SFA Newsletter Autumn 2021

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://sandringhamforeshore.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com//sandyforeshoreassociation

"We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the waters and lands on which we live
and work, and pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging”

Dr Vicki Karalis AM
President, Sandringham Foreshore Association
Dear Friends and Members of the SFA,

Exciting news to share:

1. Expedition Bayside: Exploring Our Past for Our Future, a special

presentation and audience with Dr Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator,
palaeontologist and community fundraiser event for Museums Victoria, The
Lost World of Bayside Fossils held on 7th April 2021 at the BMYS was an
absolute success! The event was booked out with over 100 guests. Once again Dr
Fitzgerald gave an outstanding inspirational speech! The Bayside City Council
Mayor Cr Laurence Evans OAM also gave a fantastic warm welcoming speech,
and Brad Rowswell MP, Member for Sandringham, was sensational helping Dr
Fitzgerald with auctioning several fossil treasures such as unreproduced artist
prints with fun and humour to help raise further money. We thank YOU, the
Bayside community stakeholder groups, the BMYS, Bayside City Council,
renowned artist Peter Trusler, Museums Victoria, and our major sponsor Bendigo
Bank Sandringham community branch for all their incredible support and donations
-together we have raised on this occasion nearly $13,000! The community
greatly values the fossil sites of Bayside. We are extremely lucky Bayside is home
to these exciting historical gems and hope they will go far in enriching the
understanding of pre-historic Victoria. They are a wonderful asset to the Bayside
community and natural environment. Money raised from the fundraiser event will
help with fieldwork, discoveries, and the surveying of the fossil sites by professional
palaeontologists. The discovery of new fossils will help us open a new chapter in
Australian history, allowing better preservation of Bayside’s natural wonders and
understanding our past for future generations to learn from. Unfortunately we did
not reach our target goal of $25,000, so if you can donate to 'The Lost World
of Bayside' please use this link: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/join-
support/make-a-donation/the-lost-world-of-bayside-fossils/donate Donations
are 100% tax deductible. The fundraiser will also support Museums Victoria
palaeontologists to continue their valuable work of exploring and scientifically
assessing the Bayside fossils and bringing international significance to the sites.
Below are a few images taken on the night of the fossil event. Many thanks to our
Vice President Alison Horton who took these images. Also sincere thanks to the
young palaeontologists Ben Francischelli and James Rule, and citizen scientist
 Connah Brecon and his daughter Poppy for sharing their spectacular fossils at the
event.
2. Sand renourishment at Edward St beach in Sandringham (20,000 cubic
metres of sand) and at Half Moon Bay (1,000 cubic metres) organised by
DELWP is now scheduled for the next week or so (April- May 2021) pending
weather conditions. We are profoundly grateful to DELWP as our beaches require
regular sand renourishment to help prevent beach and cliff erosion. There are a
number of other natural strategies SFA have been pursuing to help mitigate coastal
erosion for a number of years such as reef restoration, re-vegetation of the cliffs
and dunes. Reef systems also provide food for marine life and have several other
benefits! For more information click here:
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/economic-arguments-
help-win-funds-to-restore-shellfish-reefs/13286044
3. Monitoring of Sandringham coastline using drones!
Dr Blake Allan of the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program's (VCMP) Citizen
Science Operations contacted SFA to assist with monitoring of the Sandringham
beach coastline. The Sandringham beaches are particularly prone to coastal
erosion. The VCMP is a statewide program designed to gather baseline data about
the current condition of the Victorian coastline, and monitor change in ways which
can assist land managers. Citizen science volunteers are helping with this project
using drones! A special thanks to Helen Gibson (geologist and SFA committee
member), Richard Stolinski, Karina Sorrell, Rob Candy, Keith Cameron, John
Eltham, Trevor McQuillan and Andrew Eagle for all their incredible help! See below
for more details by Helen Gibson of this exciting citizen's science community
project.
4. Great news, Victoria will ban certain single-use plastics by 2023 in a bid to
reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. The ban will apply to all cafes,
restaurants and organisations in Victoria by 2023. Businesses and industry groups
will be consulted during the transition process. The Environment Minister says the
ban is about taking a "gradual step" towards addressing plastic waste. Plastic
straws, cutlery, plates, drink stirrers, polystyrene food and drink containers, and
plastic cotton bud sticks are the specific items getting phased out, the state
government has announced! This important step will help keep our beaches clean!
Volunteers clean our beaches on a daily basis! It is tiring and relentless. Please
help our keep our beaches clean to protect our marine environment. Thank you to
State Government for this great initiative!
 5. Special thanks to our helpers at the Lost World of Bayside fundraiser - Tina,
Bella, Salva, Ali, and Artemis who also manages the SFA website and newsletter,
and Cassandra our social communication coordinator for managing the SFA
Facebook page and website. SFA are grateful for their voluntary assistance.
Please connect with us on our newly formed Facebook page by clicking on a
"Like": https://www.facebook.com//sandyforeshoreassociation

We hope you enjoy the newsletter jam-packed with lots of exciting

news and images

The SFA expresses their deepest admiration and gratitude to Salva Crusca who served on
the SFA committee for many years helping out with SFA activities.
We wish Salva all the very best.

With kindness,
Dr Vicki Karalis AM
President SFA

Expedition Bayside: Exploring Our Past for Our Future

This special Fundraiser for the Lost World of Bayside Fossils

was held on the evening of 7th April 2021 at the BMYS.

Our sincere thanks go to our inspirational presenters:

Dr Erich Fitzgerald, Senior curator, Palaeontologist at Museums Victoria,

the Hon Mayor & Cr Laurence Evans OAM of Bayside City Council,

and to Brad Rowswell MP Member for Sandringham.

This special evening was captured in photos take on the night by

Alison Horton, SFA Vice President. Please see some of the photos below:
Dr Erich Fitzgerald, guest speaker, Senior Curator, Vertebrate Palaeontologist
Museums Victoria;
Dr Vicki Karalis SFA President, Host for the event;
Dr Karen Roberts, Museums Victoria Science Collection Manager
Palaeontologists Ben Francischelli and James Rule

From Left to Right:

Cr Alex del Porto, Mayor Laurence Evans OAM, Vicki Karalis AM,
Les Sabo Commodore BMYS, Cr Clarke Martin
Elizabeth Jensen President Marine Care Ricketts Brad Rowswell MP and Dr Fitzgerald
Point and Jenny Warfe of the Port Phillip having fun auctioning treasured Museums
Conservation Council Victoria prizes!
From Left to Right
Cr Fiona Stitfold, Vicki Karalis Cr Josephine Samuel-King, Guest
 Cerberus to feature on Australian stamps!
A historical treasure at Half Moon Bay

Images of the HMVS Cerberus now feature on Australian stamps:

150 Years shows the Cerberus on the waters of Port Phillip Bay.
Click here for more information to view the stamps:
https://auspost.com.au/shop/collectables/stamp-issues/australian-stamps/hmvs-cerberus-150-years
Australia Post commissioned Morpeth Gallery artist Ian Hansen to design the new marine stamps:
https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/7158816/artist-ian-hansens-stamp-of-approval/
 Monitoring of the Sandringham Coastline using drones
We are grateful to the volunteers of the
Sandringham Citizens Science Group!
by Helen Gibson, geologist & SFA committee member

The Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program (VCMP) adds Sandringham to its list of monitored sites.
Earlier this year, Dr Blake Allan of the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program's (VCMP) Citizen Science
UAV Operations contacted SFA to ask for assistance with its proposed monitoring of the Sandringham
beach coastline.
The VCMP is a state-wide program designed to gather baseline data about the current condition of the
Victorian coastline, and monitor change in ways which can assist land managers. A few citizen science
volunteers are helping with this project using drones! A special thanks to Richard Stolinski, Karina Sorrell,
Rob Candy, Keith Cameron, John Eltham, Trevor McQuillan and Andrew Eagle for all their incredible help!
The Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program is a partnership program run by DELWP jointly in co-operation
with Deakin University and Melbourne University. It has been running for about 6 years so far, and
incorporates data being acquired from 15 individual coastal sites in Victoria. Sandringham has only just
recently been added to the program.
To assist the main researchers, some Sandringham and local residents came forward as volunteers for
flying and assisting the drone surveys which collect the land surface data. From March 2021, these
surveys will need to be repeated approximately every 6 weeks.
So far, the Sandringham volunteers have been involved on two occasions. Firstly, in mid-March to
undertake a training day learning to fly the drones whilst strictly adhere to the safety regulations and CASA
restrictions. The training day was expertly run by Dr Blake Allan (Deakin Uni) and Kimberley Macdonald
(DELWP). Next, in late March the Sandringham volunteers were led by Dr. Jesse Sago (Melbourne
University), as they actually assisted to perform the first survey for the designated area between the Black
Rock Yacht Club and the Sandringham Yacht Club.
If you'd like to know more about the program read on, or visit these websites:
https://www.marineandcoastalcouncil.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/victorian-marine-and-coastal-
awards/2020/vcmp-citizen-science-drone-program
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/39bf8eae7431483eb600c4eaac17c09e
The VCMP, is exploring the causes of shoreline change by measuring rates of sediment movement on the
beaches and shifts between the dunes and offshore. This is being performed using laser surveying from
drones, planes, and the ground (LiDAR), photography from unmanned aerial vehicles, multibeam
echosounding, sub-bottom acoustic profiling, meteorological data, historic aerial/satellite imagery and
charts, and physically measuring the sand size and composition. This is then integrated into models
incorporating present and future wave climates to predict how the Victorian shoreline will look in the future.
The findings are already being utilised for management of our coast and will enable local communities to
determine what is best for their beaches in a future warmer world.

Helen J Gibson
Renewable Energy Consultant
MSc, BSc, Climate Reality Leader
Citizen scientist and drone expert Richard Stolinski
having fun with his drone to help monitor the Sandringham coastline

Update from Marine Care Ricketts Point

Please enjoy these beautiful images of marine life by marine photographer David Rinehard on a dive at
the Triangle Reef, Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary.

Beautifully captured by David Reinhard, this photo of the Marine Sanctuary Beaumaris has sea urchins
over rock formation!

A variety of marine creatures including sea coral & urchins

Banjo shark resting

Velvet starfish
Variety of marine creatures - algae, seaweed, sea lettuces & grasses, ...

Interesting facts about marine life & wildlife

Sunscreens
Did you know that sunscreens can be harmful to marine life? A wetsuit used for diving is a helpful way to
protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun, and diving early morning is safest time for sun
exposure especially over summer. See this link explaining why sunscreens may harm marine life:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html There are safer sunscreens that can be used
when swimming in beaches.
More information: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/environmental-impact-of-currently-marketed-
sunscreens-and-potential-human-impacts-of-changes-in-sunscreen-usage

Sea grasses play important role in Climate change

Did you know that sea grasses and mangroves are effective for grabbing carbon from the air? For more
information see: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/06/seagrasses-and-mangroves-
can-suck-carbon-from-the-air
Lighting impacts wildlife
Did you know that lighting can impact wildlife activity?
As a rule, no lighting is preferred in natural environments as lighting can impact the activities and
behaviour of nocturnal animals.
If lighting is required for safety purposes- see this wonderful illustration demonstrating which lighting is
best:
 Bayside Beach Patrol
- helping to keep our beaches clean

Hi to all Beach Patrol Members

Beach Patrol are sending a shout out to let you know that Beach Patrols 3191 and 3193 are back and
running again after lockdown and hope you can help out!

Update from Beach Patrol Australia

Usually Beach Patrol Volunteers meet every month to pick up rubbish that either has been washed in or
dropped in the Marine Sanctuary.
BP 3191 and BP 3193 are local Bayside groups that regularly clean Melbourne's beaches. Visit their
website https://www.beachpatrol.com.au to find a group near you or if there isn't one why not gather a
group of friends or neighbours and form your own?
Please remember to record your results on our free Beach Patrol Australia Litter Stopper app.

Bayside City Council Update

Works to commence at Half Moon Bay May 2021

Council have notified SFA for proposed works as per the planned Masterplan implementation works at
Half Moon Bay (HMB), that will include works in the upper and lower carparks.
The works are scheduled to start late May, and to be completed in early August.

The works will include:

1. Replacement of the steps on the path each side of the jetty with DDA ramps (A11 – A12 lower
carpark)

2. Retaining wall repairs to the ramp near the toilet (A22)

3. Other minor works within the lower carpark

4. Install of a raised pedestrian coastal path crossing on Cerberus Way (A16 upper carpark)

5. Install of a pedestrian ramp to replace the existing log steps (A17)

6. Install of a rain garden (A19)

7. Reset the main entry and shared path at the intersection of Cerberus Way and Beach Road (A18
upper carpark)
 8. Other minor works within the upper carpark

Items 4 and 7 will likely require some closures of Cerberus Way to non-essential vehicles for up to 2
weeks (probably around late July early August), pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the
works.
Council will work with the contractor to minimise the impact and try to maintain essential vehicle access.
Items 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 will likely cause some minor traffic delays, but vehicle access and parking will be
managed.

Council are working with the authorities, businesses and clubs to try and minimise the impact, including:

• DELWP - rock revetment and beach renourishment works.

• Parks Victoria – Possible minor jetty safety works
• Yacht Club – Roof replacement
• Café/restaurant – Normal business/functions
• Life Saving Club – Minor maintenance works.

See image below of HMB and proposed works:

 Coastal Indigenous Trails

Bayside City Council has developed four affiliated trails stretching across the 17 kilometers of the coastline
adjacent to Beach Road between Brighton and Beaumaris.
The Bayside Coastal Indigenous Trail Signs and sculptures provide insight into the works and the social
customs of Indigenous people. Each of the Indigenous Trail Signs and sculptures are based on stories
authored by Boon Wurrung Elder, Carolyn Briggs. Click here for more information:
https://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/coastal_trails_indigenous.pdf

DELWP update

By Sam Monkiewicz, Senior Coastal Programs Officer

The beach renourishment for Sandringham will involve approximately 20,000m3 of sand being pumped
directly onto Edward St Beach from the borrow site >700m offshore. The design for the renourishment
intends to increase the width of the beach to approximately 25m to help protect from erosion into the cliff
face, meaning the narrow section at the southern end of the beach will receive the largest amount of sand
while the section nearest the Royal Ave groyne will receive less. I have attached an extract of a map from
the drawings prepared by our designers that provides an overview of the sites.

DELWP are aware of the reef systems offshore and the contractors have been directed to avoid the
placement of pipeline near these areas. Furthermore, our technical specifications for the project state that
the contractor must limit excessive turbidity during the project. As the sand we are using is coarse grained
sand rather than something finer grained like silt we do not expect this to be much of an issue, even more
so given the works are limited to the nearshore and are very temporary (which is allowed under the EPA
dredging guidelines).

Happy to elaborate on any of the above or provide further information on the project if needed. Works are
currently expected to start just after Easter, but I will let you know once I have something more concrete.

Cheers,
Sam Monkiewicz | Senior Coastal Programs Officer | Barwon South West
Forest, Fire and Regions | Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
609 Burwood Highway, Knoxfield, Victoria, 3180
Spectacular images of Sandringham beach
during recent storms with Pelicans inflight enjoying the wind
current 11 April 2021
 Historical Images of Bayside from State Library
Comments by Shirley Joy, a local historian

No. 1 Large photograph at the top of the group.

Low Tide Black Rock. This photo was taken at Black Rock beach.
No. 2. Under the above image - on the left. This photograph was taken at Mordialloc, near the
bridge. The fisherman's cottage is pictured where the fairground is today. The fishermen's boats are
lined up in front of the cottage which was owned by John Pearce who had pre-emptive rights on the
foreshore. His wife was Mary Anne Pearce, the daughter of my great-great grandfather, John Addicott,
who came to Port Phillip in 1841. Mary Ann and John Addicott are shown seated behind the
cottage. The children sitting at the water's edge are members of the Pearce family. There is an
aboriginal sitting at the water's edge. The original of this photograph appears in the book: "The James
Flood Book of Early Australian Photographs", page 157. First published in 1970. The copy of the
photograph which appears in this book is of good definition, so it is easy to see the people depicted.
No. 3. On the right-hand side. The beach, Parkdale.
No. 4. Underneath Nos. 2 and 3. Half Moon Bay, Black Rock.
No. 5 Underneath No. 4. on the left. Sandringham Beach. Approximately opposite the end of
Bamfield Street, Sandringham.
No. 6. On the left. The caption states: "Opposite the Hampton Hotel which used to be known as
the Retreat Hotel. The Hampton Railway Station was then known as Retreat". That comment is
factual.
No. 7. On the right. The caption states: "18/10/1967 Freshly filled fore .... Red Bluff St".
N. 8. In the centre at the bottom. Sandringham. Near the old Life Saving Club. Near the end of
Melrose Street, Sandringham. I have a postcard copy of this photograph.
 Committee members of SFA
Dr Vicki Karalis
President; Medical practitioner, expert in environmental medicine
Alison Horton
Vice President & Public officer; Perfusionist
Helen Gibson
Committee member; Geologist and Renewable Energy advisor
Adrienne Smith
Committee member; IT consultant
Ike Solomon
Committee member; Corrosion engineer
Cassandra Karalis
Committee member; Social Media Coordinator
Artemis Siourthas
Committee member; Website & Journal Administrator

Free SFA Membership

The Sandringham Foreshore Association is a charitable not-for-profit association. Membership is free. Our
self-acclaimed role is to foster and promote good natural conservation principles to Bayside foreshore
management. Our current focus is to assist public education by aligning ourselves with scientific experts in
fields of conservation and natural environment, and to facilitate effective communication between
community – council and state governments – and established environmental science publications and
position statements.
The role of SFA is to care for and help protect our local beaches and cliffs, but also to educate, raise
awareness and preserve our local archaeological, geological, cultural, indigenous and heritage sites such
as the Beaumaris Bay fossil site.
If you are interested in joining our free membership, to receive notices and our Quarterly Newsletters –
Please respond via our website
http://sandringhamforeshore.tumblr.com/MembershipForm