Bass trails: Why can’t we have both, says shire

THE proposed $7.7 million cycling and walking trail, set to run 14 kilometres between Inverloch and Wonthaggi, via an inland route, will be a key part of the 270km Gippsland Odyssey Trail.

But it will not, repeat, will not stop Bass Coast Shire Council going after the Bunurong Coastal Trail put forward as a key objective of the Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park Access and Infrastructure Plan.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have both,” said Bass Coast Shire Council CEO Ali Wastie at the weekend.

Ms Wastie was commenting on fears that success with the inland route might sink a potentially spectacular coastal route between Inverloch and Cape Paterson, and also the apparent lack of data to support the application to the State Government, last September, for funding under the Growing Suburbs Fund.

It was announced on Thursday, January 27, that the project had been allocated $3 million by the State Government, to go together with $4.7 million put up by the shire’s ratepayers.

“The way these grant opportunities work is that you often have to move quickly to get an application in and you generally supply enough of the information you need to convince the government that it’s a worthy project that can go ahead in the timeframe,” Ms Wastie said.

“You don’t do all the studies and tie it up in a bow everytime you make an application for funding. It doesn’t work like that.

“We are using council’s road reserves so, while we will have to apply for permits through DELWP, we don’t think we’ll need an EES (environmental effects statement),” Ms Wastie said.

She said council had already undertaken the necessary public consultation prior to making application for funding but that consultation with landowners had continued after that.

She said there would be further community consultation and more detailed research on the actual implementation the project after the initial scoping work which went into the application.

“We would have looked at expected usage and community benefit and I will get that for you.”

But Ms Wastie categorically ruled out dropping off support for the State Government’s plan for a coastal trail in the Yallock-Bulluk Marine and Coastal Park AIP.

“Clearly that’s a more complex project and while you’d like to see it come to fruition sooner rather than later, it’s the sort of project that could take a long time to be ready.

“But definitely not. This (Inverloch-Wonthaggi trail) is not stopping the coastal path from going ahead.

“The funding for the Inverloch-Wonthaggi trail is a good thing, it’s a key part of the Gippsland Odyssey Trail that’s been put forward by Destination Gippsland in its strategic plan.

“We’d like to have both.”

Ms Wastie also said she doubted that the funding of an inland route would make the coastal trail any less likely to go ahead.

In October last year, members of the One Gippsland Board including Destination Gippsland, met with the Hon. Dan Tehan, Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, to seek government support for the Gippsland region specifically Gippsland Tracks and Trails ($83 million total funding) for priority projects including the Bass Coast Dinosaur Trail, Gippsland Odyssey Trail and Gippsland Lakes Aquatic Trail.