2020 Year in Review: July-September

JULY 2: THE Drysdale Bypass – the Bellarine Peninsula’s biggest road infrastructure project – opened to traffic. The new $117 million bypass, stretching six kilometres from Jetty Road to the north of Whitcombes Road, is intended to significantly reduce traffic congestion in and around Drysdale.

JULY 9: BARWON Coast called on the community to do the right thing while enjoying Ocean Grove’s beautiful beaches by staying out of the dunes. Maddie Glynn from Barwon Coast said there had been an increase of people “playing and partying” in the sand dunes, which was causing significant damage.

JULY 16: The best of Geelong and the Bellarine’s music scene was streamed around the world as the region took part in the award-winning Isol-Aid online music festival. Isol-Aid was created in response to the coronavirus pandemic, when it became apparent that musicians would be heavily affected by the cancellation of tours and gigs and the inability to play venues throughout Australia. Geelong was the first regional centre to be showcased on Isol-Aid.

JULY 23: QUEENSCLIFF’S branch of the Coast Guard was committed to keeping a watchful eye on the water despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. The Coast Guard Queenscliff flotilla had one of its busiest years in recent memory in 2019-20, undertaking 72 marine rescue tasks and returning 163 people to shore.

JULY 30: CALLS for a purpose-built mountain bike and BMX track on the Bellarine Peninsula gathered momentum and have won the support of local parents and a cycling safety advocate. The push came after Geelong council flattened parts of the “humps bike track’’ in Woodlands Estate due to safety concerns.

AUGUST 6: GEELONG and the Bellarine returned to tighter coronavirus restrictions, with Stage 3 in effect across Victoria as of August 6. The full reintroduction of the Stage 3 lockdown is the latest in a series of tightened restrictions in recent days, including no visitors being allowed in the home and the mandatory wearing of face coverings outside the home.

AUGUST 13: A POOL on the North Bellarine drew ever closer, with a report prepared for the City of Greater Geelong council recommending the Drysdale Sports Precinct as the best location for it to be built. According to a scoping study, residents in Drysdale, Clifton Springs, Curlewis, Portarlington and St Leonards had lower access to swimming pools than those in almost any other area of greater Geelong.

AUGUST 20: A CORONAVIRUS testing blitz began in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, opening new testing sites and extending the hours of existing ones. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last week the decision was driven in part by 175 cases being detected in Geelong over a two-week period, and the intention was to keep the number in regional Victoria as low as possible. He said the blitz would result in “many thousands” of extra tests.

AUGUST 27: THE state government announced $770,000 in grants for environmental projects in support of the Bellarine Peninsula’s Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) process. To tie in with the DAL, Bellarine MP Lisa Neville announced funding for the projects earlier this week to enhance the peninsula’s environment. Projects include $150,000 in upgrades to the coastal trail between Portarlington and St Leonards and $348,000 for the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve.

SEPTEMBER 3: RESIDENTS and businesses in the City of Greater Geelong would have a new, dedicated bin for glass within seven years as the council moved to comply with the state government’s new circular economy policy. The council also entered a new phase of the renewable organics project it is pursuing with in partnership with Barwon Water.

SEPTEMBER 10: THE state government’s roadmap for easing coronavirus restrictions in the Bellarine received a mixed reception, with some hospitality operators left disappointed by its cautious approach. Hospitality operators would have to remain under the existing Stage 3 restrictions of only take-away and delivery until step three of the roadmap, which will allow mostly outdoor service, a group limit of 10 and density limits.

SEPTEMBER 17: THE Bellarine made a big move along Victoria’s roadmap to coronavirus recovery. Premier Daniel Andrews announced regional Victoria would take the Third Step on the roadmap as of 11.59pm September 16 – only three days after regional Victoria entered the Second Step. Mr Andrews said the declining number of coronavirus cases that allowed regional Victorians to take the Second Step and now the Third Step were “a credit to regional Victorians”. “It is a massive thing. It is a very positive thing. It is something we should all be very pleased and proud of the job that regional Victorians have done.”

SEPTEMBER 24: THE City of Greater Geelong council sought outdoor dining ideas following the easing of coronavirus restrictions, and one Ocean Grove café owner said tables in car parks could be the way forward. The city had waived all outdoor dining fees and encouraged cafes, restaurants and bars to submit proposals to either begin or expand their outdoor dining.