Baw Baw - you can’t be serious
Surely Baw Baw Shire Council cannot be serious in imploring Gazette readers to ‘Vote 1 Noojee’ for a tourism award.
Over the years I have come to know and appreciate the Noojee district through occasional camping and very frequent fishing trips on the rivers there. Noojee would be a worthy award candidate only if its major tourist attractions were not subject to long term closures at the same time.
Prior to last Christmas I took relatives to see the trestle bridge but it was closed for repair. As the months went by each time I drove past the turn off I expected to see it re-opened. When I saw the recent full page council advertising that featured a photo the trestle bridge I dared to believe that work was complete. Last week we drove out for look, you guessed it- still closed.
The Noojee township picnic park on the Latrobe river has also been shut for months on end. Day trippers expecting to enjoy the once well utilised park facilities are turned away by barriers and a ‘road closed’ sign across the entry. Notices advise that the closure is the result of storm and flood damage. Apart from the initial clean up carried out months ago the only thing that seems to be happening at the park is the alienation of those trying to visit.
Despite the area having only two major camp grounds the Easter holiday makers arriving at Noojee were greeted with a flashing roadside sign stating POPLARS CAMPGROUND CLOSED. It directed the hapless campers to the Toorongo Falls camping areas which had already filled to capacity with campers.
Forgetting Noojee, day visitors could perhaps head to scenic Jindivick and utilise the electric barbecues, rotunda and play area adjoining the cricket ground. Whoops no sorry. They too are shut and fenced off with no work happening within the fences and the weeks now fast becoming months.
Should we be chasing a tourist award? I don’t think so. At least not until we rectify our tourism deficiencies.
Bruce Miskin, Drouin wool and prime lamb production. Horticultural production is significant and increasing, including potatoes and asparagus in the west, other vegetable production across the region and boutique wineries.
The sector is highly sensitive to reduced water supply and increased temperatures. Intensive animal industries will need to provide increased protection for stock from extreme temperatures. Climate change may present opportunities in Gippsland for some horticulture crops such as apples and brassicas if irrigation water is available.
Some areas of the region remain under pressure from development with land changing towards urban and rural residential development. There is considerable competition for land between rural residential development, urban expansion (including the expansion of Melbourne’s peri-urban fringe) and agriculture.
The issues of the future (and not too distant) will be food security, availability of agriculture land, climate change, services, and in turn our quality of life. There are other aspects to existence of humans in our ever changing world. The environment, rivers, forests, climate, land use etc. It is vital that we protect our valuable agricultural assets and having a development that adds to and contributes to the industrial wellbeing of this sector. Food availability and its growth will be the next “climate change” facing our society.
We have a responsibility to ensure that we maximise our opportunities and not destroy our ability to meet the needs of the future.
Michael Fozard, Trafalgar