NE Coastal TAS - Brid River Walking Track project undeway

[teddesampa]

G'day,

My name is Trevor Bamford. I am a budding Track designer based in Bridport, NE (coastal) Tasmania. I am currently working and learning as a trainee in Conservation and Land Management on the Brid River Walking Track project. This project (the Brid River Track project) is the final stage in the Bridport Walking Track masterplan. When complete this 10km Short Walk, which encircles the picturesque coastal village of Briport and aims to become the newest addition to Tasmania's 60 top Short Walks, will offer access to a diverse and stunning array of natural and cultural assets. This final stage in the masterplan is a $750,000 community development employment and training project driven by the local progress association (well done to Bridport Innovations) which is being delivered (constructed) by Conservation Volunteers Australia and a team of 30 trainees (of which I am one). As part of this work and with my interest in sustainable Track design I am editing a design and construction weblog (in Facebook - see Brid River Walking Track Project) on the project's progress. This 'blog' provides a first-hand, daily look (pics, links and discussion) at issues of design and construction as well as ecological and cultural value at play in the Track project itself as it unfolds and is being built. I will also be updating progress on the Brid River Walking Track project here on bushwalk.com for those of you interested in planning a trip to Tasmania's NE and a stay (and walk) in beautiful Bridport. Please feel free to comment and provide feedback (whether here via this thread or via the FB blog or both) on the progress of the Track or even any ideas for amenity enhancement of the Track (features, ecology, heritage etc). Bushwalkers are afterall the best to know what makes an awesome bushwalk. Thanks. Trevor

[Son of a Beach]

Good work, Trevor. Be sure to post a link to the blog here.

[teddesampa]

thanks mate,

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brid-Rive ... 0310491822

cheers,

trevor

[ghosta]

As a Bridport resident and daily user of the existing walking track I have been monitoring the progress of the track with interest. Unfortunatley the project is ill concieved and a hideous waste of money. I dont share the view of many of the townspeople who suggest that if the government is going to waste money it may as well be wasted in our town. I simply think that any government waste is unaceptable. The fact that the project employs amongst their number some of our totally unemployable persons is sometimes quoted as being a benefit, but my view is they only drags down the efoorts of those good people employed alongside them (perhaps our OP), who deserve to be given a worthwhile project that enjoys community support.

When one considers the amount of money dedicated to the project could for example,- buy Lees Paddocks with change left over, protecting this unbelievable place for all time, one simply shakes ones head in disbelief about how priorities are established in spending taxpayers money.

Saving said all that, now that the decision to go ahead with the project is irreversable, I hope some of the participants like our OP do get some personal benefits from the project, and that they get to bask in the glory of seeing a job well done before the next big flood on the river washes that section of the track and the "ecofriendly" stone bridge away into oblivion.

[teddesampa]

Ghosta,

Interesting opinion ....

Speaking of public money ..... I also work at the Bridport Online Access Centre as a volunteer technical assistant.

This Centre along with the 59+ other TAS-wide Online Access Centres (used daily by Tasmanians and Travellers alike) were also the result of (a hideous waste of) tax payers money in the late 1990's.

One of Brian Harradine's (the so-called Father of the Senate) many achievement's was that "on 11 December 1996 (he) supported the Telstra (Dilution of Public Ownership) Act 1996 (T1) which secured $183 million (thats $183 MILLION) for Tasmanians for an unprecedented program combining environmental protection with technological advancement. This money was used to establish 59 on-line access centres throughout Tasmania, Telehealth centres, the Tasmanian Electronic Commerce Centre (TeCC), Tasmanian Business On-line (TBoL), landcare projects, walking tracks and facilities in the World Heritage area, National Parks and other Natural Heritage Trust projects." (extracted from http://webdiary.com.au/cms/?q=node/690)

Now, as unprecedented as this Vision was, some of the "elements" of Harradine's vision WERE wasteful and with the benefit of hindsight HAVE become folly (i.e. TeCC,TBoL). But others (quite obviously - landcare projects, walking tracks and facilities in the World Heritage area, National Parks and other Natural Heritage Trust projects - perhaps Lees Paddock should have been included back then???) have over time become highly valued in the Tasmanian (indeed the International) community. In terms of walking tracks, WHLA's and NP's arising from Harradine's effort these are the benefits of "waste" back then being enjoyed directly by you, by me and by countless others in the Bushwalk.com and greater hiking community now. But the point here is not the "waste" but the "Vision" - that a Vision was had, pursued and realised. That public monies were and continue to be available to "win" to back such Visions is to the sole advantage of the hard-working optimistic visionary to "take the punt" and, in the face of adversity and negativistic detractors, "have a go". Indeed, Harradine's "Networking the (Tasmanian) Nation" project is a fine example of a how a Vision (replete albeit with so called "waste") can over time translate into a public good. In respect of the Brid River Walking Track project and the $750K of public money won (of which 79% pays for trainee labour and training education), public good could mean making the so called "unemployable" employable or it could mean 30 people undertaking paid work ... working and learning as a team and proud to create a lasting (hopefully iconic) legacy for a town in a region hit hard by economic depression ... a legacy that might just help Bridport become valued into the future not only for what it already offers but also for its "hikers lifestyle" and eco-tourism.

Whatever is the case, as a walker myself and as trainee support designer for the Brid River Walking Track project I, along with my colleagues, would value hearing your opinion face to face ghosta .... as an experienced hiker yourself you might be able to add some direct productive value to the ongoing design and construction work (which is ongoing daily) to make it a better walk than it is already destined to become ... perhaps you can come meet the Track Team, the Team Leaders and the Project Manager ... perhaps, via your insights and "interest" you can help us avoid any further waste and save the ill-fated "eco-friendly" stone-bridge from its "impending" loss .... wherever in the design construction that bridge might be?

Indeed, for every member of the Track Team employed by Conservation Volunteers Australia and contracted to do the job by the local organisation who has realised their Vision, everyone's opinion is respected.

See you on the Track (or at the Online),

Trevor Bamford

[taswegian]

I have also been directly and indirectly associated with these sort of projects.
One such in my local area saw track work and picnic areas established.
The devastating thing in that was when some misguided person(s) took to a metal picnic table with an angle grinder and cut the top off it. It really rocked that group that someone in the wild world we live in would do such a thing.

Sure there is often public waste of money. BUT - looking around I see many projects funded by all manner of means that could well be labelled such.
I don't ever watch the footy - for one- and I could say what a waste to fund such activity with 'my' money so 'you' can benefit.

Also for about a decade I have employed as my personal assistant one such bloke that came through the system and did his training and learning skills.
Without that training input and my association with it I would never have come to know him and have the pleasure of working with such a skilled and innovative, intuitive bloke.

Once I would not have given 2 bob for such programs and saw only the 'waste'.
I'd encourage a closer look and see what does go on in these areas.
I am not trying to excuse 'waste' and am not really commenting (can't) on the Bridport work.