These foggy cold mornings make driving hazardous for commuters and very dangerous for cyclists. However they are ideal for morning walks along deserted beaches. The fisherman are few and far between as evidenced by the lack of queues at the St Leonards’ boat ramp. However the pelicans are still about and they put on a graceful show as they glide over the still sea.

Another special treasure found washed up on the shore was this argonaut shell. Some people call them a paper nautilus. The shell is actually the egg case of a female octopus. They are delicate and rare and make prized mantelpiece objects. They are occasionally found after winter storms washed up with the bull kelp to which they attach themselves. It was the first for the season – a great stimulus for more early morning walks!

St Leonards boat ramp

Argonaut shell - a lovely beach treasure

Pelicans fly past Indented Head in formation on foggy morning

While the beach remains devastated by the recent storms, the wild ducks are enjoying the extra water in the saltmarsh and the rain is giving hope to local farmers.

Wild ducks enjoy saltmarsh

Rainbow over Bellarine hills

Water in the Salt Lagoon between Indented Heads and St Leonards is a rare sight indeed.

Water reflects in morning sun in Salt Lagoon

Recent northerly storms brought high tides and strong winds that caused significant damage to the Bellarine coast. Seawater flooded The Esplanade and homes in Ramblers Road. Of most concern is the major loss of saltbush as this vegetation plays a key role in protecting the foreshore from erosion. Enormous amounts of sand were washed away from the beach exposing the subsoil and plant roots.

Hopefully Bellarine Bayside will organise a working bee to try and rebuild this lost vegetation in the spring. The amazing force of the seawater is evident by the concrete railway pylon that was washed up on the beach and remains there still.

Coastal storm damage	Eroded coastline
Sand washes into saltmarsh	Pylon washes up during storm

Unfortunately for the owner of a newly moored fishing boat at Grassy Point, Indented Head – the sun wasn’t the only thing going down slowly on Anzac Day. In the late afternoon, it was first spotted sitting low in the water – rather too low. Locals made phone calls to Parks Victoria and the Water Police, even a tweet to 774 (local ABC radio), in an attempt to alert the owner. However by dusk the boat had continued to sink further. Sadly by the time her owner made it down from Melbourne it was dark and too late to save by simple means. Over the wintry weekend she sunk even lower and parts were found on the shore as she started to break up.

Moored fishing boat in trouble

Sunken boat barely visible

While the gale force NW winds left the bay deserted one dare-devil windsurfer had a great time.

Windsurfer enjoying NW gale at Indented Head

If you regularly walk along a particular favourite beach then you will start to notice how much and how quickly the sea and coastal environment can change.  Some of the changes we regularly observe at our local Indented Head beach include the following:

• How the strong northerlies churn up the sand on the shallow bay and change the colour of the water from blue to brown
• How quickly the small bay recover its smooth curved shoreline within a few days after a major storm.
• How the tidal range increases during full moons like at Easter, resulting in very low tides.
• How much the sand is deposited and then washed away by the wind and tides.
• How quickly the sandbars change in size and location.
• How quickly the stormwater drains become blocked by sand and seaweed.
• How the sea birds need to leave the beach and hide out on the foreshore when it’s very windy.
• How the black swans know where the calmest water is so their seagrass grazing can continue uninterrupted.

A regular sight for us is the grader bouncing along the foreshore as it visits each stormwater to clear away the sand and allow them to again drain to the sea.

Easter low tide at Indented Head	Silted stormwater drain
Blocked stormwater drain	Clearing stormwater drain

When the duck shooting season opens, our bay plays host to smart ducks escaping the hunters on our inland waterways.

As a child, my father looked forward to his annual shooting trip to Kerang. He even invented a rubber fingered contraption that fitted onto an electric drill to mechanise the plucking process. As kids we were often enlisted to help with this process reluctantly as once the birds were cold the feathers were hard to remove.

This year’s 49 day season from 21 March to 29 May is the first official hunting season for three years.  New restrictions and hefty fines exist for breaching bag limits and shooting threatened species.

How attitudes have changed with the next generation.  Today most Victorians find the ’sport’ abhorent and cheer on the Coalition Against Duck Shooting spokesman Laurie Levy. Their protests on the steps of parliament have provided compelling news stories.

With dwindling bird stocks, ongoing drought and the effects of climate change this pastime seems doomed.  However hopefully these fresh-water visitors will continue to visit our beaches for generations to come.

Dad, boys & ducks circa 1981

Wild ducks find safety on bay

In the late 90s, the ABC TV drama series, Seachange became a favourite show with many viewers.  Amongst its appeal was its strong cast of Australian actors including Sigrid Thornton, William Mc Innes, David Wenham, Kerry Armstrong and John Howard. The plot was centred on a corporate Sydney lawyer, Laura Gibson (Sigrid Thornton), who fled the fast paced city life for a small seaside town, Pearl Bay filled with eccentric characters. Filmed on the Bellarine peninsula in Barwon Heads and St Leonards – the locals welcomed the film crews and the subsequent jump in property values.  The musical theme song was composed by Richard Pleasance. Continuing fans may be interested to know that the Australian TV  Information Archive has a description of each episode, the writers,  directors and cast and all 3 series.

Much of the TV series was concerned about the safety and future of its bridge. Ironically over the last few years, the people of Barwon Heads and nearby towns have been embroiled in their own drama and political battle with Vic Roads and the State government over the future design and location of the Barwon Heads bridge. The Heritage listed, timber bridge was built in 1927 and while now deemed past its serviceable life, it is the town’s focal point and a popular fishing and seaside location. Disputes and community protests have arisen over whether it should be replaced with one or two bridges and where they should be located in relation to the river estuary. In recent days, the Planning Minister, Justin Madden, has overuled the Upper House to enable the 2 bridge option to go ahead much to the ire of many locals.

Only time will tell how much the tranquil ambience of this lovely coastal town is affected by the new bridges.  These photos record how it looks today.

Barwon Head bridge being inspected

Playground beside Barwon Heads bridge

Around the bluff, Thirteenth Beach is one of the region’s most popular surf beaches and across the road one overlooks the farway and club house of the Barwon Heads Golf Club, established in 1907.

Thirteenth Beach

Barwon Heads Golf Club

It is always heart warming to see parents teaching their children new skills and passing on their love of particular hobbies. This transfer of traditions, knowledge and passions from one generation to another is central to societies and does much to bond families together.  Hopefully most of us have similar experiences.  I can still remember my grand father teaching me to row a dinghy at a similar age.

Last weekend campers at Indented Head were deafened by the cries of delight when young Will landed his first whiting on his rod from the shore. Thereafter he refused to leave his post on the beach and his mum had to bring food to him – so he didn’t miss any bites! In the next bay Shia was being taught by her dad how to stand and paddle a board the Polynesian way.  She soon had her balance and was paddling about.

Young Will fishes from shore

Shia learns how to paddle

Shia gets her balance & is away

In the years to come these children will have loads of fun with these new skills and in the decades to come they’ll have lasting memories of happy times spent learning these skills from their parents.

Australians seem to have an inherent love for the sea.  The majority of our population resides around the coastal perimeter. Most parents take on the responsibility of teaching their children to swim with enthusiasm, knowing it will enable them to enjoy a lifetime of water sports and hobbies. For large numbers of city and country folk alike the annual seaside holiday is a family tradition. In the nineteenth century, Victorians went to coastal towns like Queenscliff, Sorrento and Lorne to absorb the healthy fresh air, to promenade on piers and to relax by the sea.

The town of Queenscliff dates back to 1838 when it served as a station for pilots who navigated ships through the treacherous passage of water at Port Phillip Heads known as The Rip. This activity still continues today. A pilot is taken out to incoming ships before they enter the Heads.  With outgoing ships, a pilot boards at their departure port of Melbourne or Geelong and then is picked up after the ship is safely through The Rip.  The only exception are the Spirit of Tasmania ferries which do the crossings to Tasmania daily.

From the Port of Melbourne website you can access 4 web cams set up in the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse area. They view The Rip, Queenscliff, the South Channel and Point Lonsdale-Barwon Heads. The site also has information on ship movements which is updated hourly.

View of Queenscliff & heads from pier

Historic Queenscliff Pier & lighthouse

Queenscliff grew rapidly during the 1880s as more hotels, guest houses, shops and churches were built.  The strategic military significance of Queenscliff was recognised in 1859 and led to the construction of the Fort. The pier was completed in 1861. Huge steamers brought thousands of people down the bay from Melbourne.  At Shortlands Bluff is the Queenscliff Lighthouse which was built in 1862. Further north along the coast is the Black Lighthouse, unique in Australia, as it is constructed from bluestone.

Today there is car and passenger ferry service between Queenscliff and Sorrento with hourly daylight crossings.  The view from the adjoining cafe is fabulous year round.

Yachties have long known that one of the few safe places to stay overnight was up the creek at Queenscliff. The VIC government is investing $5M in partnership with the private sector, in a massive redevelopment and expansion of the harbour.  While the local fisherman have protested about the increased berth costs – the new harbour is taking shape and will have modern facilities for the fishing fleet, charter boat operators and recreational boat lovers.

Pilot boat speeds towards The Rip

Harbour redevelopment

There are many other attractions in this quaint town that has managed to combine its past with its future. The Bellarine Rail Trails is a favourite with cyclists and the Blues Train is very popular and loads of fun. If you haven’t visited for awhile – perhaps you should!

When we used to holiday here 15 years ago I can remember my children being upset by the thick layer of seagrass that frequently covered the beach during the summer months. If the weather was warm the smell was memorably pungent! Walking could be difficult as one’s feet would sink into the squelchy decaying matter, often up to your calves.

So somehow I find it is reassuring to see that the northerly storms still dump the weed upon our beach today as they did a decade ago. This batch resulted from last week’s storm. While most weed along our bay has washed away, some sections (especially in front of our place) are still very thick. However on studying this pattern of weed & no weed further I was also struck by how much more beach there was in this section with remaining weed.  Could the weed cover be a contributing factor? Does more weed = more beach?  The weed does seem to trap the sand brought in by the waves and this may help the beach to recover and rebuild after a storm. If you look carefully at the photo (or click on it to expand it) you may be able to see that the sections of beach with no weed also have little beach and the tide is coming right up to the saltbush. So perhaps we should be pleased that our beach is blessed with copious amounts of seagrass!

Seagrass covering shore with lonely seagull - but is he? Look closely to see how well the waders around the gull are camouflaged by the weed. Over 10 flew off as we approached.

Bellarine beach