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WOLLONGONG COUNCIL STEERS BIKE PARK TO NEXT STAGE
Posted: 2013-04-18 22:04:19
From Illawarra Mercury – Shannon Tonkin
Wollongong City Council has voted to advance plans to investigate setting up a mountain bike park in the Illawarra but has held off on making a decision about whether to open Mt Keira Road to cyclists and walkers.
Councillors voted unanimously at Monday night's council meeting to back a motion from George Takacs and Michelle Blicavs calling on council staff to canvas suitable sites and operating models for setting up a dedicated mountain bike park.
Cr Takacs, a long-time mountain bike rider, estimated the site would need to be around 80 to 150 hectares to create multiple riding tracks.
As part of the motion staff were also asked to prepare a report to the council outlining key features of other dedicated mountain bike parks in Australia and New Zealand.
Cr Takacs also moved a motion to defer making a decision on whether or not to temporarily reopen Mt Keira Road to bike riders and walkers until after councillors had a site inspection and could meet with representatives of the cycling community.
Mt Keira Road was closed to all traffic last December because of safety concerns over rock falls and land slippage.
Cycling and walking groups have lobbied to have the road partially reopened.
Cr Takacs said councillors had received a lot of communication from residents regarding the issue, which he said reflected the road's "value" to the community.
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EASTERN SUBURBS WEEKLY AFTER WORK RIDES + 25 BRIDGES IN 24 KM...
Posted: 2013-01-31 19:43:03
> > EASTERN SUBURBS THURSDAY NIGHT RIDES
I just learned they organize mid-week after-work MTB rides on Wednesdays at Loftus Oval (Royal National Park). Head to www.mccyclery.com.au
> > BRIDGES TO MTB BLISS
Ever ridden over a swing bridge? How about a 35-metre-long one? Or a wooden bridge in the fern-covered bush? How about 25, built-for-bikes-bridges along 24 Km of pristine singletrack? Interested? This is the Pakihi Track, a steep, isolated, bush clad, river-hugging, waterfall-rich trail in the hills of the Waioweka Gorge in the Bay of Plenty, NZ. Our mates from bigbluemtb in NZ sent a link to some photos of the trail, which is part of the ambitious, 2,300 km, $50M NZ Cycle Trail network, being built throughout and along the length of NZ.
The link to this one and other trails in the area is here www.nzcycletrail.com/motu-trails
[The perennial question: why can't the NSW or Australian government initiate or agree to fund something great like this? I guess the much more remote and underfunded Bicentennial National Trail is the closest we'll get for some time]
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LEAKED REPORT WARNS AGAINST NATIONAL PARK HUNTING
Posted: 2013-01-27 16:55:02
From: abc.net.au
Leaked documents show the New South Wales Government has been warned by one of its own departments that there is a high risk of someone being killed when amateur hunters are allowed into national parks next year.
The Opposition has obtained a 60-page draft risk assessment by the Office of Environment cataloging the dangers of letting amateur hunters cull feral animals.
It warns the risk of park staff, visitors or other hunters being killed or seriously injured by arrows or bullets is high.
It also finds rotting carcasses left behind could contaminate drinking water and attract feral predators like wild pigs, dogs and foxes.
Labor's environment spokesman Luke Foley says it is a damning assessment that should force the Government to abandon the policy, but he fears it will be ignored.
"I fear that for Mr O'Farrell his dirty deals with the Shooters Party in the State Upper House will trump any responsibility he feels for protecting the safety of the people of New South Wales," he said.
Mr Foley says some of the risks can be reduced but they are impossible to eliminate, and says the Government cannot continue to argue the policy is safe.
"Every government's most sacred responsibility is to protect the safety of their community," he said.
"In the face of this damning assessment by their own office of Environment and Heritage, the O'Farrell government has got no alternative but to abandon the plan to open up our national parks estate to amateur hunters."
Environment Minister Robyn Parker says a full risk assessment will be done before the program starts in March.
"There is already shooting in national parks done by staff and contractors, and risk assessment is undertaken with that," she said.
"Each part [of the program] will have its strict controls and measures."
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