THE Colac Otway Shire is urging the state government to re-open the tourist attraction Marriners Falls, northwest of Apollo Bay.\u00a0Last month, the council unanimously voted to lobby Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D\u2019Ambrosio for further investigations into the walk and waterfall in the Great Otway National Park.<\/p>\n
A notice of motion brought forward by Cr Jason Schram called for a new independent geotechnical risk assessment, including an examination of risk mitigation strategies, recommendations and comparison with approaches used for other public assets in Victoria.<\/p>\n
A report commissioned by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in 2014 found the unique features of the falls significantly contribute to the potential for trees to fall and pose an \u201cunacceptable risk\u201d to the lives of visitors or staff.\u00a0A visitor was seriously injured by a falling tree in 2008, and another broke their ankle while walking to the falls in September 2014.<\/p>\n
Cr Schram said Marriners Falls was a unique waterfall in the Otways region and that the council was pleased to join forces with the community to campaign for the falls\u2019 reopening, building on the strong advocacy the community had already done.\u00a0\u201cFor many years it was a favourite destination for domestic and international tourists up until its closure in 2011.\u00a0\u201cIt was also a special place for locals, particularly during summer when it was a great place to escape on hot days.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarriners Falls is an important tourism asset along the Great Ocean Road and our council is strongly supportive of seeing it reopened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Great Ocean Road is one of Australia\u2019s most popular tourist attractions and we believe Marriners Falls is worthy of further investment by the state government to restore it to its rightful position as one of our region\u2019s most significant nature-based walks and waterfalls,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Colac Otway councillors agreed at their March meeting to write to the state government about Marriners Falls, and will also seek meetings with relevant ministers.\u00a0The council will also seek the support of regional partners including G21 and Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Colac Otway Shire is urging the state government to re-open the tourist attraction Marriners Falls, northwest of Apollo Bay.\u00a0Last month, the council unanimously voted to lobby Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D\u2019Ambrosio for further investigations into the walk and waterfall in the Great Otway National Park. A notice of motion brought […]<\/p>\n