By Callum Ludwig
With the Yarra Ranges Council pushing for a Roads for Agribusiness initiative promise ahead of this year’s federal election, perhaps looking back on the successful $150 million Roads for Community grant received after the 2019 election.
Millgrove was one of the major beneficiaries of the initiative, with 13 roads outlined in Council’s priority list over the initial four-year project ongoing into 2023.
Cavanagh Rd from Westley Rd to Moore Crescent and Moore Crescent itself were both completed over the high priority period 2020-2021. 200 metres combined of these roads were sealed at no cost to residents under the Special Charges Scheme, improving access to Millwarra Primary School, Millgrove Preschool and the Millgrove Recreation Reserve, home of the Yarra Valley Soccer Club after the three-month-long works.
Millwarra Primary School Principal Rod Barnard said the sealing of Cavanagh Rd has made the school a whole lot cleaner and improved access.
“There was so much dust, and the entrance into our staff carpark is much better, you would disappear into holes before,” he said.
“Access for parents is also much better, they’ve also got the car park now that’s been constructed at the front of the school as part of the works. People feel safe and good, and have a solid place to park.”
The sealing of roads in Millgrove has been a key target of the Millgrove Residents action group since its formation in 2005 and the Roads For Community initiative is finally set to achieve its goal. Their efforts were largely supported by former Casey MP Tony Smith, Eildon MP Cindy McLeish and Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Jim Child.
Chair of the Millgrove Residents Action Group Maureen Halit said the sealing of roads made residents proud of their town.
“It brings a sense of pride to the residents now they’re able to beautify the own area, like their nature strips and gardens because before, water was just flowing onto their properties,” she said.
“The potholes were horrendous, and it caused a sense of depression in cold wet weather, the roads and morale degrading. But now the morale has lifted amazingly.”
For parents and children heading to the primary school and preschool, or soccer players heading to the oval, conditions could be pretty poorly.
Ms Halit said you almost needed gumboots to get around in the wet.
“Mothers were trying to walk kids around to the school and kinder through all of this flooding on the nature strips and on footpaths, and the kids were getting soaking wet,” she said.
“Soccer has become a pretty big thing in Millgrove. The parking was crazy, there was nowhere to park because of the water and just accessing the oval was horrendous.”
Another 3.7km of Millgrove roads are going to be sealed over the course of 2022/23 as part of the initiative, affecting another 251 properties that will be up for special charges to assist in funding their completion. This includes the 1.47km Wonga Rd, with 132 properties on it.
As well as Wonga Rd and final efforts to the back end of Cavanagh Rd Moore Crescent, the following Millgrove roads are still to be sealed:
Adrienne Court, Hearse Road, Hodge Court, Lillis Court, Margaret Court, Maxwell Court, River Road, and Vera Court.
$150 million is again the figure requested by Yarra Ranges Council to fund Roads for Agribusiness after the Roads for Community success. The request is being put forward on its ability to help protect fruit in transport, improve working conditions and encourage tourists to tourism agribusinesses.
