Roma Britnell, Member for South West Coast

With the struggling times our farmers are facing, I think we need to look at ways of encouraging extended tourism to our city. I believe a lot of people don’t realise the impact the dairy industry is going to have on our town, especially small business as I, myself, depend on the farmers to frequent. So what else can we encourage? The fishing industry of course. Over the last few months I have spoken to local fisherman - be it amateur and professional - to sound out how they think we can improve our harbour in the short term. One solution, or obvious idea, has been to have our own dredge. A dredge, when not being used for our harbour, could then be rented/leased to other council/shires along the coast – offsetting costs to our city. A dredge could be used at the start of December to help build up our beaches with the newly dredged sand so they look inviting when our massive influx of tourists arrive on Boxing Day. Then after the tourist period, the remaining dredged sand can be removed and sold to help supply our local concreters, builders to be used in the local building industry.

Dredging will constantly keep the level of sand manageable in the harbour and therefore lower the dangers of shallow water around launching ramps and moorings. Sure, the three stages that have been proposed for our harbour upgrade will look great when completed but this takes time. In the meantime, if we could help the process earlier with say a dredge, then going forward, we can look at some of the grants that are available from resources such as Recreational Fishing License grants so we may be able to upgrade our fish cleaning tables, have solar lighting and new jetties. Going forward, we could then cash in on the reported $9 million fishing bonanza that goes past our doors and into other towns throughout the bluefin tuna season, which only runs after the main tourist season finishes for about another five to six months. This will not only get our local fishermen back to our harbour, but also the tourists to use the boat ramps and facilities. We will then have a vibrant productive city that will technically have an extended tourist season of not only 3 months but up to 8 months.

Susan Cassidy, Warrnambool

I am not a dairy farmer. Perhaps a solution might be to have farmers borrow the funds from the Australian Government, turn that around to finance their own 'co-operative' again, refuse supply to Murray Goulburn and Fonterra, then produce their own value added products. I am sure the market is there, otherwise how can Fonterra, say, repatriate profits to NZ farmers and others in share ownership. In the short term it would have to rely on milk, with solids and other products spun-off later. I am equally sure that processing equipment suppliers would co-operate to increase their profits, in which co-operation resides the price negotiating strength for said equipment. Farmers control the game because they own the product up to the farm gate, if all refused supply then the corporates would go to the wall opening the enterprises way into the supply line for export where prudent. A sustained contamination and dumping regimen would clear them of contractual difficulties if they exist. A radical Farm Union if you like. Where is a good coordinator like Dick Smith when you need him.

Robert Sherwood, Morley, WA

OK Warrnambool City Council, put your hand up if you designed or approved the new Wellington Street pedestrian bridge over the Merri River. No-one hey?  I'm not surprised, no-one would take the credit for this most out of place structure, it is hideous, more at home in Pentridge not beside a small low impact old fashioned practical bridge. And what is the first thing that happens to a pedestrian bridge anywhere? Kids fish off it, and so they should, they can’t fish off this one, it hasn't impeded the pedestrian traffic over the Hopkins River or Stanley Street. I put this up there with the McGennan car park that has no view of the beach.

Dallas Bridgman, Warrnambool

Since summer there has been a surge in the number of horse trainers using the beaches between Warrnambool and Killarney for training race horses.

Horses have been galloping past people on the beach, some of the horses have been unpredictable,access on/off the beach is dangerous, the carparks are full of floats and the locals are left with poo and stench.

But the most critical effects of the horse training has been on the beach birds trying to nest.  Horses have been galloping over the soft sand at the top of the beach where they nest. Over nearly all of the beaches.

On some stretches of beach the birds were forced off completely, others tried to nest but the nests were trampled and some tried repeatedly all summer but couldn't succeed in the traffic. If chicks were born, it was impossible to feed on the sand or get down to the water without getting trampled.

The Parks Vic ranger and volunteers made huge efforts to get some endangered hooded plover chicks to survive the horses and other threats, but if this level of horse training continues, the beach birds will not be able to breed on these beaches.  It will be a matter of time before they are locally extinct.  

Moyne Council, WCC and Parks Vic please get some regulations sorted out before the birds are gone and people get injured.  You are responsible for managing these beaches for the environment as well as for recreation, the protection of the birds are stated in your coastal strategies.

The birds (and the people) need a beach, not a race track.

Toni Ryan, Tower Hill