The Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care Group and other community groups are preparing a proposal to the State government for the protection of the Crystals at Williamstown, possibly through an extension of the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary.

The purpose of this community forum is to tell you more about the proposal, and what you can do to support us

Bring with you information about:

    Any organisation you belong to that may be interested in supporting protection of the Crystals

    What it is that makes the Crystals a special place worth protecting

    Ideas you have about how we can get greater community support for protecting the Crystals

Registration: follow the link to GiveNow to register: https://www.givenow.com.au/event/326

Members are invited to attend an underwater photography course with Robert Gardiner. Hone your skills with an underwater camera or learn new ones. Beginners and experienced photographers welcome.

Underwater cameras can be supplied if you don't have your own or would like to try a different model. 

If you need a camera, please advise Robert (robert.allan.gardiner@gmail.com) once you have booked in for the course.

Timetable:

• 9 to11 am: underwater photography theory,

• 11 to1 pm: photography practice in water at Jawbone Marine Reserve

• 1 to 2 pm: reconvene to share and discuss images

Where:

The course will begin at the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club in Williamstown at 9am. 

The Yacht Club is at the bottom of Ferguson Street, in the cream brick building on the corner of Nelson Place.

Participants:

BYO – lunch, wetsuit, snorkelling gear, laptop to download your images taken during the day, camera if you have one

If you have a new camera, please read the manual before the course

Cost - $100 to secure your place but we will return $50 to you when you start the course on the day

Booking:

The link for your event tickets is https://www.givenow.com.au/event/321. There are only 12 places available for this course for members only.

JMSCG members only event

The JMSCGroup works closely with Marine Care Point Cooke. This event will be a great opportunity to do some snorkelling at the Pt Cooke marine sanctuary and share in a BBQ.

PDF map and instructions on how to get there and where to park.

Booking required for this free event - limited to 20 people. Register at: www.givenow.com.au/event/317

IMPORTANT NOTE: if inclement weather is forecast, we may need to cancel at short notice. This will be done via email.

The Protect What You Love group will be running another clean up at the Crystals on Australia Day. Jawbone members are invited to help clean up the land component.

Location: The Crystals Steps, Williamstown Beach

Meeting Point: Meet at the marquee that will be on the grass on the northern end of the Williamstown Beach Carpark.

The clean-up will have a land component and an in-water component, each coordinated separately.

For the land-based clean-up, register with Cleanup Australia using the link: https://register.cleanup.org.au/fundraisers/CrystalsWilliamstown/clean-up-at-the-crystals
and click on [Contact Supervisor] (located just above the map, with the event information)

To register for the in-water clean-up, either snorkelling or SCUBA diving, please email or phone Snorkel and Dive Safari Altona Beach on

• info@snorkeldivemelbourne.com.au

• 9317 1000

And identify yourself as a member or supporter of Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care Group.

This annual event is family focused with events and displays that all relate to our seas. From ‘come and try fishing’ to marine touch tanks, to kids’ activities and more.

Find out more https://seadaysfestival.com.au

If you’re a Jawbone MSC Group member, join us and take part of the Jawbone Great Victorian Fish Count snorkelling event and Christmas BBQ. Please note this event is limited to 20 participants, so register early to secure your spot.

If you’re not yet a member, and wish to join us for the fish count and Xmas BBQ, register to become a member at https://www.jawbone.org.au/involved.

• Where: at the Jawbone, park on Mullins Crt, Williamstown

• Registration: a member only event, limited to 20 participants - register at www.givenow.com.au/event/271

If you’re not a member or cannot make it on the 6th, you can also partake in the fish count. Check details here.

Cátia will talk about Jawbone within the Great Southern Reef, and we will walk along the beach, as it’ll be low tide, discussing what we find.

Teas and biscuits available after the talk.

Cátia is a marine science educator with the Great Southern Reef Foundation and Deakin University, passionate about raising awareness and protecting Australia’s Great Southern Reef. She has a particular love for seaweed and environmental education, bringing ocean literacy into classrooms across all year levels through engaging, curriculum-aligned programs. Through her work, she hopes to inspire the next generation to build a stronger connection with the ocean.

• Where: meet at the entrance to the Arboretum at the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, look for our flag - Park on Mullins Ct

• Registration: a free event limited to 30 participants — Must register online (will take you to the GiveNow site)

Ross is a senior Geologist at the Geological Survey of Victoria, Resources Victoria, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. He is a field geologist, specialising in structural geology and structural geophysics. He has experience across geological interpretation of ancient terranes at a range of scales including sedimentology, paleo-geography, stratigraphy, volcanology, and tectonics,  metamorphic and igneous petrology. Ross has extensive experience in geological and tectonic interpretations from a diverse mix of field, laboratory, remote-sensed and geophysical datasets. This includes potential field and seismic reflection data, with specialist experience in the interpretation of large-scale field- or drill-core based observations, mostly within a hard-rock context. Ross is highly familiar with most aspects of the geology of SE Australia, with particular knowledge of the Palaeozoic rocks and their former contexts within Gondwanaland. Ross's career is devoted to improving our understanding of how the Earth works, especially our (poorly-exposed) Australian corner of it. With understanding comes predictive capacity, and then (hopefully) opportunity.
This gives Ross a unique insight to the rocks and the formation of the land in and around Williamstown where he will talk about local features including the lava bubble we will meet at and the nearby lava tubes.

• Where: meet at the the lava bubble, off Battery Rd  (See map above for details)

• Registration: a free event limited to 30 participants — Must register online (will take you to the GiveNow site)

Last year, the Great Victorian Fish Count had well over 600 participants. It is not only Victoria’s largest marine citizen science event – it is the most fun!

NOTES from Kade Mills, VPNA organiser:

You can do as many Fish Count events as you like. In fact, the more the merrier. Some groups turn every dive or snorkel done between the 15 Nov – 14 Dec into a Fish Count dive and we love it.

A NOTE ON SHIRTS – Sadly, no shirts this year — funding didn’t come through. Fingers crossed for next year!

Go and dive or snorkel, takes lots of pictures and count fish.

• Download the list of fish to look for and count

• PLEASE TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS! ABOVE AND BELOW THE WATER - Share them on social media using #fishcount

• Fill out the online form with your observations (5 minutes once you’re logged in)

  1. Go to www.vnpa.org.au/reefwatch-biocollect

  2. If you are a returning participant of the Great Victorian Fish Count enter your email address and password on the sign in page of Atlas of Living Australia website

  3. Or, to sing in click the ‘get started’ green button under the ‘Get Involved!’ heading on the About page OR simply select the Surveys page by clicking ‘Surveys’ in orange text

  4. Under the Great Victorian Fish Count heading click the ‘add a record’ green button

  5. If this is your first time you will have to sign up by clicking the ‘sign up now’ link. Once you have completed filling out your details you will be emailed an activation link to set up your Atlas of Living Australia account

  6. Once you have set up your new account with Atlas of Living Australia return to www.vnpa.org.au/reefwatch-biocollect to begin entering in your data

  7. Once you have logged in you will find on the top right hand side of the map is a layers symbol, if you click on this

  and choose hybrid the map will change the image to be world imagery (I find this easier)

  8. Using the search tool on the left hand side of the map (fifth symbol from the top) enter the location of your dive site and select your location from the drop down options or simply use the zoom tool to find your dive site

  9. Once you have located your dive site click on the marker symbol and drop it at your site

  10. Done! That’s it the hardest part is out of the way

  11. To enter your fish count data collected during the survey select the name and abundance of fish from the list of options in the Fish Count Data table and complete all relevant information

  12. If you or anyone has taken a great shot please share it by clicking the ‘add images’ green button in the Fish Count Data table, particularly if you have photos of rare or unusual species!

Any further questions, feel free to email him at kade@vnpa.org.au

• Where: Anywhere along the Victorian coast.

• Time: Anytime during 15 November until 14 December 2025

Two officers from the VFA (Victorian Fishing Authority) will be talking about the extensive work they do to protect Victoria's fisheries, Marine Parks and Sanctuaries.

As you are probably aware, the Victorian government has recently cut back funding for the VFA, so it will be interesting to hear the officers talk about the protection of Marine Sanctuaries going into the future. Of course, they will not be able to discuss political issues.

• Where: Beaumaris Senior Citizens Centre behind the Beaumaris library.

• Time: The evening commences at 6.45pm with pizza, drinks and catch-ups. Please bring along a plate if you feel so inclined.
  The VFA officers will begin talking at 7.30pm.

If you are already a member, or wish to become a member, then please join us for an open night that promises to be light on formalities and will include a light meal and short movies that have an ocean theme. Meet others that also have a passion for the marine environment.

BYO name tag. There will be a prize for the best name tag. So, get creative.

• Where: Newport Community Hub, 13 Mason Street. Look for the Jawbone Flag. Parking available at the rear off Derwent Street..

• Registration: a free event, but register online so we know how many pizzas to order (will take you to the GiveNow site).