Ready to go: MIkE Forsyth at You Yangs Regional Park.
ERIN PEARSON
YOU YANGS Regional Park is set to reopen in the next couple of weeks after five months of work to repair rain damage, according to Parks Victoria.
Chief executive Bill Jackson said the State Government body spent $1.5 million restoring the park after heavy January rain washed away roads, tracks and exposed extensive areas of asbestos.
Workers removed 80 tonnes of asbestos, restored 25 kilometres of bike tracks and replaced 100 drainage culverts, he said.
Parks Victoria initially planned an April reopening for the park, near Lara.
“About 1000 hours of manual labour has gone into laying down 200 cubic metres of gravel and 30 cubic metres of crushed rock, building and replacing boardwalks and hand carving the bike trails alone,” Mr Jackson said.
“Visitors will see improvements to walking tracks and rock climbing sites including aesthetic features, boardwalks, retaining walls and long-term drainage solutions.”
Mr Jackson said Flinders Peak would remain closed until further notice as reconstruction work continued.
The park closed in February to protect public safety after severe storms exposed asbestos at more than 90 locations.
Acting ranger-in-charge Mike Forsyth said even mountain bike clubs rolled up their sleeves to help repair the You Yangs.
“There’s still a lot to do in the last few weeks as we focus on road works, car parks and asbestos removal,” he said.
“The road works are the last piece of the staged reopening strategy and they are to begin soon.”
Mr Forsyth said the length of the closure was “difficult” for park staff.
“This has not been a quick and easy process, given the reliance of weather and the number of safety, cultural heritage and legal requirements we’ve had to meet,” he said.
“Once the asbestos culverts were uncovered throughout the park there was no question they had to be removed.”
