By Bonny Burrows
Works can now start on an off-road track 14 years in the making, with Cardinia Shire Council securing a contractor for the construction of the Cockatoo-Gembrook multi-use trail.
At the council’s 17 July general meeting, it was announced Melbourne-based company Kent Environmental and Vegetation Management would undertake construction of the trail at a cost of around $2.5 million.
A 6.5km extension to the Emerald-Cockatoo path, the Cockatoo-Gembrook multi-use trail will increase residential access to vital community, recreation and commercial facilities.
The hills community has been pushing for the project’s fast-tracking since stage one was completed in 2003, with residents unsatisfied with the 2020 completion date.
Stage one included the construction of the Emerald-Cockatoo component through Emerald Lake Park and Wrights State Forest, providing a link between the two towns. However, little work has occurred since.
The council acknowledged the delay at its meeting, saying residents had been “very patient” as processes were finalised.
“The news of construction is really exciting, and the community is very excited. They have been waiting for many, many years,” Ranges Ward councillor Leticia Wilmot said.
Councillors themselves are also thrilled the project can now get underway.
Cr Colin Ross said the benefits of such trails were often underestimated by government, which spent “so much money” on organised sport while community recreational sporting projects were slipping through the cracks.
He said the trail would be a “fantastic” addition to the surrounding hills communities.
A “really pleased” mayor, Brett Owen, said the project would not have been possible without the hard work of former councillors and financial contributions from state and federal governments.
The benefits would far surpass encouraging physical activity, the mayor said.
It would also provide a safe trail for children to travel to school off the road.
Local tourism could also boom, according to a council report on the “high priority” project, which states that “the trail is expected to hold significant tourism value and attract a high number of users to the region, increasing the tourism value associated with these small hills communities, Puffing Billy and other attractions in the area”.
Cr Wilmot said visitors would now have the option of a designated walk in the hills.
“It gives people the option of walking from one Puffing Billy station to the next. You don’t have to catch the train back,” Cr Wilmot said.
Councillors said they hoped the trail would eventually extend down to Belgrave, but that would be a matter for the Yarra Ranges Council.
A construction start date is yet to be announced.
