The Yarra Ranges is renowned for its scenic routes and well-trodden walkways, and a new plan is in place to manage them going forward following the Tuesday 14 October council meeting.
The ten-year Paths and Trails Plan was adopted and is set to improve health, wellbeing and community connectivity as well as help promote popular tourist tracks.
Billanook Ward councillor Tim Heenan spoke to the motion and said the has been a fantastic concept and another great deal of hard work.
“I have to take us back to Covid, I have to take us back to those dim dark pandemic days that we had a few years ago, when local community and it didn’t matter where they were, be it in Belgrave, Lilydale, Warburton, Yellingbo, Seville, Silvan, Belgrave, anywhere, but they could only stay on their trails and their walking paths within that area,” he said.
“I think a lot of people, if they didn’t already appreciate what we have in Yarra Ranges, I think the message came home very loud and clear to them during those days of lockdown, when we were restricted in our movement.
“The document shows so many different areas for members of the community to be able to take to bushland, take to walking trails connected to communities, to experience nature, and just try and have a happy time and an enjoyable time with what we have, which we see is very unique in Yarra Ranges.”
The implementation of the plan is currently unfunded and expected to cost about $55 million over the ten-year period it is in place, consisting of $10 million in upgrades, $5 million in upgrades and about $39.9 on new or missing links.
10 proposed upgrades to existing trails, 34 upgrades to existing or construction of new road crossings and 45 new trails or missing links projects are slated in the plan.
Cr Heenan said with a plan going forward, something of which they’ve never had before, they can now look and prioritise where the funds are most important.
“There’s a lot in here that we know are very important and there have been really great links, obviously, some of the biggies of the Warburton Rail Trail and we’ve got substantial walks now forecast to the future in the Dandenongs with the Ridgewalk,” he said.
“I think Mount Dandenong has needed substantial connectivity from one township to another for a very long time, now they’re going to get that.
“But all over the Yarra Ranges, we’ve got fantastic opportunity.”
Following the community consultation period, 70 per cent of contributors expressed support for the plan’s vision while the remaining 30 per cent of respondents cited concerns such as missing links and level crossings, safety issues, and limited walkability within townships for their lower satisfaction.
Streeton Ward councillor Jeff Marriott seconded the motion and said he shared the draft stage of this plan a lot, both on Facebook and through the scouting community.
“One of the groups I’m involved with is the Innovation Working Group up in the Upper Yarra and one part of their project is looking at the walking economy, so that’s exactly in line with this Paths and Trails plan,” he said.
“I think this plan will blend right into the element for part of the promotion for Tourism East of our area, so I think when we’re looking at people coming into the area for tourism, there’s not much that we haven’t got, it blends well into their health and wellbeing plan that we’ve actually just approved.
“When we’re looking at the combination of paths and trails, we’ve got walking, cycling, canoeing and horse trails, we’ve made a huge start with the Warburton Mountain Bike Park and I think it’s something which will see some really good outcomes, not just for up to 2035, but I think even beyond that.”
