I just thought that you all may like to see this,as it is good news. I have replies from the Ministers for Enviroment and Tourism in South Australia, when I wrote to them about the closure of
GOOGS TRACK and our
recreation in general. First is my letter then the replies.
If you want to add your voice here are the address's
The Hon
John Hill
Minister for the Enviroment and Conservation
minister.
hill@saugov.sa.gov.au
The Hon Jane Lomax-Smith
Minister for Tourism
jls@saugov.sa.gov.au
Dear Sir,
I am writing to you to voice my concern to the diminishing four wheel drive access in South Australia.
It is harder for the recreational four wheel drive owner to find a track with
camping area's to follow their chosen
recreation, be it just the pleasure of following the Australian spirit of exploration, bird watching, photography etc, the list is endless.
I hear on the grape vine that the
GOOGS TRACK is under threat of closure, by the Wilderness Societies vision of "'WILD COUNTRY"
This is another nail in the coffin of an industry that provides millions of dollars to State and National coffers through fuel and new vehicle excise, not to mention valuable tourist dollars to remote towns.
I love my State, my mothers family were settlers and opened up areas of this great state, one being the Hon. William
Copley, whom the town in the far north is named. This link to the past has given me a passion to travel and encourage others to travel and explore our wonderful state.
I understand that it is an irresponsible minority that is bringing recreational four wheel drivers into disrepute, but please do not consider us all to be reckless destroyers of our environment, as most of us are environmentally minded following the TREADLGHTLY approach to out pursuit. Still this is enough to ignite the passion of those who HATE me and my friends because of what we do for
recreation. They do not understand that we do not rape and pillage as we travel, but spend our tourist dollar, paint, photograph,walk, film and write what we see, and know that to degrade it for others is to destroy it for ourselves.
Please do not judge my
recreation by the actions of a mindless few, but consider the loss to thousands of Australians the closure of more tracks, such as GOOGS.
I would be honoured to take you on a trip to see what recreational four wheel drivers are about first hand, or to speak to you in person to hear my passionate will to keep South Australia open for all to see.
Yours sincerely
Paul Shinks
Dear Mr Shinks
Thank you for your e-mail dated 23 November 2003, addressed to the Hon
John Hill MP, Minister for Environment and Conservation, regarding public access routes throughout South Australia, and in particular,
Googs Track.
Firstly, may I take this opportunity to say that from a tourism point of view, recreational four-wheel drivers are not considered to be ‘reckless destroyers of the environment’. Indeed, we value this particular market and acknowledge the contribution they make to outback communities and regional economies through their recreational pursuits. As is the case with many outdoor activities, we are keen to ensure the sustainability of fragile environments, but this can be better achieved through effective education and interpretation rather than closing areas off and we work in co-operation with the Department for Environment and
Heritage to achieve this.
With respect to
Googs Track, part of the track is in the process of being gazetted as a Public Access Route. This system enables access to pastoral lease areas of the State where there are no existing public roads and the responsibility for indemnity lies with the State rather than the lessee.
Before this can be done, a process is being undertaken to realign the northern extremity of the track where it leaves the Yellabinna Regional Reserve and travels across the pastoral lease to the railway line. The lessee has agreed to this realignment that will take the traffic away from the
dingo proof fence and also away from the station
infrastructure.
There are also some safety concerns on this route due to the large number of sand
hill crossings posing the potential for head on crashes. This will be addressed by promoting direction of travel from the south to the north, although I am sure you would appreciate the difficulty in actually policing this given the remote location.
The larger part of
Googs Track runs through Yellabinna Regional Reserve and I am assured by the Department for Environment and
Heritage’s Regional Manager that there are no plans to close this road. In fact, he is confident that there will be upgrades made over coming years to enhance the experience for recreational four-wheel drivers and ensure the surrounding environment is suitably protected.
Far from diminishing, the number of public access routes for four-wheel drive enthusiasts is expanding. There are currently 18 different routes totalling some 600 kms which have been gazetted and several other routes are currently being proposed. In addition, there are a number of private four-wheel drive tracks in areas such as the
Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula.
Thank you for supporting tourism in regional areas of South Australia, and I trust that my response has allayed your concerns regarding our perception of the recreational four-wheel drive market and its importance to the State’s economy.
Yours sincerely
(this document is unsigned due to electronic transmission)
Jane Lomax-Smith
MINISTER FOR TOURISM
17 / 12 / 03
Dear Mr Shinks
Thank you for your email of 23 November 2003 concerning the closure of
Goog's Track.
Goog's Track traverses
Yumbarra Conservation Park and Yellabinna Regional
Reserve. These parks have been the subject of a Wilderness Assessment
Report by the Wilderness Advisory Committee. This draft report recommends
that "Public vehicular access be permitted on Goog's Track".
Declaring an area a Wilderness Protection Area does not preclude current
access tracks and there is currently no intention to close
Goog's Track.
The Department for Environment and
Heritage (DEH) recognises the need to
provide 4WD access while minimising the impacts that off-road vehicles can
have on the environment. DEH has spent considerable time in working with
4WD and off-road recreational groups and also include information about
off-road driving in publications including the Desert Parks Pass and the
Tracks of the Mallee brochures.
Thank you for drawing this matter to my attention.
Yours sincerely
TERRY ROBERTS
A/MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION