The Island Story Gatherers hosted a special event to celebrate the release of the second edition of “500 Million Years on Phillip Island” on Sunday, April 3, at St John's Uniting Church in Cowes.

Written by Linda Cuttriss and Eric Bird, “500 Million Years on Phillip Island” covers the First People’s lives on Millowl, the arrival of European explorers and first-hand accounts of pastoralist families, seeing how generations of settlement has impacted and changed the landscape.

Author Linda Cuttriss said 25-years after the original edition, “500 Million Years on Phillip Island” has been updated to reflect the changes and ongoing pressures facing the island.

It also looks at how people can work together to nurture, protect and restore the landscape.