End of one week and beginning of the next

Liz Milsom with some of the beautifully painted calico bags from Saturday's Community Carnival at the Port Melbourne Neighbourhood House.

Tomorrow the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society will host the screening of 'The Last of the Independents' - a film about the closing weeks of Faram's hardware made by Kevin Anderson.

7.30 upstairs at the Port Melbourne Town Hall, Monday 28th February.

Arrival of Queen Elizabeth 2

It was great to follow on from last night's workshop to see the QE2 arrive at Station Pier this morning. People lined the foreshore - all with cameras in hand. From some of the cameras I saw, there are going to be some magnificent photos taken today. This QE2 is a new vessel on her maiden voygage to Australia. If you didn't get to see her arrive, head down to see her leave this evening.

Port Melbourne Waterfront visioning workshop

Just come home from the well attended workshop. This evening was about finding out what people most value about Port Melbourne and its waterfront.
In a short film of interviews with people in Bay St which kicked off the evening, here are some things people said:
'it's the world's most liveable place in the world's most liveable city'
'everyday's like a holiday'
'I wouldn't live anywhere else'
'its like a small town'
Tonight many, many people spoke about their sense of community.
Is this your experience?

Port Melbourne Waterfront from Beacon Rd to Bay St

Session Two: Thursday 24 February at the Port Melbourne Town Hall from 6.30 to 8.30
The first session introduced the 5 areas: The Promenade in front of the Beacon Cove towers, Princes Pier, Waterfront Place, Beach St (between Princes and Bay) and the entrance to and from Bay St at Beach St.

In the second session, you are invited to give some thought to the future of the Port Melbourne Waterfront to strengthen what you love about the place, and make it work better for locals and visitors alike. If you can't attend, you can still offer your thoughts at www.haveyoursayatportphillip.net.au

Thinking of people in Christchurch

Roses in Edwards Park

The roses in Edwards Park are subject to ongoing vandalism. That is why they are looking a bit thin on the ground. Nevertheless staff were on site tending them today. They get pretty disheartened.

Raingarden

Following the heavy rains which have left their stormwater mark on our beaches, there has been some discussion about putting litter traps on council's stormwater drains. An alternative approach, a raingarden, is being installed on the corner of Dow and Beach St. A raingarden has the advantage of capturing litter and other pollutants before they even get to the beach and the bay - unlike at present when the stormwater gouges its litter laden way through the beach.

The straw report 3

Behold the straw collection at the end of week 3. Those are party poppers in the middle.

A Port Phillip Baycare coalition formed earlier this week resolved to join in Clean Up Australia Day by cleaning Port Phillip's beaches from Webb Dock East to Head St in Elwood. Every participating group would welcome extra hands because there is a lot of cleaning to do - just go to the Clean Up Australia Day website and enter 3207.

Weekend Port

Dedicated nippers and families on Sunday morning with the weather coming from every angle at Port Melbourne Life Saving Club.

Weekend Port

Cricket on Lagoon Oval.

The future of Fishermans Bend

The announcement by the Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy, about Fishermans Bend as the site for a new residential suburb has been the talk of the day.
The City of Port Phillip is still seeking clarification about the boundaries of the suggested area designated for urban renewal.
As you would know, the land between Williamstown Road and the Westgate freeway is part of the City of Port Phillip, whereas the area on the other side of the freeway is part of the City of Melbourne.
Is the Minister referring to Fishermans Bend in the City of Melbourne, or in the City of Port Phillip or both?
Please click here to read the City of Port Phillip's response to the announcement.

From Coal to Solar

Tomorrow I am taking a guided walk from the end of Bay St to Gasworks. I'm experimenting with google maps to see how they work for these walks.

Click 'From Coal to Solar' to get the briefest idea of a time when Gasworks actually manufactured gas through baking coal in great ovens called retorts. The gas was then scrubbed and cleaned, before being distributed to households.

'We're bikey people'

Met these three New Zealand visitors on their Melbourne Bike Share bikes at the bottom of Bay St. They were delighted with their day and their experience - just deciding whether to go right to Sandridge or left to St Kilda.

Nothing much . . .

No particular news today so I thought I would just post a photo of Edwards Park taken on Monday evening. The light was so lovely that evening and everything was so green! Something I like about Port Melbourne - I think I may have mentioned this before - is the long views. Port Melbourne is always my foreground with the City in the background. I like the way the Town Hall pops up in the middle ground.

Councillors will be in Bay St on Saturday

I will be in Bay St with councillor colleagues on Saturday morning outside Coles. Please drop by with questions, issues or maybe just to say hello.

Liardet St Children's Centre update

VCAT has granted a planning permit for the Liardet Family and Children's Centre on Liardet St/Esplanade West.

Written confirmation of the Tribunal's approval was received this week. I will keep you posted as the project unfolds.

Rouse St trees

Today the black shade cloth protection was removed from the trees in Rouse St and broken ties renewed. The trees are now assessed as being sufficiently robust to stand on their own.

The straw report 2

One week on, and the straw collection is growing and I haven't really been trying. This expansion comes from two half hour collections between Lagoon Pier and Pickles St.

Anyone wanting to join in demonstrating the extent of the straw blight, please gather them and somehow we'll get them all together on Clean Up Australia Day on 6 March. There are several sites registered for Clean Up Australia Day in Port Melbourne.

I know many people are distressed by what the storms have left on our beaches so extra hands for Clean Up Australia Day are especially welcome.

Welcome to the foreshore: Caffe di Lido

Two sisters have transformed the kiosk in the Port Melbourne Life Saving Club into the Caffe Di Lido. The menu surprises - its absolutely not just chips and ice creams. They have brought colour, life and personality to this venture.

Drop in for a coffee and introduce yourself.

The sisters have a lease from Council.

Port Melbourne beach conditions return to 'normal'

The signs have been removed. However, be aware that water quality remains 'poor' according to the EPA Beach Report.

Not a good day for swimming

Just wanted to let you know that the EPA forecasts that water quality at Port Melbourne and Sandridge Beach will be poor today following the rain and with more rain expected.

The EPA Beach Report explains more precisely what is meant by 'poor'.

Our beautiful Bay is taking a battering as sediment, litter and stormwater make their way from the Yarra and the streets of Melbourne into the bay.

Just one more thing about the Port Melbourne Waterfront - Bay and Beach St

One of the areas covered by the Port Melbourne Waterfront study is the Bay/Beach St intersection. As I was crossing there this morning I marvelled at the various shortcomings of this intersection from a pedestrian stand point. There is very little space on the footpath to wait for the lights, pedestrians always have to be on the look out for turning vehicles - many of them heavy trucks. On the other side, having negotiated all that, you step straight onto the bike path.
Yet this is THE entrance to Bay St and Port Melbourne.
How could this area be improved?

Have your say on the Port Melbourne waterfront

The Port Melbourne Waterfront session is on at the Port Melbourne Town Hall tomorrow, Wednesday, from 6.30 pm.

The days have passed so quickly since I first introduced the topic - and with the Friday storm - I haven't covered all the areas and issues I meant to.

Waterfront Place has been described as 'the big one' for this study - how can this place work well for Port Melbourne people, international and metropolitan visitors, and trans-Tasman traffic?

At the meeting you will be introduced to all the study areas and the issues and opportunities associated with them.

On the warpath with straws

Yesterday I resolved to focus on straws when picking up litter as my 3207 Beach Patrol contribution. I intend to collect them whenever I am down at the beach and see how many I have by the end of the summer. This was my haul in half an hour on Sandridge [dog] beach today.

Happy to add any straws you pick up to my collection.

Port Melbourne Waterfront: Princes Pier

Princes Pier has been a recurrent topic on Port Focus but its long term future is still unclear.
When the deck has been re-constructed, when the Gatehouse has been re-furbished - then what? What and how might these spaces be used in a way that adds interest to the Port Melbourne Waterfront?
Now that the restoration work is very visibly proceeding, [see the time lapse sequence on the Major Projects Victoria website] and completion is in sight, this question moves into the foreground.
The study area for the Port Melbourne Waterfront includes the Promenade, Princes Pier, Waterfront Place, Beach St [between Princes and Bay], and the Bay and Beach St intersection
Hope you can make it to the information session on Wednesday evening 9th February from 6.30 pm at Port Melbourne Town Hall.
For your reference, the Port Melbourne project page can be located by clicking here and then following the links.

The morning after the night before

Pump in action at midday - floodwater reducing quickly

Pier/Beach St at 9.00 am

residents protecting access to the basement carpark at 147 Beach St
thanks to Ron Cassano for the photo

Pier St was the most affected by flooding overnight. This is because of inadequacies of the drainage infrastructure left in the construction of this part of Beacon Cove. The Council will re-double its efforts with affected community members and the Beacon Cove Neighbourhood Association to get a solution to this problem accelerated with Major Projects Victoria.

Update on the flooding overnight

The areas most severely affected included the area in the proximity to the Elwood Canal, Spenser St and Blessington St in St Kilda, Pier St in Port Melbourne, the southern end of Chapel St, Ferrars St near the market and near Albert Road and some parts of Canterbury Rd.
The intensity of the rain resulted in

• flash flooding and water overflowing gutters and covering streets in low lying areas
• some cars were stranded and will have been water damaged
• a number of homes were inundated and lost power
• some street signals ceased working and a number of roads were blocked

A coordination centre was set up at St Kilda Town Hall and Council officers have been working with the SES and the Police overnight.

Come rain, hail or shine - not sure about this anymore

Although 'drenching' rain is anticipated, it will not deter the 3207 Beach Patrollers from their scheduled clean up tomorrow starting from Princes Pier at 9.00 am and moving towards the Sandridge Life Saving Club.

Straws are the number one offender in experience - what about for you?

Weddings, parties and beach tennis

Thanks to Paul Mapley for this great picture from the Beach Tennis Championships last weekend.

'$5,000 a sq m for coal depot'

'The historic former Morley's Coal Depot and Trading Post headquarters in Port Melbourne has been sold for $6 million. The vacant building and the nearby Gasworks* were sold by Colliers International's Pat Burke and Jeremy Gruzewski. The price equated to more than $5,000 a square metre.' The Age, Wednesday February 2, 2011

Refer to an earlier post on Port Focus for an overview of the planning controls for this site by clicking here.

* I am not sure what this refers to - can anyone help me?

Access to heritage photographs of Port Melbourne

Did you know that many images from the City of Port Phillip's heritage collection can be viewed on line? Just put Port Melbourne into the search box and you are bound to find a photograph of interest to you. On that page you will also find information about how to go about requesting copies of images from the City's collection.

The Promenade in Beacon Cove

There are things to love and things to get frustrated by on the Promenade. Issues regularly raised with me are

• stairs on the pedestrian path making it difficult or inaccessbile to people wheeling prams or in wheelchairs
• arising from this, conflict between cyclists and pedestrians on the cycle path
• the towers that open directly into the path of oncoming cyclists

On the other hand, there are the things to love:

• the man with the small dog who watches the sea
• watching the ships come and go
• admiring the beacon in its many moods

What are your thoughts about the Promenade? Come and tell us at the two sessions scheduled for 9 and 24 February at the Port Melbourne Town Hall. The background report discusses the Promenade in more detail. The report is listed under library on the project page if you click here.