Hastings 3915

Enjoy summer at Pelican Park

Pelican Park Recreation Centre in Hastings has a range of activities this summer for kids to enjoy.

Let your children play on the exciting giant inflatable water toy; participate in the various play days or simply splash about with friends in the leisure pool. Build your child’s confidence, improve stroke technique and enhance water safety skills by enrolling them into the centre’s ‘Intensive Swim Program’. Students participate in one 30 minute lesson, Monday to Friday.   

Pelican Park has its very own child care facility and is available for program and occasional care for children from 6 weeks to 10 years old. This means you can enjoy the gym, swimming laps, relaxing in the spa or taking a bite to eat at Pelican Pantry whilst your children are cared for by qualified staff.

For more information and holiday program details call: 1300 850 197 or become a friend on Facebook.   

Pelican Park Recreation Centre is a $7 million stateof-the-art award winning facility located on the Hastings Foreshore. Pelican Park represents everything a true community building should be, offering a wide range of programs and opportunities for the community to access and enjoy.   

Location:  Hastings Foreshore, Marine Pde Hastings, Vic 3915  Tel: 1300 850 197  Fax: 5950 1754    Opening Hours  Monday to Friday 6.00am to 9.00pm  Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 8.00am - 7.00pm      http://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=293&h=0       

Submitted by Jenni Bartlett  Online Communications Coordinator  Mornington Peninsula Shire  Tel. 5950 1229 or 0435 642 401  Email jenni.bartlett@mornpen.vic.gov.au

Concrete jetty for Hastings is Parks plan

Parks Victoria has released a plan for the Hastings Jetty, with improvements proposed for fishing access, promenading and reinstating safe access for boating.

However the plan seems to be for a concrete pontoon similar to those installed at San Remo Pier and the Warneet South Jetty. The extent that the timber section of the jetty may be retained is not clear (at least to us) from the plans produced but the pier head, the current end and the part which has long been fenced off because of its dangers would go.

A press release states: "The plan includes construction of a fishing platform and upper deck promenading area including seating, fishing rod holders and upgraded hand railings. A new floating pontoon will also be constructed to improved safety and access for boats to using the pier and will be designed to cope with Western Port’s sea conditions and large tidal range.

"Similar facilities have already been installed in Port Phillip and other Western Port locations such as San Remo Pier and Warneet South Jetty. The project has been made possible through $570,000 in grants and funding from Department of Sustainability and Environment, Parks Victoria, Fisheries Victoria and Marine Safety Victoria."

Parks Victoria is inviting public comments on their site at http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/3hastings.cfm

Final date for comments is April 30.

Email: hastingsjetty@parks.vic.gov.au
In writing to: Hastings Jetty Upgrade Consultation, Parks Victoria, PO Box 338, San Remo VIC 3925.

The above page also links to two jetty plans as PDF files:

Hasting Pier Upgrade Concept (59kb)
Hastings Pier Upgrade Locality Plan (291kb)

Western Port Parade at Hastings February 27

Westernport Festival took place in Hastings this weekend (February 26-28) and below is a slideshow of the Street Parade on Saturday afternoon February 27. Click the play button and a new window or tab will open in your browser and the slideshow will load; a few seconds later the Smilebox slideshow will open. Close the window or tab and you will return here.

Customize your own free digital slideshow

All photos by Gordon Woolf, copyright 2010

Wind power returns to Hastings

About 18 months after it broke down, the wind turbine at the Kings Creek Hotel in Hastings is again providing electric power to the hotel - about a quarter of the electricity needed to run the venue.

It was, according to a story in the Western Port Trader, a journey for the hotel management that included finding their own sources for parts and tradesmen to carry out the repairs but now the 9-metre blades are turning again.

The turning blades are a landmark for Hastings and when they are turning they can be spotted from many kilometres away on the Mornington-Tyabb road.

Australia Day in Hastings 2010

Australia Day celebrations in Hastings are being organised by the Western Port Festival committee and take place mainly on the Hastings Foreshore.

They start at 10am with a free community brunch, sponsored (somewhat strangely) by the Grand Hotel which is in Mornington. At the same time there will be live music by the Western Port Regional Band and the group Reworkt. Also at this time there will be children's rides and games.

The flag raising will be at 11am with the Tingara naval cadets and an Australia Day address by Robert Walls. Robert Walls played football for 15 years for Carlton and Fitzroy and captained Victoria. He played in Premierships in 1968, 70 and 72. He then coached for 16 years at Fitzroy, Carlton, Brisbane and Richmond and in 1987 was Carlton Premiership coach. He coached Victoria in last State of Origin game in 1999. He currently works for AFL media with Channel 10, 3AW, The Age and FOXfooty.

Where to eat in Hastings

The biggest problem with places to eat in Hastings is that there are so many of them, and while quality, prices and offerings vary, we have only come across a couple we would be reluctant to go back to. The ones we list below are our personal favourites; the owners have not paid for entries and did not know that they were going to appear here. We did not receive any free meals or even discounts other than some offered to all customers.

The Beach Hut

55 High Street. 5979 1071

This is the traditional Australian cafe, open every day for breakfast and lunch, plus Wednesday to Sunday nights for dinner. As well as a regular menu there are blackboard specials with several in the $10 to $12 range. Eat inside or outside at the side (where part is covered) and if parking runs out at the front you can always park in the Safeway carpark at the back and come in through the back. Order at the counter or they'll come to the table. It is licensed with a fair selection of wines and beers. Wednesday is roast night with soup and your choice of roast for $13.90 (and if you book before 2pm by calling in or phoning you can claim the bonus of garlic bread). Thursday is parma night (even fish parma!) with a sweet course for the same price (when we couldn't find tummy room they insisted on giving the cheesecake as a takeaway). Good coffee and blue heaven milkshake will bring back memories for some.

Galley Cafe

Westernport Marina. 5979 7400

The signs to the marina take you down Mullet Street and into the huge parking area. The Marina Hotel is straight ahead, but to the left hand end of the marina is a small group of shops including the marina office. In that group you'll find the Galley Cafe. It's open for breakfast and lunch and if it is not good enough weather to sit outside overlooking the boats, there's a good inside area, or you can take away. John is of Greek origin and one of our favourites is his mousaka with salad and chips, or try the pasta marinara. Or just a sandwich or quiche. Good coffee. It is currently open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights during the warmer weather (BYO) and as well as the menu there is a specials board.

Super Star Cafe

9/11 High Street. 5979 4665

The family who runs this and the bakery nextdoor offer a range of prepared hot food and freshly make sandwiches etc to order for lunch or just a morning/afternoon snack. Sit inside or in the arcade or, for smokers, in the entrance area though be warned that is the entrance also to the Richie's IGA supermarket so can get a little busy. Definitely not the high-end venue of Grand Theft Auto, but good food at reasonable prices, served quickly and there's a huge takeaway trade. They started with a few hot food takeaways at the bakery and it just grew. Good coffee.

Sandwich King/ Coffee King

75 High Street. 5979 1320

Originally just a milkbar this has expanded into the coffee/lunch trade with tables on the footpath, then taking over the shop next door to expand the undercover seating area, and now also with an outside seating area at the back (you can also enter from the KMart carpark). Good coffee.

King's Creek Hotel

1989 Frankston Flinders Road. 5979 2989

In many ways this is the typical pub bistro, daily from noon for lunch and 5.30 for dinner. But we recommend the soups, which are often original and always good. Meals are generous even the slightly smaller seniors serves where there are one, two or three course options. Download the menu from http://www.kingscreekhotel.com.au/includes/Bistro.php# but remember there are always specials. Coffee is not the best on this list but always acceptable and occasionally very good. And there are play areas for the kids including one area with an ancient tram. Check out the walls for details on the man who wanted to be a fish. It can be pleasant in the right weather to finish off with coffee etc at one of the bench tables in the garden.

Other places to eat where the main reason we are not a regular is that there are just so many good places to eat in this town include Marquay (pronounced Ma-kee) on Marine Parade, CJ's Fish & Chips (near IGA) and others.

(Edited Feb 13, 2010)

Carols at Hastings

The annual Carols by Candlelight event on the foreshore took place on Friday, December 11, preceded as usual by the children's fancy dress parade down High Street. Following are some pictures of both events. (More photos will be included tomorrow)

 

 

Many questions about Hastings coal export

There are lots of IFS about a story in The Age on Wednesday morning, October 14, about a possibility of coal export from the Latrobe Valley by pipeline through the Port of Hastings.

The story can be found at http://www.theage.com.au/environment/brumbys-dirty-secret-coal-for-export-20091013-gvnp.html

The major questions are: Will the State government call for competitive tenders to export coal? And, if Exergen is successful and is able to build a demonstration drying plant (processing 50 tonnes an hour) and if that is successful in turning brown coal into a fuel of similar quality to low-grade black coal. will it then be able to transfer the process to a much larger plant that can be developed. If all that is achieved it could be possible that exports could flow in 2014.

The writer of this item has writrten many headline stories on major projects over decades in journalism. Some of them came to fruition, but I can't think of one that happened in line with the initially publicised timetable.

New Hastings Community Centre

The new building for Hastings Community Services, i.e. the health centre "plus", is now open in High Street, Hastings, between the CFA fire station and the Western Port College.

As well as the Peninsula Health facilities from their former home on the corner of Coolstore Road and Victoria Street in Hastings, it will also include the Hastings Community Information and Support Centre from their former, and now empty, home in King Street. (Sadly the web site for the information centre, linked in our left hand column does not mention the new premises but it does detail their services which continue at the new centre).

Services provided through Peninsula Health will include dental, physiotherapy, speech pathology, dietetics, diabetes education, podiatry and children’s, women’s, and family and services. The Peninsula Health website is at http://www.peninsulahealth.org.au/

At the time of writing the one service lacking is doctors, which continue in their existing offices on either side of Victoria Street north of High Street in the centre of Hastings.

Hastings Community House is also moving into the new centre ready for its new season's activities starting in October. Though their website has also not yet been updated, their phone and email contact details remain as listed at http://www.hastingschi.com.au/ (click on the smile to get in!)

In a letter to the Hastings News August edition, local councillor Reade Smith suggests that the old community house buildings in Marine Parade "should be pulled down asap" but that other adjacent buildings should be retained and/or renovated.

Phone numbers:
Hastings Health Centre                                                 59792894
Hastings Community House:                                         5979 2918
Hastings Community Information & Support Centre         59792762

Most southern mangroves?

This ceramic mural at the entrance to the 4km Bittern Coastal Walk that stretches from Salmon Street in Hastings (opposite the caravan park) to Jack's Beach at Crib Point was created by the students of Hastings Primary School in 2008 and depicts the reefs and islands of Westernport, the wetlands, mangroves, brids and animals of Warrangine Park and the boardwalk that provides access to it. The names of the 10 students, assisted by artist Judi Singleton, are listed on the board seen above with some of the extensive mangroves.

Mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes have a similar standing to rainforest in their biodiversity and are unique in their ability to survive salt water inundation and freshwater runoff. They have been described as the kidneys of our ecosystem.

The area used to be much larger but it remains one of the largest examples of coastal wetlands. Note that dogs are not permitted in the park.

See much information on the seagrass and mangroves and other plants of Western Port on the Western Port Seagrass Partnership page at http://www.seagrass.com.au/browse.asp?page=330

There's a link there to the regional fauna.