Council releases concept bike park design

Hello to all residents, ratepayers and visitors to the Borough of Queenscliffe.

It was certainly wonderful to see so many people around town over the Easter long weekend as they took advantage of the favourable weather.

I know that the local businesses definitely appreciated the extra patronage – so please continue to shop local where you can.

I’d like to welcome Isabelle Tolhurst to the Queenscliffe Borough Council. Isabelle is now the newest member of our council after the Victorian Electoral Commission held a virtual countback last week to fill the vacancy left by the resignation and passing of Cr Susan Salter.

On behalf of council, I want to congratulate Isabelle on her election and look forward to working with her. My commiserations go to the unsuccessful candidates, but also my thanks – choosing to stand for election is a reflection of your care for your neighbours and your community.

Borough families will soon be enjoying a brand new set of play equipment at Point Lonsdale’s Ganes Reserve, with council’s playground renewal program earmarking the park for a revamp this winter.

As the play equipment at Ganes Reserve is nearing the end of its design life, council will be replacing it with new equipment, including swings, slides, climbing nets and walls, a bridge, monkey bars, and a track rider.

The equipment is designed to marine grade specifications, allowing the materials to withstand the risk of corrosion in a coastal environment.

Best of all, the nearby trees and seating will be retained during the renewal.

Construction is expected to begin in June.

Council has just released a concept design for a proposed bike park in Point Lonsdale, and now we’re calling on young people to help workshop the plan.

The concept design incorporates feedback council heard during the first round of consultation, and would integrate a pump track and dirt jumps track alongside the existing Point Lonsdale Skate Park.

Locating the bike park next to the skate park allows us to have a more flexible design that incorporates more community feedback.

We’re now calling for riders to join an on-site workshop on Saturday 14 May to help council engineers finalise a design and prioritise park features.

Community input will be crucial to finalising a design – we want this park to be designed by young people, for young people.

Council will then seek funding opportunities to build the park, based on the priorities riders identify.

If you’d use a bike park in the borough, sign up to join the workshop and let us know which features are most important to you. You can view the full concept design, and sign up to the workshop, by visiting boq.news/bikepark. Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday 1 May.

There were plenty of smiling faces around over the Easter long weekend as the bustling Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale shopping villages welcomed the Easter Bunny to town.

Council’s ‘Shop Local’ campaign had been rebranded as ‘Hop Local’ over the course of the Easter period, with locals and visitors encouraged to shop close to home for their sweet treats and gifts.

Well done to all the traders getting into the spirit, and of course the residents and tourists for supporting those businesses.

As always, if you have anything you’d like to discuss with me about the borough, drop me a line via the contact details on council’s website.

Kind regards,

Cr Ross Ebbels
Mayor, Borough of Queenscliffe