Hope you are all enjoying the festive season.
You will be aware of the bad accident recently at Ginninderra Falls. This has been widely reported, for example, "Teen injured after falling 15 metres from Ginninderra Falls - Canberra Times, 20 Dec 2015". Follow up reports have highlighted the safety issues here, for example, "Ginninderra Falls land owners struggling to keep carloads of trespassers out, as plans to reopen area to public progress". John and Anna have been saying this for years:
- the area is dangerous and
- 'visitors' still come.
John and Anna had to close their tourist park in 2004 because public liability insurance became prohibitive.
The issues were summed up in the Canberra Times editorial on Monday: "Park status need for Ginninderra Falls: The Canberra Times Editorial, 28 December 2015". The editorial noted:
- This is "one of Canberra's most spectacular scenic attractions, and right on the city's doorstep".
- People will come (and deserve to allowed to come) so we need "to set the area aside as a national park, and for proper boardwalks, railings, rubbish bins and other facilities to be installed".
- David Maxwell (Riverview) "has suggested establishing a trust, financed by some of the proceeds of the land sales, to manage the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderra Creek corridors. It's not a governance model that's universally supported, but it's a useful starting point for discussion".
We need a park that is safe, properly managed, and environmentally and culturally sensitive. That the area laps both NSW and ACT is just an administrative hassle for our politicians and public service. Sort it out!
Cheers,
Darryl Seto
(for the Ginninderra Falls Committee)
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