Cycling, hiking hub plans for Ballan, Blackwood

PUBLIC consultation is about to start on the feasibility of establishing Ballan as a cycling hub and Blackwood as a hiking hub.

The Moorabool Shire council has appointed planning, economics and tourism consultancy Urban Enterprise to complete feasibility studies on each of the proposals after receiving Tidy Towns grants totalling $75,000.

Both initiatives are listed as priorities in the shire’s Visitor Economy Strategy as ways of strengthening the municipality’s nature-based tourism offerings.

The Ballan study will focus on how to leverage the township’s proximity to towns such as Daylesford, Ballarat, Gordon and Greendale, and natural attractions like the Werribee Gorge and the Brisbane Ranges.

The Blackwood investigation will consider how that township can be linked to Bacchus Marsh and the Wombat and Lerderderg state forests for hiking.

Urban Enterprise will lead consultation sessions for businesses and community groups at the Ballan Library and the Blackwood Hall on Monday 20 April.

The Ballan session will take place from 10am to 11.30am and the Blackwood event from 2pm to 3.30pm.

The consultants will also conduct online engagement with relevant industries, while submissions will be accepted through the council’s Have Your Say platform.

Draft feasibility studies are scheduled to go on public exhibition in September and final studies are expected to be presented to councillors at a meeting in November.

Councillors voted at their meeting earlier this month to move to the consultation stage of the study projects, which will have an overall cost of $100,000. The shire is covering the remaining cost outside the grant allocations with $25,000 drawn from its arts and economic development recurrent budget.

The shire has already established an internal project working group, which is also involved in the study process.

“These studies will assess opportunities to grow tourism visitation and stimulate local economic development by identifying Ballan’s potential as a cycling tourism hub and Blackwood’s potential as a hiking tourism hub,” Moorabool mayor Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor said after the meeting.

“Through data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and alignment with regional strategies, the studies will examine how targeted infrastructure investment can support increased visitor numbers, longer stays, and stronger connections to local businesses.”

Cr Venditti-Taylor said the findings would inform future investment decisions aimed at boosting the visitor economy, supporting local enterprises, strengthening regional connectivity, and enhancing liveability through sustainable tourism growth.