Seal of approval on roads

By Kath Gannaway
YARRA Glen wineries have welcomed an injection of $800,000 to seal two prominent tourist roads.
The Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance and the Yarra Ranges Council will jointly fund the upgrade of Glenview Road from Yarraview Road to King Street, and the unmade sections of Yarraview Road and Gulf Road from Steels Creek Road to the existing seal.
The Alliance will contribute the bulk of the money, $500,000, while Yarra Ranges Council will put in $300,000.
Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance Project Manager Rob Cranston said the Alliance was pleased to support the council in sealing the roads, saying it further highlighted their commitment to leaving a positive legacy from the project.
“The sealing of these roads will improve road conditions in the Yarra Valley area and provide long-term benefits to the local community,” Mr Cranston said.
Gavan Oakley, owner of Acacia Ridge Winery in Gulf Road said the project was very much appreciated in what had been a most difficult 12 months.
“Gulf Road is not only unmade, but has been knocked around by the pipeline trucks so it’s good to see the Sugarloaf Alliance and the council have recognised this and have moved to seal the road,” he said.
“It will make it a much more attractive option to travel between the Melba Highway and Steels Creek Road, and that will be good for my cellar door,” he said.
Rebecca Farrow, spokeswoman for Sticks Winery on Glenview Road, said sealing the road would be good for the wineries and for residents.
With a lot of fruit trucks travelling back and forth Ms Farrow said reducing the dust factor would be good for the people who lived and worked on Glenview Road.
She said while there was a rural aspect to an unmade road, she believed a sealed road would also hold greater appeal for Melbourne visitors.
Mr Oakley agreed: “The dust doesn’t affect the vines so much, but it does discourage people with clean cars coming down,” he said. “People from Melbourne don’t like Yarra Glen dust on their cars.”
Yarra Ranges councillor Jeanette McRae also welcomed the Alliance funding and said it allowed the work to be done in an affordable way.
“These roads are an important part of our road network and we are delighted by the Alliance’s initiative to help us improve them,” Cr McRae said.
“I commend council’s environment and engineering team and the Alliance for working co-operatively to achieve this great outcome.”
The project is expected to begin soon.