Cash splash for Aqualink

By Lachlan Ellis

Moorabool’s Aqualink Cycling and Walking Corridor has received a $600,000 boost from the State Government, under the Growing Suburbs Fund (GSF).

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle visited Darley on Tuesday 25 October to announce the funding.

“Something like this is so important to the community. This Aqualink is a fantastic one, I think it’s really going to make a difference to this growing area with families. We want to get people out and about, we want to get them walking, and what a great way to do it this is,” Ms Settle said.

“This is a government announcement, not an election commitment, so this money has been committed. It’s part of the Growing Suburbs Fund…this fund has been so important for peri-urban councils. You’ve got to provide the infrastructure for these enormously growing communities, but the rates follow the communities.”

Moorabool Shire Mayor Cr Tom Sullivan thanked Ms Settle and the State Government for their support.

“This was actually a Southern Rural Water channel, and because of the network of these channels through Bacchus Marsh, we’re able to repurpose it now for community activity,” Cr Sullivan said.

“It does connect the Werribee and Lerderderg Rivers, totalling about 4.5 kilometres. Hopefully Aqualink will link up with other open spaces along the way…these communities have grown, but there hasn’t been that connectivity for them to relate to each other. This is an opportunity to do that, and improve the health and wellbeing of the community.

“This funding relates to Node 1, which includes a bike track, and Nodes 3 and 4, which include fitness equipment. This investment in the Aqualink Nodes is welcomed by the Shire, and we’d like to thank the Victorian Government for the continuing investment in Moorabool Shire and ongoing support.”

Construction and landscaping for the new Aqualink Nodes is expected to begin in March.

The Bacchus Marsh Racecourse Reserve Community Pavilion is also a past recipient of $3.2 million from the Growing Suburbs Fund.