Somers, Victoria

Somers Victoria
Sunset at Somers
Population	1,427 (2011)
• Density	238/km2 (620/sq mi)
Established	1925
Postcode(s)	3927
Area	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Location	72 km (45 mi) from Melbourne 12 km (7 mi) from Hastings
LGA(s)	Shire of Mornington Peninsula
State electorate(s)	Nepean
Federal division(s)	Flinders
Localities around Somers: Balnarring Bittern HMAS Cerberus Merricks Somers HMAS Cerberus Western Port Western Port Western Port

Somers is a small town approximately 72 km south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in the south-eastern corner of the Mornington Peninsula on Western Port. Its local government area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.

History

Originally known as Balnarring East, the area was renamed for a popular former Governor of Victoria who set up the local Lord Somers Camp. The subdivision of Somers began in 1925, whilst the Boulevard Cafe & Post Office commenced business in 1927, the address then still being Balnarring East. After much correspondence with the Education Dept. the Palm Beach School No. 4458 opened 1929. The renaming of the town occurred in 1930.[2] Despite a few very small land subdivisions for housing, Somers has not seen any major development since the 1920s and has retained much of its remnant bush land on the foreshore. Initially as the land had been used for grazing, the estates were bare until local residents led by local store-keeper Ron Stone planted many trees throughout the area. This area is great for truest attractions.

Geography

Somers lies on an area of land on the south-eastern point of the Mornington Peninsula, where to the south, it borders Western Port. The town of Cowes on Phillip Island can be seen from any beach in Somers in most weather conditions. There are two large sandbars between Somers and Phillip Island, and between them is a deep shipping channel. At low tide both sandbars are often visible. To the north, inland, lies extensively cleared lands used for agriculture. Further north lie the suburbs of Bittern and Hastings which host many commercial services used by Somers residents. To the east is the suburb and military base, HMAS Cerberus. Its compound bordering Somers is entirely bushland and used for training exercises. Where the base meets Somers at its coastline, beaches are closed and the land consists mainly of bushy coastal forests. To the west, separated from the Lord Somers Camp and the Coolart Wetlands, lies the locality of Balnarring. Somers' geography slopes gently down towards the water's edge, interrupting line of sight to Mt. Dandenong and as a result, television reception can be difficult when using a small antenna. Local knowledge is advisable for good reception.

Recreation

Somers is perhaps best known for its yacht club and sailing facilities. The waters offshore from Somers, neighbouring Balnarring and Merricks Beaches, Flinders and Shoreham, and the body of water between the Mornington Peninsula and Philip Island are some of the most ideal and safest regions for sailing of all types in Australia. On most days many sailboats, mainly catamarans, can be seen in the waters of Western Port Bay participating in several races that are held during good sailing conditions, usually on weekends. The tidal inlet of Merricks Creek at low tide is one of the best places around Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula for skiffle boarding, while the South Beach (actually to the east of the main beach) is tucked away behind the belt of foreshore bushland that is Somers Foreshore Reserve, and is enjoyed mainly by local residents, while the main beach, Somers Beach, is home to one of the major yacht clubs in Western Port, Somers Yacht Club. Walking is also popular in Somers as good quality sealed and unsealed pathways exist along roadsides and in parklands, where walkers enjoy native bush land, wildlife and views of Western Port.

Beaches

Tidal Flats of Merricks Creek Inlet

The coastline of Somers has three distinguishable beaches, South Beach, Somers Beach and the tidal flats of Merricks Creek Inlet.

At certain times of the year these beaches can be covered with dried seaweed from the extensive marine vegetation under the waters of Western Port, however when the seaweed is not in season, all of Somers beaches boast clean sand. The South Beach has an intricate system of rock pools, this is both of great interest to beachcombers, and something of a curse, as the beach is a difficult place to swim. The Merricks Creek Inlet is a tidal creek that flows with the tides of Western Port. About 50 cm below the surface of the sandbed of the creek lies a darker sand that gives off a hydrogen sulphide smell when disturbed. Sand all these beaches is generally fine grain mixed with crushed sea shells. Small reefs exist in a few places and can be seen at low tide, but these are only rocky reefs incapable of supporting coral. At low tide these reefs can make navigation near the beach difficult for watercraft and are clearly marked with buoys. A succession of big storm tides came in on 24 March, 25 March, 22 April, 23 April and 15 June 2011, severely eroding the sand dunes east the Merricks Creek. In 2012, the wooden wall that had fixed that path of the Merricks Creek since 1974, was taken down, as it was deemed unsafe and not adequately performing its job anymore. Starting in July 2012 and finishing in September 2012, a new rock wall was built, to fix the creek on a path straight into Westernport. For the three and a half years the wall has been in place, a noticeable build up of sand has occurred east of the wall, while considerable erosion has occurred west of the wall. In November 2015, the entrance to the Merricks Creek was filled in with a sand groyne, as a short term solution to the constant hydrogen sulphide odour caused by the breakdown of sea grasses within the creek. As of April 2016, the sand groyne is still in place, and as such the surrounding beaches have benefitted with the build up of sand.

Erosion

Somers has an interesting history revolving around its Main Beach. Erosion of the beaches around Somers, particularly around the Yacht Club has been a major concern for foreshore communities and residents of Parklands Avenue and The Promenade over the last few decades. Several decades ago, Somers Yacht Club was situated next to the beach with a depression (where once the Merricks Creek flowed separating it from the sands of the beach of Westernport Bay. Yachts and sailboats were wheeled and carried over many sand dunes to reach the sandy beaches to launch them to sail.

Rock Seawall protecting Somers Yacht Club on Somers Beach.

Yet today, the Yacht Club boasts Seaside views and as recently as 5 to 10 years ago had its roof blown off and severely damaged in a large storm after decades of erosion drew a new coastline almost to the doorstep of the Yacht Club. Seawalls constructed of natural rocks have been strategically placed around the coastline of Somers Beach complemented by wooden seawalls and many small wave-breaks that have all slowly succumbed to the waves of the sea. Experts such as marine geomorphologists have assessed the erosion situation, however no definitive explanation can be found as to why the erosion occurs. The most popular theory is that of Longshore Drift, where successive "waves" of sand pass Somers, with sand build up when such a wave passes, and erosion at other times. A commonly held view is that the man-made channelisation of Merricks Creek has upset the delicate equilibrium of the coastline. In recent years the erosion has slowed and almost stopped, and experts predict it could be due to a major decrease in easterly winds, tending to slow the effects of longshore drift, thus the erosion. An alternative view is that the decrease in rainfall has limited the period when Merricks Creek is flowing into the sea, thus allowing sand build up at the mouth of the creek, which then allows the sand build up to propagate along the beach. Between 2011 and 2015, the beaches of Somers have lost a considerable amount of dunage and sand, seen most evidently west of the Wits End Creek and west of Merricks Creek. These areas have lost up to as much as six to eight metres of dunes in a five year period. As recently as May 2015, the beach west of Merricks Creek lost three metres of dunes in as little as three days, caused by gale force winds, large swell and king tides.

Community

Somers has a Primary School, a Kindergarten,a caravan park, a General Store ("The Somers General Store"),a CFA (Country Fire Authority) Fire Station, tennis courts, a cricket ground, The Coolart Wetlands, Lord Somers Camp, the Education Department School Camp (originally built for the RAAF, then used to accommodate immigrants) and various parks, gardens and reserves. There are no shopping strips or centres and no supermarkets. The newly refurbished General Store and cafe has become very popular with both local residents and visitors as a pleasant meeting /social venue for a meal or coffee. It also carries sufficient groceries etc. so that it is almost possible not to have to travel to nearby Balnarring or Hastings for food. However, if other forms of commercial service are required, Balnarring and Hastings are usually the main places to go.

Somers is also home to The Somers Yacht Club which houses the WSC Marine Rescue Facility, who contribute greatly to the safety of Western Port Bay through the use of crash boats sent out to help capsized skippers and crew, or those in other forms of trouble.

Environment

Koala in the Somers Caravan Park.

It is not unusual in Somers to see some (introduced) koalas and the suburb is well known for its Koala Walk. The distinctive growl of Koalas can often be heard in the town. Travellers are advised to take care, as koalas frequently cross local roads, and show little road sense. Occasionally echidnas have been seen in the area around The Promenade. Bushy-tail and ring- tail Possums are commonplace, and can often be seen soon after nightfall, scurrying along powerlines and thus silhouetted against the night sky.

Parks, Gardens and Reserves in Somers:

• Coolart Wetlands and Homestead
• Merricks Creek Foreshore Reserve
• Lord Somers Camp Playing Field
• Koala Reserve
• R.W. Stone Reserve
• Somers Foreshore Reserve
• Garden and Banksia Squares

Development and change

The Somers Village Community Association is active in Somers, in opposition to a plan to introduce over 5 km of concrete paths to this beautiful costal village.

Up until the delivery of formal notification ratepayers were unaware that a massive concrete footpath user pays scheme was intended for Somers, a coastal hideaway on the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (MPSC) did no earlier notification but left publicity to the pro-active proponent of the scheme, the local Somers Resident Association (SRA). There was no high level of community engagement so often talked about by the Council. The SRA “sold” the scheme in their newsletters, financially assisted by the Council as • Narrow, meandering informal paths • Not concrete but exposed aggregate ( exposed aggregate is actually concrete with the normal pebbles in concrete not trowelled under) • Council and also a Federal Government grant were the only income sources mentioned. • Minimum vegetation removal and low visual effect was promised. The SRA then ran surveys based on this information, failed to show locals the raw data and presented MPSC with enough so-called evidence of support for the pathway scheme for the Council to gleefully accept the SRA’s proposal as • A 1.5 million dollar user pays scheme • Up to 2 metres wide • A 5.2 kilometre long concrete path that will forever alter the quiet coastal village character of Somers • A special charge scheme catching every ratepayer in the Somers Village postcode The fairness, integrity and transparency of the Council are at stake here. • Was if fair that MPSC did not themselves supply the real facts about the scheme and did not directly poll ratepayers? • Was it fair that ratepayers were led to believe in a very different scheme and most realised too late (for the objection deadline) about the actual scheme? • Was it fair that ratepayers were led to believe, and many still do, that ‘informal’ meandering paths were proposed, not the actual wide concrete paths which was always council’s preferred option? • Why didn’t the Council justify this drastic overreaction to just a few calls for paths? • Why didn’t the Council do a risk assessment? The police report that there have been no injuries reported in Somers for over 10 years, yet the Council’s stated reason for the need for concrete paths is the risk of injury to pedestrians. The lack of Council transparency allowed ratepayers to be misled about the user pays special charge concrete footpath scheme, costing ratepayers up to $1800 for every household in Somers, even if they live kilometres from any of the proposed paths. A new group called the Somers Village Community Association (SVCA) has spontaneously formed because we are bitterly disappointed that the Somers Residents Association (SRA) are so out of touch and so unable to look after the interests of locals, that they would attempt to “pave paradise” (with apologies to Joni Mitchell) By consulting and keeping their community fully informed, the SCVA hopes that above all Somers will be able to retain its coastal village character as a peaceful haven (with only a general store and post office) and not become just another suburb. Mornington Peninsula has a number of Coastal Village Associations on the Westernport side doing a great job for their areas. Now Somers will also. We wonder, which coastal village will be next to wake up to a letter announcing the start of another user pays special charge scheme, that could lift their ‘rates’ by thousands of dollars and alter forever the charm of their seaside area? MPSC is developing a Coastal Village strategy according to Alison Leighton (Council Chief operating officer – infrastructure and planning.) Surely, the concrete footpath scheme proposed for Somers Coastal Village, should await this important policy.

See also

• List of Melbourne suburbs
• Mornington Peninsula
• Phillip Island
• Western Port
• Longshore Drift

References

All Our Somers by Bruce Bennett published January 2000 ISBN 0 9577323 1 7

• Melway Edition 33 2006 (Pages 193 and 194)
• [1] Somers Holiday Village
• 2001 Census Tables: 3927 (Postal Area of Usual Residence), Australian Bureau of Statistics, 4 August 2006, retrieved 1 October 2006