Drysdale, Springs push for peninsula cycle ‘network’

Ride on: Jill and Neil McGuinness want a Bellarine Peninsula cycling network.  Ride on: Jill and Neil McGuinness want a Bellarine Peninsula cycling network.

KIM WATERS
DRYSDALE and Clifton Springs residents want a council-funded bike trail linking the entire Bellarine Peninsula, according to a spokesperson behind the push.
Neil McGuinness said the proposed Northern Cycling Trail would follow Griggs Creek along Corio Bay to other towns on the peninsula.
Mr McGuinness hoped the trail would attract tourists and cycling enthusiasts.
“A lot of people in the town ride bikes and there are heaps of kids who cycle to school every day,” he said.
“We’re proposing to have a stack of leaflets at the Drysdale Station section of Bellarine Rail Trail where bike riders can look at maps to take them around the town, through the waterholes, along the creek and up to The Dell lookout.”
Mr McGuinness described a preliminary meeting with City Hall officers as “positive”.
“The main part we want to get done is a section across Jetty Road and down to the creek behind the primary school.
“Eventually we’d like to see the whole of Drysdale and Clifton Springs set up with a trail and then other towns like Leopold, Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove with their own networks linking to ours.”
Mr McGuinness said Drysdale and Clifton Springs Community Association would present the trail proposal to council in the next month.
“Council is generally in favour of this kind of proposal, so we’re hoping to get something started soon.”