Another piece of the puzzle

In yesterday's Advertiser I noticed an article which was of immediate interest, concerning the walking/riding track which follows Waurn Ponds Creek over to the shopping centre and beyond. The creek which I have blogged about before, flows from Waurn Ponds, through Grovedale and Marshall and meets the Barwon a little south of the Breakwater bridges.

Waurn Ponds Creek, Grovedale

About this time last year, the pedestrian bridge which crosses Waurn Ponds Creek next to the road bridge on Pioneer Road in Grovedale was deemed unsuitable and removed. As a result, pedestrians wanting to access the Leisure Link facility from the east have been required to cross under Pioneer Road, use the pedestrian bridge on that side, then cross back to the opposite side of Pioneer Road using the traffic lights to complete their trip.

So this is the plan...

It has taken until now for the old timber bridge to be replaced with a new, steel structure which was dropped into place by a crane on Thursday afternoon. Not surprisingly, the Addy was on site to witness the installation and yesterday's paper ran an article under the somewhat corny headline of "Pedestrian solution to growth".
Having seen this, naturally enough, I had to go and take some shots of my own. So, in weather conditions that saw birds flying sideways and rain squalls doing much the same thing, I headed over to have a look.

The new beside the site of the old

Not only did I find the bridge in place (although not yet completed or open to public access), but I also discovered entire road plant which I believe is in the process of completing a much needed upgrade of the Pioneer Road/Princes Highway intersection. These works also include some asphalt laying on the approaches to the bridge and path leading to Leisure Link and presumably also to the traffic lights which allow access to the remainder of the track round to the Ring Road.



The new bridge from the opposite side

And then, on the way home I happened to take the new Breakwater Bridge. As I was making the crossing, I noticed some newly laid bitumen and so headed down to have a look. A short walk through a small amount of mud in inappropriate footwear and I was at the base of the new bridge on the west bank. Sure enough, there was a new path leading off away from the river towards Barwon Heads Road.

New path from the river to Barwon Heads Road

So, back in the car to have a look at the other end and I discover that the now closed off section of old Breakwater Road has some new fencing and traffic controls and has been included in this new section of track which links the Barwon River Trail to the South Barwon Reserve and the Waurn Ponds Trail .

Now all they need is some decent signage indicating where the trail takes you and a whole heap of landscaping and revegetation on the empty section of land left after the Geelong Motocross Club vacated the site making way for the new bridge in 2007.

Looking west towards the new bridge across the old Motocross Club site

And then another piece of the puzzle which is Geelong's trail network will be complete.

UPDATE: as of Tuesday, 11th September work on the bridge is complete and tradesmen are working on pouring concrete for the paths leading to and from the new bridge. A quick question to one of the workmen suggested the work may be complete within the next week or two.

 



Ashes to ashes or a nightmare on Elm Street?

Well, neither just yet.Further to my post last week "Time for a tree change?", I think it is time for an update on the elm/ash trees along the Barwon in Newtown. Today - 1st August - the local papers are trumpeting the news: the trees have been granted a temporary reprieve from getting the chop.

Elm and ash trees along the Barwon live to see another day

The Advertiser ran with the headline: Barwon River trees win reprieve. The Geelong News declared on page three that the "Trees are still standing" and the Geelong Times put on a double-paged pictorial spread with the headline: "CoGG* v CCMA in battle of the elms" which was quick to point out not only the current issue, but to highlight the value of all trees to humans and animals alike. The Independent however, could only muster a two paragraph note on the issue, tucked away at the edge of page three.
So why all the fanfare? Well, the community rally held on-site at the week-end saw a petition signed by some 640 people, making it clear to the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA) that there was significant community interest in the issue. White bands were tied around the trunks of the trees to indicate "hope". Earlier during the week at a council meeting, a motion was tabled by Councillor Stretch Kontelj moving for a halt to the trees' removal until their historic and cultural significance can be determined.

The trees with their white bands

Whilst there is no heritage overlay on the trees, it is questioned whether they may have historical connections to the former City of Newtown which may have been instrumental in their planting. It was noted that the CCMA's Barwon and Moorabool River Reserve Masterplan and Management Plan for the Barwon and Moorabool Rivers (published 2006) included the retention of similar non-native species a short distance upriver at Queen's Park. And the Barwon (Through Geelong) Management Plan indicates that the trees should be maintained with an underplanting of native trees which would eventually replace the ashes as they die. The key points of the report including a graphic map can also be viewed here.

Stand of non-native trees near Queen's Park Golf Course

Councillor Kontelj has proposed that the trees be moved to a heritage register to ensure their protection for the future. He is also campaigning for the support of local politicians. The motion was unanimously supported by council and as a result of these initiatives, the CCMA have agreed to postpone any action until a resolution has been reached.

* For those not in the know, CoGG stands for City of Greater Geelong.

Time for a tree change?

Trouble is afoot and controversy is brewing on the banks of the Barwon.
Over the last week or so, a furor has erupted over the by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA) to remove 15 elm and ash trees which line the river bank in Newtown near the bottom of West Fyans Street.

Elm/ash trees by the Barwon listed for removal

The removal, which constitutes part of a larger plan by the CCMA to improve the health of the Barwon River through Geelong, has been on the cards for some time and is planned for some time in August. The CCMA have already removed a number of trees along other sections of the river from Princes Bridge to Landy Field but as far as I could see none formed part of an avenue of trees and their removal seems to have gone unremarked in the local media at least.
As with any disagreement, there are arguments for and against both view points. Those who argue in favour of keeping the trees point to their aesthetic appeal, provision of recreational shade, historical association with the Geelong community and that their removal will leave a significant gap in the treescape for quite some time. They also indicate a lack of community consultation on the issue.

Leaflet produced by Save Barwon River Trees group

The other side of the debate argues that introduced species of trees contribute to the degradation of waterways, potentially causing riverbank erosion leading to loss of habitat for native fauna; an increase in the nutrient levels of the water contributing to more frequent blue green algae outbreaks; and are able to propagate further by the movement of seeds downriver. Conversely, replacement with native trees will eliminate these problems and provide additional habitat for native fauna. To that end, new native plantings have been installed - one gum tree for each of the elms which is to be removed.

Existing ash/elms with newly-planted eucalypts

I have not investigated the issue in any great detail, however I have yet to see any indication of exactly how much of a problem these particular trees are.
Following is a list of articles and webpages which I have located at this point:

• Those who are against the proposed removal have set up a page on Facebook (where the debate appears to be raging) at the following address: Save Barwon River Trees
• There is also a link to a petition calling for a halt to the proposed felling: Petition
• This morning on the 26th July, the Geelong Advertiser ran the following article: City Hall goes into battle to save elms
• The Geelong News of Wednesday, 25th July covered the issue on its front page, The Independent which arrived in my mailbox today, dated 27th July carries a small article on the topic on page 5 and I believe that the Geelong Times also printed an article on the 12th July.
• The CCMA has the following article: Improving the health of the Barwon River
• Whilst this report on management of the Barwon through Geelong by the CCMA may also be of interest: Barwon (through Geelong) Management Plan

Happier times: the trees in April, 2011

And on another note for those interested, I gather that the Save Barwon River Trees group will be holding rallies and community days on-site this week-end between 10am and 3pm.
Note: my subsequent post on the topic can be read here.

A Scot on the rocks

James Harrison

There is one notable Geelong citizen who had strong ties to the Barwon River whom I have not yet mentioned in detail in any of my previous posts.
That person was James Harrison, founder of the Geelong Advertiser and the first person in the world to devise a method of making ice and he did this at Rocky Point, overlooking the river in Newtown.
Harrison was born in Scotland in 1816 and trained as a printer's apprentice in Glasgow, followed by a stint working in London before emigrating to Sydney in 1837. By 1839 he was in Melbourne and working with John Pascoe Fawkner, from whom he bought an old printing press. On 21st November, 1840, the first edition of the Geelong Advertiser was published and by 1842, Harrison along with John Scamble had bought out Fawkner. It was not long however, before Harrison became the sole proprietor, making the Advertiser successful on more than just a local level. It was his paper which was first to break the news of the discovery of gold at Clunes in 1850 and he also used it as a vehicle to agitate for the rights of squatters.
Nor was this his only project and it can be seen that his name was also associated with several of the earliest maps of Geelong, magazines and other publications, both locally and in NSW.  He was also active in local politics, serving as a councilor and in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, espousing progressive policies and maintaining a strongly humanitarian approach throughout his life.

Plaque at Rocky Point

However, it was his work in the printing industry which led to his eventually discovering a means of commercial refrigeration. Whilst using ether to clean the movable characters used to set type, he noticed that the metal became cold as the ether evaporated. It was this observation which led him in 1851 to develop the ether-vapour compression refrigeration system. His first mechanical ice-maker was built at Rocky Point in 1851 and then a machine capable of producing commercial quantities of ice (3,000kg per day) in 1854.
Over the next two decades, he twice attempted experiments aimed at shipping cold or frozen meat to London. Neither was successful and each ended in financial ruin, forcing him to turn back to journalism as editor and then columnist at the Melbourne Age to re-establish his finances.

James Harrison Bridge from the north bank

In 1892, after nearly two decades living in England and promoting his refrigeration techniques,  he returned to Geelong where he lived at Point Henry with his third wife and a number of children. He died there the following year and was buried at the Eastern Cemetery. Interestingly, his grave sits only a few metres away from that of his contemporary and fellow pioneer - Foster Fyans.
Whilst Harrison did not benefit financially in any great way from his pioneering work on ice-making, his contribution laid the foundations for the development of modern refrigeration. Recognition of this achievement came in 1990 when the newly completed bridge over the Barwon was named the James Harrison Bridge in his honour.

Plaque on the grave of James Harrison at the
Eastern Cemetery

The bridge - actually a pair of two-lane bridges -  is a concrete cantilever construction with box-girder sections on the south side of the river. It was built between 1988 and 1990, extending La Trobe Terrace and taking traffic from the Princes Highway off busy Moorabool Street and easing congestion through Belmont.

However, continued housing development south of the Barwon lead to significant congestion on this section of the highway and it was not until the opening of the long-awaited Geelong Ring Road in December 2008 that the problem was - at least in part - solved.

Grave of James Harrison at the Eastern Cemetery

Some sources report that a further tribute to James Harrison is planned in the form of a museum at Rocky Point where he conducted those first ice-making experiments on land leased from Ebenezer Davies, a local tannery worker. However, there does not seem to have been much progress of late and one recent report suggests that the project may not go ahead.