Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday I attended the official opening by the South Australian state minister for the environment, the Hon. Ian Hunter, of the newly constructed bicycle and trail bike paths at the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park in the Makin electorate. Cobbler Creek Recreation Park is a large, natural environmental asset in the midst of suburbia, and exists because the local community fought hard and successfully resisted attempts to have the land sold off for housing. Until the addition of the new tracks, the park had walking trails through it, but no BMX or trail bike paths. BMX and trail bike riders nevertheless used the park for recreational purposes in an unsafe way, causing environmental damage to the park.

Agreement was reached between the SA state government, users of the park and the Friends of Cobbler Creek, a local environmental group who have effectively become voluntary caretakers of the park, on the construction of the cycle and motorcycle tracks. The new tracks have enabled the park to be opened up to users in a safe, responsible manner that should not cause environmental damage to the park. I congratulate all involved in the project, and thank the South Australian state government for funding the new tracks. I especially thank the Friends of Cobbler Creek for their years of voluntary work in caring, maintaining and generally taking responsibility for the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park.