Walking track dust-up

By Dion Teasdale
WARBURTON Advancement League (WAL) and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) have come to blows over the fate of a local walking track.
Last week the DSE issued a warning to vandals that removed closure signs and barriers along Teddy’s Lookout track in Warburton, claiming their actions were endangering the lives of others.
However, WAL believes the removal of closure signs and barriers along the track is a community-minded protest against the track’s enforced closure and have described the DSE’s actions as being “heavy-handed”.
The track was closed by the DSE in June last year after studies found it had been constructed by the WAL without relevant permits, and was in an area with a medium to high risk of landslip.
The closure triggered outrage in the Warburton community and the DSE was accused of getting caught up in red tape.
The manager of Crown land management for DSE’s Port Phillip region, Wayne Malone, said the recent removal of closure signs and barriers along the track was unacceptable.
“Fencing wire has been cut, barriers removed and signs torn down. These acts of vandalism are putting people in danger,” he said.
But WAL president Jesse James said the removal of signs and barriers were not random acts of vandalism, and disputed whether lives were being put at risk.
“This is being done by people who want to use the track, who think it is safe and who think that closing it is over the top,” he said.
Mr James said the conditions the DSE had placed on the track since its closure were “ludicrous and onerous”.
“The DSE want us to pay $4,500 on reports before we can spend a cent on improving the track and for a small community group like ours, that’s too much,” he said.
“If common sense is allowed to prevail we can fix the things the DSE say are dangerous quickly and inexpensively without these costly reports.”
Mr James said there was a lot of support for reopening the track, which is located on the north side of the Yarra River east of Redwood Bridge.
“The WAL doesn’t condone anyone taking the barriers down, but we can understand the attitude. A lot of people think the DSE is being heavy-handed and denying the community,” he said.
Mr Malone confirmed the DSE had instructed WAL to obtain an engineering report and a geo-technical assessment to determine risk management options.
“In the absence of requested reports, DSE is obtaining an assessment and the track must remain closed to the public in the meantime,” he said.
Mr Malone said the assessment may determine that the track is unable to be made safe and should be permanently closed and revegetated.
“There are some very sound reasons for getting this kind of work approved by the relevant authorities, and public safety is at the top of that list,” Mr Malone said.
“DSE appreciates the league’s commitment to its community, however, the track must remained closed. We hope the vandalism stops before someone gets hurt on the track.”
Mr Malone said DSE would continue to work with the WAL and the Upper Yarra River Reserves Committee to investigate ways of keeping the track open.