains and slopes in preparation for eager snowboarders and skiers.

But research from the CSIRO and Monash University is warning that Australian ski seasons are getting shorter.

Avid skier and professor of atmosphere and environment at Monash University, Dr Andrew Watkins, told the Monitor when he was young he wouldn’t get out of bed for less than a metre of snow.

“I've observed changes throughout my lifetime. My daughter gets excited about a lot less snow than I used to at her age.”

• Watkins was the head of BoM’s long-range forecast team between 2012 and 2022.

What happened: With an El Niño season looking likely to be confirmed in the coming weeks, snow season in Gippsland could be impacted by a combination of warming temperatures and drier conditions through winter and spring.

Trudi Reiter and husband Craig operate Mount Baw Baw Ski Hire.

“Mount Baw Baw has always, without a doubt, suffered if there is a slightly warmer or slightly drier winter more than any other resort, because it's lower,” Trudi, who grew up on the mountain, told the Monitor.

“If it's a lower altitude and if it's just a shade warmer than the year before you don't get snow, you get rain, or if it's drier then you don't get snow, you get nothing.”

She added that the flip side was snow making technology had improved greatly over the years.

Read the full story here or watch a video about it below.

🎥 Watch: Will Gippsland’s offshore wind turbines be built here? ⚡️

I made a short video explainer on how offshore wind turbines are constructed and whether parts them can be manufactured locally.

Take a look at the video below.

🙌 Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter, and we’d love to hear from you.

📧 If you’d want to reach out with a story idea that you think is being underreported in your neck of the woods, feel free to email us at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au.

If you’d like to support more of the reporting that’s been in this newsletter, you can click on the banner below - if not, all good - I’ll still be keeping up the work.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

Thousands of healthcare workers from around Victoria began a 24-hour strike last night over a pay dispute with the government.

What happened: The strike action involved several branches of the Health Services Union, which voted to begin industrial action after what it says was an "insulting and disrespectful" wage offer from the Victorian government.

• The union is asking for a 36.18 percent wage increase for more than 13,000 allied health professionals over three years.

Musical about Gippsland's mysterious Ladies of the Swamp sells out in Tarwin Lower

Patricia Freeman and her five sisters bring the tale of the vanished estate heiresses to the stage.

Thousands rally: Assistant Secretary for Victoria Allied Health Professional Association, Andrew Hewat, spoke to the Monitor while he was protesting on the steps of Victoria’s parliament. He said over 3,000 healthcare workers were attending the strike in Melbourne and more in towns around the state.

• “We've never taken 24 hour stoppages before,” Hewat said. “Pretty much all of the allied health services in public hospitals are being impacted to some degree today.”

The healthcare staff that walked off the job included radiographers, physiotherapists, podiatrists, hospital pharmacists, psychologists, occupational therapists, medical scientists, social workers, dietitians, and sonographers.

• The union clarified that urgent care staff would remain on the job during the strike action.

South Gippsland Council releases flood maps showing heightened risk for 900 properties

The new reports identify how towns, rivers and catchments throughout the shire will be impacted by the increased risk of extreme weather.

Doctor Helen Jeges, who has worked in the healthcare sector in Gippsland since 2018, told the Monitor “healthcare workers are fed up with being underpaid and undervalued and we’re calling out for a fair deal”.

• Jeges was seated on the bus returning from the rally, and spoke at the event. She said the current wage level was making it difficult to attract and keep healthcare professionals working in regional Victoria.

Breanne, a delegate from the Health Services Union and social worker from Traralgon who also attended the protests in Melbourne, told the Monitor healthcare workers are fed up with the poor pay.

“We all have at least a four year undergraduate degree, if not a master's degree, we’re highly qualified professionals that care for people. The fact that we're not considered worthy of a decent offer has gotten people pretty riled up.”

The story of Margaret and Jeannie Clement, Gippsland’s so-called "Ladies Of The Swamp",  has fascinated locals for generations.

But maybe none more so than Tarwin Lower resident Patricia Freeman, who along with her five sisters has been touring a Lady of the Swamp Musical since 2018.

A quick recap - who were the Clement sisters?

Margaret and Jeannie Clement bought Tullaree, which in 1907 was a 2,700-acre property in Buffalo (33 kilometres south of Leongatha).

The Tullaree homestead.

• Due to a large family inheritance, the sisters lived in style and travelled the world often, according to newspaper articles at the time.

• But over the years they were swindled, robbed, and taken advantage of by various employees and by the 1920s, debts had piled up and they were forced to mortgage the property.

With no money to pay employees, the swamp slowly reclaimed the Tullaree estate.

The swampy Tullaree grounds.

How an El Niño event will impact Gippsland’s winter ski season

“If it's drier then you don't get snow, you get nothing.”

Tough life: According to one newspaper report, the women lived without running water, electricity or sewerage. There was no wood to light a fire, and they lived on cold, tinned baked beans and bread.

• Jeannie Clement, 72, died at the Tullaree homestead in 1950 of natural causes. It was the middle of a freezing winter and eight men were tasked with retrieving her body.

• In 1952 Margaret vanished. The day after her disappearance at least 100 people were searching for her. It was feared that she had fallen and drowned while wading through the swampy marshes, but the searchers failed to find any trace of her.

“For weeks police and neighbours searched the swamps round the homestead in search of her body. It was never found,” reads a newspaper report in the Argus.

Searching the swamp for Margaret Clement.

Enter: The Lady of the Swamp Musical

The story has become such a well-known tale across Gippsland that on Saturday night, Patricia Freeman and two of her sisters performed The Lady of the Swamp Musical to a sold out crowd at Mechanic's Institute Memorial Hall in Tarwin Lower.

• Freeman, who created and wrote the musical for her sisters to perform, told the Monitor: “People go home singing the songs, it's amazing.”

The Freeman sisters performing in Tarwin Lower.

Freeman and her five sisters are no strangers to live performances, working as professional singers in the 70s and performing on multiple international and Australian tours.

“We used to do Ernie Sigley, Mike Walsh, Issi Dye and the Penthouse Club every month, and then we went into original material. I much preferred that than all that show-bizz tarty stuff.”

Freeman and her sisters also performed on Countdown twice and featured on Rage for about three years.

South Gippsland Council releases flood maps showing heightened risk for 900 properties

The new reports identify how towns, rivers and catchments throughout the shire will be impacted by the increased risk of extreme weather.

A swampy story

Freeman discovered the story of Margaret and Jeannie Clement after she bought her land in Tarwin Lower in 1992.

“I went into the little general store in Tarwin and I bought the very last copy of a book called The Lady of the Swamp by Richard Shears.”

• Richard Shears published a second book on the sisters, Swamp: Who Murdered Margaret Clement?, in 2008.

Freeman said she was attracted to the story because it was about sisterhood.

“I come from a big sister family. I didn't know it at the time, but I think that's what really pulled me in. It’s a female story and it’s about the alienation of rights, I don’t think they would’ve been robbed if they were men.”

Freeman said she always performs the show with at least two of her five sisters by her side.

• They first performed the show at St Kilda Writer’s Week in October 2018 and received 4.5 stars for their act.

Three of the Freeman sisters performing in Tarwin Lower.

Sisters stick together

The show kicks off with “The Sisters Who Were Wronged”, which is a three part acapella harmony, then goes into the Irish classical sounding “Tullaree”, before a blues tune called “Easy Pickings”.

They’ll be performing in Queenscliff in July and are looking at some Gippsland venues to host the musical in October or November.

New flood maps released by South Gippsland Council have identified roughly 900 properties and 180 dwellings that will likely be impacted by an increased risk of floods and water inundation.

What happened: The 10 new maps, developed by council and the West Gippsland Catchment Authority (WGCMA), were compiled using historical flood information, on-site research and computer modelling.

• The maps attempt to identify how towns, rivers and catchments throughout South Gippsland will be impacted by the increased risk of floods and water inundation as severe weather events become more frequent and more intense.

Baw Baw Shire owns 342 artworks, but over half are in storage. Now it wants to unwrap them

Council is also getting quotes on digitising the collection so everyone can enjoy it.

Where it’s at: The majority of properties impacted by potential flooding are located in Foster, Hedley, Kongwak, Welshpool, Venus Bay, Sandy Point, Waratah Bay, Port Franklin, Toora, Agnes, Welshpool and the Tarwin River catchment along South Gippsland's coast.

Community thoughts: The proposed flood maps were released in late May, with residents able to provide feedback to council on the maps until July 6.

• After the period of community feedback, the council will look to adopt the changes into its planning scheme, which means expanding its Flood Overlay (FO) and Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) on land identified as being affected by flood risk.

Ulysses and his chilled Leongatha bees

Ulysses de Vincentis' honey harvesting colonies are dotted around friends' properties around South Gippsland.

What is an overlay?

An overlay is a planning tool local councils use to identify what buildings and developments might require specific permits and considerations before being approved.

• Overlays help councils ensure particular matters, such as flood or fire risks, are appropriately considered during the planning process.

• To have a development approved in a FO or LSIO in Victoria, developers must prove the building or buildings won't obstruct floodwaters, impact surrounding properties or endanger occupants.

How will community feedback impact maps?

South Gippsland mayor Nathan Hersey told the Monitor the feedback process gives landowners the opportunity to challenge potential errors in the flood maps.

“Some people are going to look at the maps and say they entirely understand the changes and probably expected them already,” Hersey said. “But you may also have people who will say: ‘This is not an accurate reflection of what is the lived experience on the land.’”

If it’s good for the goose: Lakes around Bairnsdale attract rare visitors

“As an avid bird watcher it's always exciting to see new species in the region.”

Submissions

South Gippsland residents can arrange a private appointment with council staff to hear more about the maps by calling on 03 5662 9200 or emailing council@southgippsland.vic.gov.au. 

Submit feedback to the council on the maps here. Submissions close at 5pm on Monday July 6.

Over the long weekend, ski season kicked off around Australia’s East Coast with snow guns billowing out soft white powder over the mountains and slopes in preparation for eager snowboarders and skiers.

But research from the CSIRO and Monash University is warning that Australian ski seasons are getting shorter.

Avid skier and professor of atmosphere and environment at Monash University, Dr Andrew Watkins, told the Monitor when he was young he wouldn’t get out of bed for less than a metre of snow.

“I've observed changes throughout my lifetime. My daughter gets excited about a lot less snow than I used to at her age.”

• Watkins was the head of BoM’s long-range forecast team between 2012 and 2022.

What happened: With an El Niño season looking likely to be confirmed in the coming weeks, snow season in Gippsland could be impacted by a combination of warming temperatures and drier conditions through winter and spring.

Trudi Reiter and husband Craig operate Mount Baw Baw Ski Hire.

“Mount Baw Baw has always, without a doubt, suffered if there is a slightly warmer or slightly drier winter more than any other resort, because it's lower,” Trudi, who grew up on the mountain, told the Monitor.

“If it's a lower altitude and if it's just a shade warmer than the year before you don't get snow, you get rain, or if it's drier then you don't get snow, you get nothing.”

She added that the flip side was snow making technology had improved greatly over the years.

View from the summit of Mount Baw Baw. Image credit: Alex Cohen.

Reduced snow

Trudi said it was hard to pinpoint a consistent decline in snowfall on the mountain since her childhood, but research from Monash University shows there’s been about a 30 percent reduction in winter snow volume and coverage across the Australian Alps since 1954.

Watkins said due to rising global temperatures the research predicts there will be another 30 percent reduction between now and 2050.

“For the amount of carbon dioxide we emit, we’re probably looking at a reduction of about three weeks in our snow season length at most [Australian] ski resorts by 2050,” Watkins said.

“Rather than getting spring snow, it gets a bit wet as things warm up. Unfortunately, warm spring rain is the natural enemy of snow.”

Watkins said an El Niño event could also have a serious impact on this year's snow season.

Ulysses and his chilled Leongatha bees

Ulysses de Vincentis' honey harvesting colonies are dotted around friends' properties around South Gippsland.

What if it’s an El Niño season?

It’s expected that the BoM will announce an El Niño weather event in the coming weeks.

• What is El Niño? It’s a climate phenomenon where surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than usual. This disrupts weather patterns and brings drier conditions to parts of Australia.

Watkins said there can be pros and cons to snowfall in an El Niño weather event.

The drier air means there is typically less snowfall over much of the East Coast, but the cold clear nights can be the best for turning moisture into ice and stopping snow that has dropped from melting.

“There's always going to be natural variability or chance when it comes to weather events,” Watkins said. “But climate change is pushing us towards these shorter seasons and less snow depth; El Niño tends to push us towards that as well.”

Baw Baw Shire owns 342 artworks, but over half are in storage. Now it wants to unwrap them

Council is also getting quotes on digitising the collection so everyone can enjoy it.

The warming trend

The BoM’s long-range winter forecast indicates there will be below average snowfall for much of Australia’s alpine regions and both maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be above average.

Watkins said if an El Niño is announced it’ll give Australians a snapshot of what to expect in the years to come as the climate warms.

Cover image credit: Protect Our Winters (POW). A global not-for-profit that advocates for action on climate change to prevent snow loss.

⏱️ This Friday edition of our newsletter is a six-minute read.

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

It’s been another busy week here at the Monitor covering Gippsland.

Driving around the region, I often pull over to take a few snaps of Gippsland’s landscape. I recently had some 35mm film rolls developed and particularly enjoyed this one of the hills around Loch - if you look closely you can see black cows dotted on top.

👀 Looking ahead. In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

• 🐝 Ulysses and his chilled Leongatha bees;

• ☣️ The destructive parasitic mite threatening Gippsland’s bees, and;

• ⛔️ Do we need greater restriction on nitrous oxide?

🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🐝 Ulysses and his chilled Leongatha bees

The Monitor spent an afternoon at apiarist Ulysses de Vincentis' home in Leongatha chatting about hives, swarms and honey collection.

“The bees are really chilled,” de Vincentis said. “They'll be bringing pollen back into the hive. They're super organised. You go and pull out the frames, and if you've got a sort of a gentle approach to it, the bees are generally pretty relaxed.”

Take a look at part of the video interview below.

☣️ Gippsland beekeepers prepare to deal with an invasive parasite the size of a pin head

Leongatha beekeeper Ulysses de Vincentis is bracing for signs of the Varroa Destructor, which has been detected in hives in Mirboo North, and could wipe out bee colonies across the region.

The invasive pest has been decimating hives in Europe and America for decades and was first detected in bee colonies in Newcastle, north of Sydney, in June 2022.

In May this year, a beehive in Mirboo North was confirmed to have the bug.

Take a look at a video explainer about the mite below.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter and we’d love to hear from you.

📧 Reach out. If you have a story in your town that you think is being underreported then feel free to shoot us an email at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au.

I’ll be back in your inbox next week with more Gippsland yarns, informative videos and pictures of the region.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

🤳 If you’re not already subscribed, you can keep up to date with everything we’re reporting on at the Gippsland Monitor on these platforms:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
or our website

The Monitor spent an afternoon at apiarist Ulysses de Vincentis' home in Leongatha chatting about hives, swarms and honey collection.

“The bees are really chilled,” de Vincentis said. “They'll be bringing pollen back into the hive. They're super organised. You go and pull out the frames, and if you've got a sort of a gentle approach to it, the bees are generally pretty relaxed.”

Take a look at part of the video interview below.

⏱️ This Wednesday edition of our newsletter is a six-minute read.

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

🐝 Yesterday, I drove to Leongatha to chat to local beekeeper Ulysses de Vincentis about his five hives of busy honey makers.

We talked about how to start a hive by catching a swarm, how much honey is produced and the threat an invasive mite is posing to bee populations. I got to don a beekeeping suit to get up close and personal with some of Ulysses’ bees - luckily, I didn’t get stung.

👀 Looking ahead. In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

• 🏗️ How offshore wind farm turbines are constructed and whether they can be manufactured in Australia;

• 🎨 Baw Baw Shire’s proposed new art policy to dust off the pieces in storage;

• 🦪 The Moe oyster - what is it? And how do you cook one, and;

• 🐊 The NSW crocodile handler Damian Duffy.

🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🏗️ 900 turbines with 2,700 fibreglass blades: Can offshore wind farms be constructed in Gippsland?

The scale of the project is mind-boggling. And it comes with a new dictionary.

To start with, 900 wind turbine towers, each up to about 250 metres tall. Attached to these, at the tip known as the “hub”, 2,700 fibreglass blades, around 100 metres in length. All powered by a “nacelle”.

And the tower itself needs to be locked into place by a transition piece and a monopile, the latter of which is driven up to 50 metres into the seabed.

When construction of this mammoth project is complete, it will play a key role in powering the state. But it’s not only about scale, but the logistics required to bring that scale to reality - the factories, transport and engineering.

The turbines and their underwater supports can weigh between 2,000 and 3,000 tonnes depending on the model, while the main post of the turbines (the tower) can protrude 250 metres out of the ocean with the three rotating blades stretching a further 100 metres into the air.

Offshore wind turbine diagram. Image provided by Star of the South.

It’s due to their size that these towers are so efficient at generating power - one rotation of the turbine can power an average Australian home for 48 hours.

One of Gippsland’s Offshore Wind Zone’s most developed projects, Star of the South, is looking to begin construction of 147 turbines in the Bass Strait in 2030.

The Chief Development Officer for Star of the South, Erin Coldham, told the Gippsland Monitor that the boats used for installation can carry up to three turbines at a time.

She said the boats will take pre-assembled turbine parts to a jack-up vessel, a specialised elevating platform that connects to the seafloor, which then begins constructing the turbines with a crane.

“The foundation gets drilled into the seabed, then a transition piece that connects the foundation to the tower, then you've got the nacelle, which is like the brains on top, and then three blades.”

The foundation for a tower can be drilled into place in about two-and-a-half hours.

“It’s pretty quick once they get out there,” Coldham said. 

A crucial question hanging over the offshore wind industry in Australia is whether the turbine parts - from the vast towers and blades to the wires, nuts and bolts - will be manufactured locally, elsewhere around Australia or overseas.

Read the full story here.

🖼️ Baw Baw Shire owns 342 artworks, but over half are in storage. Now it wants to unwrap them

More than half of Baw Baw Shire’s art collection of 342 paintings is gathering dust in storage.

A new council policy will seek to display more works in libraries and community hubs while exploring the possibility of digitising the collection.

What happened: Baw Baw Shire mayor Kate Wilson told the Monitor the council holds 220 “public” artworks, which are pieces located outside in parks and public spaces around the shire.

It also owns a “civic” collection of 122 artworks, which are pieces that hang inside galleries. Most of these civic paintings, sculptures and photographs are displayed in the Drouin Council Office or the West Gippsland Arts Centre.

The policy will endeavour to display more of the stored art in libraries, community hubs and public spaces.

Wilson said without a clear art policy, maintaining the collection “can be a little bit unruly” because the council is constantly receiving new artworks, either by acquiring them through capital works projects or as gifts from community groups.

Wilson said council staff will rotate the artworks in West Gippsland Arts Centre to ensure the collection is able to be viewed by the public.

Read the full story here.

🎥 Watch: How to cook a Moe Oyster 🦪

The delectable starter known as the Moe Oyster - or sometimes the Moe Cray or Traralgon Lobster - is not at all like a regular oyster.

My efforts to nail down the exact history of the Gippsland appetiser were fruitless, but most comment on a video I made about the dish agree it originated somewhere in the Latrobe Valley more than 30 years ago.

Take a look at a video I made about the history of the snack and how to prepare it below.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter and we’d love to hear from you.

☎️ Call out. This week, I’m looking to write a story on whether the snow season on Gippsland’s alpine ranges is being impacted by a warming climate. If you’re someone who frequents or works at the ski fields and you’re happy to chat, please reach out to us at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au.

I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday with more local yarns, so stay tuned.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

🤳 If you’re not already subscribed, you can keep up to date with everything we’re reporting on at the Gippsland Monitor on these platforms:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
or our website

More than half of Baw Baw Shire’s art collection of 342 paintings is gathering dust in storage.

A new council policy will seek to display more works in libraries and community hubs while exploring the possibility of digitising the collection.

What happened: Baw Baw Shire mayor Kate Wilson told the Monitor the council holds 220 “public” artworks, which are pieces located outside in parks and public spaces around the shire.

It also owns a “civic” collection of 122 artworks, which are pieces that hang inside galleries. Most of these civic paintings, sculptures and photographs are displayed in the Drouin Council Office or the West Gippsland Arts Centre.

The policy will endeavour to display more of the stored art in libraries, community hubs and public spaces.

Wilson said without a clear art policy, maintaining the collection “can be a little bit unruly” because the council is constantly receiving new artworks, either by acquiring them through capital works projects or as gifts from community groups.

Wilson said council staff will rotate the artworks in West Gippsland Arts Centre to ensure the collection is able to be viewed by the public.

If it’s good for the goose: Lakes around Bairnsdale attract rare visitors

“As an avid bird watcher it's always exciting to see new species in the region.”

A digital gallery 

To help make Baw Baw’s art more widely available, the new policy will get quotes on digitising the collection.

Favourite pieces 

Wilson said among her favourite pieces in the collection is work by Kurnai Elder, Dr. Auntie Eileen Harrison. 

Her Art from the Air piece is an acrylic painting exhibited in the West Gippsland Art Centre. The work inspired the landscaping of the Indigenous Garden in Warragul’s Rotary Park and includes six wooden totems sculpted by local artist Paul Stafford under the guidance of Dr. Aunty Eileen.

Kurnai Elder, Dr. Auntie Eileen Harrison’s Art from the Air painting.

“It's incredible to see her work brought to life in that way,” Wilson said of the sculpture.

The scale of the project is mind-boggling. And it comes with a new dictionary.

To start with, 900 wind turbine towers, each up to about 250 metres tall. Attached to these, at the tip known as the “hub”, 2,700 fibreglass blades, around 100 metres in length. All powered by a “nacelle”. 

And the tower itself needs to be locked into place by a transition piece and a monopile, the latter of which is driven up to 50 metres into the seabed.

When construction of this mammoth project is complete, it will play a key role in powering the state. But it’s not only about scale, but the logistics required to bring that scale to reality - the factories, transport and engineering.

The turbines and their underwater supports can weigh between 2,000 and 3,000 tonnes depending on the model, while the main post of the turbines (the tower) can protrude 250 metres out of the ocean with the three rotating blades stretching a further 100 metres into the air.

Offshore wind turbine diagram. Image provided by Star of the South.

It’s due to their size that these towers are so efficient at generating power - one rotation of the turbine can power an average Australian home for 48 hours.

One of Gippsland’s Offshore Wind Zone’s most developed projects, Star of the South, is looking to begin construction of 147 turbines in the Bass Strait in 2030.

The Chief Development Officer for Star of the South, Erin Coldham, told the Gippsland Monitor that the boats used for installation can carry up to three turbines at a time.

She said the boats will take pre-assembled turbine parts to a jack-up vessel, a specialised elevating platform that connects to the seafloor, which then begins constructing the turbines with a crane.

“The foundation gets drilled into the seabed, then a transition piece that connects the foundation to the tower, then you've got the nacelle, which is like the brains on top, and then three blades.”

The transition pieces sticking out of the water. Image provided by Star of the South.

The foundation for a tower can be drilled into place in about two-and-a-half hours.

“It’s pretty quick once they get out there,” Coldham said. 

A crucial question hanging over the offshore wind industry in Australia is whether the turbine parts - from the vast towers and blades to the wires, nuts and bolts - will be manufactured locally, elsewhere around Australia or overseas.

How a cheese-loving doggo is sniffing out the Gippsland gold

“Traditionally, they used to use pigs. But pigs can eat the truffles and they're hard to train, also they can eat your fingers.”

What happened: In April, Latrobe City Council unanimously voted to send a submission to the federal government arguing Latrobe Valley should be designated a manufacturing zone for the domestic wind industry.

Councillors pointed to existing transmission tower manufacturing in Morwell as the foundation for a regional supply chain that could redeploy into producing wind farm parts.

Councillor Steph Morgan told the meeting that local supply chains mattered "not just for Latrobe City itself, but for the entirety of Australia".

The federal government held a consultation into manufacturing wind turbines domestically early this year but findings are yet to be released.

Offshore wind farm. Image provided by Star of the South.

Looking locally

Coldham said although there are currently no wind turbine manufacturers in Australia, Star of the South had identified the possibility of constructing steel platforms, walkways, ladders, railings and tubes in the Latrobe Valley.

“There's about 300 tonnes of steel components per turbine that can realistically be made and fabricated in Australia,” Coldham said. “A lot of that [could be done] in the Latrobe Valley.”

If it’s good for the goose: Lakes around Bairnsdale attract rare visitors

“As an avid bird watcher it's always exciting to see new species in the region.”

Investing locally

Professor Magnus Söderberg from the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics at Griffith University told the Monitor that it is unrealistic for Australia to manufacture every turbine component.

But one part he said the federal government should look at building locally was the 250 metre tower, which is predominantly made of steel.

Söderberg estimated the towers cost roughly $1.6 million to import from overseas, but $1.9 million to manufacture in Australia.

Söderberg said if the federal government invested and subsidised local manufacturing it would take about six years to become price competitive with the rest of the world.

Coldham agreed, saying that although Australia doesn’t currently have the capability to roll the steel required for the towers, an investment in those equipment and manufacturing capabilities would make Australia more competitive.

⏱️ This Friday edition of our newsletter is a six-minute read.

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

On Wednesday, I spoke to Sean Phillipson from the East and West Gippsland Catchment Authorities about the magpie geese that have been spotted in the lakes near Bairnsdale for the second year in a row.

Phillipson doesn’t think the three birds sighted this year are among the six spotted last year, as the current gaggle appears to be juvenile.

He said he’s hopeful this is a sign the species, which used to be abundant in Victoria prior to European settlement, is returning to the state.

👀 Looking ahead. In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

• 🪶 The rare visitors to Gippsland lakes;

• 🔋 The final outline of Gippsland’s Renewable Energy Zones;

• ⚡️ If there will be pollution from Latrobe Valley’s proposed waste-to-energy facility;

• 💰 How the price of EVs compares to petrol cars, and;

• 🍻 Whether Gen Z is drinking less.

🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🐧 If it’s good for the goose: Lakes around Bairnsdale attract rare visitors

Magpie geese have returned to the lakes around Bairnsdale for a second year, raising hopes they might make Gippsland’s ponds a permanent travel destination.

The birds are distinct due to their black and white plumage, yellowish legs and a characteristic knob on the crown of their heads.

Last year, three of the birds were spotted near Newry Creek before three more were then seen around Bairnsdale.

This year three were sighted around Bairnsdale in May.

Read the full story here.

⚡️ Two Renewable Energy Zones have been finalised for Gippsland. Where are they and what does it mean for locals?

The Victorian government has locked in the state’s six Renewable Energy Zones (REZ), including two in Gippsland.

What’s an REZ? An REZ is an area identified by the government to either host solar, wind, hydro or battery storage facilities.

Where are the two Gippsland zones?

• The Gippsland REZ is located between Morwell and Sale, and includes parts of Wellington Shire, Latrobe City and South Gippsland councils.

• The Gippsland Shoreline REZ will not host clean energy projects. Instead, the underground cables required for the offshore wind industry to connect turbines to the grid will be located there.

Read the full story here.

🗑️ People asked if a proposed waste-to-energy plant in the Latrobe Valley would pollute. Here's what an expert says

This week, I made a video responding to people concerned about the levels of pollution a waste-to-energy facility in the Latrobe Valley may produce.

I dived into some of the data and talked to the Chair of Circular Economy at the University of Melbourne, Professor Damien Giurco, about the potential for pollution.

Take a look at a video explainer below.

🎥 Watch: Are EVs more affordable than petrol cars? 🚗

After chatting with South Gippsland retiree and EV owner Sharon Willcox last week, I decided to compare the fuel cost of my 2010 RAV4 to an EV.

According to the charging costs Willcox supplied, I could be saving between $90 and $120 per 1,000km if I was charging an EV instead of filling up my RAV with petrol.

Take a look at a video comparing EV costs with petrol cars below.

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this Friday issue of our newsletter and we’d love to hear from you.

☎️ Call out. Next week, I’m looking to write a story on whether the snow season on Gippsland’s Alpine Ranges is being impacted by a warming climate. If you’re someone who frequents or works at the ski fields and you’re happy to chat, please reach out to us at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au.

We’ll be back in your inbox next Wednesday with more local yarns, informative stories and chats with Gippslanders, so stay tuned.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

🤳 If you’re not already subscribed, you can keep up to date with everything we’re reporting on at the Gippsland Monitor on these platforms:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
or our website

Magpie geese have returned to the lakes around Bairnsdale for a second year, raising hopes they might make Gippsland’s ponds a permanent travel destination.

The birds are distinct due to their black and white plumage, yellowish legs and a characteristic knob on the crown of their heads.

Last year, three of the birds were spotted near Newry Creek before three more were then seen around Bairnsdale.

This year three were sighted around Bairnsdale in May.

One of the Magpie Geese spotted this year.

Returning home

Sean Phillipson from East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority told the Monitor magpie geese were native to Victoria prior to European settlement but are now a rare visitor and listed as a vulnerable species in the state.

“The draining of wetlands and then over-hunting basically removed them from the Victorian landscape,” he said.

Today they are usually found on floodplains and in freshwater wetlands across coastal northern and eastern Australia.

Restoring Gippsland’s lakes

Phillipson said restoration works undertaken as part of the Love Our Lakes program, which includes pest control, weed removal and fencing, has helped restore the wetlands and make it a more hospitable habitat for native birds.

“We were excited about the sightings of these birds last year and thought it may be a one off, but to see them back again with three so far is very exciting,” he said, describing the current flock of birds as juvenile and thus not the same magpie geese as last year.

“As they get older, the little hump on their head develops and their beak turns from being a duller red to a brighter red.”

Last week, the Monitor was given a tour of Scotch Hill Truffle Farm in Neerim South by owner Ron Geritz.

Geritz explained how he grows black truffles underneath rows of French Oak trees on the property he manages with his partner Michelle Jones.

While strolling through the farm, Geritz demonstrated how he trained one of his truffle hunting dogs, Boogie, to be able to hone in on the pungent underground fungus nugget.

Watch a video of Boogie truffle hunting below.

In the Monitor’s enduring quest to find Gippsland’s most delicious pie, I visited Cafe Biscotti on Phillip Island.

Take a look at the video review below.

The Victorian government has locked in the state’s six Renewable Energy Zones (REZ), including two in Gippsland.

What’s an REZ? An REZ is an area identified by the government to either host solar, wind, hydro or battery storage facilities.

Where are the two Gippsland zones?

• The Gippsland REZ is located between Morwell and Sale, and includes parts of Wellington Shire, Latrobe City and South Gippsland councils.

• The Gippsland Shoreline REZ will not host clean energy projects. Instead, the underground cables required for the offshore wind industry to connect turbines to the grid will be located there.

VicGrid map of Gippsland Renewable Energy Zones.

A smoother transition: Tony Goodfellow, the policy and engagement manager at RE-Alliance, a non-profit advocating for better renewables in the regions, told the Monitor REZs were “not a silver bullet”. 

“They are a chance to move from a contested, project-by-project rollout to a more planned transition that sets clearer expectations for developers and delivers more lasting benefits for regional communities,” he said.

What if you live in an REZ? Goodfellow said individual landowners would still be able to decide whether to host and earn income from a renewable energy project.

• “Being in a REZ does not mean every property will host infrastructure, and it does not bypass existing planning or environmental approvals,” he said.

• Communities will also still have a say on proposals, while developments will need to go through relevant assessment procedures.

⏱️ This Wednesday edition of our newsletter is a six-minute read.

👋 Hello Gippslanders, it’s Jacob here.

On Monday, I put together this video I filmed with Scotch Hill Truffle Farm owner Ron Geritz and his dog Boogie aka the “cheese monster”.

Geritz was kind enough to show me around his Neerim South property and give a rundown on how he grows black truffles. He also showed me how he trained Boogie to be able to hone in on the pungent underground fungus nugget.

Take a look at the video below.

👀 Looking ahead. In this week’s newsletter we’re talking about:

• 💧 Latrobe City Council’s decision to scale back a water playground in Traralgon;

• 🥧 A Thai chicken pie from Cafe Biscotti in Cowes;

• 🚗 A Gippsland retiree who hosted an electric vehicle event in Wonthaggi, and;

• 🏉 Whether we need better concussion rules in Australian sport.

🚀 Alright, let’s jump into the Monitor’s latest yarns!

🔍 HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🚗 On Sunday in Wonthaggi, 70 people turned up to hear a retiree talk about EVs

As volatile fuel prices are hitting the wallets of car owners around the country, more Gippslanders are considering choosing a fully electric vehicle (EV) as their next car to save on petrol and maintenance costs.

That’s according to South Gippsland resident Sharon Willcox, a retired health policy consultant who has been hosting events to educate locals about the benefits of EVs.

What happened: On Sunday, Willcox assisted South Gippsland Conservation Society in putting together an EV information event at ArtSpace in Wonthaggi.

Willcox told the Monitor she was able to recruit 11 local EV drivers, with 11 different models of EVs, to attend the event and talk to the 70 attendees about the cars and how to charge and maintain them.

The 11 electric vehicles parked in front of ArtSpace in Wonthaggi.

“We had everything from BYD and Tesla, to Fiat and Volvo, to XPeng and Hyundai.”

ArtSpace’s two EV chargers were used to illustrate how to pump up the battery.

Price comparison

In comparing the price between EVs and petrol cars, Willcox said: “You have to consider the whole picture: The upfront, maintenance, fuel and servicing costs.”

Read the full story here.

🚰 "We are not the Gold Coast": Latrobe split on Traralgon Victory Park water playground

A new water playground planned for Victory Park in Traralgon has been scaled back after Latrobe City Mayor, Sharon Gibson, used her casting vote at a meeting last week.

What happened: The council published the Victory Park Master Plan for community consultation late last year. The plan included the development of a new aqua play zone  in the middle of the Traraglon park.

Part of the proposal was to build a water play area where children could use manual pumps, buckets and channels to transport and move water around.

A map of the water park play space in the Victory Park Master Plan.

At a council meeting last Monday, Councillor Adele Pugsley moved an alternative motion to remove the northern part of the play area, which would have sat next to the northernmost picnic pavilion, citing concerns about cost and water usage.

Councillor Dale Harriman also supported the scaling back, pointing to maintenance costs and existing water play facilities at the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre, about 1km away.

Bring on the water works

Councillor Leanne Potter opposed the change, as did Councillor Joanne Campbell, who said: "I can't see why we're making this water park smaller when we've got a growing population."

The vote

The vote was 4-4, with Gibson using her casting vote to trim the water park.

🍻 Cheaper cocktails and affordable ales: Gippsland’s best happy hour deals

Have you ever woken late on Sunday morning, dazed and confused on your couch, and made the foolish error of taking a gander at your bank balance on your phone?

🍻 These days, going for a night out with friends or family can have a seriously detrimental impact on your finances, so the Monitor is here to try and mitigate future damage.

📧 If you have any suggestions for happy hours we should include in this list, feel free to send us details at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au. 

Don’t forget to drink responsibly, tip your bartender if they’re helpful and never drink and drive.

Check out the list here.

🎥 Watch: Cafe Biscotti Thai chicken pie review 🥧

In my enduring quest to find Gippsland’s most delicious pie, I visited Cafe Biscotti on Phillip Island and taste tested the Thai chicken pie.

Take a look at the video review below.

Thanks for catching up with us at the Monitor. I hope you enjoyed this issue of our newsletter. I’d love to hear from you - let me know what you like, what you don’t, and how we can best serve our communities.

☎️ Call out. I’m interested to speak to a Gippslander who has installed solar panels and a home battery on their property. If that’s you, feel free to reach out at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au.

I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday with more videos, local yarns and Gippsland events, so stay tuned.

Cheers,
Jacob & the Gippsland Monitor team

🤳 If you’re not already subscribed, you can keep up to date with everything we’re reporting on at the Gippsland Monitor on these platforms:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
or our website

A new water playground planned for Victory Park in Traralgon has been scaled back after Latrobe City Mayor, Sharon Gibson, used her casting vote at a meeting last week.

What happened: The council published the Victory Park Master Plan for community consultation late last year. The plan included the development of a new aqua play zone  in the middle of the Traraglon park.

Part of the proposal was to build a water play area where children could use manual pumps, buckets and channels to transport and move water around.

A map of the Newman Park Playspace in the Victory Park Master Plan.

At a council meeting last Monday, Councillor Adele Pugsley moved an alternative motion to remove the northern part of the play area, which would have sat next to the northernmost picnic pavilion, citing concerns about cost and water usage.

Councillor Dale Harriman also supported the scaling back, pointing to maintenance costs and existing water play facilities at the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre, about 1km away.

On Sunday in Wonthaggi, 70 people turned up to hear a retiree talk about EVs

“I've got solar and a battery at home, so it costs me about $5 over summer to do 1,000 kilometres.”

Bring on the water works

Councillor Leanne Potter opposed the change, as did Councillor Joanne Campbell, who said: "I can't see why we're making this water park smaller when we've got a growing population."

The vote

The vote was 4-4, with Gibson using her casting vote to trim the water park.

Have you ever woken late on Sunday morning, dazed and confused on your couch, and made the foolish error of taking a gander at your bank balance on your phone?

🍻 These days, going for a night out with friends or family can have a seriously detrimental impact on your finances, so the Monitor is here to try and mitigate future damage.

📧 If you have any suggestions for happy hours we should include in this list, feel free to send us details at editor@gippslandmonitor.com.au. 

Don’t forget to drink responsibly, tip your bartender if they’re helpful and never drink and drive.

🚀 Let’s dive into some deals.

Quirky Bar - Leongatha

Inside Quirky Bar.

Like the name suggests, Quirky Bar has the unusual happy hour time of 4:13-5:49pm on Fridays. On Thursday and Saturday the happy hour runs from 5-6:15pm.

Deal: $5 pots of Burra XPA, Burra Golden Ale, Gurney’s Cider and Sailor’s Grave Draught; $8 house wines; $10 Seltzers, and; $15 for selected cocktails.

Address: 48 Bair Street, Leongatha.

Get more information here.

Foster Exchange Hotel

The Foster Exchange Hotel.

Happy hour runs on Wednesday and Friday from 5-6pm with $4 pots, $6 schooners, $5 house wine and $7 basic spirits.

Address: 43 Main Street, Foster.

Get more information here.

The York Lounge and Bar - Sale

Beer taps at The York Lounge and Bar.

The happy hour here runs every day from 3:30-5:30pm and is $5 for schooners, house wines and basic spirits.

Address: 91-103 York Street, Sale.

Get more information here.

The Little Prince Eating House & Bar - Traralgon

Food and wine at The Little Prince Eating House & Bar.

Happy hour is daily from 2:30-5pm. Rotating weekly specials cover beers, wines and cocktails - check their socials or call ahead to ask what’s pouring cheaply.

Address: 58 Hotham Street, Traralgon.

Get more information here.

Lakes Tyers Beach Tavern

The views at Lakes Tyers Beach Tavern.

Happy hour runs only on Friday from 5:30-6:30pm - $4 pots, $6 schooners and $5 house wines and basic spirits.

Address: 577 Lake Tyers Beach Road, Lake Tyers Beach.

Get more information here.

Everything’s Better with Wine - Warragul

A couple glasses of red at Everything’s Better with Wine.

Happy hour runs everyday from 5-6pm daily, where you can grab $8 beers, $10 wines and $15 cocktails.

Address: 81 Queen Street, Warragul.

Get more information here.

The Port Welshpool Pub (The Rusty Gurnard)

The Port Welshpool Pub, otherwise know as the Rusty Gurnard.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, happy hour runs from 5-6pm and on Fridays from 4-6pm. Drink specials feature $6 tap schooners, $12 Aperol spritzes and $3 off the price of house wines.

Address: 85 Lewis Street, Port Welshpool.

Get more information here.

The Poowong Hotel

The Poowong Hotel.

Happy hour runs only on Fridays from 4:30-6:30pm with $5 pots, $7 schooners, $6 house wines, $8 basic spirits and $10 for selected cocktails.

Address: 1 Ranceby Road, Poowong.

Get more information here.

One of Gippsland’s nine proposed windfarms to be located in the Bass Strait, Star of the South, is set to become Australia’s first offshore windfarms to generate power.

The company behind the project, Southerly Ten, is looking to install up to 147 turbines between 10 to 40km off Gippsland’s coast, roughly between Port Albert and Woodside Beach.

How much power will the farm generate?

One rotation of an offshore wind turbine can power an average Australian home for 48 hours - so with 147 turbines spinning the project is expected to provide 2.2GW of electricity, which is enough to power 1.2 million Victorian homes.

All nine windfarm projects proposed for Gippsland’s Offshore Wind Zone are expected to provide 25GW of power once completed, according to the federal government.

To put that in perspective, when operating, the coal-fired power station at Hazelwood had a capacity of 1.6GW - that’s 6.4 percent of what Gippsland’s offshore wind farms will provide.

Take a look at a video explainer about the development and how you can have your say below.