book.eastcoast - Flipbook - Page 23
DECEMBER 2023 - 23
Bike trail is on track
THE Tasman Peninsula is a step closer
to being a world-class mountain bike
destination.
Since 昀椀rst opening 12 months ago, the
mountain bike trails at Taranna in the hills
above Little Norfolk Bay have seen the
completion of the climbing trail, two readyto-ride hand-built descent tracks and work
has started on a one-kilometre 昀氀ow trail.
Tasman Peninsula Mountain Bike
Association (TPMBA) was formed by an
enthusiastic group of community members
and local mountain bike riders with the
aim to provide a local trail network and
develop pathways toward establishing the
Tasman Peninsula as a world class MTB
destination.
The TPMBA is generously supported by
a local Taranna family with a 10-year land
lease and has public liability insurance for
land usage for riding mountain bike trails
by TPMBA members.
The trail work is able to progress thanks
to the enthusiasm of local businesses and
community organisations who continue
to generously support the costs associated
with trail building.
As well as the expanding group of
volunteers who help out on dig days and
working bees.
“Our current project of dedicated
mountain bike trails enables TPMBA to
offer after-school programs with equal
access to bikes and safety gear, and
opportunities for after -school volunteering
and skills training in bike and trail
maintenance,’’ a TPMBA spokesperson
said.
To 昀椀nd out more visit - Tasman Peninsula
Mountain Bike Trails on Facebook.
Coming through ... James Looker on an excavator.
Farm call
for clear
waters
THERE are calls for Tasmania’s major
irrigation supplier to be more transparent when it comes to project timelines
and communication with farmers.
Late last month Tasmanian Irrigation has come under 昀椀re during Parliamentary Budget Estimate hearings
with questions being asked about
delays in delivering some of the state’s
critical water schemes.
Labor Primary Industries spokesperson Janie Finlay said there were
no answers during Budget Estimates
scrutiny, saying it was frustrating and
disrespectful to farmers.
“Farmers have been really clear for
a long time about their expectations
around transparency but also about
their expectations that farmers are 昀椀rst
in this system,” Ms Finlay said.
“The water is all about farmers’ productivity and the bene昀椀ts of
Tasmania.”
Currently there are over 1000 farm
irrigators supported by Tasmanian
Irrigation.
Ms Finlay said in the South East,
farmers were facing higher water costs
because Tasmanian Irrigation sat on
its hands and was unwilling to 昀椀nd
an alternative solution while they wait
for the delivery of the greater South
Eastern scheme, which is also facing
delays.
She said the delays and lack of
delivery had the potential to send some
producers broke.
Ms Finlay said Tasmanian Irrigation were laying blame with TasWater and there was no con昀椀dence that
Tasmanian Irrigation would 昀椀nd a
solution for the price concerns of that
scheme.
“It’s Tasmanian Irrigation’s responsibility to act in their interest of farmers and to 昀椀nd a solution,” she said.
“They provided no concrete
responses.’’
Tasmanian Irrigation chief executive officer Andrew Kneebone
disputed the claims saying their operations were 100 per cent transparent.
“We have 18 individual meetings
with different committees for their
schemes about the individual pricing,”
Mr Kneebone said.
“After the year is over each irrigator from each scheme gets information about the year past and a forward
looking on the budget of price. We are
100 per cent transparent to each of our
irrigators.”
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