Western Port Biosphere

15/10/2026

SAVE THE DATE

Our Annual General Meeting is next month. Thursday 26th November, 4.45 for a 5pm start. Somers Yacht Club. More details to come.

We would love to see you there.

12/10/2026

Every line in the bin is a line out of the water. 🎣🦭

Back in 2004, the Western Port Biosphere teamed up with Dr Amy Coetsee from Melbourne Zoo to bring three Seal the Loop bins to Stony Point pier, installed with the Port of Hastings.

Years on, they’re still doing their quiet, important work. 💙

These brightly coloured bins (made from recycled plastic!) give anglers a simple place to drop unwanted fishing line, hooks, netting and rope, so it never reaches the water where seals, seabirds and other wildlife can become tangled, injured or swallow it.

A huge thank you to Paula Bertuna and the Environment and Sustainability team at the Port of Hastings, who look after the bins and help measure their impact, encourage responsible fishing, and reduce preventable harm to our marine and freshwater wildlife.

What you can do:
🪝 Fishing at Stony Point? Pop your old line and tackle in the Seal the Loop bins.
👀 See a seal or seabird that’s injured, entangled or distressed? Call Zoos Victoria’s Marine Response Unit on 1300 245 MRU (1300 245 678). The number is on every bin.

The Marine Response Unit is Victoria’s first dedicated marine wildlife rescue service. Their team takes rescued animals to Melbourne Zoo for vet care and rehabilitation before release. Watch the video to see them in action 👇

Rescue saves lives. Prevention means fewer rescues are needed. Together, we can keep Western Port a place where people and nature both thrive. 🌊

of Hastings Corporation

21/09/2026

Hello, Western Port. I'm Flame.

You've followed Red for years. This chapter, you're hearing it from me.

I'm a Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) — about one Tim Tam in weight. This year Red and I raised four chicks together on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia's Far East, sharing the nest as we always do.

Now the chicks have fledged, and it's my turn to fly the story home — down the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, back to Western Port's mudflats.

A note on my outfit. When I met Red, I wore rich rufous breeding colours. For the flight, I'll moult into quiet non-breeding plumage — grey-brown above, white below.

Once I get to Western Port, the work continues. I'll need to nearly double my body weight in fat reserves before I can even think about the flight north again next year. Every metre of healthy mudflat here in the Biosphere Reserve matters to a bird my size.

One more thing this season, a big one — bird flu is moving through flocks along our flyway. It's a real worry among us; I've seen the flocks thin at some of the places we stop to feed. If you see me resting on the mud, or feeding in the wrack, please let me be — that stillness matters more than ever this year.

Glad to be here. Grey coat and all.

15/09/2026

A great local opportunity to learn more about HPAI.

This coming Monday, 6pm in Flinders.

Have questions about H5 bird flu? Join us for a community information session in Flinders.

Our wildlife and agriculture staff will share the latest information about H5 bird flu, provide local updates, explain what to do if you see sick or dead birds or wildlife, and answer your questions.

📍 Flinders Civic Hall, 56 Cook Street, Flinders
📅 21 September
🕒 6 pm to 7 pm

Come along to learn more and ask questions.

Find out more: https://go.vic.gov.au/4ioO1uN

Mornington Peninsula Shire, VFF Peninsula branch, Western Port Biosphere

10/09/2026

Our environment is under pressure — and the people standing for it aren’t waiting around. 🌿

This film from the Polygone Project puts that fight front and centre: our CEO Mel Barker, the next generation from Somers Primary, Jack Gough from the Invasive Species Council, and biosphere champions Gidja Walker and Greg Holland — all showing what it actually takes to protect this place.

Invasive species don’t pause. Neither can we. Every voice in this film is part of the same message: protecting Western Port is a shared job, and it starts with local action.

Thanks to the Polygone Project for putting our region on the map, and to local storytellers Peninsula Films 🎥 for capturing it with the honesty it deserves.

Watch it. Then ask yourself what you can do — in your backyard, your community, your catchment.

10/09/2026

Our environment is under pressure — and the people standing for it aren't waiting around. 🌿

This film from the Polygone Project puts that fight front and centre: our CEO Mel Barker, the next generation from Somers Primary, Jack Gough from the Invasive Species Council, and biosphere champions Gidja Walker and Greg Holland — all showing what it actually takes to protect this place.

Invasive species don't pause. Neither can we. Every voice in this film is part of the same message: protecting Western Port is a shared job, and it starts with local action.

Thanks to the Polygone Project for putting our region on the map, and to local storytellers Peninsula Films 🎥 for capturing it with the honesty it deserves.

Watch it. Then ask yourself what you can do — in your backyard, your community, your catchment.