Committee For Lorne: A word from the Chairman – August 2, 2018

As we enter the final month of winter it’s a good time to check in on water storages, rainfall to date and winter climate patterns. It’s seems such a short time ago that we were all spruiking how warm and dry the autumn period had been. Well that seems like an eternity ago and although many parts of our country are in drought conditions, Lorne again is so lucky.

For those unaware, Lorne has its very own water storage facility, the Allen Dam at the head of the St George River. From the Allen Dam water is piped to the Lorne Water treatment plant at the top of William Street, filtered, disinfected and then dispersed to one of five storage tanks across the three pressure zones that exist in Lorne.

Work has recently been completed on the Allen Dam, undertaking safety upgrades for the years ahead. These works saw the level of the Dam fall to below 60 per cent in April but with recent rains, it has quickly replenished to 100 per cent. The June rainfall total of 120.4mm against the June average of 108.3 went a long way to the speedy refill of the dams 196 megalitre capacity.

It’s been great to learn of a very active group of Wye River residents that have been lobbying the State Government for the continuation of the Surfcoast Walk in an endeavour to extend the walk’s destination from Fairhaven to Apollo Bay and in particular the section between Lorne and Wye River. This pro-active group in leaving no stone unturned have been actively lobbying government support for the project and I believe there is some good news on the horizon?

The Wye River working group had learnt how my grandfather, the late Donald Richardson Stewart, had walked the mail from Lorne to Wye River along a route that became known as the Bridle Track. What made this feat even more intriguing to me and younger family members was that this was a task, which he started before his teenage years had even begun, and it wasn’t until two years later that he had saved enough to purchase a pony to enable him to complete the return journey on horseback.

Just another great example, along with our loggers, fishermen and traders, of the early pioneering history in which our coastline is so richly immersed, and it’s like a “pot of gold” that needs to be unlocked for the benefit of our community and the tens of thousands of National and International visitors to the Great Ocean Road Region.

Don’t forget Lorne Festival of the Performing Arts (FOPA) from August 30 through until September 2 – go to www.fopa.com.au for details and ticketing.

Ian Stewart
Chairman – Committee for Lorne