Communique: JUNE 2008

JUNE LONG WEEKEND SUPPORT RIDE

Daily Advertiser

Over 100 walkers and cyclists including farmers demonstrate their support for Riverina Highlands Railtrails up the main street of Wagga Wagga on the Saturday of the June long weekend.

 

DAILY ADVERTISER: Wagga Wagga May 12
 

Media Release 7th May 08

A two hour meeting was held this morning between proponents, supporters and opponents of proposed rail trails in the Riverina from Wagga Wagga to Tumbarumba, Tumut to Batlow and Coolac to Tumblong, through Gundagai.

Supporters included representatives from the Riverina Regional Development Board, Wagga Wagga City Council, Tumbarumba Shire Council and Gundagai Council. Landholders opposing the proposal came from Tumut, Borambola, Tarcutta and Gundagai. Also attending the meeting was David Moffitt, General Manager, Policy, for NSW Farmers Association and a representative from the NSW Dept of Lands.

Rose Wright, Manager Industry and Destination Development for the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre supported by Southern Cross University facilitated the meeting and in her opening remarks gave a short presentation on agribusiness opportunities in Tourism that could develop through the construction of rail trails. Rose also cited examples of successful value-add farm enterprises across NSW.

The meeting by consensus agreed that important further steps were needed in the process to assess the actual levels of support for the development of the rail trails and this would be determined by further consultation with landholders, the various communities along the route and potential users(cyclists and walkers).

Representatives of the proponents and representatives of NSW Farmers Assoc also agreed that the protocols for further consideration of opportunities and threats to the development of the trails should be considered by an independent strategic taskforce including a representative each from NSW Farmers Assoc at the Executive level, a representative from the Department of Lands, possibly a representative from NSW Department of State and Regional Development and Ms Wright.

Executive Officer for the Riverina Regional Development Board, Peter Dale, said today that the steps proposed were very constructive and mirrored the detailed development planning regime that had been agreed to by the Board.

“Now that the NSW Dept of Lands and NSW Department of Transport is considering a way forward that could lead to the closure of all disused railway corridors in NSW it was important for all stakeholders to have input into the proposal so that the benefits that might be derived from the construction of rail trails were mutual benefits for all stakeholders” Mr Dale said today.