On track: Barwon Heads’ Simon Collings and Annie Hall walk above 13th Beach on Wednesday.
By Vanessa Valenzuela
A NEW walking track through sand dunes along Barwon Head’s 13th Beach will be developed this financial year, a draft management plan has revealed.
The Barwon Coast Committee of Management plan listed implementation of an off-road trail on 13th Beach Rd as a high priority, allocating $130,000 to fund the project.
The plan expected to spend a total $340,000 on developing walking trails along the beach for pedestrians, cyclists and surfers by 2015.
The new pathway would run from the western end of Stephens Pde to a car park at 13th’s 33W Signpost Beach, following an existing vehicle access track for maintenance works in the dunes.
Barwon Coast general manager Bob Jordan said the committee had developed three proposed pathways after years of community consultation, with the aim of causing minimal damage to indigenous vegetation.
“The committee’s view is to provide safe access on 13th Beach,” Mr Jordan said.
“These trails provide the ability to help cyclists and pedestrians to get to the beach without really walking on the road.
“We received a range of views. Most were in favour of the proposed trails but we acknowledged people weren’t in favour of some of the trails.
“We believe these trails are needed and less vegetation will be damaged.”
Mr Jordan said increased visitors to the beach was also “an area of concern”, with the development of new suburbs, such as Armstrong Creek, to increase use of the coast.
The committee wanted to accommodate the increase in visitor numbers but was opposed to creating more car parks along the beach, he said.
“It means taking out larger areas of vegetation to create the car parks and we are opposed to that. The walking trails will only remove minor vegetation.”
Mr Jordan said Barwon Coast was seeking feedback on the draft plan until July 25.
The finalised plan would need the approval of state Environment and Climate Change Minister Ryan Smith, Mr Jordan said.
The committee has been trying to build a walking track along the beach for more than six years. Objectors shot down an initial proposal in 2007 amid concerns of environmental damage.
