8 December 2008

Sealing the Bogong High Plains Road

Posted by Mick under: General; Victoria .

While i’m all for introducing the magnificent beauty and wonder of the Australian Alps to the wider public, especially the gorgeous Victorian Alps, it makes me a bit sad to read about the sealing of the 36km long road that traverses the Bogong High Plains between Falls Creek and the Omeo Highway.

Bogong High Plains Road in Feb 2007

In either the late 1970′s or the very early 1980′s my father took us on a great journey that i still remember vividly to this day. We started in Melbourne and drove east into Gippsland, through the town of Dargo, over the Dargo High Plains to Mt Hotham, along the Great Alpine Road to Omeo and then up onto the Bogong High Plains in a little Holden LJ Torana.

Since then, i’ve either driven or walked over stretches of the Bogong High Plains at least two-dozen times, with my last big trip to the area being over the new years period in early 2008 when i bagged Mt Feathertop on the very sunny 1st day of 2008.

I’m actually planning (if all goes well), to try and bag Mt Bogong in early 2009, so i might just get to drive over 36km of glorious dirt road one last time before the sealing of it is completed in May of 2009 :)

The information below on the sealing of the Bogong High Plains Road comes from the Alpine Shire Council website.

Bogong High Plains Road
The vision for the Bogong High Plains Road:
“All works on the Bogong High Plains road will undertaken in accordance with the agreed vision for the road to be a world class touring experience providing:
- a truly Alpine touring route;
- high quality interpretive experience;
- exceptional visitor amenities; and;
- integration of nature based tourism with heritage tourism opportunities”.

The project
As you can see from the vision statement – this project is not just about sealing a road. This project is about improvements which will provide new opportunities and sense of discovery in a unique environment.

The project has many interesting and several unique components. It was revisited in 2005 when plans to extend the Bogong Power Station were receiving widespread support. The extension involves the boring of a 6.5km tunnel under the Alpine National Park. Rock from this process is suitable for road sealing.

Alpine Shire spearheaded the process to seek financial support from the key stakeholders and the Victorian and Australian governments. Timing was critical to secure the rock and have the two projects running almost simultaneously.

In December 2007, Alpine Shire Council awarded the contract for the sealing works to Winslow Construction.

After a lot of planning, involving all parties, work physically started on the road construction in February 2008. In the summer/autumn 2008 construction period, 27.5km of sub-base material was placed on the road. Work started again on the project in mid-October 2008, when the road re-opened after being closed for winter.

It is anticipated the full length of the road will be sealed by May 2009.

The details of the project

$10million	total project value (this includes in-kind contributions for materials and haulage)
Partners	Alpine Shire Council, East Gippsland Shire Council, Falls Creek Resort Management Board, Falls Creek Ski Lifts Pty Ltd, the Victorian Government through Parks Victoria, and the Australian Government
$4.206million	from AusLink Strategic Regional Program
$3.2million	value of rock and haulage to Basalt Hill quarry site being supplied and funded by Parks Victoria
$2million	cash from the Victorian Government, through Parks Victoria, includes visitor facility upgrades along the road
$150,000	each from Alpine Shire Council, East Gippsland Shire Council, Falls Creek Resort Management
$100,000	Falls Creek Ski Lifts Pty Ltd
Project	Seal 36km of road from Falls Creek to the Omeo Highway and upgrade visitor facilities
Features	148,000 tonnes of rock from the Bogong Power development, donated by Parks Victoria.
Outcome	A sealed touring loop for three of the four seasons which is expected to increase visitation to the Alpine National Park and incorporates improvements for park users such as improved visitor areas and signage
Program	27.5km sub-based in place by mid June, 2008. Work resumed mid-October 2008. Road sealing in alignment with existing road. Expected to be finished May 2009. Upgrades to visitor facilities to be completed June 2010.

While its a good thing and will certainly bring in more tourists to the region, of which many will no doubt fall in love with the place, let’s hope that the ease of access for all sorts of vehicles doesn’t end up in the place being overrun and trashed by irresponsible individuals.

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