Frustration and hope mingled at last Thursday’s Yarra Glen community meeting, where council members and long-term residents gathered to discuss potential improvements for the town of Yarra Glen.
According to locals, the MacIntyre Lane to Yarra Glen, Yarra Valley Rail Trail and the voluntary Tarrawarra to Yarra Glen Rail Trail were particularly important topics for the 23 October meeting.
The focus on the speedy delivery of the rail trail infrastructure projects to bring tourist dollars to the township of Yarra Glen, stems from a rise in local concern for the long-term prosperity of the town.
Yarra Glen resident Neil Cornish said he attended the session seeking clear deadlines and accountability for key projects.
“We want commitment from the Council that they are doing what they are saying they are doing,” Mr Cornish said.
Referring to the long-anticipated Yarra Valley Rail Trail and trail between Tarrawarra and Yarra Glen, Mr Cornish said, “We were told when we first came into town it was two years and it was going to be finished.”
“Now they keep telling us it is a couple of years more work every couple of years. They’ve done probably 10 to 15 percent of the project. There is still a long way to go.”
The Yarra Valley Rail Trail project encompasses a network of trails, connecting Lilydale, Coldstream, Yarra Glen, and Healesville together in a valley-wide loop.
The project’s vision is to link the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail at Seville East and Woori Yallock.
According to the Yarra Ranges Council’s website, the Yarra Valley Trail “will provide outstanding infrastructure for locals and visitors, connecting communities, increasing opportunities for recreation, nature connection and active transport, and creating local jobs.”
The Tarrawarra to Yarra Glen Trail is largely volunteer-run and aims to restore the historic line from Healesville through Tarrawarra to Yarra Glen.
The two trails are a development both council and locals say would bring a wave of tourism and business to the township. However, progress has stalled for over a decade, prompting calls for renewed resources and attention.
Mr Cornish expressed sympathy for the volunteer teams, some of whom he knows personally, but said that without stronger council support, the community risks seeing the project fade into a perpetual “in progress” status.
“I think we need to put more resources in to get one of the trail projects done and worry about the other one later,” he said.
Mr Cornish also pointed out that the council-funded walking trail from McIntyre Lane to Yarra Glen, despite early promises, has only seen the build of two bridges and a small section of the trail be completed.
“They keep saying, ‘We’re nearly finished.’ Well, they haven’t nearly finished. We’re still waiting,” Mr Cornish said.
“People have come and bought businesses in the town. They were told it would soon be booming. Those businesses are closed now.
“They are saying it will bring prosperity to the town, but they haven’t worked out how to get over the Yarra River. Unless they get over the river, no one comes into town.”
Other residents echoed the need for revitalisation efforts to match promises. Marilyn Whiteside, another attendee at the Thursday meeting, noted that the rail volunteer base is ageing and in need of fresh energy.
Ms Whiteside said, “The volunteers for the rail from Yarra Glen to Healesville are an aging population.”
“They need more younger volunteers and people with skills that can help get the project going quicker.”
While the Tarrawarra to Yarra Glen rail trail went unmentioned in the meeting, council representatives reportedly assured residents that progress was being made on the Yarra Valley Rail Trail, with one section of the trail expected to open by December this year.
Despite the opening of the trail, it was confirmed at Thursday’s meeting that the completed section will stop short of crossing the Yarra River and hence, will not make it to Yarra Glen.
While the promise of completion is welcome, many remain skeptical. As Mr Cornish put it, “It’ll be good when it’s done, but I am not holding my breath.”
Yarra Ranges Council was approached for comment but maintained that there was no comment to add at this time.
