HOW Penola’s new rail trail will access Father Woods Park, 20kms north of Penola, is a question Wattle Range Council is hoping will be answered by a consultant’s report, expected next month, after the same consultant cast doubts on options already being considered.
Following the Catholic community declining a proposal to relocate to Penola the main attraction in the park, being large carved timber statues of Father Tenison Woods and Saint Mary MacKillop, council considered a report at its December meeting from Tonkin Consulting aimed at selecting from three locations proposed for the rail trail to cross the Riddoch Highway to access the park.
The locations considered by the report were via an unmade road reserve through farming property ‘Churinga Park’, Penola hundred line, or Glenroy Bool Lagoon Road, and the consultant’s report preferenced them in that order with hazard mitigation measures.
At the meeting, Limestone Ridge Estate owner, George Kidman addressed the councillors where a petition he had collated was tabled.
The petition contained 80 names and requested ‘Do not cross the Riddoch Highway at Father Woods Tree for the Rail Trail’ which is the ‘Churinga Park’ crossing option.
Mr Kidman’s property, Limestone Ridge Estate, is on the northern boundary of Father Woods Park.
“I am not anti-trail, I am all for it,” he said.
“Bike riding, exercise, walking, tourism – it ticks all the boxes.
“But I am anti it crossing the highway.”
Mr Kidman’s presentation to Council included photographs and videos shown on a large screen of caravans parked on the side of the Riddoch Highway near the Father Woods Park with trucks and cars going past.
“People are not parking in the car park [in Father Woods Park].
“You can’t see – it is an awful feeling trying to get out of there.”
Mr Kidman said since the carved statues were erected in 2010, visitation to the park had increased.
He believed that with new infrastructure proposed for the park, including toilets and picnic facilities, that visitation would increase further.
“The traffic will go up and so will the Riddoch Highway – it is getting busier and busier by the year.”
The report from Tonkin Consulting also cast doubts over the locations being considered saying: “The crossing of pedestrians and cyclists across the Riddoch Highway creates a very high risk of serious and catastrophic incidents occurring.”
The report suggested eliminating the hazard by either removing the link between the rail trail and Father Woods Park, or provide an overpass such as a bridge, or an underpass such as a culvert.
“Whilst low in cost, discontinuing the linkage would potentially remove an important pilgrimage or tourism drawcard to the region,” said the report.
“Construction of an overpass could be highly cost prohibitive to Council.
“Likewise, it may be cost prohibitive for an underpass however recent projects in both SA and Victoria indicates this option is more cost favourable than an over pass … These are often associated with dairies and cattle farms to allow for safe stock movement across roads.”
Council chief executive officer, Ben Gower said Tonkin Consulting has now been asked whether there would be a better crossing point that hasn’t already been considered.
“We previously asked them to evaluate the three locations, but we had not asked them where the optimum crossing point is,” Mr Gower said.
Mr Gower said work on the rail trail would continue but that the route to access Father Woods Park would be put on hold until the new report was considered.
Mr Gower predicted that report may be ready for consideration at Council’s February meeting.
