We had a perfect sunny day at Goats Beach (Calvert's Lagoon beach), South Arm in March, with plenty of swell for an early morning surf before we gathered together in the western carpark and cleaned up numerous "Bogan Middens" before walking 3/4 of the length of the beach, cleaning debris and taking note of the many mutton bird (short tailed shearwater) carcasses that remain from the large scale mutton bird wreck that occurred earlier this summer (apparently occurring across many beaches in SE Australia).  Three people in our group made an estimated count of the numbers of birds and decided that there were between 60 and 80 exposed birds on the stretch of beach we cleaned (and probably alot more given it had been a couple of months since the 'wreck' had started).

The participants in the photo from left to right are: Luke Finley, Mel Puckridge, Toby Jarvis, Moss Pauly, Tim Pauly, Jimmy Dell, Darryl and Jacinta Boggs, Hania Watt, Jason Saunders, Mary-Anne Lea, Jenn and Mia Boggs, Luke Headley. Absent from photo Dave, Hamish and Iona Renwick, Mikey Brennan, Madeline Habib, Rachel Alderman, (and someone I have forgotten - Whoops!)

I trust you had a great Easter and all is going swimmingly! Cheers from the Roaring Forties! Jimmy Dell

This Easter three boat loads of passionate volunteers will scour the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area hand-collecting garbage from the beaches of the rugged south west coast. Marine debris causes massive levels of pollution on our beaches and the long and painful death of huge numbers of marine life.
The cleanup has been running since 1999 and is the longest remote area baseline marine debris survey in Australia. Since it began 12 years ago, over 50,000 items of rubbish have been collected and itemised. All rubbish is sorted into recyclables with the remainder sent to landfill. The collected data provides information regarding changes in rubbish types and amounts. When this information is combined with oceanic circulation models it helps determine where the rubbish is coming from.
This year the cleanup is run as a WILDCARE special project. WILDCARE Inc is the largest and fastest growing incorporated environmental action group in Tasmania, with membership of around 3000 individuals.
This year's cleanup is also gratefully supported by Dave Wyatt of Southern Ocean Adventures as well as other local fishermen Kent Way and Dean Hulton and a volunteer crew of 12. The outdoor clothing company Patagonia and Pennicott Wilderness Journeys are the major sponsors providing generous financial support for fuel, boat charter, food and kitting out the team with appropriate clothing. The Wursthaus Kitchen, Cascade and Gillespies Ginger Beer are also giving support to keep the crew provisioned for the week-long trip.
Follow the trip on the Daily Blog at : http://wha-marinedebris.blogspot.com/

I just wanted to send a quick "Thanks!" to all that got along to South Goats on Saturday.

We managed to clear much of the beach debris and "Bogan Middens" from the western half of Goats Beach Coastal reserve.  The stretch of beach to the east towards Lumpies also received some loving attention.

Special thanks to those who remained to help sort the debris.  It was great that much of the total volume of debris was recycled, with 5 of the 8 bags collected being placed in the recycling bins of Toby, Matt, Rach and myself.  The data we collected will be sent to the National Marine Debris initiative to be included in national reviews and reports on the impact of plastics and debris on the Australian coast (Coordinated by Tangaroa Blue www.oceancare.org.au).  The time you volunteered will help to raise the profile of issues and impacts of plastics in the Marine environment and lead to a cleaner ocean.  You should be proud to have helped support our mother ocean!  Thanks again!

Report from Jimmy Dell.

Join local surfer Jimmy Dell in the Goat's Beach marine debris cleanup over the weekend of March 13th and 14th. An early surf at Rebounds, Hobart, Tasmania to get everyone motivated will be followed by a couple of hours for a beach cleanup. The plan is to target marine debris on the eastern part of the beach, with data being collated to add to the National Marine Debris Database.  

The guys will be surfing around 8am with the clean up starting around 10am if the weather cooperates! For volunteers who may arrive after 10am park at either middle goats or north goats carpark and walk down the beach to meet the crew.  Bring all the normal things you'd bring to a day at the beach (sunscreen, hat, snacks, water etc).

How to get there: Goats Beach is also called Calvert's Beach and is part of the South Arm Coastal Reserve.  Just take the road along past Clifton and turn off just before the Wedge Carpark (ie before the carpark that is on the bluff that overlooks Betsy island and Black jack rocks. "Rebounds" is the Western end of "Goats" or Clavert's Lagoon beach.

To RSVP to the event email Jimmy on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it