By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
SENATOR Arthur Sinodinos paid a visit to Puffing Billy in Belgrave in support of projects MP Jason Wood has been working towards in the La Trobe electorate.
Mr Sinodinos and Mr Wood met with Tourist Railway CEO John Robinson at Puffing Billy on Thursday 19 May to discuss the historic railway’s upgrade plans and the proposed cultural walk managed by Yarra Ranges Council.
The senator described Puffing Billy’s master plan as very impressive and also praised the volunteer numbers that Puffing Billy utilised.
The Puffing Billy Master plan includes a new visitor centre at the railway’s lakeside stop at Emerald Lake Park and plans to improve the Emerald to Gembrook leg of the railway.
“Puffing Billy is a really unique thing,” Mr Sinodinos said.
“A lot of volunteers are involved and it’s a community project rather than a bureaucratic or straight commercial enterprise, so it has that broader resonance.
“Having that support from the community is incredible,” he said.
Mr Robinson said with the community support, Puffing Billy would not be the business it is today.
“Without them we wouldn’t be the strength that we are,” he said.
Mr Robinson said the tourism of Puffing Billy was set to increase at a rate of about seven or eight per cent over the next decade, so it is important to have government support for the planned upgrades.
During the meeting, Mr Wood also spoke about the proposed ‘Ridge Walk’, formally the ‘Villages of the Dandenongs Walk’ that aims to keep the artistic history of the Dandenong alive.
Director of Social and Economic Development at Yarra Ranges Council, Ali Wastie presented Mr Sinodinos with the plans for the 14-kilometre walk from South Belgrave to Montrose.
“What we want to offer to tourists and locals is not just a historical experience but also a physical experience,” Ms Wastie said.
Mr Sinodinos praised Mr Wood and Yarra Ranges Council for their dedication to maintaining and improving the tourism and visitor experience in an environmentally sensitive area.
“You are investing in this environment as an asset because that’s part of what you are selling so you’ve got to look after it,” he said.
Mr Sinodinos said he was really pleased to see these tourism infrastructure projects that benefitted locals and tourists to the area.
“It’s not until you see Puffing Billy in operation you see how exciting and good it really is and just see the number of tourists that flock to it even during midweek,” he said.
“The thing that impressed me was the large volunteer component; John and his team have done a great job of managing the volunteers and it’s a community asset; I don’t see it as a commercial enterprise.
“If you ask me why the government should support this is because it is a community asset that people have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into over the years.
“We’ve also seen council’s plan and vision for the whole place and how it incorporates environmental aspects, historical aspects, indigenous values, and really creates an experience for people.
“I think it’s a great thing to work on and we will work on it further during the campaign.”
Mr Wood said he was pleased to have Mr Sinodinos visit his electorate and looked forward to working closely with him to see these projects come to life.
“For Arthur to come out today was a great pleasure,” he said.
“In the last couple of years my focus has been safety and after we have done the health and safety, it’s all about tourism and jobs.
“We need to let everyone know you can stay and work locally and use this to our natural advantage.”
Mr Wood said he was feeling confident about his campaign in La Trobe and was always looking for ways to support and work with the community.
Mr Wood won the seat of La Trobe in the 2013 federal election with 54 per cent of the vote.
