Meetings Attended
Nina attended a Living Links meeting at Beaumaris. Stage One has been completed with environmental, social, cultural and recreation information provided combined into grids. Information collected from the Dandenong Creek Catchment will be found on a Living Links web site.
Walter attended the Planning Backlash rally on the steps of Parliament House June 10th. The Rally was organized by the Coalition of Concerned Councillors angry about the erosion of our democratic rights as the State Government takes over planning power from councils.Mary attended the Panel Hearing – New Residential Zones for Victoria to listen to the submission from Kingston Council. Walter & Brian attended a Climate Change meeting at Chelsea Heights to hear Mark Dreyfus and Dr Graeme Pearman claim that there is an urgent need for political action to reduce green house gas emissions. Mary attended a Climate Change rally on the steps of the State Library, 13 June where the Greens leader, Bob Brown spoke passionately about the need for Government action .
Gunbower-Koondrook-Perricoota Storylines
Mara, Judy, Sue and Mary traveled to Eaglehawke to attend the premiere of the Environment Victoria project featuring ten story tellers relating their relationship with the Murray River especially Gunbower.DVDs are available from EV. Well worth a look!
Verity McLucas, Mara’s daughter, was one of the organizers of the project.
Waterwatch
Nina and Brian continue to monitor water quality in Mordialloc Creek on a bi-monthly basis down stream from Bowen Road. Road works may curtail this activity until construction is finished. Creation of a wetland in the Industrial Estate between Wells Road and Waterways has commenced-a continuation of Melbourne Water’s plan for a series of wetlands along the full length of the north bank of Mordialloc Creek up to Pillars Crossing.
Attenborough Park
Stephen described Council’s plans for upgrading the park following completion of bridge works. Pleasing to note that the plan includes planting Banksias, casuarinas AND Monterey Cypresses because of their historic significance and because these trees have been a feature a the entrance to Mordialloc for over a century.There will be a Master Plan in 2010.A concrete shared bike path is to be constructed rather than a granitic surface which erodes causing dust to affect bearings in cycles.Cr Dundas queried the salt impact on cable fences around the park and along Beach Road. Galvanised cables can rust in six months.Nina queried the location of the Aboriginal garden which is now much closer to the widened highway.
Natural Resources Report
Lee advises that the Braeside NRA depot is now open and functioning in Industrial Drive. The Bonbeach depot nursery area has been extended with water tanks installed. Twenty Red Gums are to be planted in the Arboretum on the north bank of Mordialloc Creek replacing cypresses which will be removed. Phragmites will be planted to
Reduce erosion caused by watercraft activity leaving the Chute Street boat ramp.
Green Crop Project
Lee reported that planting on the foreshore dunes, 30th May was very successful with 60 volunteers attending & helping to plant 2300 species on top of the sand bag wall. Removing encroaching plants such as lawns from the foreshore was also part of the project. Next planting day will be advertised in the local paper. Nina advises that the Mordialloc health and fruit shops are prepared to display notice of forthcoming working bees.
Friends of Moorabbin Oval are working with the NRA team to plant around the oval.
Replanting is continuing along the south bank of Mordialloc Creek although weed removal and control is the main objective
Bicycle Paths – Wells Road, Bowen Road, Waterways, Bay Trail
Stephen Haines is paying for the construction of a road from Wells Road to, and through Waterways, to enable residents to access Aspendale Gardens. A bike path is to be part of road works. Letters have been written to Kingston Council , unacknowledged and unanswered, suggesting that now might be a good time to construct the bike path shown in Council’s own bicycle strategy, along the south levee bank of Mordialloc Creek between Wells Road and Bowen Road.This path would provide off-road access from Waterways to Mordialloc foreshore, schools, shops and station. A bike track on the levee bank has the advantage of being high enough to give a view across the wetlands to the Dandenongs and won’t become a muddy morass after rain.Not having had a response from Council, a phone call to Stephen Haines resulted in a lengthy discussion about links with other bike paths – Patterson River trail on both banks of the river providing a link to Dandenong to which Stephen seemed interested.He also advised that there is a bike trail through Waterways wetlands open to the public! The plan is to eventuallly provide a link to Braeside Park through Waterways by crossing busy Governor Road.
Bay Trail
Cr Dundas raised an interesting idea of widening the existing concrete shared bike/pedestrian path from Parkers Road to Charman Road utilizing that track rather than attempt to install a bike track on the fragile cliff tops. If this plan is feasible pedestrians would still have the advantage of an informal cliff top path free from cyclists. Significant engineering works would be required to widen sections of the existing path which has a blue stone wall on the beach side but widening might be possible on the cliff side of the promenade.
Glen provided DVDs illustrating hazards encountered in some of the bike tracks constructed by neighbouring councils.
Desalination Plant
Walter provided an excellent DVD outlining the issues resulting from the construction of this controversial project. Members may like to borrow the DVD and consider the implications such as pollution of the ocean, greenhouse emissions and visual pollution of pylons.