By KATH GANNAWAY
YARRA Ranges Council can tick off one of its ‘specific asks’ for Eildon electorate if the Liberal Coalition Government is returned in November.
Premier Dr Denis Napthine announced in Warburton on Tuesday last week that the government was good for $3.5million for the Warburton Mountain Bike Hub.
The project, which went out to the public earlier this year following an extensive feasibility study, is a $4million nature-based recreation project that already has a $500,000 commitment from Yarra Ranges Council and a $300,000 commitment from Warburton and Yarra Junction Bendigo Community Banks.
The project includes a dedicated, purpose-built mountain biking single track and shared-use walking and cycling track connecting Warburton, East Warburton and Millgrove.
Up to 97 kilometres of new tracks would be created in four separate zones linking Lilydale to the Warburton Rail Trail and O’Shannassy Aqueduct.
Dr Napthine said the project would create up to 175 jobs and inject an estimated $23million into the local economy.
“The completed Warburton Mountain Bike Trail is expected to attract 130,000 new visitors to Warburton every year,” he said.
He said construction would be staged and sections opened as they were complete, with a completion date of late 2015.
Yarra Ranges Mountain Bikers’ president Damian Auton said the announcement showed that the hard work put in by lobbying the State Government had paid off.
Mr Auton said it was important to recognise that the project was for a hub for bike riders including road cycling, bmx and mountain bikers.
He said the YRMB would be lobbying Labor for a commitment to match the $3.5m pledge.
On the question of whether he believed people would change their vote to secure the project, Mr Auton said he believed it could be a vote winner.
“When it’s such a significant project in a localised context, something that will change the lives of people in the Yarra Valley, I expect people may change their vote.
“Certainly from the fraternity of mountain bikers, I think that would be so,” he said.
The project has broad bi-partisan, even tri-partisan support in the Eildon electorate with Labor candidate Sally Brennan saying she had organised a briefing between Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation, John Eren, and Yarra Ranges Council on the project.
“I’m completely supportive and council, including Cr Child (Jim Child who is Nationals candidate) is well aware of that and the process currently underway with the Opposition to inform them fully about the project,” she said.
Independent Bruce Argyle also pledged his support of the project which he said would be a terrific plus for the region.
“It’s a major project and one I believe the community really wants and is fully behind and so on that basis I would support it,” he said.
