A pothole near the Peachtree Creek Campground, near Tamboon Inlet, is causing a stir with locals.
The pothole, located near the Peachtree Creek Camping Reserve toilet block, frequently floods after heavy rain and has slowly grown to cover most of the gravel track.
However, after being flagged as a hazard by locals, Parks Victoria claim the pothole cannot be filled due to a Cultural and Heritage permit being in place while a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) is under development. The CHMP has been underway since 2021.
In an email exchange between concerned residents and Parks Victoria obtained by the Snowy River Mail, a Parks Victoria staff member anticipated the CHMP will be approved in late 2024.
The email from Parks Victoria also stated:
– “Detailed design work for the Peachtree Creek campground upgrades is complete and the scope of work remains largely unchanged except for adjustments to the footprint and removal of the shelter.
– “Parks Victoria is also finalising the Cultural Heritage Management Plan based on the design.
This is in the process of being finalised and submitted to First Peoples State Relations for approval.
– “Environmental assessments have been completed.
– “Once the CHMP is approved, we will have all the necessary reports to submit a planning permit application and other regulatory permits.
– “We anticipate all approvals will be finalised by early 2025.
“In the meantime, we will commence the process to procure a contractor to deliver the work, so that we can award a contract when all approvals are complete.
– “We expect construction to take approximately four months so are hopeful of a completion date of mid-2025.
“Parks Victoria is bound by strict regulatory requirements in regard to protecting cultural heritage values, particularly while a CHMP is under development.”
One concerned resident, Ron Luhrs, said he would not be holding his breath.
“It is bloody ridiculous that the Peachtree Creek campsite project was initiated shortly after the 2020 fires and it will now be five years on for Parks Victoria current scoping to complete,” he said.
“There does not seem to have been the same impediments to starting the Point Hicks Road and bridge, the improving of the Thurra Road and now it seems work is being done on the Clinton Rocks Track.
“In the meantime fill the bloody pothole. It’s only a pothole, a seriously bad one, and not a grave site.”
According to Mr Luhrs, the access road with the pothole has been in existence since the 1930s, and Parks Victoria have altered it a number of times in recent years.
“Are they so broke they cannot supply a bit of gravel and are they allergic to shovels?” Mr Luhrs said.
Local MP, Tim Bull, said the matter should simply come down to common sense.
“This is a classic example of where some common sense must prevail, which is not occurring,” Mr Bull said.
“It is one of the reasons we have asked for a review of cultural heritage approvals.
“We must absolutely protect our cultural heritage, but we need to streamline the process to allow for these types of scenarios to proceed.”
“The notion that you cannot fill a pothole on a long established road is just ridiculous.”
WHAT IS A CHMP?
A Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) is a written report prepared by a Heritage Advisor. It includes results of an assessment of the potential impact of a proposed activity on Aboriginal cultural heritage.
It outlines measures to be taken before, during or after an activity in order to manage and protect Aboriginal cultural heritage in the activity area.
A CHMP is required when a “high impact activity” is planned in an area of “cultural heritage sensitivity”.
In these circumstances, planning permits, licenses and work authorities can’t be issued unless a CHMP has been approved for the activity.
Areas of cultural heritage sensitivity include registered Aboriginal cultural heritage places as well as landforms and land categories that are generally regarded as more likely to contain Aboriginal cultural heritage.
