General News
21 March, 2023
Access to Gellibrand cut
ACCESS to the Gellibrand River could be cut off for much of the year with works under way at Princetown drawing the ire of local residents.
ACCESS to the Gellibrand River could be cut off for much of the year with works under way at Princetown drawing the ire of local residents.
Resident and business owner Matt Bowker said the community was notified of the closure earlier this month.
He said the blocking of the car park area for a works depot closes the only public boat ramp access to the river for any boat traffic as well as the only fully accessible estuarine fishing platform from Apollo Bay to Warrnambool.
“It effectively shuts the entire Gellibrand River to all boat traffic for an entire year,” Mr Bowker said.
“For a private developer to be able to bring this about would seem to be completely unreasonable.
“The fishing platform area is the safest and most accessible place to access the river for swimming for anyone with mobility issues or parents/grandparents watching children.
“It is estimated that the fishing platform and picnic area is currently used by in excess of 10,000 visitors a year.”
Mr Bowker expressed his disappointment in what he said was “no public consultation during the approval process” allowing for time to raise problems and negotiate solutions.
He said the main issue was the length of time of the proposed closure.
“If it were for one or two months, the local community could deal with that,” Mr Bowker said.
“The closure would appear to be for convenience reasons and that is not reason enough to disrupt the local community and visitors for so long.
“If the area needs to be closed on occasion for safety reasons, then that would be perfectly acceptable, but after hours and on weekends, there is no reason to have that area closed off.”
Princetown Eco Stay director Gavin Ronan said The Old Coach Road Bridge was at the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced.
“This is a complex project that will cause some inconvenience to people who use the car park and boat ramp at Princetown,” he said.
“We apologise for the inconvenience, but there is simply no other way to do the works.
“For safety and environmental reasons, there is no alternative than to have a construction site compound on the west bank of the Gellibrand River.”
Mr Ronan said the work details were confirmed in 2019 when Corangamite Shire Council approved the Construction Management Plan following two weeks of public consultation.
“The site of the construction compound and its purpose has not changed in subsequent construction Management Plan revisions,” he said.
“In accordance with occupational health and safety requirements, as well as strict environmental controls reviewed by the State Government, council and statutory authorities, the construction site compound will not be open to public access.
“Members of the public will still be able to walk around the compound to access the south end of the jetty on the western bank of the Gellibrand River.”
Corangamite Shire manager planning and building services Aaron Moyne said preparation was under way to establish a temporary bridge over the Gellibrand River on Old Coach Road at Princetown so a new permanent bridge could be installed.
“This is part of stage one public infrastructure works associated with the Princetown eco-tourism development,” he said.
“A temporary floating bridge will be installed directly north of the existing bridge. It will be used for vehicle and pedestrian access while the old bridge is demolished and a new one installed.
“Accessways to the temporary bridge have been constructed and it will be fixed in-river before the end of March.
“Bridge works can only occur during January-March and July-September to manage environmental impacts on fish species.”
Mr Moyne said all works associated with the Old Coach Road upgrade and widening and the bridgeworks would occur within construction management plans which have been approved by council, in conjunction with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA).
He said the CCMA has also issued works in waterway approval for the build.
“This will restrict public access to the river through the boat ramp and car park,” Mr Moyne said.
“The location of the construction compound is consistent with the design originally approved in June 2019.
“The construction compound must remain in place outside of the in-river works period from April-June to enable other works and preparation for bridge abutments and road access to occur.”
River access will be available over Easter and the compound and works area established after the break.
Mr Moyne said council has no direct involvement in the public infrastructure works, aside from review of management plans and planning and road management approvals.
“This enabling infrastructure is being delivered through funding from the state and commonwealth governments,” he said.
“Council recognises the impact and concern the closure of boat access will cause and is working with DEECA, Parks Victoria and CCMA on alternate temporary access options.
“The current bridge over Gellibrand River is nearing the end of its asset life and must be replaced.
“A new bridge will deliver two-way vehicle and pedestrian access to improve conditions and safety for all users.”
Princetown Recreation Reserve Committee of Management has also raised concerns on access issues for reserve users.
Committee secretary Carol Fulford questioned what provision has been made for cars and carvans to back up and wait while other vehicles were crossing the floating bridge.
She said the committee was working on the assumption the floating bridge has the same carrying capacity as the existing bridge.
“This is critical to the ongoing operation of the reserve and campground in accessing services including disposal of waste etc,” Mrs Fulford said.
“We have our own works in progress: a new wastewater treatment plant commencing installation after Easter and a new solar installation ready to commence.
“If this assumption is unfounded then how is the Corangamite Shire proposing to ensure these critical works continue?”
In the past the recreation reserve has been used as a control centre for search and rescues related to the river, according to Mrs Fulford.
“What contingency does the shire have in place should an incident occur in the next 10 months while river access is not possible from the boat ramp?,” she said.
“If the Corangamite Shire wishes to allay these community fears, and more, an urgent meeting is required to provide detail and assurance.”
