2020 Year In Review: January-March

JANUARY 2: THIS year’s Falls Festival in Lorne was stopped the day after it started, with the event cancelled due to extreme weather conditions in the Otways. Organisers said they had “no other option” but to stop the annual festival but promised it would be back in Lorne in 2020.

JANUARY 9: THE bushfires devastating eastern Victoria and New South Wales thankfully had not appeared in the Surf Coast region, but authorities warned people not to be complacent. There were a handful of fires in the Otways recently, but all were small and were brought under control quickly.

JANUARY 16: THE Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) revealed its vision for the management of Torquay’s foreshore over the next 15 years. GORRC released the draft version of the Point Impossible to Jan Juc Master Plan for public comment. The master plan covers the 11.5 km of Crown land managed by GORCC between the two points.

JANUARY 23: THE Surf Coast Shire council dipped its toe back into the long-running debate about an aquatic centre for Torquay, with officers recommending a feasibility study for a $30 million facility. However, the federal funding on offer meant the shire dropped its previous plan for a 25-metre pool, as all options in the study will include “a 50-metre pool suitable for swimming in all seasons”.

JANUARY 30: CAMPAIGNERS for a pool in Torquay said the Surf Coast Shire council was wasting time and money on a fifth feasibility study into the facility, and there were better uses for the $50,000 in spending. At their January 21 meeting, councillors resolved to carry out the study into an aquatic and health centre with a cost of up to $30 million and with all options to include a 50-metre pool.

FEBRUARY 6: THE sixth edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race was held in wild weather conditions, with the male and female riders battling extreme heat, pouring rain and strong winds across the four days of competition. After the female riders enjoyed the Welcome Wave reception in Fairhaven, the cycling action began amid sweltering heat with the inaugural Race Torquay.

FEBRUARY 13: THE proposed pool for Torquay was drawn into the so-called “sports rorts” investigation, with the project receiving more than an eighth of the total $150 million from the Female Facilities and Water Safety Stream program. Media reports revealed $120 million from the program went towards 14 pools, all in seats held by the Coalition before the election.

FEBRUARY 20: THE impact of lower tourism numbers due to the coronavirus travel ban began to be felt across the Great Ocean Road region, and Corangamite Labor federal member Libby Coker wanted the Coalition to release an economic support package for affected small tourism operators, small businesses and workers. The travel ban on visitors from China was extended to February 22.

FEBRUARY 27: NORWEGIAN drilling company Equinor announced it had abandoned its plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. Over the past few years, several protests were held in Torquay and other locations across Australia’s coast, as communities showed their opposition to oil drilling in the bight.

MARCH 5: THE Surf Coast Shire council did not agree with the proposed ward boundaries suggested by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) ahead of the coming council elections. There has been considerable population growth in Torquay since the previous election, so the VEC was redividing the shire’s ward boundaries to ensure everyone in the shire was equally represented.

MARCH 12: A THOUSAND trekkers were to take on the Surf Coast’s Ironbark forests, exposed cliff tops and sandy beaches from Aireys Inlet to Torquay on March 28 as part of the fifth annual Surf Coast Trek (SCT). Having raised $1 million since its 2016 inception, the 40km course saw participants take on the individual or team fundraising challenge, with $100,000 already raised of this year’s $250,000 target.

MARCH 19: BUSINESSES across the Surf Coast were keeping their doors open during the coronavirus pandemic, with traders doing what they could to adapt to the changing conditions and directives from the state and federal governments. Tourism bodies were also encouraging businesses to band together as an industry and support each other.

MARCH 26: THE Surf Coast’s medical leaders banded together to offer regular advice and updates on the coronavirus pandemic via an online platform. Health practitioners and pharmacists from Torquay to Anglesea were among those involved in @torquay_covid19_support, an Instagram handle set up by Dr Caroline Taylor-Walker of Surf Coast Home Doctor.