Playing in the snow: a taste of winter wonderland for Aussie Ark animals
SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals.
Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected.
Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening.
He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania.
Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys.
"A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said.
"Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment."
Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed.
"Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said.
The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier.
National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas.
Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather.
SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals.
Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected.
Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening.
He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania.
Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys.
"A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said.
"Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment."
Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed.
"Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said.
The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier.
National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas.
Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather.
SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals.
Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected.
Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening.
He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania.
Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys.
"A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said.
"Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment."
Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed.
"Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said.
The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier.
National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas.
Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather.
SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals.
Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected.
Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening.
He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania.
Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys.
"A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said.
"Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment."
Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed.
"Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said.
The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier.
National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas.
Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather.
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How bad can climate damage get? Worse than you imagine
How bad can climate damage get? Worse than you imagine, if Australians' recent experience of more extreme weather and natural disasters - driven by a hotter climate - are an indication, because the past is no longer a reliable guide to the future. Civil engineer Alan Hoban says flood maps around Australia drastically underestimate the impact climate change will have on rainfall due to conservative assumptions about how fast rainfall intensity will increase. "Very few flood maps in south-east Queensland, or even Australia, yet account for these changes," he says. Extreme floods and rain events are often oddly described as a "one-in-a-hundred-year" or a "one-in-five hundred-year" event, suggesting they are unlikely to recur. But then they happen again, within a few years. This shows the assessments of future climate risks are too conservative, and so vulnerable communities and governments are under-prepared. Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires were of an intensity not projected to occur till towards the end of the century. And some heat extremes of the early 2020s were at a level projected for the 2030s. It's a problem created in part by over-reliance on the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which have a track record of being too conservative. The Australian government is late in delivering its first domestically-focused National Climate Risk Assessment, which was due in December, and should be the basis for emergency management, resilience and climate adaptation planning. Will it be up to date, and will it give attention to the plausible worst-case (extreme) possibilities, because they result in the greatest damage to people and property? There is reason to worry that the physical reality of accelerating climate disruption will mug Australia's risk assessment and leave us poorly prepared. One foundation for understanding future climate impacts is how quickly temperatures will rise. And that is now a big issue, because the government's assumption was that warming would be in the range of 1.5 to 2 degrees by 2050. And it is still the basis of most international climate policy formulation. Now it is way out of date. Just seven years ago, IPCC scientists projected global average warming of 1.5 degrees would not occur till 2040. But that warming level has now been reached, 15 years earlier than forecast. Both 2023 and 2024 reached 1.5 degrees, and the running average for the last 24 months has been close to 1.6 degrees. For all practical purposes, the warming trend has reached 1.5 degeres. A new World Meteorological Organization report says that Earth will cross this point in just two years, with a "70 per cent chance that the 2025-29 five-year mean will exceed 1.5 degrees above the 1850-1900 average". Acknowledging that a level of warming not expected till 2040 is here right now in 2025 means facing the bitter reality that 15 years have just been "lost" from the emissions-reduction timetable. What does that practically mean? At the 2015 Paris climate policymaking conference, the goal of holding warming to 1.5-2 degrees was agreed to, together with actions (in theory) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, based on the now-superseded warming projections. So the "lost" 15 years means that this net-zero-by-2050 goal now needs to be net-zero-by-2035. Most policymakers, including the Australian government, seem not to have recognised this. When the penny drops in Canberra that we are already at 1.5 degrees, will that realisation be reflected in the National Climate Risk Assessment? Australia's climate modelling capacity has been degraded. The biggest problems are lack of independent and expert scientific advice, and the lack of coordination across departments and agencies, and a culture of empire-building. Restoring a climate science advisory group to provide high-level, independent advice to the Australian government is a key task. Scientists have been shocked at the pace of change. The rate of warming has accelerated from less than 0.2 dgrees per decade to 0.3 degrees or more per decade. And tipping points are occurring now, including at both poles. Permafrost, boreal forests and the Amazon are becoming net carbon emitters. This year, new research has reaffirmed that 1.5 degrees is too high to prevent tipping points: there is a significant risk of large Amazon forest dieback if global warming overshoots 1.5 degrees, yet we are there right now. And there is a new scientific warning that "1.5 degrees is too high for polar ice sheets". The evidence grows that the 1.5 degrees target was never a safe target for humanity. All of this leads to one conclusion: we are on the edge of a precipice and humanity now needs to throw everything at the climate threat, literally "all hands on deck". The late professor Will Steffen's call to make climate the primary target of policy and economics is now a survival imperative. The business-as-usual delusion embraced by policymakers that climate is just another issue is laid bare by the 1.5 degrees time-bomb. How bad can climate damage get? Worse than you imagine, if Australians' recent experience of more extreme weather and natural disasters - driven by a hotter climate - are an indication, because the past is no longer a reliable guide to the future. Civil engineer Alan Hoban says flood maps around Australia drastically underestimate the impact climate change will have on rainfall due to conservative assumptions about how fast rainfall intensity will increase. "Very few flood maps in south-east Queensland, or even Australia, yet account for these changes," he says. Extreme floods and rain events are often oddly described as a "one-in-a-hundred-year" or a "one-in-five hundred-year" event, suggesting they are unlikely to recur. But then they happen again, within a few years. This shows the assessments of future climate risks are too conservative, and so vulnerable communities and governments are under-prepared. Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires were of an intensity not projected to occur till towards the end of the century. And some heat extremes of the early 2020s were at a level projected for the 2030s. It's a problem created in part by over-reliance on the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which have a track record of being too conservative. The Australian government is late in delivering its first domestically-focused National Climate Risk Assessment, which was due in December, and should be the basis for emergency management, resilience and climate adaptation planning. Will it be up to date, and will it give attention to the plausible worst-case (extreme) possibilities, because they result in the greatest damage to people and property? There is reason to worry that the physical reality of accelerating climate disruption will mug Australia's risk assessment and leave us poorly prepared. One foundation for understanding future climate impacts is how quickly temperatures will rise. And that is now a big issue, because the government's assumption was that warming would be in the range of 1.5 to 2 degrees by 2050. And it is still the basis of most international climate policy formulation. Now it is way out of date. Just seven years ago, IPCC scientists projected global average warming of 1.5 degrees would not occur till 2040. But that warming level has now been reached, 15 years earlier than forecast. Both 2023 and 2024 reached 1.5 degrees, and the running average for the last 24 months has been close to 1.6 degrees. For all practical purposes, the warming trend has reached 1.5 degeres. A new World Meteorological Organization report says that Earth will cross this point in just two years, with a "70 per cent chance that the 2025-29 five-year mean will exceed 1.5 degrees above the 1850-1900 average". Acknowledging that a level of warming not expected till 2040 is here right now in 2025 means facing the bitter reality that 15 years have just been "lost" from the emissions-reduction timetable. What does that practically mean? At the 2015 Paris climate policymaking conference, the goal of holding warming to 1.5-2 degrees was agreed to, together with actions (in theory) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, based on the now-superseded warming projections. So the "lost" 15 years means that this net-zero-by-2050 goal now needs to be net-zero-by-2035. Most policymakers, including the Australian government, seem not to have recognised this. When the penny drops in Canberra that we are already at 1.5 degrees, will that realisation be reflected in the National Climate Risk Assessment? Australia's climate modelling capacity has been degraded. The biggest problems are lack of independent and expert scientific advice, and the lack of coordination across departments and agencies, and a culture of empire-building. Restoring a climate science advisory group to provide high-level, independent advice to the Australian government is a key task. Scientists have been shocked at the pace of change. The rate of warming has accelerated from less than 0.2 dgrees per decade to 0.3 degrees or more per decade. And tipping points are occurring now, including at both poles. Permafrost, boreal forests and the Amazon are becoming net carbon emitters. This year, new research has reaffirmed that 1.5 degrees is too high to prevent tipping points: there is a significant risk of large Amazon forest dieback if global warming overshoots 1.5 degrees, yet we are there right now. And there is a new scientific warning that "1.5 degrees is too high for polar ice sheets". The evidence grows that the 1.5 degrees target was never a safe target for humanity. All of this leads to one conclusion: we are on the edge of a precipice and humanity now needs to throw everything at the climate threat, literally "all hands on deck". The late professor Will Steffen's call to make climate the primary target of policy and economics is now a survival imperative. The business-as-usual delusion embraced by policymakers that climate is just another issue is laid bare by the 1.5 degrees time-bomb. How bad can climate damage get? Worse than you imagine, if Australians' recent experience of more extreme weather and natural disasters - driven by a hotter climate - are an indication, because the past is no longer a reliable guide to the future. Civil engineer Alan Hoban says flood maps around Australia drastically underestimate the impact climate change will have on rainfall due to conservative assumptions about how fast rainfall intensity will increase. "Very few flood maps in south-east Queensland, or even Australia, yet account for these changes," he says. Extreme floods and rain events are often oddly described as a "one-in-a-hundred-year" or a "one-in-five hundred-year" event, suggesting they are unlikely to recur. But then they happen again, within a few years. This shows the assessments of future climate risks are too conservative, and so vulnerable communities and governments are under-prepared. Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires were of an intensity not projected to occur till towards the end of the century. And some heat extremes of the early 2020s were at a level projected for the 2030s. It's a problem created in part by over-reliance on the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which have a track record of being too conservative. The Australian government is late in delivering its first domestically-focused National Climate Risk Assessment, which was due in December, and should be the basis for emergency management, resilience and climate adaptation planning. Will it be up to date, and will it give attention to the plausible worst-case (extreme) possibilities, because they result in the greatest damage to people and property? There is reason to worry that the physical reality of accelerating climate disruption will mug Australia's risk assessment and leave us poorly prepared. One foundation for understanding future climate impacts is how quickly temperatures will rise. And that is now a big issue, because the government's assumption was that warming would be in the range of 1.5 to 2 degrees by 2050. And it is still the basis of most international climate policy formulation. Now it is way out of date. Just seven years ago, IPCC scientists projected global average warming of 1.5 degrees would not occur till 2040. But that warming level has now been reached, 15 years earlier than forecast. Both 2023 and 2024 reached 1.5 degrees, and the running average for the last 24 months has been close to 1.6 degrees. For all practical purposes, the warming trend has reached 1.5 degeres. A new World Meteorological Organization report says that Earth will cross this point in just two years, with a "70 per cent chance that the 2025-29 five-year mean will exceed 1.5 degrees above the 1850-1900 average". Acknowledging that a level of warming not expected till 2040 is here right now in 2025 means facing the bitter reality that 15 years have just been "lost" from the emissions-reduction timetable. What does that practically mean? At the 2015 Paris climate policymaking conference, the goal of holding warming to 1.5-2 degrees was agreed to, together with actions (in theory) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, based on the now-superseded warming projections. So the "lost" 15 years means that this net-zero-by-2050 goal now needs to be net-zero-by-2035. Most policymakers, including the Australian government, seem not to have recognised this. When the penny drops in Canberra that we are already at 1.5 degrees, will that realisation be reflected in the National Climate Risk Assessment? Australia's climate modelling capacity has been degraded. The biggest problems are lack of independent and expert scientific advice, and the lack of coordination across departments and agencies, and a culture of empire-building. Restoring a climate science advisory group to provide high-level, independent advice to the Australian government is a key task. Scientists have been shocked at the pace of change. The rate of warming has accelerated from less than 0.2 dgrees per decade to 0.3 degrees or more per decade. And tipping points are occurring now, including at both poles. Permafrost, boreal forests and the Amazon are becoming net carbon emitters. This year, new research has reaffirmed that 1.5 degrees is too high to prevent tipping points: there is a significant risk of large Amazon forest dieback if global warming overshoots 1.5 degrees, yet we are there right now. And there is a new scientific warning that "1.5 degrees is too high for polar ice sheets". The evidence grows that the 1.5 degrees target was never a safe target for humanity. All of this leads to one conclusion: we are on the edge of a precipice and humanity now needs to throw everything at the climate threat, literally "all hands on deck". The late professor Will Steffen's call to make climate the primary target of policy and economics is now a survival imperative. The business-as-usual delusion embraced by policymakers that climate is just another issue is laid bare by the 1.5 degrees time-bomb. How bad can climate damage get? Worse than you imagine, if Australians' recent experience of more extreme weather and natural disasters - driven by a hotter climate - are an indication, because the past is no longer a reliable guide to the future. Civil engineer Alan Hoban says flood maps around Australia drastically underestimate the impact climate change will have on rainfall due to conservative assumptions about how fast rainfall intensity will increase. "Very few flood maps in south-east Queensland, or even Australia, yet account for these changes," he says. Extreme floods and rain events are often oddly described as a "one-in-a-hundred-year" or a "one-in-five hundred-year" event, suggesting they are unlikely to recur. But then they happen again, within a few years. This shows the assessments of future climate risks are too conservative, and so vulnerable communities and governments are under-prepared. Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires were of an intensity not projected to occur till towards the end of the century. And some heat extremes of the early 2020s were at a level projected for the 2030s. It's a problem created in part by over-reliance on the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which have a track record of being too conservative. The Australian government is late in delivering its first domestically-focused National Climate Risk Assessment, which was due in December, and should be the basis for emergency management, resilience and climate adaptation planning. Will it be up to date, and will it give attention to the plausible worst-case (extreme) possibilities, because they result in the greatest damage to people and property? There is reason to worry that the physical reality of accelerating climate disruption will mug Australia's risk assessment and leave us poorly prepared. One foundation for understanding future climate impacts is how quickly temperatures will rise. And that is now a big issue, because the government's assumption was that warming would be in the range of 1.5 to 2 degrees by 2050. And it is still the basis of most international climate policy formulation. Now it is way out of date. Just seven years ago, IPCC scientists projected global average warming of 1.5 degrees would not occur till 2040. But that warming level has now been reached, 15 years earlier than forecast. Both 2023 and 2024 reached 1.5 degrees, and the running average for the last 24 months has been close to 1.6 degrees. For all practical purposes, the warming trend has reached 1.5 degeres. A new World Meteorological Organization report says that Earth will cross this point in just two years, with a "70 per cent chance that the 2025-29 five-year mean will exceed 1.5 degrees above the 1850-1900 average". Acknowledging that a level of warming not expected till 2040 is here right now in 2025 means facing the bitter reality that 15 years have just been "lost" from the emissions-reduction timetable. What does that practically mean? At the 2015 Paris climate policymaking conference, the goal of holding warming to 1.5-2 degrees was agreed to, together with actions (in theory) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, based on the now-superseded warming projections. So the "lost" 15 years means that this net-zero-by-2050 goal now needs to be net-zero-by-2035. Most policymakers, including the Australian government, seem not to have recognised this. When the penny drops in Canberra that we are already at 1.5 degrees, will that realisation be reflected in the National Climate Risk Assessment? Australia's climate modelling capacity has been degraded. The biggest problems are lack of independent and expert scientific advice, and the lack of coordination across departments and agencies, and a culture of empire-building. Restoring a climate science advisory group to provide high-level, independent advice to the Australian government is a key task. Scientists have been shocked at the pace of change. The rate of warming has accelerated from less than 0.2 dgrees per decade to 0.3 degrees or more per decade. And tipping points are occurring now, including at both poles. Permafrost, boreal forests and the Amazon are becoming net carbon emitters. This year, new research has reaffirmed that 1.5 degrees is too high to prevent tipping points: there is a significant risk of large Amazon forest dieback if global warming overshoots 1.5 degrees, yet we are there right now. And there is a new scientific warning that "1.5 degrees is too high for polar ice sheets". The evidence grows that the 1.5 degrees target was never a safe target for humanity. All of this leads to one conclusion: we are on the edge of a precipice and humanity now needs to throw everything at the climate threat, literally "all hands on deck". The late professor Will Steffen's call to make climate the primary target of policy and economics is now a survival imperative. The business-as-usual delusion embraced by policymakers that climate is just another issue is laid bare by the 1.5 degrees time-bomb.
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
The desalination plant is running, but these Victorian towns are on water restrictions
The park has digital water meters installed, which helps to better detect leaks, and removed old spas from some rooms, which has helped save water. Park management is also considering using recycled water for toilet flushing, and harvesting more rainwater. 'These are not conversations we're having because we're on water restrictions,' McGowan said. 'These are things we've been working on for some years to become more efficient.' This month, Victorian Water Minister Gayle Tierney told a public accounts and estimates committee hearing that Apollo Bay might progress to stage 4 restrictions, the most stringent category, depending on rainfall. Heavy rain over the King's Birthday weekend has allayed the likelihood that water restrictions will be tightened in Apollo Bay. However, climate change is expected to continue putting pressure on Victoria's water supplies. 'We know in years to come, we will see less overall rainfall, while our population continues to grow,' Tierney told the committee. Tierney has recently ordered 50 gigalitres of water from the desalination plant in Wonthaggi, on the Gippsland coast, which can be distributed to Melbourne and Geelong. She said the desalination plant had contributed 550 gigalitres to water storage levels since 2016-17. That was enough to fill the MCG 320 times, the minister said. Honorary professor Stephen Gray, a water treatment expert at Victoria University, said the desalination plant contributed to Melbourne's water system, which was linked to Geelong. Water can also be distributed to some towns in southern Gippsland. Gray said the desalination plant had helped Melbourne avoid water restrictions. 'It has provided a safety net so far,' he said. However, he said many towns in regional Victoria had their own isolated water systems that could not be connected to the desalination plant. Gray suggested the state might in the future need to consider further water infrastructure measures, including another desalination plant or even using recycled water. This week, Apollo Bay's water storages sat at just under 35 per cent, up from about 20 per cent earlier this month. Apollo Bay draws its water from a closed system, which means it cannot access water from the desalination plant or other regions. Loading Barwon Water managing director Shaun Cumming said the region received more than 50 millimetres of rain over the June long weekend. 'It is unlikely that we will need to introduce stricter water restrictions in the Apollo Bay area this winter. We'll continue to monitor water demand, storage levels and climate forecasts to determine when we can ease the current stage 3 restrictions,' he said. Adrian Davidson, the manager of the Big 4 holiday park in Apollo Bay, said many visitors come from Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong, so were unaware the area is now subject to water restrictions. Earlier this year Apollo Bay and the neighbouring towns of Marengo and Skenes Creek were placed on stage 2 restrictions, which was later hiked to stage 3 as the drought deepened its hold. Recently, an electronic sign was erected on a main entrance into Apollo Bay, alerting visitors to the water saving measures. Davidson said it was crucial his park was a responsible water user. 'It's critical for us to set an example. If we're not doing it, why should anyone else?' he said. There is a range of restrictions under stage 3, including bans on watering residential and commercials lawns. And gardens can only be watered with dripper systems on alternate days between 6am and 8am. Only the windows, lights and registration plates of cars can be washed at home. Under stage 4 restrictions, councils and schools cannot water sports grounds or gardens at any time. Central Highlands Water said extremely dry conditions and the lowest soil moisture on record in the Daylesford and Hepburn region to the end of May prompted the decision to introduce stage 2 restrictions from July 1. Central Highlands Water managing director Jeff Haydon said the low-level restrictions were being implemented to raise awareness about water efficiency. 'Our goal is to lift restrictions as soon as conditions allow, but if dry weather and soil conditions persist, further restrictions may be necessary,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The desalination plant is running, but these Victorian towns are on water restrictions
The park has digital water meters installed, which helps to better detect leaks, and removed old spas from some rooms, which has helped save water. Park management is also considering using recycled water for toilet flushing, and harvesting more rainwater. 'These are not conversations we're having because we're on water restrictions,' McGowan said. 'These are things we've been working on for some years to become more efficient.' This month, Victorian Water Minister Gayle Tierney told a public accounts and estimates committee hearing that Apollo Bay might progress to stage 4 restrictions, the most stringent category, depending on rainfall. Heavy rain over the King's Birthday weekend has allayed the likelihood that water restrictions will be tightened in Apollo Bay. However, climate change is expected to continue putting pressure on Victoria's water supplies. 'We know in years to come, we will see less overall rainfall, while our population continues to grow,' Tierney told the committee. Tierney has recently ordered 50 gigalitres of water from the desalination plant in Wonthaggi, on the Gippsland coast, which can be distributed to Melbourne and Geelong. She said the desalination plant had contributed 550 gigalitres to water storage levels since 2016-17. That was enough to fill the MCG 320 times, the minister said. Honorary professor Stephen Gray, a water treatment expert at Victoria University, said the desalination plant contributed to Melbourne's water system, which was linked to Geelong. Water can also be distributed to some towns in southern Gippsland. Gray said the desalination plant had helped Melbourne avoid water restrictions. 'It has provided a safety net so far,' he said. However, he said many towns in regional Victoria had their own isolated water systems that could not be connected to the desalination plant. Gray suggested the state might in the future need to consider further water infrastructure measures, including another desalination plant or even using recycled water. This week, Apollo Bay's water storages sat at just under 35 per cent, up from about 20 per cent earlier this month. Apollo Bay draws its water from a closed system, which means it cannot access water from the desalination plant or other regions. Loading Barwon Water managing director Shaun Cumming said the region received more than 50 millimetres of rain over the June long weekend. 'It is unlikely that we will need to introduce stricter water restrictions in the Apollo Bay area this winter. We'll continue to monitor water demand, storage levels and climate forecasts to determine when we can ease the current stage 3 restrictions,' he said. Adrian Davidson, the manager of the Big 4 holiday park in Apollo Bay, said many visitors come from Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong, so were unaware the area is now subject to water restrictions. Earlier this year Apollo Bay and the neighbouring towns of Marengo and Skenes Creek were placed on stage 2 restrictions, which was later hiked to stage 3 as the drought deepened its hold. Recently, an electronic sign was erected on a main entrance into Apollo Bay, alerting visitors to the water saving measures. Davidson said it was crucial his park was a responsible water user. 'It's critical for us to set an example. If we're not doing it, why should anyone else?' he said. There is a range of restrictions under stage 3, including bans on watering residential and commercials lawns. And gardens can only be watered with dripper systems on alternate days between 6am and 8am. Only the windows, lights and registration plates of cars can be washed at home. Under stage 4 restrictions, councils and schools cannot water sports grounds or gardens at any time. Central Highlands Water said extremely dry conditions and the lowest soil moisture on record in the Daylesford and Hepburn region to the end of May prompted the decision to introduce stage 2 restrictions from July 1. Central Highlands Water managing director Jeff Haydon said the low-level restrictions were being implemented to raise awareness about water efficiency. 'Our goal is to lift restrictions as soon as conditions allow, but if dry weather and soil conditions persist, further restrictions may be necessary,' he said.
