The Bright Observer reports that proposals from potential operators of the Mt Buffalo Chalet are under assessment after the end of the submissions period last week.
“Parks Victoria general manager for commercial business, Andrew Minack, confirmed the evaluation process for the Mount Buffalo Chalet request for tender has commenced.
Meanwhile plans for the chalet’s centenary celebrations on May 8 are in full swing”.
“I’ve been a few things in my life – teacher, scholar, activist, candidate and Member of Parliament – but like most people I have ended up as a consultant….”
“It might be too late to change the world, but its a way of life for me. At the broad scale, I am pessimistic about the future of our planet and the wellbeing of its creatures, including us”.
“But I am heartened to see small groups of people everywhere making a difference, taking their local futures into their own hands. Groups of people well networked, sharing fun as well as work, whether its in Transition Towns type of movements, Boobook Declarations, producers markets, organic farming or community working bees are what is going to make the difference. Politicians seem pretty disinterested and unaware of rural communities, so they are likely to leave us alone to get on with it!”
You can read the story here.
Information from Louise Rose (Parks Victoria), 26/04/2010.
“The Alpine Advisory Committe has met three times since being formed in October 2009, the Environment and Scientific Advisory Group has met three times and the Victorian Alpine Traditional Owner Reference Group has met six times.
More than 21,000 different people have accessed wePlan Alpine and 163 people attended open houses in October 2009.
All of this input has assisted the Alpine planning team to develop a ‘work in progress’ draft plan.
This ‘work in progress’ draft plan will soon be loaded onto this website under Draft Management Plan. We’d love your input on this work in progress to help make it a final printable draft plan.”
Des Powell has been appointed as the new Chair of the Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council (ARCC) in Victoria.
The Council is a statutory body established under the Victorian Alpine Resorts Management Act 1997. It reports to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and it’s key function includes planning for and facilitation of “the establishment, development, promotion, management and use of alpine resorts” in the state. It will be very interesting to see how Des steers the ARCC in coming years.
Given this has been announced via the Australian Financial Review, I expect there will be something on the ARCC website soon.
The Alpine Shire Council continues to push forward into its investigation about whether the skyway project should proceed (don’t mind the minor details like whether they could ever get approvals for a major infrastructure project inside a national park, or who is actually going to fund it).
There will be two information sessions in May:
For full details on the forums please check here.
Interestingly, the ‘media‘ section on the skyways website only contains positive reports on the skyway proposal.
Further (independent) opinion on the skyway proposal here.
As we wait for winter snow, I stumbled on this short story from the Mountain Gazette by D. Morgan Miller that sums up much of the appeal of getting out in the backcountry:
“Ritual.
Ritual is what I need.
Sitting here in this beloved mountain temple, on my nifty little ski bench in the back of the car, the dressing ritual in this special place has every exhalation feeling lighter and more peaceful. My spirit has already started climbing out of the cellar. Donning my pack, boots and skis, I’m dressing my body to go sacrifice to the mountains for just a short while”.
You can find the story here.
The theme of the ads being ‘ski here in Australia rather than NZ’. Certainly makes sense on environmental grounds, way lower carbon footprint. Even better, catch the bus!
(The video is here. Prepare yourself for lots of ads!)
Warren Miller’s current film is showing at Australian resorts over opening weekend in June.
The Weekly Times is running with the story on getting environmental flows back into the Snowy River:
“The greatest hurdle to reviving the Snowy River’s flows could be removed for little more than $3.3 million.
That’s the estimated cost of extinguishing a 56,000-megalitre water debt that must be repaid before the iconic river’s flows can be raised above a trickle this spring.
If the debt is not repaid the Snowy River will once again be capped at 4 per cent of its natural flow in 2010-11, almost 10 years after the inter-government deal was struck to rescue the river.
East Gippsland Independent MP Craig Ingram, who put Labor into power on the back of its promise to revive the Snowy’s flows, said it was time to extinguish the debt and boost this spring’s flows”.
Your can find the Times story here.
Mt Stirling, adjacent to Mt Buller, is a unique natural landscape with dramatic vistas of Victoria’s alpine area.
Popular with cross-country skiers, bushwalkers, campers and school groups, it is also home to many threatened plant and animal species.
The Victorian National Parks Association has launched a push for the Mt Stirling area to be managed as a national park by linking it to the Alpine National Park and handing its management to Parks Victoria.
It can then be managed as an integral part of Victoria’s largest national park, improving ecological management, recreation experiences and the overall integrity of our alpine region.
You can find a fact sheet and details on how to take action here.
“The Alpine Sustainability Forums are an established annual highlight of Australia’s alpine industry calendar. It is a “must attend” event for key people involved in alpine resorts across Australia. It brings together delegates from resorts across Australia to listen, workshop, and be exposed to leading edge ideas and actions”.
This year’s forum is being held at Mt Buller.
Details of the Forum, including Registration Booklet and Registration Form, are available here.
A bit of a reflection on mid autumn cloudy landscapes of subdued colours and moody feelings, as we get through one more fire season and almost out the other side of ‘burning’ season.
More here.
Now this is more like it! Mountains Cycling Challenge. Saturday 2nd May 2009 
This event will now form part of the bushfire recovery effort. Help us recover from the Black Saturday bushires.
A fantastic new event organised in conjunction with CycleSport Victoria. This is a major event for participation and race road cyclists that will also include fun activities for all the supporting crews and families of those actually participating. There will great participation and race prizes on offer.
Marysville Lake Mountain Bushfire Recovery Challenge Saturday May 2 8:30am – approx 4pm
135km participation ride starting near Marysville taking in Buxton, Taggerty, Thornton, Eildon, Alexandra back through Taggerty, Buxton, Marysville through to and up to Lake Mountain resort. A fantastic scenic route with some hill challenges…..are you ready!!!
A shorter 70km ride is available. Start in Marysville, the ride turn point will be at Taggerty, finish will be at Lake Mountain.
Full details here.
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