The Star Mail’s coverage of the Yarra Ranges Council’s paid parking pilot in Warburton was an important moment in March 2025.
The Yarra Ranges Council’s decision to introduce a paid parking pilot in Warburton caused much debate among locals.
The pilot’s aim was to ease congestion and more fairly distribute the cost of maintaining infrastructure among residents and visitors.
Residents of the Yarra Ranges were exempt from paying if they applied for a permit, while visitors would have to pay on weekends and public holidays in designated areas.
“The Yarra Ranges region is one of Victoria’s most visited destinations, with annual visitor numbers expected to double from 4.5 million to over 9 million in the next decade,” O’Shannassy Ward councillor Jim Child said.
“While this growth is vital to the local economy, it also creates significant challenges for our infrastructure, particularly in the high visitation areas like Warburton.”
But a large swathe of the community were critical of the pilot. One Facebook user commented on the Warburton/Millgrove noticeboard, “I feel this will impact local businesses that rely on tourists and day to day trades stopping for morning tea, coffee or lunch.”
The Yarra Ranges Tourism chief executive officer at the time, Simon O’Callaghan, said the price of parking in Warburton is a “modest fee” and won’t impact tourist spending.
“We need to find ways with the government on how that infrastructure is paid for, and I think it’s a good thing if collected parking fees from visitors go back into supporting local infrastructure,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
Read the full article here: upperyarra.mailcommunity.com.au/news/2025-03-08/visitor-paid-parking-in-warburton-could-reap-rewards-but-residents-remain-concerned/
