Baa-stard of a crossing

HAVING to move cattle and sheep across Koorooman’s busy Mardan Road is a hazardous undertaking for Warren and Rhonda Lester and family, including young daughters Tayla, Chelsea and Sophie, prompting hopes of a cattle underpass.

Purchasing council-owned 630 Mardan Road is viewed by the Lesters as a practical option, making it possible to establish a short underpass to their property at 631 Mardan Road.
However, concerns have been raised about the destruction of trees in ‘Watson’s Park’, a nickname given to the long-term council-owned 630 Mardan Road block after the late Gordon Watson who used to plant trees on it.

Council’s July meeting agenda refers to concerns about vegetation loss on the block should the underpass be situated there.

“Mr Lester showed Council officers various options for the position of the underpass within 630 Mardan Road Koorooman which may have merit, but no design drawings have been prepared, and the loss of vegetation may occur due to disturbance of tree roots,” it states.
Warren said the lack of detailed drawings demonstrates the flexible approach he and Rhonda have to the precise positioning of the underpass, in order to ensure valuable trees in Watson’s Park are preserved.

The Lesters argue much of the vegetation on the block is wild pittosporum, which is regarded as a significant environmental weed.

Council documentation also expresses concern about the use of Lesters Road for crossing cattle.

“This proposal would still require livestock to cross Lesters Road which may be required to be open for public traffic, given Lesters Road is the only abuttal to an allotment further south,” it states.

Warren points out Lesters Road is not open to that block.

“The bloke who owns it comes in from Garvies Road,” he said.

Given the Lesters also own land at 70 Harrisons Road, the installation of an underpass under Mardan Road won’t eliminate the need for their livestock to walk along Lesters Road when moving between that address and their other properties.

Warren and Rhonda currently use Lesters Road when crossing livestock over Mardan Road.

“I get that they’ve got to allow for the future and there could be a hundred houses down here, but they’ve also got to allow for present users,” Warren said while standing on Lesters Road.

The road is classified in council documentation as ‘disused’ and is currently too muddy for two-wheel drive vehicles to negotiate.

While council officers have proposed a couple of options for running a cattle underpass between properties owned by the Lesters, it is conceded that doesn’t provide the safe tractor crossing they seek.

The Sentinel-Times took the opportunity to sit in the tractor taking in the highly limited views in both directions along Mardan Road.

Warren painted the potential scenario he faces when getting his tractor and equipment across Mardan Road.

“There could be a milk tanker full of milk hooting down here to the depot,” he said, inviting this correspondent to hop into the tractor and determine how confident he would be to pull out.

It was not a manoeuvre one could undertake with confidence.

“I want to move the crossing of our tractor and equipment up the road further so we’ve got vision of the long straight,” Warren said.

Sentinel-Times inspected the potential crossing point from 630 Mardan Road, which provides much better vision of approaching vehicles, particularly those coming down the slope.

The Lesters say that should they succeed in purchasing 630 Mardan Road, they have no intention of using it for anything other than moving livestock and equipment and that they are happy for that to be stipulated as a condition of the sale.