January 2012
Be FireReady
Prepare, Act, Survive
Victorians are urged to develop their fire plan early and practise it with family or friends. For those who are planning to travel, visit the CFA website to check the fire warnings before you go. Visit the CFA website for useful resources and tools, including Online Bushfire Information Session, the My Plan and Travellers' Checklist.
For more information CFA recommends:
- Attending a local FireReady Victoria meeting or a Bushfire Planning Workshop in your area
- Joining or establishing a neighbourhood Community Fireguard Group
- Requesting a home bushfire site visit
Download the free CFA FireReady Smartphone app for the latest information and updates, from wherever you are.
2012 Recreational Fishing Guide
The Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide is available in hard copy, free of charge, so that you can take it fishing with you or leave it in your tackle box or boat. Hard copies can be obtained from most fishing tackle shops that sell recreational fishing licences, Department of Primary Industry offices or by ringing the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.
Please be advised it will take approximately 10 - 14 working days for the guides to arrive after ordering.
Alternatively, the hard copy is available from the Victorian Government Bookshop at Level 20, 80 Collins St, Melbourne.
Summer by the Sea
Victoria's 200 km of coastline inclues more than 100 bays, inlets and estuaries. From 2-22 January 2012, Victorians can participate in range of family-friendly activities stretching right across the coastline. Activities include rockpool rambles, kayak adventures, marine monitoring, nature walks, geology adventures and snorkelling safaris.
Check out the Summer by the Sea Program Guide for more information, or to find an activity near you!
For a hard copy of the Program Guide, please contact the Coastcare team on 9637 9742
Making your home safe
There are things you can do everyday to help make your home safer but when you are on holidays it is not as easy. A home that looks unattended is generally an easier target for a burglar.
The key to deterring burglars while you are away is to make your home look like someone's at home. Before heading off on holiday, here are some easy tips to prepare your home.
Many police stations operate an Absence from Home register, where you can leave your contact information and the times and dates that you will be away.Police can use this information to perform checks in the area during usual patrols. If using this service, be sure to notify police when you return, especially if returning earlier than planned.
Summer School Holiday Activities
The Victorian School Holidays will started on 23 December - are you ready to entertain your children?
Victoria Online publishes an extensive list of summer school holiday activities to keep the kids busy over the summer school holidays. A lot of events are FREE.
Australia Day 2012
Australia Day in Victoria is a day for people from every walk of life to celebrate the things we love about our country. It is a time to celebrate our freedom – as individuals and as a nation; our lifestyle and culture; our land and its beauty, across beaches, forests, and the outback; our history and Indigenous past; and our opportunities and future.
The Australia Day Committee encourages all Australians to take pride in their country on January 26 and reflect on who we are as a nation.
Visit the Australia Day website to find out what's happening in your area.
Government House Open Day
Government House will hold its next Open Day on Australia Day, Thursday, 26 January 2012. Entry is FREE.
Visitors are welcome to picnic on the lawns of Government House. Musicians will be performing throughout the day and refreshments will be available for purchase.
Golden Heritage Stories
The discovery of gold in 1851 brought the world to Victoria. It bought new people, new skills, and new ideas. It transformed Melbourne into a metropolis, and changed a quiet pastoral settlement into a dynamic colony. Victoria was the scene of extraordinary growth and wealth - unparalleled then or since.
Impressive buildings grew throughout the whole of Victoria, in towns large and small. Majestic courthouses, opposing mechanics institutes and opulent post offices. Many of these buildings can be seen today and some seem strangely ornate in the small rural towns.
The Golden Heritage Stories Collection provides video interviews and stories about the history of the gold fields in Victoria.
Free New Mobile Apps
'Play Melbourne' by Tourism Victoria - This app helps both visitors and locals explore Melbourne - it has almost 500 listings of places of interest and is augmented with interactive maps and images. For more information visit www.visitvictoria.com
Vic-Heritage - The Heritage Council of Victoria and Heritage Victoria have developed this app, which enables users to locate places on the Victorian Heritage Register across the state..For more information visit www.dpcd.vic.gov.au
Combat Litter - Rubbish thrown from motor vehicles is a majaor source of litter and costs millions of dollars each year to remove. This app is designed to make it easier for the public to report littering. For more information visit www.epa.vic.gov.au
Visit Victoria's Parks this Summer
Victoria's wonderful parks have something for everyone during the holiday season. Parks Victoria is responsible for managing an expanding and diverse estate covering more than 4 million hectares, or about 17 per cent, of Victoria.
There's nothing better for your wellbeing than getting out and enjoying the best of what nature has to offer. Our parks are everywhere – from the most remote locations to right in the heart of the city, so you can choose to stay close to home or venture further afield to enjoy them. Spending time in the natural environment – in places like parks - is good for your mind, body and soul.
Parks are free and they are for everyone. Why not explore a park today? Not only will it feel good, it will be good for you too.
Encourage the children to interact with Ranger Roo and have fun and play games on the web.
Slip, Slop.....and Snap!
SunSmart has launched 'A Summer to Remember' campaign on Facebook, asking young Victorians to share their favourite summer memories to win tickets to summer's biggest festivals and lots more!
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world with 2 in 3 Australians diagnosed by the age of 70. Whilst cancer is often thought of as an older person's disease, this is not the case when it comes to skin cancer. Australian adolescents have by far the highest incidence of malignant melanoma in the world, compared with young people in other countries.
The competition is open to Victorian residents only. The judges will be looking for creative, SunSmart photos.
WorkSafe Victoria Awards
As you return to work in the New Year, keep a keen eye out for any clever workplace safety, health and wellbeing, or return- to-work initiatives or improvements which stand out to you – and enter them in the WorkSafe Awards!
Visit the Awards website or contact awards@worksafe.vic.gov.au for further information.
New Publications
General Publications
Historic and Significant Bridges of Australia
by McMahon, Don @ $32.95
Beautiful Accommodation in Victoria and Tasmania - 9th Edition
by Lamattina, Jennifer @ $24.95
Aborigines of Victoria Vol 1: With Notes Relating to the Habits of the Natives of Other Parts of Australia and Tasmania Compiled from Various Sources
by Brough-Smith, Robert @ $52.95
Following Burke and Wills Across Victoria
by Phoenix, Dave @ $29.95
Victorian Tide Tables 2012
by Port of Melbourne Corporation @ $8.25
Local Histories
Exploring Werribee Gorge 1836-2010
by Douglas, Judy & Reid, Bob @ $32.00
Mapping Products
Australia Photo Atlas
by Hema Maps @ $39.95
Government Reports
Victorian Institute of Teaching
by the Auditor General Victoria @ $20.00
Managing Contaminated Sites
by the Auditor General Victoria @ $20.00
Compliance with Building Permits
by the Auditor General Victoria @ $20.00
Management of Road Bridges
by the Auditor General Victoria @ $20.00
Calendar
Ocean Calendar 2012 - Tide Chart
by Bock, Andrew @ $17.95
Free Publications
Inspire
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Our Work in 2010/11
Victorian Equal Opportunity And Human Rights Commission
Casey TravelSmart Map
Department of Transport
Inquiry into Violence and Security Arrangements in Victorian Hospitals
Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee
Review of the 2010-11 Flood Warnings & Response
Department of Premier and Cabinet
New Legislation
New Acts
| A66.11 | Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2011 | $7.80 |
| A67.11 | Justice Legislation Further Amendment Act 2011 | $3.80 |
| A68.11 | Mines (Aluminium Agreement) Amendment Act 2011 | $12.20 |
| A69.11 | State Taxation Acts Further Amendment Act 2011 | $7.80 |
| A70.11 | Victorian Inspectorate Act 2011 | $7.80 |
| A71.11 | Liquor Control Reform Further Amendment Act 2011 | $7.80 |
| A72.11 | Public Interest Monitor Act 2011 | $7.80 |
| A73.11 | Sex Work and Other Acts Amendment Act 2011 | $5.70 |
| A74.11 | City of Melbourne Amendment Act 2011 | $3.90 |
| A75.11 | Domestic Animals Amendment (Puppy Farm Enforcement and Other Matters) Act 2011 | $5.70 |
| A76.11 | Education and Training Reform Amendment (Skills) Act 2011 | $5.70 |
| A77.11 | Road Safety Amendment (Drinking While Driving) Act 2011 | $3.80 |
| A78.11 | Transport Legislation Amendment (Marine Safety and Other Amendments) Act 2011 | $7.80 |
New Statutory Rules
Reprinted Acts
| No reprinted acts published this month. | ||
Reprinted Statutory Rules
| No reprinted statutory rules published this month. |
Visit the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website for a list of all Victorian acts and statutory rules.
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Victorian Tide Tables 2012
The Tide Tables contains tide predictions for the standard ports of: Port Phillip Heads (Point Lonsdale); The Rip; Melbourne (Williamstown); Westernport (Stony Point); Geelong; Portland; Port Welshpool. It also contains tide time differences from the standard ports to other coastal locations.
Motorcyclists - Riding for Survival. Tips for reducing the risk of accidents.
Crash statistics show that motorcycle and scooter riders have a higher risk of death or injury compared to other vehicle occupants. As a rider you are 37 times more likely to be seriously injured than a car occupant per kilometre travelled. Check out these tips for reducing the risk of accidents.
Need to check the catch limit for snapper when out on your boat? Travelling with fruit and not sure if you should quarantine it? The mobile version of the DPI website is now available.
The Block Arcade, designed by Twentyman & Askew, was modelled on Galleria Vittoria in Milan. The Collins Street Arcade opened in February 1892 and the Elizabeth Street wing was opened in October 1893.
Chelsea
The city of Chelsea, a bayside suburb of Melbourne, located approximately 32 km from Melbourne, was promulgated on 8 May 1929. It has grown from a small community with a lot of 'weekenders' to the growing, thriving city it is today. The neighbouring residential suburb of Chelsea Heights is home to part of the extensive Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands system, known for its prolific birdlife.
The original Clock Tower, located on Nepean Highway by the railway line, was erected as part of Chelsea's contribution to the celebrations recognising 100 years since the first European settlement in Victoria and was unveiled on 21 October 1934. Due to deterioration, this was demolished and rebuilt in 1997 according to its original design and almost in its original postion.
The popular Bicentennial Park was awarded the national winner of the 2011 'Excellence in Play Space Design'. The old Marshalite clock-type traffic signals used on the Nepean Highway from the 1940s-1970s are now being used in the Bicentennial Park as pedestrian signals.
If you would like to see your town mentioned in the Region Focus - send us an email.
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