Queenscliff’s Marine Science Research Centre will undergo a $4.5 million redevelopment, as part of a trio of projects worth $22.1 million aimed at putting Deakin University at the forefront of water and aquaculture research.

The redevelopment will include new laboratories, teaching facilities and a high-speed speed optic fibre network for the community. 

According to Higher Education Minister Gayle Tierney, the investment will establish Queenscliff as the centre for excellence for temperate water marine science research and education in southern Australia. 

The Government has contributed $6 million to Deakin for the three projects, which also include a new $9.8 million state-of-the-art AcquaFI Hub innovation centre to explore animal nutrition and to support the expansion of fish and seafood farming and a $7.8 million upgrade to the university’s Waurn Ponds campus. 

“These exciting projects will push the boundaries of water science research but also provide great learning and job opportunities for Victorians” Ms Tierney said.  

Melbourne-based Root Partnerships will oversee construction, which will begin this year and finish mid-2022.

The projects would provide new opportunities for staff, students and traditional owners and create scholarships opportunities - 50 percent of which will be offered to women. 

“These projects are an extension of our investment in regional Victoria and commitment to sustainability and will also enhance our existing research capabilities,” said Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin. 
​
Deakin established a formal presence with the MSRC under a 2017 agreement.

Four dilapidated former World War II huts will stay on the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve for the foreseeable future, following a new Council decision to “mothball” them. 

Borough of Queenscliffe CEO Martin Gill revealed Council had been unable to meet redevelopment  milestones set out by Regional Development Victoria (RDV) as part of a $600,000 funding agreement, because of delays in obtaining heritage, coastal and cultural planning approvals. 

The redevelopment was to have included removal of all but one of the huts. Council will now seek to have project timelines re-adjusted. 
 
“The timing of that [RDV] agreement required some milestones to be met early this year. Those milestones cannot be met due primarily to the approvals processes that we were going through and some advice from the cultural heritage management plan work that there are parts of the site that should not be disturbed for sub-surface testing,” Mr Gill told the April Council meeting. 

“In receiving that information, Council officers realised that not only did we need to think about the milestones, but we should also have a think about how we amend the activities that are part of that grant agreement.

“We’re recommending a change to the the grant agreement that would include the P1 huts as a project - to record those, remove asbestos and… for want of a better term, to mothball them until we can work out what the future of those should be,” Mr Gill said. 

Under the redevelopment plan approved in January 2019, all but MacDonalds Hall - the biggest of the four - was to be removed. The proposal also included paths, landscaping, a ship spotting platform, barbecue amenities. 

However, a subsequent Heritage Victoria decision to formally  recognise the site’s heritage and cultural assets -  renaming it the Point Lonsdale Maritime and Defence Precinct - committed the Council to having to undertake extensive planning investigations before any works could commence. 

As a result of the missed milestones, Councillors unanimously voted to amend the current plan.  

Cr Susan Salter, who was part of the 2019 Council that approved the huts’ removal, described the process as long and convoluted.

“The Victorian Government heritage listing extends all the way up to Winterley Road, so it is a much larger space than it used to be and of course in passing this, we are rescinding the motion of 2019… we’re tidying up quite a lot of work within our own historical records I guess.”

The Federal Government is still considering an application for the reserve to also be included on the National Heritage List - a move that would add even further protections from development. 

“I think it’s really important at this stage that we improve this precinct with the allocated funding, providing RDV does agree to the proposed redirection for some of the activities,” said Cr Michael Grout. “But in particular, I think we really do need to better secure and preserve the heritage of the P1 huts so that the unsightly temporary fencing can be removed.”

The State Government, through RDV, has committed $500,000 to the redevelopment.  A Council spokesperson said discussions were underway with RDV to vary the grant agreement. 

"Interim reserve works would include removing asbestos from the huts, ensuring they are structurally sound and re-cladding them in a material similar to the original, he said. 

The P1-style huts were erected as part of a Defence camp in the early 1940’s. They were later taken over by the Toc H benevolent group to provide holiday accommodation and activities for children of war veterans.
​
Council erected fencing around the buildings in March 2017, after a fifth hut was destroyed in an arson attack and to prevent gatherings of young people.

Queenscliff’s Daniel Golightly is a kid in a big hurry, carving a name for himself in karting. 

Having first experienced the adrenalin rush of the sport while attending a friend’s birthday party some five years ago, Dan hasn’t looked back.

“He loved it so much that my mother’s day present in 2015 was a family race day at indoor karts - lucky me!,” said mum Julie. 

“His dad Bay had raced speedway at Avalon years ago and after seeing him handle a kart and enjoying it and begging to go karting every weekend, we decided to make some enquiries,” she said. 

Dan commenced racing that same year and, as a member of the Geelong and Ballarat kart clubs, is now competing in the KA4 Junior Heavy category for 12 to 16 year olds. 

He sports the number 46 on his kart - a tribute to his idols Daniel Ricciardo and Valentino Rossi.

It is not the easiest of junior sports to be involved in, conceded Julie. Each cart costs around $8,000 and race days can see the family travelling to all parts of the state. 

Recently Dan notched up a win in Warnambool and this month will contest the Victorian Country Titles, ahead of the Junior State titles in  Melbourne in April.
​
“He would like to be competing in the Australian Karting Championships in next few years and hopefully race overseas in Europe,” Julie said.

“Geelong is such an amazing place for success stories”, and one of those who has achieved more than most, has a mission to tell them.  
 
Through a new podcast series, AFL great Barry Stoneham is exploring what and who are responsible for making this region the fastest growing in Australia.

From business and tourism, to politics, art and of course sports - ‘City of dreams’ sees the former Cats captain and Point Lonsdale resident chatting with notable locals to learn what it is they do and why they live where they live. 

Russ Watson, owner of the hugely-popular ‘The Whiskery’, Geelong Mayor Stephanie Asher and Lon Retreat owner Claire Gemes are among those to have featured in the podcast’s first episodes. 

“There’s plenty of stories around a huge amount of content,” he says. “I think having lived here, especially being here full time last year, I hear some good stories and have a good knowledge of what’s going on around the region, stories that others may not necessarily know.

“A lot of people have made a success of what they’re doing in a whole range of areas, and I don’t just mean high profile people,” Barry said. 

Born and educated in Geelong, Barry played 241 games with Geelong and captained the side between 1995 and 98. He was named best-and-fairest award in 1990, and made the All-Australian team in 1992 and represented Victoria seven times. He was also named at centre half-forward in Geelong’s Team of the Century.

And while he retains strong links with the club, his interests and connections run far deeper. 

“I don’t pretend to know a lot about the arts, but I’m interested in some of the people and stories and this region boasts some of the best galleries anywhere, whether it be Salt right here, or Boom or through the Geelong Arts Centre, it’s one of those areas where I personally want to know more and want to share those stories,” Barry said.

“There’s also tourism, which is such a big part of the region, and business - there are people who were maybe born and raised here, started a business or have achieved in other ways. There’s so much to talk about.

“Having lived and worked in Melbourne in recent years, when you talk to your work colleagues about Geelong, they aren’t aware of some of the stories. There are people who think it’s still a long way away and once they get down here and see what’s on offer, I changes their mindset.” 

The timing for the podcast could not be better, with the pandemic and low interest rates driving an influx of newcomers to the region. 

For Barry, who moved to Point Lonsdale permanently just over 12 months ago having loved and being a frequent visitor over many years, 2020 served as a reminder of just how special this part of the world is. 
 
“Lonnie has always been special, I have close friends down here and have been coming for many years. Me and [partner] Leanne brought a place four years ago but moving down and living here over the last 12 months, you just appreciate it more.  

“And that’s sort of where the idea for the podcast came from. I just sort of thought, hang on, there’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye.”
​
The City of Dreams podcast series is available on Spotify via the City of Dreams Instagram page - cityofdreams.podcast

Countless hours of voluntary work has been recognised with Point Lonsdale’s Peter Callaghan and Peter Deacon being jointly named Queenscliffe’s Citizen of the Year. 

The two were presented with the honour at the borough’s annual Australia Day civic awards on Tuesday, January 26. 

Mr Callaghan, described as one of the municipality’s "most recognisable faces," has over decades volunteered and helped secure pivotal funding for  numerous community groups and projects including the Queenscliff Music Festival, Football and Netball Club and the Point Lonsdale Tennis Club. 

"I do it because I like it, winning awards like this are the furthest thing from my mind, although it is an honour,” said Mr Callaghan. “There’s a huge number of volunteers that make our organisations run and we need people who can put in the time. I’m happy to do it, I enjoy helping out and I get more out of it than I put in.”

“If I had made a speech I would have thanked [my wife] Pam for her tolerance, although I sometimes think she quite enjoys the fact that I’m out of her hair so that she can do her own thing." 

As a member of the former Queenscliffe Rotary Club over many years, Mr Deacon helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for community, national and international projects. In particular, he was instrumental in securing $150,000 for new exercise stations throughout the borough. 

“It was an idea I originally saw on the foreshore of Malaga in Spain when we were having a holiday years ago and I thought given the average age of Queenscliffe something like this would be great,” Mr Deakin said of the project. “But it took over three years including two presentations to Council. Luckily the Pick My Project came along, which enabled us to expand out from a small pod in Point Lonsdale,” he said.

Nine-year old Frankie Davis was named Young Citizen of the Year. The Queenscliff Primary School student instigated and distributed the ‘Cheer Up Weekly’ newsletter during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Century old children’s charity Cottage by the Sea, which prepared more than 10,000 meals for those doing it tough during the pandemic, was named Community Organisation of the Year, while the Community Indigenous Nursery was presented with the Community Environment Project of the Year award. 

Last year the nursery propagated more than 20,000 plants, used in numerous revelation projects. 

Due to ongoing restrictions, the awards were presented to a small invite-only gathering at the pop-up Pelican Bar tent. 

Mayor Ross Ebbels said all recipients had continued to serve their community in “one of the most challenging 12 months” anyone could remember. 
​
“Even though we have not been able to get together as we have in previous years, people such as yourselves have continued to contribute meaningfully to our community,” Cr Ebbels said.

Residents have been urged to embrace new pop-up eating zones, installed across the municipality to help local eateries recover from the pandemic. 

Twelve of the ‘skiplets’ will be located in parking spaces in Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale - including busy Hesse Street and Point Lonsdale Road retail precincts - for the next three months. 

The modified skip bins, produced in Jan Juc, are fitted out with recycled timber flooring and benches and provide additional seating for 10 patrons.  

“Some businesses have done well during COVID and some haven’t, and we don’t know what the next three months will bring when the Jobkeeper program ends and people leave after the summer holidays” said Mayor Ross Ebbels.

“We want to make sure businesses are sustainable and can get through the next few months, and these skiplets can help with that. A lot of them are playing catch up now and we need them to be really busy this summer period. 

“There’ll be some people who say they want their car parks back and there will be some who really like the skiplets,... I just ask everyone to show some patience.

"We might find that after three months, a bit like Geelong where they were trailed for five months five years ago, that not only traders but customers also want them to stay,” he said.   

The Borough of Queenscliffe has fast-tracked the initiative after receiving $250,000 to progress outdoor dining, under a State Government initiative aimed at assisting businesses hard hit by COVID-19.

The first of the skiplets was installed outside the Queenscliff General Store. 

“It has some sort of novelty value I think and is going to be a really fun little space and something bit different for people,” said business owner Garreth Jones.   

The cafe managed to trade through the pandemic, despite being forced to remove tables and chairs.
“It was a bit scary there for a little while, it was unchartered waters. 
​
“I have to say you’re only as good as your customers and ours were really supportive,” Mr Jones said.  
​

Queenscliff's Senior football coach almost upstaged a team of  "legendary"  local cricketers by taking a hat trick in a friendly match between the Queenscliff Football Netball  (QFNC) and Queenscliff Cricket clubs (QCC). 

But the three wickets came at a cost, with Steve Clark appearing to sustain a leg strain, requiring him to use a runner during his batting innings.

Clark was playing in a 'Legends' game - a curtain raiser to the annual Couta Bowl Clash between the two clubs, held on Saturday December 2.

And while no player will be expecting a call-up to the Australian first X1 after the two matches, they did deliver some spectacular catches and big hitting in front of a crowd of upwards of 100 club members and holiday makers.  

The QCC won both matches. However, dubious umpiring decisions and generous scoring made it hard to know by how much. 

Unsightly power poles have been removed from the South end of Queenscliff’s Hesse Street, as part of a $1.5 million project to beautify the sector. 

The project, jointly funded under the Victorian Government’s Fixing Country Roads and the Commonwealth’s Roads to Recovery programs, is nearing completion. 

It includes underfunding of power lines to improve beach views, the creation of 16 extra parking spaces, improved street lighting, drainage, re-surphacing and tree planting.   
​
“Hesse Street South now looks modern and bright at both day and night, and with our new outdoor dining Skiplets being added further up the road for expanded hospitality options, there’s no better place to spend your summer than in the Borough of Queenscliffe, said Mayor Ross Ebbels.

Public consultation has opened on what is being described as one of the Borough of Queenscliffe’s most important documents. 

The new Coastal and Marine Management Plan (CMMP) will guide decision-making on almost all matters related to foreshore and coastal planning.

The existing document has not been updated since 2006.

Mayor Ross Ebbels said the new plan would go the heart of everything residents valued about living in Queenscliffe and would ensure coastline assets were safeguarded for future generations. 

“For so much of what we’ll do in the the future, we need to have this plan in place.  

“I know how much of a privilege it is to have such world-class coastlines on our door step – from the simple pleasures of walking your dog on the beach, to surfing at Back Beach,” Cr Ebbels said.

“I also know how much our community values these landscapes, which is why I’m calling on anyone who utilises our coasts to provide input into our Coastal and Marine Management Plan.”

The Council manages and maintains numerous bayside and ocean reserves and assets including the Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale Lighthouse reserves. It is thought to be the highest proportion of land in foreshore reserves in any municipality in Victoria. 

The new  CMMP, to developed in line with requirements of the Marine and Coastal Act 2018, will provide a blueprint on how these areas will be managed into the future. 

Consultation opens with the Borough hosting an interactive webinar at 6:00pm on Thursday 14 January, where residents and ratepayers can ask questions of the planning team.

An online survey is available to be completed by navigating to queenscliffe.vic.gov.au/coasts, where
visitors can also learn more information and read a detailed issues paper.
​
Consultation on the plan closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 31 January.
​

For those who subscribe to JOMO - the Joy of Missing Out - 2020 was not such a bad year after all! 

One of that group’s notable practitioners is acclaimed cartoonist, writer and artist Michael Leunig. 

While acknowledging the hardship some have experienced, the National Living Treasure says he was able to divorce himself from all of the clamour that came with the COVID-19 pandemic and do what he normally does - find the whimsical and lightness in events around us. 

“It’s obviously been a very peculiar year but I think the peculiarity has been massively over-inflated and exaggerated and everyone was expected to feel terrible,” he said. “Just to take it in your stride is the best way I found to deal with it. All years are pretty peculiar in their own way, but of course I recognise that some people have been alarmed and distressed in ways that I haven’t I guess.

“There has been a good side to it all. I liked the slowing down and the quiet roads… but anyway, who knows what next year’s going to bring and the year after and the year after that.” 

2021 will bring Leunig to Queenscliff. 

Queenscliff Gallery will this month host Humour of the Heart, a selection of paintings that have no particular theme, according to Leunig, but rather reflect his approach to creating a picture - a process he’s described as ‘messy, mystical and primal.’

Fittingly for the year just gone, one of the paintings, a joyous coloured canvas, is titled ‘Once in a Lifetime.’ (Pictured).

“For me it’s a playful thing to do, to make a painting, and it’s almost prayerful if you like. I don’t mean to sound earnest, but it’s an interior state and it’s engagement with colour and form.”

“It’s such a lovely antidote to the woes of the world. It’s a bit like those who make a garden, you know it’s always there for you. To have your canvas and your solitude and your peace and materials, you can do this until you die,” he says.  

“I never went to art school or anything, I’m just one of those self taught painters and that’s all it it, there’s no grand theme or narrative to my pictures,” he says.

“It’s think it’s important to be able to not have and to be content with more simple things. We are a society consumed with consumption and doing things and getting things. It’s good to make a bit of a stand against those things.”

It’s not Leunig’s first local show. He has a fondness for Queenscliff born out of his long friendship with former resident and fellow cartoonist Ron Tanberg, who died in January 2018.

“I came down to see Ron a few times. Me and Ron worked together for a long time and when I say together, I mean the next desk. We shared a lot of deadline panic together and we were pretty close,” he said.

“What’s good about Queenscliff is it’s not exactly out of the way but it is out of the way. It seems to be it’s own little neck of the woods,” he said.  
​
Leunig’s exhibition will run until January 25.

COVID-19 encouraged many people to look inwards and find new perspectives of home and surroundings. Queenscliff-based artist David Beaumont used the time to forge new relationships with the natural landscapes that he is continuously drawn to.

In his latest exhibition ‘Here And There’, Beaumont reinvents those landscapes that frequently inspire his work. Through a new found perspective, he re-captures the beauty and power of his local Swan Bay and the Rip, and one of his favourite destinations, Lake Mungo. 

His signature style of boundary pushing abstraction invites viewers to embrace their imagination, while his chosen palette encourages recognition of the silence, subtlety and nuance of the environments.

“It really wasn’t until covid came along that I started to stalk the Rip more intently - early mornings and late at night… particularly during autumn, winter and early spring,” Beaumont said. 

“During those darker months something opened up and the paintings that will be in this show, they’ve got a streak, a moodiness to them… this hardship beauty that the Rip has.”   

‘Here and There’ also features new sculptures that beautifully compliment his latest collection of paintings. 
​
‘Here And There’ will officially open at Salt Contemporary on Sunday 27th December from 2pm and the exhibition will continue through to the 7th January.

Three first-time councillors will join two returning to form the Borough of Queenscliffe’s new five-member Council. 

Incumbent Mayor Ross Ebbels was the leading vote-getter, polling 752 of first preferences. Queenscliff businessman Donnie Grigau was second elected, with 449 votes, followed by Michael Grout (434), Fleur Hewitt (363) and incumbent Councillor Susan Salter (331). 

3,609 of the 4,143 enrolled voters participated in the postal election - 151 were informal. 

“I’d like to give a warm welcome to the new Councillors, as well as those who are returning,” said BoQ CEO Martin Gill. “I’m looking forward to working closely with the new Council as we navigate the impacts of the pandemic, implement the new Local Government Act, and continue to progress a number of important projects.” 

Eleven candidates contested the election.  The Victorian Electoral Commission announced the final results on Wednesday November 4, 2020. 

A full breakdown of results can be found at: https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/results/2020-council-election-results/queenscliffe-borough-council

Poppies could be placed at the local graves of deceased service men and women on Remembrance Day, as part of tribute proposed by the Queenscliffe RSL. 

Spokesperson Graham Christie said the November 11 initiative would recognise the Queenscliff Cemetery as a key military site, and afford respect to the fallen within its grounds. 

Mr Christie is urging relatives to identify and nominate the graves of those who served, dating back more than a century, to ensure they are recognised with a poppy tribute.  

“The thought being, that should the national day be restricted under the COVID19 guidelines - in line with the ANZAC day and Vietnam Veterans Day services in 2020 - our RSL Sub-Branch could ceremoniously place a poppy at each of the historical military grave sites in this cemetery, as a tangible remembrance to all local heroes of the past,” Mr Christie said.

“These cared-for sites include many of our famous, including Violet Duddy, Sir Thomas and Dame Vera Deakin White… together with many Boer War fort soldiers [and] many other such heroes as Captain Colin Springall.”

As part of the initiative, poppies would be placed by relatives at graves in the week leading up to remembrance Day, allowing them to plan ahead. 

The tribute would remain in place permanently, and the graves would eventually be mapped by the Geelong Cemetery Trust.

“Our prestigious Avenue of Honour no longer displays the actual details of the soldier or nurse who were lost in war, died of wounds in the hospitals… and/or those who died on their return to their homeland,” Mr Christie said. “The grandeur of these Monterey Cypress trees remains but the identity of each of the fallen has been extinguished over time.

“It should be noted that many WW1 Queenscliff Lads who perished in the Great War are in the beautiful cemeteries of France and Belgium, but those who returned are most probably in this lovely garden area – but not known.

“A Poppy at each site would be rated a most popular activity by the entire Community.”

Raised in Queenscliff, Ms Duddy served on the frontline at Gallipoli. Her father was also Secretary of our First RSL Sub-Branch Committee in 1919.

Sir Thomas was a First World War pilot, prisoner or war and later Federal politician. Dame Vera, the daughter of Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, was appointed an Officer of the British Empire for her work with the Red Cross during the First World War, while Captain Springall manned pilot boats through Port Phillip Heads.
​
“I am asking that our community consider such a memorial process, that I believe would become quite remarkable… irrespective if we are even permitted to hold a normal commemorative service,” said Mr Christie. 

Relatives wanting to participate in the project can contact Mr Christie at:  
ryandale31@bigpond.com or by phoning 0418 521579.

An art exhibition with a difference will be held later this month - restrictions permitting - capturing the creativity of locals in lockdown. 

The ‘Magic Show,’ an initiative of Point Lonsdale’s Lighthouse Arts Collective, is aimed at promoting community connection.

Upwards of 100 entrants have paid $20 to take part in the show. They have each received an A3 piece of paper to create their very own artwork, using any medium. 

“At the heart of the project is a desire to promote community connection and provide a hopeful and creative focus during lockdown and this topsy turvy time,” said the Collective’s Suzie Wylie.

“It was important to us that the invitation to participate was simple and engaging - by providing the essential material (the paper) and by ensuring participants had complete creative freedom, we hoped the nature of the project would capture the imaginations of our community, from those that consider themselves creative to those that don’t.”

Ms Wylie said the project was the brainchild of a collective community member. 

“It developed quickly and joyously and was announced to the community the following week. Good ideas are sometimes like that - Magic!”

“We have been overwhelmed by the response. The enthusiasm around the project has been so energising, and so heartwarming especially at a time when so much of what the collective had in place for 2020 has had to be postponed or cancelled,” Ms Wylie said. 

Participants have been given four weeks to create their works at home. They will be submitted by September 21 - which coincides the end to current stage three restrictions - and will subsequently be displayed in the Collective’s New Hall when it it safe to do so. 

“If this is not doable in the foreseeable future we will come up with a creative online way for the project and it's participants to be celebrated,” said Ms Wylie. 
​
The Collective is among many groups within the arts community to have been hard hit by the pandemic. Proceeds from the entry fee and the sale of works will help with the staging of future events.

Point Lonsdale surfers Lucy Naylor and Jay Phipps have been crowned state champions in their respective age groups, after the Victorian Junior Surfing titles were declared last month. 

The talented teens were leading their tables in the U/18 girls and U/14 boys sections after two  of three finals heats. 

The third and final round was to have been held at Bells Beach this month, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Naylor took out heat one and posted a third in the second heat for an end of season tally of 1730 points. 
Point Lonsdale's Minnie Vorath finished in third place in the age group.

Phipps ended the season with a commanding 2000 points, having won both heat finals. 

"It feels so great to finish up on top especially for my last year in the juniors," said Naylor. "Hopefully comps will resume soon. We find out on the 14th of September whether the Australian Titles will go ahead." 
​
The Woolworths Victorian Junior Surfing Titles is the exclusive qualification pathway for the State's elite junior competitors for selection into the Victorian Junior Surfing Team, set to compete at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles later in the year.