Coastal networking: Great Ocean Road Communities Network to co-ordinate local action

A CLUSTER of like-minded community groups along the Great Ocean Road have banded together to form the Great Ocean Road Communities Network (GORCN).
Announced earlier this week, the network says its creation is in response to the new Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCPA) and will “facilitate communication and co-ordinated action among established community groups in towns along the Great Ocean Road and its hinterland”.
“As the Great Ocean Road evolves to be a designated visitor destination under a new state government authority, GORCPA, the community network will allow the member organisations to advocate for their shared interests guided by the principles of environmental sustainability, community benefit and socially responsible tourism.”
The Aireys Inlet and District Association (AIDA) initiated GORCN and had representatives from six other groups – Anglesea Community Network, Friends of Lorne, Greater Torquay Alliance, Save Anglesea, Wye River and Separation Creek Community Association, and the Otway Forum – at its inaugural meeting (via Zoom) on August 18.
GORCN spokesperson Charlotte Allen said there were many other groups along the road and in its hinterland with shared interests, which the network would welcome and were expected to join before the next meeting in a few weeks.
Any group interested in joining can email [email protected].
Ms Allen noted the state government’s Great Ocean Road Action Plan stated that “like many international tourist destinations, the Great Ocean Road and its landscapes is challenged by increasing numbers of visitors, forces of nature and impacts of climate change”.
“The government has said the GORCPA is being established to protect the iconic coasts, parks and scenic landscapes along the Great Ocean Road but at the same time they say tourist numbers will continue to increase. This is something it accepts and apparently welcomes,” she said.
“We can’t understand how the authority will manage the government’s two expectations of its work: to protect the environment, flora and fauna and local communities along the road while at the same time increasing tourist numbers.
“The pandemic has had an enormous impact on many local businesses. We all need to work collaboratively to provide support to our local economy. It will take many months, maybe years, for this economic recovery, but the current downturn in tourist numbers presents a real opportunity to rethink the tourist industry and its social, environmental and economic impacts.”
The first of two bills to enable the Great Ocean Road management reforms was passed by the Victorian Parliament on June 16.
Further community involvement in the implementation of the Great Ocean Road Action Plan is expected to occur in early 2021.