The NSW and ACT area bounded by the Murrumbidgee River, Ginninderra Falls West Belconnen and Strathnairn Arts Centre is being considered for urban and park development. This includes a proposal now being considered by Yass Valley Council with respect to the NSW section. The NSW urban development will not proceed without provision of essential infrastructure by the ACT Government. The Ginninderra Catchment Group has put forward two alternative boundary options. Please see Draft Discussion Paper: Alternative Reserve Options -Ginninderra Creek Murrumbidgee River Peninsula Reserve for details. Our focus has always been to establish a public park encompassing the Murrumbidgee and Ginninderra Gorges. The new public park in both NSW and the ACT has to include all areas of natural beauty, ecological importance and cultural significance - Aboriginal and European. Secondly the new park has to be well managed. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has previously indicated that NSW will not support a National Park because 'the establishment and management costs would be prohibitive'. Another option is a Trust to manage the park with setup funding from land sales.
The falls
My father and his friends used to ride their bicycles out to the Falls every summer about 1940. The Falls should be resumed from the current 'owners'. The NSW part of this loop in the Murrumbidgee River should be transferred to NSW, not a difficult operation, given that the ACT will have to provide goods and services to the occupants.
A serious buffer should be designed to protect the river corridor and falls, the fire zone included in the development not the conservation area.
A northern national park should be declared that includes the river corridor, as defined by conservation requirements not a fixed distance, and the Falls.
Buffers
Buffer areas are very important. There has to be sufficient space between any housing and the river/creek/falls to protect the latter, from both visual pollution and actual pollution.
conservation
There is a real opportunity to give proper consideration to all stake holders here and then come together to produce a development that is uncompromising in it's willingness to meet all the stake holder requirements and be a best practice developer, the goodwill created in taking on such a task would be a greater asset to the developer than any cost cutting measures regarding conservation could achieve. Please regard our future generations with utmost compassion.
Extending border
One of the original plans for the ACT went up to Burrenjuck dam (called Barren Jack dam on the plan) and out to Lake George. It would have included Ginnenderra Falls. It is a shame the ACT cannot protect this wonderful area that is so close to us.
Buffer zones around all major and minor waterways is very important for water quality and our environment and a fire brake between the buffer and housing is essential and should include ponds for water filtering.