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RESOURCES FOR SCHOOLS

SGCS has supported school programs for many years, providing slide presentations as well as guided fieldwork activities. We now wish to make this material, notes and slideshows, available to everyone. Please see our free resources for schools.

HOLIDAY AND DISCOVERY ACTIVITIES

See our holiday and year-round discovery program: visit the famous dinosaur dig site, go rockpooling, stargazing, wildlife spotlighting, see wetlands, woodlands and more.

PLEASE NOTE: The Bunurong Environment Centre in Inverloch is closed during August 2022.

Click image for ‘Repatriation’ video, a ceremony of contrition and forgiveness in which Aboriginal artefacts were respectfully returned to their rightful owners, the Traditional Custodians of Bunurong Country, on 26 Jan 2022. Sonia Weston received the artefacts on behalf of the Bunurong Land Council.

NEWSLETTERS — What's Happening at SGCS?

See the latest newsletter and the archive

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'Rally Round Our Dunes!' - February 2022

Hundreds of people registered their concern for the future of Inverloch Surf Beach at our recent 'Rally Round Our Dunes!'. A short film of the event has been produced and is available here.
[Click for larger images below]

[Sentinel-Times, 18 Jan 2022]

The Rally attracted significant media interest, with front page coverage in the Sentinel-Times, on WIN News, ABC Gippsland News and 3mFM radio.
Background to the Rally is provided in a short Q&A here, which describes the rapid and sustained coastline erosion that has occurred at Inverloch Surf Beach since 2012, as well as the environmental and community values that are being impacted.
Our refreshed Inverloch Coastal Resilience Project exhibition continues to be on display at the Bunurong Environment Centre. The petition calling for action from all levels of Government has attracted around 400 signatures to date and will be presented to elected representatives in early 2022.

SGCS started the ICRP project in 2018 to raise awareness of the coastline erosion at Inverloch since 2012. It has been monitoring and analysing changes at Inverloch Surf Beach and Andersons Inlet, identifying the impacts on environmental and community values, and possible interventions to help arrest further erosion. The latest information is below, and see all reports and documentaries here.

16 Nov 2021: Articles from Sentinel-Times

Page 1 - 'Delays threaten billion-dollar beach'
Page 2 - 'Delays threaten billion-dollar beach'
Page 7 - 'Sand dune breakthrough likely within six months'
Page 26 - 'How Inverloch's erosion plan hit a speed hump'
14 Nov 2021: Bureaucratic BS threatens our 'billion-dollar beach'

NEW Nov 2021: Inverloch Surf Beach Coastline Recession 2010-2020

Aerial imagery shows that since 2010 the Inverloch Surf Beach coastline has receded by 45-70 metres on either side of the Surf Club, and over eight hectares of coastal vegetation has been swept away — close to half of the vegetated dunes that existed just nine years ago. See: ICRP-Coastal-Recession-PtNorman-FlatRocks-2010-2020.pdf.

Above, images from report: 2010 on left, 2020 on right. Click images for larger versions.

28 Aug 2021: Interview with Professor Emeritus Rodger Tomlinson

Rodger Tomlinson discusses the influence the main channel into Andersons Inlet has on Inverloch Surf Beach erosion. He identifies measures that could assist with managing further erosion, ranging from nature-based, dune enhancement options through to structural measures such as offshore reefs and groynes. Watch the interview here (20 mins).

15 May 2020: Video - Coastline in Crisis

The documentary Coastline in Crisis analyses factors contributing to the rapid erosion at Inverloch surf beach, with footage of the shoreline and interviews with team members, business owners and community representatives. Watch the documentary here on Youtube (31 mins).

Carneys Rd, Wonthaggi's Hidden Gem

Apr 2020: Latest on the Carneys Rd Project.
Oct 2019: Progress on the Carneys Rd Project.
Aug 2018: Our project, Wonthaggi's Hidden Gem, was funded by Pick My Project. See the proposal outline here.

Carneys Rd

Updates on Our Facebook Page

South Gippsland Conservation Society Inc.

About the Society

South Gippsland Conservation Society is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1976. It aims to promote and preserve South Gippsland's natural resources.

SGCS also runs the Bunurong Environment Centre shop and Shell Museum, and Bunurong Coast Education, which offers award-winning education and activities for children and adults.

More about SGCS

Join us! Find out more about our projects and branches, see our affiliates and supporters, and read some useful links. SGCS is a Child Safe organisation: see our Child Safety Code.

Activities & Excursions

Bunurong Coast Education offers talks, guided tours and outdoor excursions for children and adults in the holidays and on some weekends.
Free local activities for kids — walks, playgrounds, games and more.

Book holiday and discovery activities online: visit the famous dinosaur dig site, go rockpooling, stargazing, wildlife spotlighting and more.
Contact us to organise online home education activities: dinosaur discovery, astronomy, coastal geography, plant and animal identification.
Contact us to plan a talk or excursion tailored to your curriculum or interests. See our Programs on climate, coasts, wetlands, woodlands, rockpooling and dinosaur discovery.
Attend free talks on environmental issues or take part in tree plantings and working bees, as advised on our Facebook page above.

The Environment Centre

We're right in the heart of Inverloch, corner of Ramsey Boulevard and The Esplanade, and we're open 10 am to 4 pm every day except Tuesdays. PLEASE NOTE: The Centre is closed for all of August 2022.

School Holiday Times

Dec-Jan holidays: open 10 am to 5 pm every day. Also Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Other holidays: open 10 am to 4 pm every day.

The Environment Centre provides guides on local attractions and amusements. Kids have free hands-on activities in the Discovery Room, while adults can browse for books and gifts in the shop.

The Centre also houses the famous Shell Museum. Entry is $2 per person, children under 5 free, and funds go to maintaining the museum.