Draft Council Plan 2021-25!

Sale Baby’s Day Out, 9 March, Sale Botanic Gardens

We've been travelling around the Wellington Shire over the past month talking to people in the community about their thoughts, ideas and priorities. This discussion forum includes a write up of the Sale conversations and we'd love to hear what you think. Are the priorities identified the right ones? Are there things missing?

Please be respectful of the community members who've shared their time and thoughts in making your response.

Our priorities are…

Facilities

• Baby change tables at public toilets for all genders to access
• Toilets near community garden
• Fish cleaning station at Glenmaggie
• Doing a good job now. Facilities are great. Don’t need much change
• Parks and wetlands are great for people getting outdoors. Free events like this one (Baby’s Day Out) are good too
• Dog park

Young people

• Indoor play centre for play during wet and cold weather. There isn’t one in Wellington
• 1 storey playgrounds that are safe for younger kids
• Water play/ feature in Wurruk
• More free fruits and foods for kids

Economy

• Shire wide after school care

Accessibility

• Autism friendly cinema and shopping

Transport

• Bus stop on Princes Highway out of Sale is dangerous now
• Stop on McLaughlin’s St is gone now but there’s one out the front of Freemasons where very few people are accessing transport
  • Glen Haven will need transport access, not the retirement home

In 2030, Sale should be/should have…

• Functioning nightlife
• Roller rink or bowling (indoor recreational activities for younger people)
• Kids have a happy and safe start to life
  • Playgroups and mingling
  • Family fun days
• Improved bike paths. Designated shared rules.

Sale Mall, 15 March

Our priorities are…

Footpaths

• Along Cobain’s Road
• Good footpaths at the moment
  • Flat and good for people to walk on, especially elderly or people with limited mobility

Roads

• Gibson’s Road/Cobain’s Road intersection needs to be offset
• York St update, power lines under will be good
• Stop lights needed at McDonald’s
  • Congestion at the drive through
• Roundabout needed at Bunnings. Pedestrian crossing is hard there too
• Roads are good

Facilities

• Sale main oval: fix surface and drainage
• Bins in Port of Sale area. People just leave their rubbish
• Prioritise and stick to rubbish, roads, footpaths etc. and put other things after this if there is still time/money.
• All good. Just keep doing what you are doing e.g. Pump Track
• Parks and gardens are great. Very well maintained. Miles ahead of other nearby Councils
  • Bats are annoying
  • Get rid of bats
• Brennan Park is great

Health

• Mozzie spraying around Dawson St area
• Help disadvantaged groups, homelessness, drug support/rehab services
• Life is good, quite content

Sustainability

• Solar power

Young people

• More kids entertainment
  • Outdoor activities, excursions etc

Industry

• Timber industry should be supported locally by Council
  • Stand up to State government
  • Locals should be able to buy timber in/from Gippsland

Transport

• People in Yarram choose Sale or Traralgon
  • Public transport to Traralgon from Yarram is better
  • More medical appointments for Sale
  • Better retail in Traralgon and rail access more frequent
• Private school busses an option

General

• Doing a good job at the moment
• Doing a good job helping people

(Gathered in Maffra)

• Carpark behind the bank in Sale, trucks can’t park because of planter boxes put in
• Telstra generator box has been put in front of Post office. People with low vision run into it
• In Vic Park, metal signs for trees are too low and kids run into them and crash

Seaspray 6 March, Seaspray Hall

We've been travelling around the Wellington Shire over the past month talking to people in the community about their thoughts, ideas and priorities. This discussion forum includes a write up of the Seaspray conversation and we'd love to hear what you think. Are the priorities identified the right ones? Are there things missing?

Please be respectful of the community members who've shared their time and thoughts in making your response.

Road safety

• Main road between Seaspray and Sale (Stradbroke Seaspray Road) has people towing caravans. The turn from Sth Gippsland Hwy to Seaspray is a blind bend and has farm tractors and things using it. Needs an on and off ramp.
• Edges being widened between Seaspray and Sale are good.
• Visibility: when approaching from Honeysuckles past the caravan park, can’t see. Tree needs removing (DELWP land)

Volunteers

• Have done amazing things to support the town. It’s looking beautiful.
• Surf life saving is very strong

Walking tracks

• Add a walking track to connect to Honeysuckles
  • Joining community members together
  • Safety
  • Cycling and walking for exercise for local residents
  • No footpath on causeway
• No Honeysuckles track due to expense, wildlife issues and damage to sand dunes.
• Safety for kids is important when moving around the town
  • Need a walking track joining at the joining of the three roads between the beach and the caravan park. People in caravan park do walks around the town.
  • Need a designated pedestrian crossing so cars must give way (so many kids in caravan park)
  • The rail has been removed at the junction of Shoreline Drive and the main road/ road that leads to the shop. This makes this area more dangerous.
  • September – January and high period hundreds of cars travel through Centre road (black spot rated by TAC). Need guard rails and a walkway on the bridge for safety and accessibility by all community members
  • Walk to school needs improved track
• Drainage is needed as well as footpaths

Transport

• Bus stop
  • Junction of Centre Road and main road. Not enough space between the drain and the edge of the road.
  • School bus drop off and pick up point is just grass and sometimes the bus gets bogged

Tourism

• Seaspray is a tourist town
• Quiet, family tourist town, not big and flashy
• Need a safer place for people to travel to
• New toilets opposite the general store. Ones opposite the creek need updating too
  • RV dump point needed at toilets. It gets dumped into the normal toilets at the moment

Sustainability

• More adventurous targets for waste
  • Circular economy for waste. When are we getting more bins?
• Don’t believe in sea level rise. Seaspray should be treated in the now, now what might happen in the future.
• Green energy
  • Energy resilient
  • Community energy
  • End of line vulnerability

Facilities

• Honeysuckles needs more facilities
• Can DELWP owned facilities get support with public liability insurance?
  • Different Council and DELWP land management makes things hard to manage
• Are the 2 x shelters on the foreshore being redone?

Young people

• What can 9-18 year olds in town do?
• Put a pump track in neighbourhood park
• More appropriate facilities for engaging youth
• Surf club captures some kids
• Shade in areas young people use
• Gym equiptment near path through caravan park
• ½ court basketball
  • Signage to existing tennis courts to encourage people to use them

Safety

• Can dangerous dogs be controlled more?
• Bigger dogs should always be on a leash, particularly on the beach.

Priorities

1. Are we a tourist town?

2. Connection and safe travel

3. Activities for youth

Stratford, 27 March, Stratford Library

We've been travelling around the Wellington Shire over the past month talking to people in the community about their thoughts, ideas and priorities. This discussion forum includes a write up of the Stratford conversation and we'd love to hear what you think. Are the priorities identified the right ones? Are there things missing?

Please be respectful of the community members who've shared their time and thoughts in making your response.

Our priorities are…

Footpaths

• New footpaths popping up is good. Makes things safer for people
• Footpaths needed out to Avonlea Estate and inside the estate
• Need a pedestrian crossing and footpath to be able to walk to the industrial estate
  • Gym
  • Stratford Hardware
  • Urban paths plan has a gap in the connection to this space
• Railway safety barrier over Hobson St
  • Disability scooters, prams etc, can’t get around the railway bridge as the corners and the railing are too tight.
    • People are going on the road instead.
• Bike path from Clydebank to Stratford
• What are the plans for the old rail bridge? Can this be a rail trail?
• Footpaths on Carter St, Lee St, Killeen St and Hobson St to connect approx. 200 new houses to the upcoming paths network

Energy supply

• Natural gas is needed
  • Some areas around Bairnsdale aren’t connected to natural gas because the whole town didn’t want it. Don’t let that happen here.
• Solar farm in our area
  • Micro grid like Heyfield. Allow town people to share and store power

Tourism

• Planned connecting path to the Knob Reserve is good, but how do tourists know what we’ve got here?
• Tourist parking needs to be in the food precinct
• Long vehicle off street parking
• Open toilets on the village green permanently. Tourists can use them
• People don’t know where to go for parking in town
• Mural on viaduct
  • Elephant story
  • Share the history of the area. Make it a ‘Welcome to Stratford’
  • Bring the endangered status of elephants to life and educate people
    • Have written to VicRoads. Want the support of the Shire in writing
• Tell stories about the heritage of the town
  • Use murals
  • Highlight connections of what you can access around town
• Beautification of east end of town.
  • Industrial entrance is not as attractive.
  • Match it up

Growth and social connection

• Lots of little committees. Need an overarching process/group to welcome new people into town
  • How are our groups marketing themselves? Do they have an online presence? Do their names make sense to new people?
• Need a more significant supermarket and more access to better retail facilities
• Need a dentist, solicitor etc. The services you need to go to another town to access.
• Be more attractive as a stop on the highway. Make sure we don’t turn into a ghetto for cheap housing

Childcare/long day care

• Long day care and before and after school care are needed
• Uniting or another provider should run, rather than being located at one school or the other
  • Can Council facilitate a conversation to support this happening?  Or support a new provider to come in?
• People are taking their children into Sale for care, which takes their shopping and social activities out of Stratford too.
• Can a childcare be put on the land behind Avon Stadium? Could be used for children’s activities during sporting events.

Young people

• Indoor play centre
  • Space for kids indoors, play parties etc
• Everyone wants the rocket back in the park. It went when we left Avon Shire. Would be good to close the loop and bring a new, modern one back

Facilities

• Pine Lodge oval
  • Dog obedience and cricket
    • Shelter is ageing. Needs better facilities like toilets etc.
    • Town is growing. Want more people involved in sport
  • Trees haven’t taken off up there. Not enough shade while activities are going on
• Solar heated pool. Swimming lessons in Stratford
• Market Street Reserve
  • New basketball court and people insist on driving cars into the space. Can bollards be put in to stop people parking on the court?
  • Bins and toilets needed at this reserve
  • Concrete open air table tennis tables would be fantastic for teens and adults.
• Avon Stadium needs support
• Dixon St compound and area next to railway line.
  • Expand use of that land
  • Let community use the space. Fence it differently
  • Festivals and markets can come in
• Kids used to be able to play basketball at the school. Can this now be provided at parks with half court or full basketball (social games for teens)
• There are no bins in parks or along footpaths so people dump their rubbish

Roads and safety

• Pedestrian crossings have no supervisors but town is getting busier and needs it, especially Wellsford St
• Change speed up to the Knob. More residential now. 80km should be pushed out further

(Gathered in Maffra)

• In 2030 Stratford should grow enough to be about to support services, businesses and amenities for the local community

(Gathered in Sale)

• Get rid of Stratford roundabout.
  • Traffic banks up on public holidays
  • Can’t see due to fence
• Wire road barriers between Sale and Stratford are too narrow and dangerous
  • Can’t see in dark/fog

Yarram, 12 March, Baby’s Day Out: Memorial Park, Main Street in front of Foodworks

We've been travelling around the Wellington Shire over the past month talking to people in the community about their thoughts, ideas and priorities. This discussion forum includes a write up of the Yarram conversation and we'd love to hear what you think. Are the priorities identified the right ones? Are there things missing?

Please be respectful of the community members who've shared their time and thoughts in making your response.

Our priorities are…

Health care

• More doctors in Yarram Hospital
• Continuity of doctors – longer term contracts, mentoring program
• Mental health support centres
  • Suicide prevention courses and discussion groups
  • Link up services

Economy

• More shopping centres locally e.g. ALDI, KMART, BIG W
• Keep small business healthy
• More carparking in main street (good that the street is busy)
• Better meals at Pt Albert

Education

• More technology in the library (opening hours are good)
  • Downloadable resources
  • Online interaction
  • Events

Youth

• More opportunities for young people.
• Sensory play park
• Port Albert: Fenced playground on Bay Street side
• Facilities in Port Albert for kids e.g. Adventure Park for older kids (make Port Albert a destination to travel to

Flooding

• Grant St floods when raining. When will it be fixed?
  • Mosquito breeding ground
  • Rising damp issues in nearby buildings
  • Outfall dam needed to drain water away

Activities

• Dog parks
• Dog obedience locally
• A winter activity/festival to draw visitors
• Community involvement. Event for Aboriginal community and LGBTQI

Safety

• Pt Albert: Speed zone 60km before the rail trail exit for safety
• People having more difficulty leaving family violence / potentially violent situations due to COVID restrictions

Roads

• Seal Golf Links Road
• Commercial Road intersections need to be turned into roundabouts
• Town entries to be developed/beautified
  • Expand planting of crepe myrtles to create impact and distinction from other town planting

Footpaths

• Footpaths are important.
  • Accessible crossings must be provided for scooters
  • Seats for older people
  • Ramp steepness
• Join Alberton and Yarram with a walking trail/ rail trail
• Streetscape improvements are fantastic and impressive
  • Clean up/wash streets/main footpaths

Transport

• Better bus to Sale and Mid Valley
• Share ride style bus (no set route)

Facilities

• Equestrian facilities needed at the Recreation Reserve
• More bins in park/skate park
• Please put a post box and more seating around the hospital and nursing homes
• Heated swimming pool

Trees

• Tree pruning in Nichol Street not done well

Sustainability and waste

• Green waste bin. Meant to be saving the planet
• Zero waste like Bass Coast

Development

• More residential and industrial blocks

General

• Yarram is going alright. Good place to live
• New to town. Impressed and love the town

In 2030 Yarram and surrounds should be/should have…

• Celebrate our history and heritage and tell our local stories
  • Beautiful heritage buildings should be protected and celebrated
    • Needs to be historically accurate
    • Historical society should be in the old butter factory
• We have a wealth of natural environment here and need to celebrate and explore it
• Free wifi across the town to assist tourism (signage to direct people to access e.g. library)
• Upgrade the hospital. Aged facility and badly designed for accessibility
• A safe and fun place for families
• Listen to the community