Yarra for Life plan backed

By Melissa Donchi
THE community is getting behind an ambitious Yarra for Life (Y4L) program to protect the Yarra River, support sustainable agriculture and secure a future for Victoria’s endangered bird emblem, the Helmeted Honeyeater.
Last week, a bus load of community minded citizens toured the Yarra Valley to explore the challenges in achieving these Y4L targets, with Mayor Tim Heenan and Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe also along for the ride.
First stop was Yering Cottages where owner Ross Stevens spoke about shifting the business focus from farming to eco tourism while Yarra Riverkeeper Ian Penrose gave an overview of the Yarra River and its health.
At Stringybark Creek in Coldstream the focus was on improving the health of the Yarra River by saving water, stopping pollutants getting into the waterways and revegetating riverbanks with native plants.
In Wandin, the bus pulled into the Chapman family farm where Steve Chapman, who runs the business with his brother, spoke about challenges and issues for local horticultural industries in implementing more sustainable growing methods.
After a lunch stop at the Blue Hills Cafe in Wandin, the bus veered off to Yellingbo where their attention turned to the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater.
Representatives from Parks Victoria, Macclesfield Landcare Group and Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater revealed their plan to protect local biodiversity.
Y4L Program Coordinator Greg Milne said the program was aimed at addressing long-term environmental issues that couldn’t be solved with short-term funding cycles.
“We need to come up with something more enduring and robust so we can increase the scale, magnitude and effectiveness of our environmental works,” Mr Milne said.
“To do that we need to create an environment that people want to invest in and I think this program has a compelling cause.”
One approach to protecting the Yarra River is to build a Yarra Walk, which will use the idea of the Great Ocean Walk as its foundation.
“Something like the Great Ocean Walk took more than 10 years to go from a concept to construction,” Mr Milne said.
“We want to work with the community to build a Yarra Walk which will achieve the same kind of respect for the local environment.”
Ms Fyffe said there was a lot of merit to the Y4L proposal.
“There is a lot of work to be done but I think it’s very possible to achieve,” Ms Fyffe said.
“I think the idea for a walk from Warrandyte to Warburton would be a fantastic tourist attraction.”
Ms Fyffe said one of the major challenges for local growers was getting credit for their produce.
“I know major supermarkets like Coles don’t name where the produce is from, which I think is a shame,” she said.
“We need the growers to promote their produce but at the same time we need the consumers to want to know where their food comes from.”
Already a committed environmentalist Cr Heenan said he gained an added appreciation for the farmers.
“I take my hat off to this new generation of farmers who want to link in with these new environmental values,” Cr Heenan said.
“I think the lesson is to all of us that you can’t be an island any more – we all have to work together to make a difference.”