By Phillip Island Nature Parks

The Phillip Island Nature Parks Board of Management met on February 27, at the Churchill Island Visitor Centre. The Board enjoyed a walk and talk around the site with some of the Churchill Island team, taking in the European settlement heritage and joined visitors at the sheep shearing and working dog experiences.

Meeting highlights

Visitation peak period

The Board was pleased to hear positive reports of a successful summer period, with strong visitation across the Penguin Parade, Koala Conservation Reserve and Churchill Island, complimented by record breaking results in retail store sales across each of the sites.

This fantastic summer season has helped the organisation to offset the lost revenue from the closure and redevelopment of the popular Penguins Plus experience and has kept us on track to meet our budget target for the year.

Governance and risk management

Part of the Board's responsibility is to ensure the organisation's risks and governance structures are in place to support successful outcomes for our team and community. This meeting, the Board focused on reviewing the organisation's safety practices, including the risks, policies and procedures that govern safety and wellbeing.

The Board also undertook its annual review of its Board Charter and refreshed some aspects of the charter to remain up to date with new digital tools and technology.

Planning for the Koala Conservation Reserve

The Board discussed opportunities to improve the visitor flow and address the longer-term operational needs of the Koala Conservation Reserve.

Some of the opportunities discussed included signage and surface improvements in the entry and car park, expansions in plantations for long term koala feed requirements and progressing the walking track connections to Oswin Roberts Reserve.

Nature Park regulations

Under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978, the Nature Parks Board establishes some rules (known as 'set asides') for the use of Crown land management by the organisation, which are reconsidered at least every 10 years.

The last substantial review was undertaken in 2021 following some extensive community consultation and feedback.
At the meeting, the Board endorsed some minor changes to these set asides, which would be implemented with updates on the Nature Parks website and signage across the reserves. These changes included:

• Enabling public access to the management track along the foreshore from Conservation Hill to Rhyll, which will be upgraded into a formal walking/cycling path in the coming month. This path is part of an ongoing program of work with Bass Coast Shire Council to improve the pathways connecting Rhyll and Cowes.
• Enabling access for electric bicycles on several walking/cycling trails.
• Updating Summerland Peninsula and Penguin Parade access to align with current closure practices.