MEDIA RELEASE
Wyaralong trail bike facility on track for 2011 opening
May 27, 2010
The $4 million regional trail bike facility at Wyaralong is on track to open in 2011 with the State Government and South East Queensland Councils committing over $2 million to develop the park.
The Council of Mayors (SEQ) today announced a $1.25 million commitment from SEQ Councils, subject to council budgets being confirmed over the next month.
Queensland Minister for Sport, The Hon. Phil Reeves MP, also confirmed the State Government‟s $1 million contribution, in addition to providing the $1.5 million 745-hectare site.
Mr Reeves joined V8 Supercar driver and trail bike enthusiast Craig Lowndes, Council of Mayors (SEQ) Trail Bike Taskforce Chair and Lockyer Valley Mayor Councillor Steve Jones and Mayor of the Scenic Rim Councillor John Brent in inspecting the site today.
Cr Jones said the Wyaralong facility was a positive step in dealing with illegal riding problems in local council areas.
“Eight SEQ Councils within 90 minutes of the Wyaralong facility have committed $1.25 million in funding for the project, in addition to the State Government‟s contribution of $1 million,” Cr Jones said.
“This is great news for SEQ‟s 230,000 trail bike riders who currently have few safe, legal riding options.
“Research carried out for the Council of Mayors (SEQ) shows that over 86% of riders are likely to ride at a regional facility and 67% said they would be less likely to ride at illegal sites.
“And in more good news for trail bike enthusiasts, riders from participating councils will receive significant discounts on entry to the facility and priority during busier times.”
Cr Jones said the Wyaralong trail bike park would be a family friendly recreational facility.
“Our research challenged the stereotype of trail bike riders, indicating that almost half of riders surveyed were „family men‟, with 25% regularly riding with family members and 40% of rider‟s children also involved in trail bike riding.”
The financial contributions from the State Government and SEQ Councils will fund the development of essential site infrastructure, such as access roads, water, energy and basic camping facilities.
Cr Jones said the Council of Mayors (SEQ) will now seek an experienced commercial operator to develop and manage the site effectively and safely, a process that will take three to four months.
“We are looking for a commercial operator that is going to provide an exceptionally high standard of service to SEQ trail bike riders and make a significant financial contribution to further develop the site,” Cr Jones said.
“We have been pleased with the significant amount of interest shown by commercial entities and individuals following local and national advertisements of the upcoming Expression of Interest (EOI) process.
“Following the Council of Mayors (SEQ) briefing with industry stakeholders yesterday, we will finalise the EOI document and formally commence the search for a commercial operator,” Cr Jones said.
Showing posts with label Lockyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lockyer. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Most recent Koala sighting
Time we started sharing our koala sightings with the community. Residents in the Vinegar Hill / Adare area regularly see koalas on their properties and along the roadside. Until now they have generally not recorded these incidental sightings, and in fact since most of us don't tend to look into the treetops when working outside, most koala presence would have gone unnoticed.
This is the most recent sighting I am aware of, seen mid-afternoon yesterday (29 January 2015) - 1.5km from the site of the motocross track.
It's a big male who brought attention to himself by calling from his perch high in an Ironbark. Male koalas call any time, but mostly during the breeding season which lasts from September to January. The call can be heard (by humans) for up to a kilometre. I haven't found any information on how far away a female koala can hear a call. The male's call advertises his presence (and location) to females in the area, and also contains information about his size. If the female likes what she hears she will go looking for him.
Like all wildlife which uses calls as part of its relationship with others of its species, the koalas in Adare / Vinegar Hill will find their life cycles disrupted by motocross sounds. This will be particularly the case if the track operates as planned from 4.00pm to 9.00pm Tuesday to Friday and "occasionally" to 9.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Koalas are mainly nocturnal and tend to be most active around dawn and dusk. They spend around 18 to 20 hours of each day resting in order to conserve energy, due to the low-energy content of their main diet of Eucalyptus leaves.
He won't be getting much of his daytime sleep on weekends if the motocross track is approved, and this will seriously affect his "energy budget", leading to health impacts. These impacts will add to the stress impacts resulting from exposure to high noise levels six days per week. It has been suggested that the stress experienced by koalas exposed to noise and disturbance leads to lowered immune system function, which in turn will exacerbate the impacts of chlamydia. Many or most koalas in Southeast Queensland are already infected with chlamydia.
This is the most recent sighting I am aware of, seen mid-afternoon yesterday (29 January 2015) - 1.5km from the site of the motocross track.
It's a big male who brought attention to himself by calling from his perch high in an Ironbark. Male koalas call any time, but mostly during the breeding season which lasts from September to January. The call can be heard (by humans) for up to a kilometre. I haven't found any information on how far away a female koala can hear a call. The male's call advertises his presence (and location) to females in the area, and also contains information about his size. If the female likes what she hears she will go looking for him.
Like all wildlife which uses calls as part of its relationship with others of its species, the koalas in Adare / Vinegar Hill will find their life cycles disrupted by motocross sounds. This will be particularly the case if the track operates as planned from 4.00pm to 9.00pm Tuesday to Friday and "occasionally" to 9.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Koalas are mainly nocturnal and tend to be most active around dawn and dusk. They spend around 18 to 20 hours of each day resting in order to conserve energy, due to the low-energy content of their main diet of Eucalyptus leaves.
He won't be getting much of his daytime sleep on weekends if the motocross track is approved, and this will seriously affect his "energy budget", leading to health impacts. These impacts will add to the stress impacts resulting from exposure to high noise levels six days per week. It has been suggested that the stress experienced by koalas exposed to noise and disturbance leads to lowered immune system function, which in turn will exacerbate the impacts of chlamydia. Many or most koalas in Southeast Queensland are already infected with chlamydia.
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