February 2010 - Conservation work on the Bay

Queenscliffe

A memorable experience was a project called the “Two Bays 2010”. This involves Pelican 1, a 62 foot catamaran, to conduct marine research, community engagement activities and provide opportunities for dialogue and information on key bay environmental themes. To participate, Brian and I drove to Queenscliff, a beautiful little historic harbour town, about 2hours away from the city. We stayed overnight at a beautiful historic property, which was the town’s first coffee shop and is now rehabilitated as a bed and breakfast.

View of Main St. in Queenscliff from Guest House

The Black Lighthouse at Queenscliffe - made from bluestone which is why it looks black and hence its name.

The next day we joined the crew on the Pelican along with marine biology MA students who were searching for an invasive starfish species, Parks Victoria staff who were also conducting marine and cultural heritage surveys, an indigenous community representative who was also interested in indigenous survey mapping, a bird expert conducting bird surveys, and members of the community, a family, who were interested in learning about the bays. Our mission was to head out to Mud Island which is a sanctuary for a diverse array of marine animals, plants and habitats and contains some indigenous artefacts. We were fortunate to participate in all of these activities and to see a large group of fur seals along the way who were resting on a structure called Chinaman’s Hut that is managed by Parks Victoria.

On the Catamaran with Parks Victoria's Mark Rodrigues who shares with us his extensive knowledge and passion for this protected marine area.

Chinaman’s Hut and young fur seals

Brian looking for invasive species – the non-native starfish