‘What a lovely stopover. It’s great at last to have paper towels and hot water in the toilets, even big towns do not have that. Your facility was greatly appreciated.’ 

Sue and Ray, Western Australia

‘The volunteers at Green Hill Lake have done a wonderful job. This is a lovely peaceful spot. The playground is great. Very welcoming to visitors. Thank you very much.’ 

Mr and Mrs Hamilton, Sydney

‘Thank you for the work done at Green Hill Lake for our event during the festival’s Gold Dig. Everyone was over the moon with the venue and what it had to offer our visitors. The only thing missing is the water. Our deepest appreciation to all.’ 

Ymennettes and Y’s Men 

GWENDA ALLGOOD

Ararat

MEMBERS of the Ararat Landcare Group are extremely disappointed with the Ararat Rural City Council’s decision to approve a planning permit for the removal of 35 native trees on the Ararat-Moyston Road at Cathcart. 

A reading of the Ararat Rural City Council meeting minutes and the background papers relating to this issue would lead one to believe the planning approval should have been rejected if a logical decision had been made. 

VicRoads say they have consulted with Ararat and Moyston Landcare Group on this project. 

One on-site meeting to inform landcare representatives of the intended project works, with no regard given to any of our suggestions or objections, is not ‘consultation’.

Consultation should surely occur at the beginning of the process, not when the plans have been finalised.

The Ararat-Halls Gap Road is a beautiful, scenic road, lined with trees, creating a corridor of vegetation through the foothills of the Grampians. 

This corridor, as well as being the gateway to the Grampians for tourists and locals, is a complex ecosystem of trees of varying ages, under-storey and ground cover, leaf litter, fallen logs and rocks. 

This ecosystem provides food and shelter for birds and numerous other animals and reptiles. 

The recent Moyston fire has caused considerable loss and damage to a section of this road.

Any further impacts on vegetation should be avoided where possible.

Ararat Landcare Group applauds VicRoads for its aims to improve road safety, but we argue that this does not have to be done at the expense of significant vegetation. 

We question the logic for working just on this stretch of the road. 

The whole length of the road is lined with trees and we cannot see what makes the section that is subject to this planning permit any more dangerous than any other. 

Reducing the speed limit would be an appropriate first course of action.

We would suggest that the most pressing problem with this section of the road, and in fact the whole road from Ararat to at least Moyston, is the poor condition of some sections of the bitumen edges. 

Repairing the edges, upgrading the white line on the left of traffic lanes, installing plenty of guide posts with reflectors and, where necessary, a safety barrier, would all be improvements to safety without impacting on the beauty of this scenic route. 

The funding available for the planned project could be spent to improve safety along the whole road, rather than a small section which is really no different from the rest. 

MARGARET BURBIDGE

Secretary, Ararat Landcare Group