Community Workshop

Thank you to every one who came along to the Community Workshop in Cavendish on 16 June. It was great to meet everybody and to learn about what aspects of the landscape are valued the most, what threats there are to it and what members of the community would like the study to achieve..

On the night, groups were formed around tables and a number of questions were used as a basis for discussion. Some of these and the responses are listed below:

What words best describe the landscape?

Majestic, unique, rugged, rolling, ancient, fertile, diverse, bucolic, dramatic, atmospheric, naturally rich, fragile, healthy and ever-changing. The iconic nature of the landscape, its importance to Australian and Aboriginal cultural heritage, and the fact that it is also a working, productive landscape were key themes that were discussed.

Where would you take an interantional visitor to appreciate the landscape?

Halls Gap, through Mirranatwa Gap to Bryan Swamp
Victoria Valley, Dunkeld and Rocklands Reservoir
To the railway bridge over Wannon River
Mt. Eccles, Strachan's Hut and fishing at Moora Moora Reservior
Mt. Rouse, and the volcanic features, natural springs, caves and wetlands
To see the aboriginal rock paintings, and sites with a variety of flora and fauna

What areas/aspects of the landscape are the most significant?

The way the mountains jump out of the plains
The wetlands and swamps
Seeing the productive, agricultural landscape in action
The drama, scale and impact of the mountains on approach
Lifestyle amenity
The way the Grampians create their own climatic conditions
Strachan's Hut on the north side of the Glenelg River has its own ecosystem, there is no sun after midday and the stringybark rain forest is unique
The sculptural qualities and proliferation of the red gums
The fragility of the landscape, it is irreplaceable

What are the key threats to the landscape?

Inappropriate industrial development, unplanned development, population growth with the pressures it places on infrastructure and subdivision, loss of productive agricultural land, plantations of the wrong species and wall-to-wall plantations, litter, fire and a lack of protection for wildlife and vegetation were all identified.

Do you have any concerns about the study, and what would you like it to achieve?

Things, change and there is a need to change with it, restrictions on farming and business activities may hinder this
Community values are important, getting the community aware and involved, and listening to the people is an integral part of the study
There needs to be transparency in the process, it needs to be made clear how conclusions have been reached
The landscape must be preserved for future generations, we need to look to the future rather than prioritising short term goals
We need to create awareness of the landscape, for locals and tourists, to ensure that it is not taken for granted
The study should be done for the whole of the Shire
It needs to be made clear that the study is not going to restrict development, rather that it will identify the places that are the most suitable

We understand that not everybody who would like to contribtute to the Study were able to attend the Community Workshop. The study area is quite broad, and this blog has been established to create access for everybody to have a say and assist in developing the outcomes of the study.

If you have anything you would like to add to the discussions above, or any other input, please feel free to contribute by commenting on this post.