Coast Guard takes mayor on tour of their patch

QUEENSCLIFFE mayor Isabelle Tolhurst expanded her knowledge of the region when she was given an on-water tour of Port Phillip Bay and surrounds by Coast Guard Queenscliff last month.

It was the councillor’s first time through the treacherous heads out into Bass Strait as the rescue service provided an overview of its operations from the trip out through the Lonsdale Bight, across The Rip and back via Point Nepean.

“It was a bit rough, but the mayor handled it very well,” Coast Guard Queenscliff Flotilla commander Michael Donohue said.

Cr Tolhurst has been doing the rounds of the borough’s institutions since being elected to the top job in late November 2022, and said the recent tour from the emergency service provided her with an increased appreciation for the work the coast guard undertake, and the area they operate in.

“It’s unsuspecting, people would head out and it feels calm when they leave Queenscliff but it can get really dangerous and turn on a dime,” she said.

“They [the Coast Guard] have to do it at night in the highest of seas in bad weather, good weather, to find people and boats in any number of conditions.

“You’ve got to have real skill and be able to manage the weather and changing tides and I think a lot of people don’t know that but Coast Guards certainly do. It was a privilege to be in their capable hands navigating that.”

Cr Tolhurst said she was struck by nausea during the tour and had sea legs when she returned to dry land, but managed to keep her seasickness in check.

“It was a bit crazy, but I wanted to lift to where my crew was so I held it together until we got back on shore and had a quick pace around the harbour to get some fresh air and straighten myself out.”