New Mountain Bike Skills Park For Forrest

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Forrest is set to become a must-see destination for mountain bike riders with a detailed design process underway for a new skills park and an upgrade to the park’s signature Red Carpet trail close to completion.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today (18 November) announced that Velosolutions Australia will design and construct the skills park at Forrest, in the heart of the Otway Ranges.

The bike trail network is being upgraded and expanded through the Forrest Mountain Bike Revitalisation Project thanks to $2.07 million from the Victorian Government and $250,000 from the Colac Otway Shire.

The skills park will replace an existing dirt pump track and children’s pump track. It will feature an asphalt pump track with a circuit of rollers, jumps and banked turns. The asphalt surface will be suitable for skateboards, rollerblades and scooters as well as bikes.

Two jump lines will also be installed, with features ranging from tabletops for novices to step-up and step-down sections for more advanced riders.

During community consultation, residents and riders provided valuable input about their requirements for the park and this input will be incorporated during the design process.

Meanwhile the upgrade of the signature Red Carpet trail − which stretches from the Lake Elizabeth area to the Barwon River − is close to completion. The upgrade includes resurfacing to allow for year-round riding. New jumps, shaped features and berms (banked turns) are also being built along the 4.5 kilometre trail.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio says, “This new skills park will have a range of jumps, rollers and other features that will give riders of all ages and abilities the opportunity to sharpen their skills – bringing more tourists to the area and creating jobs. Now more than ever we can appreciate being able to get out in nature and visit amazing parts of Victoria, including this beautiful park and trail.”

Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas says, “This is great news for the Forrest community and beyond. This project will support local jobs, provide a boost for local businesses and drive more visitors to the area.”

Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney says, “The community has been very involved in planning for the park, providing ideas and suggestions that designers will take on board as they design the best possible use of this space.”

Source: state government media release

COVID exposes our digital divide

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Can you imagine what our lives would have been like in the last 18 months without digital connection?

If the pandemic had landed just 10 years earlier, we’d be consigned to a locked-down life of board games or solitaire at the kitchen table, tuning in to radio news for updates and glued to the TV news at dinner time for a single, daily glimpse of the world outside. Working from home would have been a lonely, Zoom-less affair and online schooling a futuristic fantasy. Click and collect was unheard of, as were QR codes. Facebook was a novelty and e-commerce an activity attempted only by the most committed and savvy shoppers.

A lot has happened in 10 short years, a digital revolution no less, and just in time to make our calamitous 2020s just a little less painful.

Our love affair with smart devices was already intense when COVID turned up. And now the rigours of living with a pandemic have pushed most of us into an even closer relationship with the online world. Our wellbeing has relied on it. We’ve been compelled to upskill and learn new tricks. For most, our screens have been a lifeline, connecting us and keeping the wheels of school, work, laughter, love and distraction in motion.

But for some communities in our region, it might as well be 2010. Many of us are still waiting for the digital revolution to properly arrive. We know COVID has exposed many inequalities but the digital divide remains one of the biggest between cities and regions and never has it mattered so much as it does now. What was previously a nuisance is now a completely unsustainable state of affairs. High-speed digital connectivity is such a fundamental tool of daily life that without access to a reliable network, every facet of social and economic activity is compromised.

The G21 region, encompassing all our glorious townships from Apollo Bay to Colac to Lara to Queenscliff, is place of exquisite beauty but also a landscape which does not lend itself easily to the installation of high-speed digital fibre. Depending on your location and time of day, connections fade in and out, drop out completely or simply don’t work at all. Governments are chipping away at the problem but progress is slow and while we wait for the basics, the pace of digital innovation is always sprinting ahead.

The consequence of the digital divide for young people is particularly disturbing. The region’s 40,000 primary and secondary students do not have consistent access to online learning which has been essential during lockdowns. We don’t know the longer-term implications yet, but we do know at present one-in-three G21 students do not complete Year 12, compared to one-in-five in Melbourne. The region is at risk of falling even further behind.

Mark De Campo is leader of Youth Development at Golden Plains Shire. Stretching between Geelong and Ballarat, Golden Plains consists of 56 small communities, often with very poor digital reception and many black spots.

In moving to online delivery of youth programs during COVID, Mark says young people’s physical isolation has been compounded by their lack of mobile reception and conversations often begin with the words “I’m just going to walk down to the bottom paddock so I can talk to you”.

“We are constantly checking in with our young people,” he says, “and we hear that they are bored, they have lost a sense of purpose, having difficult times at home and nowhere to go. Students are missing out on tertiary education because they could not connect to remote learning. They’re finding it hard to prepare for jobs and are losing touch with each other.

“But what’s worse is that often the most vulnerable young people don’t log in. If we can’t engage with a young person online we don’t know how to support them. We know there is risk-taking behaviour that we can’t do anything about,” he says.

Mark says there is also a fundamental flaw with online youth programming – there is no way to reach young people who have no digital access. They are completely forgotten. One in six households in the region do not have direct internet access compared with the average of one in eight in Melbourne. Digital access is even lower in some areas – one in four households in Colac and Corio-Norlane do not have internet connected to their homes, according to Infrastructure Victoria.

COVID has also revealed a lack of digital literacy and skills across the region. Our Chambers of Commerce report that a significant number of businesses have struggled to pivot to e-commerce and grasp new opportunities. G21 municipalities report that older community members and those from migrant backgrounds are missing out on information connecting them to jobs, services, education and social activities. It would be useful to understand if our skills have fallen behind because patchy digital networks force us to rely on non-digital systems.

Improvements have been made through the Commonwealth Government’s black spot program, while Deakin University, AARNet and City of Greater Geelong have co-invested to extend fibre to parts of the Bellarine. The Victorian Government has just announced fibre upgrades to help businesses in Lara and Colac, with more to come as part of a statewide investment. Rapidly growing communities in Armstrong Creek and Bannockburn should also be prioritised.

G21 is also calling for urgent investment in skills training to be rolled out to small businesses and the wider community through our network of libraries.

In 2022, our region will be in a very different place from where it was at the start of 2020. We have been through a major and life-altering shock. We will need to gather our energy, rebuild businesses, re-establish community confidence and re-adjust to school, work and life. Our permanent population will be bigger and the pressures of a growing region will pick up vigorously from where we left off.

When lockdown ends, we cannot afford to be stuck in 2010.

New Twelve Apostles Lookout To Deliver Stunning Experience

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Work has begun on a new lookout at the Twelve Apostles, part of stage one works in the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan implementation.

The Victorian government will begin construction on the $9.2 million lookout, which will provide a safer and more accessible experience for visitors and help to future-proof the iconic destination.

Situated on Kirrae Wurrung Country, the two “clapsticks” of the structure are the colours of Ngayook (Sulphur Crested Cockatoo) and Ponponpoorramook (Red Tailed Black Cockatoo), which are primary totemic species to the Eastern Maar peoples.

The project will be the second delivered as part of the government’s $16.5 million investment in the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan (stage one). The first, a new pedestrian suspension bridge connecting the Port Campbell National Park with Port Campbell, was completed last year.

Stage one projects are expected to support 120 ongoing jobs, add $12 million to the regional economy and increase the annual visitor spend by $14 million.

G21 is a long-time advocate for improved facilities along the Great Ocean Road, including upgrades to the Shipwreck Coast, as part of its Visitor Economy priority project. The lookout will open in 2023.

 

Draft Avalon Corridor Strategy released for community feedback

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The City of Greater Geelong has released the draft Avalon Corridor Strategy for community feedback.

The strategy was developed in response to a Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 direction to maintain a ‘green break’ between Geelong and Melbourne.

It also aligns with similar objectives under Greater Geelong’s Settlement Strategy 2020 and the G21 Regional Growth Plan.

It seeks to maintain a ‘green break’ between Lara and Werribee to protect significant cultural, landscape and biodiversity values and safeguard important infrastructure and assets, such as Avalon Airport and the Western Treatment Plant.

It will guide land use decision-making in the Avalon Corridor, such as the location and extent of future development.

Once finalised, it will be incorporated into both the Greater Geelong and Wyndham Planning Schemes via a planning scheme amendment.

The draft strategy, developed with feedback provided by the community in November 2016, also sets out work to be undertaken in the future.

Future work includes detailed structure planning work for the proposed Avalon Employment Precinct and further assessments of potential impacts on cultural heritage and environmental values.

The strategy is a land use framework developed in partnership with Wyndham City Council and in collaboration with Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

View the draft Avalon Corridor Strategy and provide feedback

Name of new Civic Precinct celebrates Aboriginal heritage

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The City of Greater Geelong’s (CoGG) new Civic Precinct, including offices and surrounding community space, will be known as ‘Wurriki Nyal’ (WUU-ruh-kih nee-YAHL), Wadawurrung words meaning ‘speak and talk together’.

Developer partner Quintessential Equity has also announced the name of the precinct’s proposed second building will be ‘Ngytan Koriayo’ (nee-YAHT-ern kohr-ri-AY-yoh), which means ‘look over the water, see all around Corio Bay’, highlighting the building’s views for visitors and staff.

The names come from Wadawurrung language, the original language of the lands, waters, seas and skies that now include the City of Greater Geelong, paying tribute to the rich Aboriginal culture and history of the region.

CoGG and Quintessential Equity have worked closely with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners in being granted this special use of Wadawurrung language.

Wadawurrung People built structured circles, sometimes referred to as yarning circles, on country as places of ceremonial business, gathering and celebration. In acknowledgement of this tradition, the precinct will incorporate a yarning circle at the heart of its new public space, with the Wadawurrung name ‘Gayoopanyoon Goopma’ (gye-OO-pahn-yoon GOOP-mah), meaning ’gather’.

CoGG and Quintessential Equity have also released an educational video featuring artwork by Wadawurrung man, Billy-Jay O’Toole, and animated by local Geelong studio Pillowfort Creative. The video explores the meaning and significance of each name and outlines their pronunciation.

The CoGG offices and the precinct’s new community space are expected to be completed by mid 2022.

Rolling out Geelong’s Green Spines

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Geelong’s Green Spine is progressing, with construction on the northern side of Malop Street (Block 1) underway and a tender released for design and public engagement on later sections.

The section between Gheringhap and Moorabool streets will provide entry to Malop Street from Johnstone Park and the train station precinct, and includes a landscaped triangle park, heritage features from the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, tree and grass plantings and seating.

The vision is to transform Malop Street into a vibrant and linear park, delivering more trees and green spaces into the heart of the city.

An ‘all-abilities’ standard will be applied to improve pedestrian movement along Malop Street, including connections to and from the new WorkSafe and NDIS buildings.

The single-lane bike path on the north of Malop Street will also continue through this block, which will feature a mix of indigenous and deciduous tree plantings.

Detailed planning work on the rest of the Green Spine, connecting green spaces and bike lanes are also underway and the community will be engaged in late 2021 to provide feedback on the look and feel of the sections from Yarra Street through to Eastern Park.

Works on Block 3 are expected to begin early 2022. Two tenders have been released for community engagement and design between Yarra St and Bellarine Street.

These works will continue to transform Malop Street, creating additional cycling and pedestrian connections, green areas – including a botanical walk – and alfresco dining options.

The Green Spine project is funded through the $382 million Geelong City Deal – a 10-year partnership between the Australian and Victorian governments and the City of Greater Geelong. It is a key project in the 10-year Revitalising Central Geelong Action Plan, implementation of which is a G21 Priority Project.

Once complete, it will connect Johnstone Park to Eastern Park and the Botanical Gardens via six blocks along Malop Street. This will add nearly a hectare of new green space to the CBD, enhancing business and tourism activity in the central city.

The first section of the Green Spine (Block 2) between Moorabool and Yarra streets was completed in July 2018.

For more on what’s happening in central Geelong, go to www.revitalisingcentralgeelong.vic.gov.au

Post-COVID future starts with social repair

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From the desk of

G21 CEO GIULIA BAGGIO

 

A collective sigh of relief is almost audible across the Geelong region as the worst of COVID-19 seems to be behind us.

As vaccinations roll out, people are enjoying their freedom, socialising, shopping, returning to workplaces, and feeling quietly confident we’ll be spared another wave of transmission.

But as the emergency subsides, we can also see more clearly the stress fractures left behind in our community. The rigours of lockdown, self-isolation, job or business losses and the end of Jobkeeper have disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many people. It will take time to heal and rebuild.

So where do we begin?

The next ten years of planning and managing huge population growth in our region will be critical. This is a once in generation chance to get things right as we literally build entire new communities. People must be at the centre of our thinking.

In the here and now, designing our long-term prosperity begins with social repair.

Affordable housing

Before COVID hit, our region was facing an acute shortage of affordable and social housing.

In Geelong alone, around 6400 households were experiencing rental stress, spending more than 30 percent of income to put a roof over their head. Around 7300 households were in need of social housing (homes heavily subsidised by government), far outstripping the available 3300 social housing dwellings. The shortage of social housing combined with a sky-rocketing property market had left many people stranded. Homelessness was on the rise.*

Post-pandemic, competition for housing is now in overdrive. An influx of people migrating from Melbourne for a better work/life balance is creating a new surge in land and house prices, and squeezing lower income workers and families out of the rental market entirely. In Colac, employers have jobs on offer but no one to fill them because there are so few rentals or homes on the market, particularly in the affordable category (defined as 75 per cent of market price).

Last year, G21 initiated a Social and Affordable Housing Project, working with our five local councils in the G21 region to identify the potential for existing housing or new land to be earmarked for a variety of housing to ensure key workers, young people, lower income families, migrants, the elderly and people with special needs are not locked out of the community. We know that when people have a home (not just an insecure ‘dwelling’) the chances of finding a job, enjoying better health and connecting into a meaningful social life are much higher. We also know that diverse communities are stronger communities.

With the Victorian Government’s announcement of the Big Housing Build in last year’s November Budget, $215 million has begun flowing to the G21 region to set our local plans in motion. The wheels might turn slowly, but at least we have begun rolling in a better direction.

Family violence

The anecdotal evidence of increased family stress leading to household violence and abuse during lockdown has been disturbing.

It’s distressing to know that it comes on top of pre-COVID crime statistics in 2018-19 that revealed 915 children witnessed family violence in Geelong, up 18 per cent on the year prior. For children under 10, ‘family and domestic violence’ is by far the most common reason for seeking homelessness support.

G21 has joined with frontline agencies assisting people affected by domestic or sexual violence in calling for a specialist, dedicated magistrate to oversee all family violence matters for the Geelong region.

While there is no single answer to family violence, there is evidence that specialist courts are better equipped to ensure perpetrators are held to account, with less chance of them being able to ‘hide’ within the busy complexity of the main Magistrates Court which deals with a host of other issues. Specialist magistrates and staff are better trained and skilled in ensuring an empathetic approach to the complex needs of victim survivors.

These courts were a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence four years ago and have already been established in Bendigo, Shepperton and Moorabbin. This reform has become especially important with the recent merger of the Family Court into the Federal Court.

March4Justice & International Women’s Day

On 15 March, thousands of women and many others across Australia marched and cheered on the call for an end to sexual assault and gender inequality. More than a thousand people took part in local rallies in Torquay and central Geelong.

For me, the most shocking image was a 30-metre scroll, unfurled in Melbourne, with the names of 899 women and children killed in domestic or other violent incidents since 2008.  “Enough is enough” was the message to all leaders. Torquay gave us an inspiring aerial image, with survivors, supporters and advocates forming themselves into the word “JUSTICE” on the beach as part of the March 4 Justice – Surf Coast (image above).

Last year, G21 launched a communications toolkit to assist workplace managers and community leaders to promote effective communication on preventing violence against women. There is still much to be done and G21’s Health and Wellbeing Pillar group will continue working with many partners across our region to implement prevention education and lasting change.

International Woman’s Day on 8 March becomes more important each year as we mark both progress and lack of progress since the first IWD in Europe in 1911. There were many high-powered events in our region and what’s notable is the significant number of women now in leadership roles across the community. In the G21 area, female mayors lead four of our five councils (the City of Greater Geelong and Colac Otway, Golden Plains and Surf Coast shires) and we are represented by seven female politicians in state and federal parliaments.

Women are at the helm of our leading Aboriginal organisations, Barwon Water, Barwon Health, Western Victoria Primary Health Network, Committee for Geelong, not to mention our Deputy Vice Chancellor at Deakin University and many other organisations. Diversity goes much further than gender, and there’s a long way to go on all fronts, but momentum is building and the G21 region is starting to make impressive strides.

* Assessment prepared for the City of Greater Geelong Social Housing Plan 2020-2041.

Image: March 4 Justice – Surf Coast at Torquay.  Photographer: Rebecca Hosking Photography.

Project News

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