Offbeat and offshore!

DCSCA is working with the City of Greater Geelong as it initiates the design of an artificial reef and/or sculpture offshore from The Dell, in Clifton Springs.

Marine life reclaims the space!

Such a structure would increase the area's attraction as a leisure and creation centre by encouraging snorkelling and creating  a picturesque view from The Dell Lookout; and it would increase fish numbers by improving the marine environment.

DCSCA has lobbied the council and tourism bodies for the creation of such a structure since 2013. Its lobbying has included a 2015 Community Budget Submission to the council calling for an artificial reef for The Dell; and in 2016, DCSCA added its voice to those of the Boating Industry Association of Victoria and Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine in calling for an underwater sculpture gallery off Clifton Springs.

Now, after six years of false hopes and false starts, it seems that this idea’s time has come. DCSCA congratulates the council for initiating the design and marketing of the reef/sculpture and will work with the council to ensure that the structure reflects local people's views about the area and its future.

(The illustration shows one of Jason de Caires Taylor's many underwater sculptures,)

Bringing the springs back to life

DCSCA has proposed a joint project with the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) to revive the mineral springs from which Clifton Springs gets its name.

Clifton Springs in its heyday 1890

We believe that at least 3 springs have their outlets between the high and low water marks on the Clifton Springs beach. Originally, they were well above the water line and were the focus of the Clifton Springs spa in the 19th and early 20th centuries, where people from the Geelong and Melbourne regions came to "take the waters" for their alleged health-giving properties.

More recently, the water from the springs has been declared unfit for drinking - ironic, given the early claims that it improved drinkers' health! For this reason, the area has been allowed to deteriorate. Coastal erosion continues to take its toll on the site (see the two photos), with the result that the springs outlets are now submerged by the incoming tide.

Spring into the future?
DCSCA would like the historic springs that gave Clifton Springs its name to “live on” and enhance the experience of visitors to the area. More specifically, we would like the spring water outlets to be revived as an historic feature, visible from the planned boardwalk that will go around the nearby promontary.

We are proposing a three-stage process to revive the springs:
1. Identify and record the location of the spring water outlet (at low tide!). Place a temporary 'collar' (e.g. a concrete tube) over each outlet, so that the spring water discharges above the high water level.
2. Ensure that the boardwalk offers suitable points from which to view all of the spring water outlets and include pointers to each spring, plus information about them, in the fabric of the boardwalk.
3. On completion of the boardwalk, replace the temporary 'collars' with more attractive structures. Invite local artists (e.g. sculptors, glass artists) to submit expressions of interest in creating one or more of these features; and invite local schools, groups, clubs and residents to suggest design ideas.

Photos:
* SpringDale Collectables on Facebook
* A. S. Miner Geotechnical (2011) Coastal erosion and stability study: Clifton Springs. Report to City of Greater Geelong . p22.

The mural's unveiled!

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A glass and ceramic mural saying, "Welcome to Drysdale" was unveiled officially today on the outer wall of the Senior Citizens Club, from where it is visible across Drysdale's village green.

L to R: Tess Grace, Mercedes Drummond, Uncle David Tournier, Kaye Clancy, Sue Van Everey, Doug Carson

The unveiling ceremony started with a "Welcome to Country" by Uncle David Tournier, from the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op, who has been an advisor to the mural project.

Mercedes Drummond, from the Festival of Glass committee, then told the story of the mural's creation; and Sue Van Everey, President of the Rotary Club of Drysdale, led the official unveiling.

The glass and ceramic mural is an initiative of the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association and its Festival of Glass sub-committee.

Festival convenor Doug Carson said, "The mural is the latest link in the area's long association with glass and we're very grateful to all the local people and organisations that have made it happen. We're grateful especially to the Rotary Club of Drysdale, the Bendigo Bank and Drysdale's Hello World travel agency for their financial support."

The "Welcome to Drysdale" mural unveiled!

Worth waiting for!

Festival of Glass members Mercedes Drummond and Doug Carson ran the mural project, which started in December 2013, when Bellarine Secondary College Students - led by their teacher Tess Grace and local ceramic artist Kaye Clancy - created a collection of ceramic tiles. Each tile depicts a moment in the area's past or present and the whole collection forms the mural's border.

Inside the border, at the mural's centre, is a a single large piece of 'slumped glass' saying "Welcome to Drysdale", which was made by Geelong's Wathaurong Glass Company.

L to R: Tess Grace, Uncle David Tournier, Mercedes Drummond, Kaye Clancy, Sue Van Everey.

A glass and ceramic mural for Drysdale

The "Welcome to Drysdale" mural will be unveiled officially at 1.00pm on Thursday 29th September in Drysdale Town Square.

The mural will be fixed to the outer wall of the Senior Citizens Club, which faces across the town square and is currently blank.

The mural is an initiative of Drysdale’s annual Festival of Glass. Festival convenor Doug Carson said, “The glass and ceramic mural gives glimpses of Drysdale then and now. It’s the latest link in the area’s long association with glass and we’re very grateful to all the local people and organisations that have made the 'Welcome to Drysdale' mural happen."

A local affair

The project started almost three years ago, in December 2013, when Bellarine Secondary College students – led by their teacher Tess Grace and by local ceramicist Kaye Clancy - created a collection of ceramic tiles, each depicting a moment in the area's past and present.

The ceramic tiles form a border to the mural, which has at its centre a sign in ‘slumped glass’ saying "Welcome to Drysdale", made by Geelong’s Wathaurong Glass. Festival of Glass members in Drysdale built the mural’s steel and wood frame.

Festival of Glass committee members Doug Carson and Mercedes Drummond have led the mural project; and Uncle David Tournier of Wauthorong Aboriginal Co-op has been an advisor. The Rotary Club of Drysdale and local travel agency Hello World have supported the project financially.

Could "Greening my Geelong" mean destroying threatened species?

The City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) is currently considering an application to destroy a roadside run of native trees that includes members of a threatened species.

The trees are on the eastern side of Grubb Road opposite the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve and the application to destroy them is associated with the construction of the new Kingston estate.

More information about the proposal is available from Ms Bree Lord, Statutory Planning Department, City of Greater Geelong (statplanning@geelongcity.vic.gov.au).

Opposition online
The application has aroused widespread opposition, including an online petition (via change.org) asking Geelong council to retain the trees in Grubb Road. Organisers of the petition hope to gather 1,000 signatures and by 18 August 2016 have gathered 812.

The petition is titled, "Geelong City Council: Stop developers tearing down native trees in Ocean Grove". You can read more and sign the petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/geelong-city-council-stop-developers-tearing-down-native-trees-in-ocean-grove?recruiter=586100525&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive

Opposition in person
If you wish to comment on the proposal, you might like to use DCSCA's objection (see below) as a starting point for your own. Indeed, you might like to just copy DCSCA's objection and submit it under your own name, although personal touches always strengthen objections. If you submit an objection, could you please send a copy to DCSCA (dryclift@bigpond.com), so that we can keep a count.

DCSCA's position

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association Inc. (DCSCA) objects to this application which, if granted, would lead to the destruction of a significant number of native trees on the eastern side of Grubb Road. Our reasons for objecting are presented below.

1.         Loss of general amenity. Destroying these trees will completely change the character of this entrance to Ocean Grove. The trees are covered by a Significant Vegetation Overlay, because they form a striking entrance to Ocean Grove, enhancing the town’s character and attractiveness and screening an industrial area; destroying these trees would reduce the area from an attractive, semi-rural vista to just another suburban streetscape. However, if the trees were retained, they would actively contribute to the general amenity of the new housing estate.

2.         Loss of amenity at the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve (OGNR). Destroying these trees will isolate the OGNR as an island of indigenous vegetation; and the large car park, together with the road itself, will form a large asphalted zone near the OGNR. This will seriously reduce the amenity of the eastern section of the OGNR, replacing the current view of paddocks and roadside vegetation with a bleak view of a car park. However, if the trees were retained, they would actively improve the area, breaking up and ‘softening’ the view from the OGNR to the new housing estate.

3.         Reduction in environmental health. Geelong council promotes itself with the slogan “Greening my Geelong”, but is considering an application to destroy examples of a threatened species! Many of the trees are Bellarine Yellow Gums (E. leucoxylon ssp bellarinensis), which is listed as a threatened species; and the other large trees are Swamp Gums (E. ovata). Both contribute to the environmental health of the area by providing habitats for many species of birds, invertebrates and small reptiles. These trees effectively act as ‘spillovers’ from the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, extending its effects without extending its boundaries.

4.         Inadequate justification. The applicant argues that destroying the trees will make way for extra access points onto Grubb Road, as well as the main intersection between Grubb Road and Coastal Boulevard; but gives no clear reasons for creating these extra access points. The aim of destroying all the trees on the eastern side of Grubb Road appears to be to enable the Kingston Estate shopping centre to be built before Grubb Road is widened. However, there is no urgent need for shops to service the estate, given its proximity to the large shopping centre of Ocean Grove.

5.         Undermining the council’s Revised Ocean Grove Structure Plan. At the very least, a decision on the proposed destruction of the trees in Grubb Road should be deferred until after an appropriate urban design/landscape study, informed by community consultation, is undertaken. We agree with the conclusions of a report published in July 2016 by the City of Greater Geelong’s Planning Panel (Greater Geelong Planning Scheme Amendment C346 Ocean Grove Structure Plan and Town Centre Urban Design Framework):

·      An urban design or landscape study, involving consultation with all stakeholders, is required to determine an appropriate treatment for the entry of the town, integration with the new Grubb Road activity centre as well as the rural interfaces.

·      · Community consultation should identify safety and traffic concerns to be addressed in the planning and design phase of the road project.

 

Who needs SIX liquor outlets?

Dumburra Avenue Cellars in Dumburra Avenue, Drysdale has asked the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation to grant it a license for a 'packaged liquor outlet'. Granting the license will give the area its sixth liquor outlet.

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association Inc. (DCSCA) objects to this application because granting the license would have an adverse impact on the amenity of the area and on the objector.

1. Granting the license would have an adverse impact on the amenity of the area

1.1       Granting the license would reduce the overall amenity of the area significantly. The proposal would increase local traffic (on roads unsuitable for it); it would increase the noise of customers and their vehicles; and the proposed floodlit signage would change the area’s character. Further, liquor outlets are often associated with increased levels of rowdy and anti-social behaviour, reducing the area’s amenity still further.

1.2       Granting the license would exacerbate existing problems with traffic safety. The proposal would increase traffic in the area, but Whitcombes Road - the access road to Dumbarra Avenue - is unsuitable for heavy traffic. Its edges are unsealed and muddy, so increased traffic is likely to threaten pedestrian safety and to create more motor vehicle accidents. Further, the intersection of Whitcombes Road and Portarlington Road is dangerous already, so increased traffic in Whitcombes Road will only increase that danger.
1.3       Granting the license would exacerbate existing problems with parking. Cars are frequently – and inappropriately – parked on the vacant blocks beside the shop site. As these blocks are built on, cars will be forced to park elsewhere in the area. Each completed block will have one or two cars associated with it; and there will probably also be two employees' cars per shop – and that takes no account of customers’ vehicles! The result would be that customers to the bottle shop will have no alternative but to park inappropriately and illegally.

1.4       Granting the license would create new problems with rubbish removal. At present, all rubbish from the shops is collected in bins placed on Whitcombes Road. A bottle shop will increase the amount of rubbish significantly, as packaging is discarded – perhaps responsibly, perhaps just thrown to the ground. The increased volume of rubbish will require trucks to remove it, but the application fails to address the issue of rubbish at all.

1.5       Granting the license would create a sixth liquor outlet in the area. The area is well served by liquor outlets already: a bottle shop in each of the two Woolworths stores, a bottle shop in the Aldi Store, another at the Drysdale Hotel and a fifth in Pinaroo Avenue. Significantly, this license is being considered at a time when Woolworths is phasing out the use of cash in its bottle shops, because of the recent prevalence of robberies in its bottle shops. Granting this license would only increase the likelihood of such robberies in the area.

 2. Granting the license would have an adverse impact on the amenity of the objector.

This objection comes not from an individual objector but from a collective objector - local residents, represented by DCSCA.

2.1       Granting the license would reduce local residents’ quiet enjoyment of their homes significantly. The proposal would increase local traffic (on roads unsuitable for it); it would increase the noise of customers and their vehicles; and the planned floodlit signage would change the area’s character. Further, liquor outlets are often associated with increased levels of rowdy and anti-social behaviour, reducing residents’ quiet enjoyment of their homes still further.

2.2       Granting the license would expose children daily to materials promoting liquor. Several school buses pick-up and drop-off each day in Whitcombe’s Road, directly opposite the proposed bottle shop. So granting the license would expose children every day to materials promoting liquor, which is clearly inappropriate. There is growing concern among experts on addiction as well as the general public about the ubiquitous nature of liquor promotion, which presents liquor as a normal, routine and risk-free part of everyday life; and concerns are also growing about the decreasing age at which children are experimenting with liquor. Granting this particular license would fly in the face of all those concerns.

 

 

DCSCA-initiated Lake Lorne track now open!

On Sunday 20 May 2016, DCSCA was represented at a small ceremony to officially open a new walking track around Drysdale's Lake Lorne.

It has taken five years to create the track. The then-President of DSCSCA, Roger Lavingdale, presented the idea of the track to the City of Greater Geelong council in 2011; and the council accepted a masterplan for the project in 2012.

Since then, there has been close co-operation and consultation between the council and the various community groups with a stake in the lake's future, including DCSCA, which has been involved closely throughout the project. 

(Picture: L to R Heath Lavingdale, Doug Carson, Merryn Lavingdale, CoGG City Services Manager Will Tieppo and Drysdale Rotary Club President Caroline Rickard.)  

DCSCA Treasurer Doug Carson was one of the speakers at the ceremony; here is what he said:
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When I first became involved as a member of the Drysdale Clifton Springs Community Association in 2003, after having moved to the Bellarine in 2000, I was struck by the awareness and passion of a few people, one of them being Roger Lavingdale. He was always looking to put new ideas up for discussion. He was a committee member then, became Vice President in 2005 and 2006 and President in 2007 and 2008 and held those positions very successfully. In the latter part of that time, I was the Association's Secretary and I vividly recall many meetings at his home in Eastwood Court, talking about how to improve the area.

One of these improvements was a walking track around Lake Lorne. Roger became frustrated at the time it seemed to be taking to get the proposal approved, but we just had to wait until all the stakeholders involved agreed on what had to be done. I don’t think anyone really realised just how many stakeholders were involved, and how much planning was needed, e.g. avoiding underground services, dodging trees - the list went on and on. At one stage Roger was heard to mutter, “Give me a bloody bobcat and I’ll put the damn thing in myself!"

However, people at the City of Greater Geelong persisted in working through all the issues and over the past three years we have seen the gradual construction of the Lake Lorne walking track. It will be a lasting legacy to the memory of our mate Roger Lavingdale. On behalf of the Drysdale / Clifton Springs Community Association, I am very pleased to pay my respects to Roger, and thank Drysdale Rotary Club for initiating this day as we commemorate this track and the seat in his honour.  

It works! Locals try out the new track.

Lake Lorne - some background
The area known now as Drysdale - and especially the land around its three waterholes - was a favourite wintering place for Wathaurong people. The name Bellarine derives from the Wathaurong word "Bella Wein" ("a place where you lean on your elbow beside a campfire") and is thought to refer specifically to the waterholes. The inland site provided shelter from cold coastal winds and the lakes provided birds, fishes and plants to eat.

Corroborees were held in the area and archaeologists have found large deposits of shells, animal bones and artefacts in and around the waterholes. Wathaurong traditions and heritage are maintained by Wathaurong people living in the area today.

In the 1830s, in the early days of European colonisation of the area , the term "The Waterholes" referred collectively to what are known now separately as Lake Lorne and McLeod's Waterholes.

In 1872, the Bellarine Shire Council named Lake Lorne after the then Governor of Victoria; and the other two lakes became known as McLeod's Waterholes, probably after Dr. Angus McLeod, principal of the Free Presbyterian Church and School and an active participant in local affairs.

It was also in 1872 that the settlement known as Bellarine or West Bellarine was named Drysdale after Anne Drysdale, a local squatter.

(Sources:
Photos - The Voice; historical background - Lynette Willey [2010] The Waterholes: a history of Drysdale on the Bellarine. Bellarine Historical Society.)

Making developments consistent

On 29 February 2016, the Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) made a submission to the Victorian government's Advisory Committee on Managing Residential Development.

The DCSCA submission consisted of 13 recommendations designed to increase:

* the  efficiency and consistency of residential development and of the planning process in general

* the attractiveness of new residential developments to existing and incoming residents

* the protection of the natural and built environment, for the benefit of  current and future generations.

Background to the Committee’s work

In July 2013, the State Government announced that it would replace the existing residential zones (Residential 1, 2 and 3) in all Victorian planning schemes with three new residential zones:

• Neighbourhood Residential Zone
• General Residential Zone
• Residential Growth Zone.

The State Government asked each local council to say by 1 July 2014 how it would apply the new zones in its planning scheme. If a council didn’t respond by the deadline, all of its residential land would be declared a General Residential Zone by default. On July 1 2014, the State Government introduced the three new zones. In the process, residential land was zoned “General Residential” by default in a ‘considerable portion’ of Victoria’s planning schemes.

Councils have applied the three new zones inconsistently, with much local variation. Consequently, in February 2014, the State Government established the Residential Zones Standing Advisory Committee to advise local councils how to apply the three new zones. The Committee produced a general report on the zones’ application, plus 25 specific reports in response to 25 proposals.

Purposes of the Committee

1.   To consider the process by which the new residential zones were implemented

2.   To review the current application of the zones that allow for residential development in the context of managing Melbourne’s and Victoria’s residential growth in a sustainable manner and improving housing affordability

3.   To advise on the level of evidence and justification needed when preparing relevant planning scheme amendments

4.   To recommend improvements to the residential zones

5.   To provide councils, the community and industry with an opportunity to be heard.

DCSCA's SUBMISSION

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association Inc. (DCSCA) has had extensive experience of the management of residential development in the local area, which it believes will assist the Advisory Committee in its work. It has distilled its experiences into this submission, which consists of thirteen recommendations.

Recommendations

1. Each Australian state government should have a public document outlining its vision for a sustainable state; and the Federal Government should have an equivalent document outlining its vision for a sustainable Australia.

These documents should address issues including demography, transport infrastructure, land allocation, water management, power generation and distribution and communication services.

2. Require developers of new residential areas to provide services in the first stages of its development, rather than providing them as development proceeds.

Such services include, e.g., education, health, sports, recreation, Emergency Services, public transport, shopping and community spaces.

 

3. Require the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning to consult pro-actively with the appropriate organisations and groups when considering any changes to residential development and re-zoning and respond in detail to each comment made in those consultations.

Such organisations and groups include, e.g., the EPA, Emergency Services, the CFA, the Education Department, Worksafe, VicRoads, the TAC, water and power suppliers, local indigenous groups, public transport operators and user groups, local recreational, sporting, environmental and community groups.

4. Require the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning to encourage new developments to be environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Features contributing to environmentally friendly and sustainable development include significant open space; scenic trails, footpaths and cycle paths separated from traffic; existing significant trees and wildlife corridors, plus control of invasive species and vermin; protecting water courses from extra/polluted runoff; mandatory solar panels and water tanks at each property.

5. Require the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning to devise and implement a standardised procedure (e.g. a designated computer programme) for assessing any planning applications; and require each local council in Victoria to implement this procedure.

This will help to ensure that councils assess planning applications consistently.

6. Require developers of new residential areas to provide footpaths and cycle paths (ideally separated from road traffic) as a high priority; and to avoid compromising any existing cycling infrastructure.

7. Review the planning requirements for service stations containing hazardous materials and discontinue the “3,000m² exemption rule” applied currently to the petroleum industry.

As the internal combustion engine declines and disappears, so too will petrol stations, many leaving ugly, toxic sites that will be expensive to clean up. Planning policies should prepare for this.

8. Require each local council to give an Environmental Classification to each planning application it receives.

The classifications would be based on specific criteria, e.g., storage of hazardous materials; proximity to a water course, dam or coastal high water line; demonstrable risk to groundwater, flora or fauna. Suggested Environmental Classifications:

            “Low” - meets none of the specific criteria

            “Sensitive” – meets one of the specific criteria

            “Highly Sensitive” – meets two or more of the specific criteria.

9. Require the EPA to assess all “Sensitive” or “Highly Sensitive” planning applications; and approve such applications only with EPA approval.

10. Require an applicant who receives EPA approval for a “Sensitive” or “Highly sensitive” application to do no work on the site until the EPA and the council approves a Site Environment Management Plan (SEMP) for the site.

 

11. Amend the Planning and Environment Act 1987 Section 52 Notice of Application to require additional notification to specified bodies when a planning application is contentious.

Examples of contention include potential inconsistency with local planning policy and/or potentially increased risks to groundwater, flora, fauna and people. Risks include storage of hazardous materials; proximity to a water course, dam or coastal high water line; proximity to a major intersection, an area of congestion or a school.

Information about a planning application should be sent to the owner/s and the resident/s of the nearby properties; signage giving that information should reflect the significance of the application; and signage should be displayed until the application is approved/rejected, when the sign should be amended to include the decision.

12. Amend the opening paragraph of the Victorian Planning Provision Clause 65 General Provisions Decision Guidelines to read: “Because a permit can be granted does not imply that a permit should or will be granted.”; and require the responsible authority to list on its signage about an application any relevant local and state planning policies.

13. Require each council to provide on its website information that is easily accessible by the community about each planning application, its environmental classification and its status (approved/rejected); and to leave this information on its website for 10 years after an application has been approved/rejected.

Open Day celebrates a new beginning

Drysdale and Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) will run an Open Day on Saturday 19 December between 11.00am and 3.00pm at 164 Wyndham Street, Drysdale.

The Open Day will feature:

* A garage sale, a plant sale, a raffle, a Lions BBQ and coffee by Cafe2U

* Live music by Chris Wilson, Tex Miller, Narelle Jolley (of Sweet Dolores and the Whirling Sprurs) and Sarah Carroll (The Ukelele Queen of the Bellarine!)

* Glass blowing and Open Studio by Dax BeadArt's Glenda MacNaughton.

A new beginning!

The Open Day and Open Studio aims to raise funds for the association, to boost its membership and to invite people to join it in promoting the wellbeing of the community and its environment.

The event also celebrates the end of the year-long controversy over a new service station being built in Drysdale by Milemaker Petroleum. The controversy led to the association being ordered to pay Milemaker legal costs of $5,500, but some months later, the company waived the bill as a gesture of good will to the community.

Association Secretary Patrick Hughes said, “Milemaker’s generous gesture marks a new beginning for the association. We can return reinvigorated to our work, including representing local people’s views to outside organisations, lobbying for increased services and leisure facilities for the area’s expanding population and running the annual Festival of Glass.”

DCSCA submits further proposals to council's budget program

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association Inc. (DCSCA) has lodged a further six project proposals with the City of Greater Geelong’s Community Budget Submissions program.

Somewhere .....

The association had lodged its ‘Top 6’ project proposals already with the program, which invites community groups and organisations to submit proposals for the council’s 2016-17 budget. (See “DCSCA submits ‘Top 6’ proposals to council’s budget program” [19 November 2015] on this blog.)

To be considered in the Community Budget Submissions program, projects must consist of capital works on council assets, although no explanation is given for this requirement.

On the public agenda

Most of DCSCA’s submissions – especially its “Top 6” - meet that criterion. However, there are plenty of projects that don’t involve capital works on council assets, but would improve the wellbeing of the Drysdale & Clifton Springs community, often at little cost. Consequently, DCSCA has lodged proposals for these projects in order to keep them on the public agenda.

DCSCA's latest six submissions are listed in summary below.

1. Signage and Seating for “Springs Street Reserve” (approaching The Dell)

The council should install attractive signage and seating identifying the Reserve, to complement its recent beautification of this council owned land and to promote the area as a place of recreation. Little additional maintenance would be required, as the Council mows and maintains the area already.

Project objective:

* To enhance community wellbeing by continuing to beautify the Reserve and by promoting it as a place of passive recreation, where people can watch native birds and enjoy the ecosystem of the Reserve, The Dell and the foreshore.

Cost: $2,000.00

DCSCA has conducted community planting days to re-vegetate The Dell and would be happy to assist in any way with this project.

2. Toilets at the Jetty Road Reserve (Clifton Springs)

The council should provide toilets (for men, women and people with disabilities) at the Jetty Road Reserve, Clifton Springs. They would serve the Reserve and the nearby Curlewis shopping centre and would be an amenity for travelers along Jetty Road and walkers on the foreshore.

Project objectives:

* To encourage recreation at the Reserve by improving its amenities.

* To increasing the Reserve’s appeal to children by complementing the forthcoming play equipment.

Cost: $100,000.00

3. Scoping Study: Spring Water Dispensing Feature on the Clifton Springs foreshore

The council should reclaim the beach at the site of the historic mineral springs, as part of its current work to combat erosion and land slippage along the Clifton Springs Foreshore. While such reclamation is underway, the council should initiate a Scoping Study to investigate the practicalities and costs of installing a Spring Water Dispensing Feature at the site of the historic mineral springs on the Clifton Springs foreshore.

The Scoping Study should determine the cost of the project and recommend potential funding sources. Scoping Study personnel should include representatives of federal, state and local government, Tourism Geelong and the Bellarine and the Bellarine Historical Society, plus local community groups; and the study should invite input by appropriate experts and artists. Once the relevant stretch of beach has been reclaimed, the findings of the Scoping Study should direct the installation of a Spring Water Dispensing Feature. DCSCA understands that the spring water has been tested and declared safe to drink.

A Spring Water Dispensing Feature would be a significant contribution to the preservation of the mineral springs, which played a significant role in the development of Clifton Springs. If this feature was accompanied by a designated and signed Clifton Springs Foreshore Walk, it would attract locals and tourists alike, growing the local economy.

Project objective:

* To determine the practicalities and costs of installing a Spring Water Dispensing Feature on the Clifton Springs foreshore.

Cost: $25,000.00

DCSCA has conducted community planting days to re-vegetate The Dell and would be happy to assist in any way with the Scoping Study.

4. A Scenic Route for the Bellarine Peninsula

The council should designate a coastal route around the Bellarine Peninsula, from Geelong through Queenscliffe to Torquay and linking to the Great Ocean Road. DCSCA believes that the many scenic routes in Geelong and the Bellarine could make the region an internationally recognized destination for recreational walkers and cyclists. Designating and promoting these scenic trails will attract more visitors to the region, growing its economy.

The route should be called “Wathaurong Way”, to acknowledge the area’s original and continuing residents - the Wathaurong people. The council and tourism authorities should promote Wathaurong Way, using the promotion of the Great Ocean Road as a model, i.e. through roadside signage, print and electronic advertising and a booklet at Tourist Information centres.

Project objectives:

* To promote and encourage walking and cycling in the region, thus improving community health and well-being, reducing obesity and, therefore, health costs.

* To grow the local economy and increase local employment by increasing the region’s attraction to tourists – especially recreational walkers and cyclists.

Cost: $50,000.00. Some or all of the cost could be met through sponsorship. This is the type of activity with which federal and state governments would wish to be associated, as would commercial enterprises and community service groups.

For the last couple of years, DCSCA has actively promoted the region’s scenic trails. As a result, some are now identified in the REMA Tourist Information Map and in the North Bellarine Business & Services Directory. DCSCA has volunteer insurance and members would be happy to assist in any way with this project.

5. Promoting the region’s scenic walking and cycling trails

The council should designate and promote the region’s scenic routes by creating roadside signage and a booklet of maps to be available at Tourist Information Centres. DCSCA believes that the many scenic routes in Geelong and the Bellarine could make the region an internationally recognized destination for recreational walkers and cyclists. Designating and promoting these scenic trails will attract more visitors to the region, growing its economy.

Project objectives:

* To make the Bellarine more attractive to tourists, thus growing its economy and increasing local employment.

* To promote and encourage walking and cycling, thus improving community health and well-being, reducing obesity and, therefore, health costs.

Cost: $50,000.00. Some or all of the cost could be met through sponsorship. This is the type of activity with which federal and state governments would wish to be associated, as would commercial enterprises and community service groups.

DCSCA has been actively promoting scenic trails in the region for some time. As a result, some are now identified in the REMA Tourist Information Map and in the North Bellarine Business & Services Directory. DCSCA has volunteer insurance and members would be happy to assist in any way with this project.

6. Scoping Study: Extending the Geelong Ring Road to the Bellarine Peninsula

The council should initiate a Scoping Study to identify the needs, costs and benefits (safety, economic and environmental) of extending the Geelong Ring Road to the Bellarine Peninsula and recommend potential funding sources. The Study should also determine the relative benefits of constructing the Ring Road extension entirely or partially as a freeway. The Scoping Study personnel should include representatives of federal, state and local government, Tourism Geelong and local community groups.

Project objectives:

* To reduce traffic congestion in Central Geelong, improving its ambience and safety, reducing its chemical and noise pollution and increasing its attraction to tourists

* To reduce traffic through Geelong’s suburbs and through townships on the Bellarine Peninsula, increasing the Bellarine Peninsula’s attraction as a tourist destination

* To improve access to the Geelong Ring Road, particularly for traffic from Armstrong Creek, Moolap and the Bellarine Peninsula.

* To hasten travel between the Bellarine Peninsula and Melbourne or regional Victoria, compared with travelling through Geelong.

Cost: $50,000 – $80,000.

For several years, DCSCA has lobbied for the Geelong Ring Road to be extended to the Bellarine Peninsula. DCSCA has volunteer insurance and members would be happy to assist the Scoping Study in any way.