A brand new paddle club could land at Lillydale Lake following an expression of interest and growing local demand.
Paddle Victoria is exploring the possibility of opening a new club at the Lake to expand opportunities in the east.
“There’s definitely potential in the area. We just happen to have some funding at the moment to build new clubs,” Paddle Victoria education administration officer Roz Manester said.
“We’ve identified Lilydale for a long time as an area for growth because we don’t have anything else out there… It’s long been a mission of ours to have a club out there.”
The closest of the 33 established clubs are Fairfield and Templestowe, with other paddle clubs situated in Melbourne and further around the state.
Paddle Victoria has held both social and competitive events at Lillydale Lake in the past, however, a club hasn’t been proposed before.
In order for the club to begin, Paddle Victoria is looking for at least five members to pick it up. However, the ideal figure would be from 10 to 20 people.
“You need a core of people who will be on a committee to run the everyday events of the club. So obviously, the more people the better, because otherwise you’re going to get volunteer burnout,” Ms Manester said.
If the club is to form, it would be open to all ages but there is an aim to garner younger paddlers to join.
“It’s really good to try and include younger paddlers. It’s a great sport…We take kids as young as six as long as their parents are members as well,” Ms Manester said.
The club is also open to all abilities, with Lillydale Lake being the perfect place to learn and develop skills.
“It’s quite good because it’s very gentle on your joints and that type of thing…it’s actually a great form of exercise if you’ve got knee or hip issues,” Ms Manester said.
Lillydale Lake is also a complimentary setting for beginners who would like to get their start in kayaking, canoeing, or rowing because of the flat water and easy access.
“It’s an amazing facility, I feel sad that you can’t utilise it a bit more with having a permanent club there,” Ms Manester said.
Once set up, the club will initially run without a clubhouse. However, there is an opportunity for Paddle Victoria to supply the club with a trailer of boats for members to use.
From there, it would be up to members when and what time they would like to meet.
Paddle Victoria is inviting interested members to Lillydale Lake on Sunday 27 July from 10am to 12.15pm to have a chat and ask any possible questions about joining.
Interest can also be registered through the following link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlWzRxMAjL_xPfqSp-7f6xl3vW5NnXnv4V5pD_cU6Du84_8g/viewform
