MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

During 2021/22 major achievements included:

Wimmera River Discovery Trail:

Council has continued to make progress on the Wimmera River Discovery Trail behind the scenes throughout the year. The development of two Cultural Heritage Management Plans (CHMP) for the entire length (63km) of the WRDT has been impacted by the COVID pandemic, however one of the CHMP' s has been endorsed by Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC) and the second is nearing completion for subsequent review and endorsement by BGLC. Some of the works to be rolled out include:

Construction of pedestrian bridges to enable the safe crossing of creeks at Dimboola.

Installation of trail markers / bollards.

Installation of wayfinding and interpretative signage.

Installation of traffic management and control devices.

Improvements to the surface of the trail at various sections.

Construction of the Jeparit Visitor Node at the Jeparit swimming hole precinct.

Planning to determine the river crossing at Jeparit is continuing and a separate CHMP being prepared for this section of the river environment. For more information on the Wimmera River Discovery Trail and to view the masterplan, visit www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au/plans-and-strategies.

Albacutya Bridge Rebuild:

After years of lobbying for funding, the Albacutya Bridge was rebuilt to allow for a dual lane carriage way to support heavy vehicles. The old bridge was demolished in November 2021 following the bridge closing after been deemed unsafe. Construction of the new bridge commenced in February 2022 and was opened to traffic on 23 May 2022. The project ended up running under budget which allowed Council to extend the road approaches. This project was funded by the State Government, Federal Government and Hindmarsh Shire Council.

New Rainbow Library and Customer Service Centre:

An all-new Rainbow Library and Customer Service Centre was built during 2021/22. Prior to this, Rainbow only had a small Council Customer Service Centre with limited library services. With the new combined space, residents of Rainbow can now visit their local library during business hours to borrow from a variety of books, relax, access free WI-FI and public PC’s and much more. Following the completion of the new Rainbow Library and Customer Service Centre, Council has introduced weekly cuppa connections which allows members of the community to come together each week into a comfortable and welcoming space to chat, have a cuppa and meet new friends. Council has also installed two new flag poles out the front so that we can now fly the Aboriginal Flag every day, as well as the Rainbow Pride Flag on days of significance. This project has been made possible by funding from the State Government’s Living Libraries program and Hindmarsh Shire Council.

Woorak-Ni Ni-Lorquon Road:

Council reconstructed approximately 3km of Woorak Ni-Ni Lorquon Road (from Ni Ni Well Road to R Lowes Road). This included an upgrade in the sealed width from approximately 4 metres to 8 metres to allow a safer section for all road users, particularly truck drivers. The project was funded by the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Grant from the Federal Government. Council continues to lobby for additional funding to reconstruct the remaining sections of Woorak Ni-Ni Lorquon Road.

Anderson Street Dimboola Kerb and Channel Works:

Anderson Street Dimboola was fully reconstructed from Lloyd Street to the western end. The reconstruction included new kerbing, underground drainage and roadway. This project was funded through the Roads to Recovery funding program.

Hindmarsh Shire Libraries:

Our almost first full year of operating since 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year has seen Hindmarsh Shire Libraries grow into our own unique and independent rural library service. Our goal has always been to not only meet the needs of our community, but to exceed upon their expectations. Our regular services such as free interlibrary loans, home delivery services, Mums and Bubs groups, and Storytelling sessions continued to prove popular. This year we have built upon our proven successes with a series of uniquely Hindmarsh Shire Library events. We have our first Jigsaw Club at Nhill Library; Book Chat at Dimboola Library; we have continued to assist ageing community with their Digital COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates as well as online applications for $250 Power Saving Bonus. Members of our library community were also able to participate in PLV Summer Reads program and our Winter Reads program which have proven popular with our readers. During Women’s History Month, Dimboola Library hosted Herstory – An evening with Tracey Rigney. Tracey is a proud Wotjobaluk and Ngarrindjeri woman and a local storyteller, play wright and Director. Local author, Maryanne Plazzer, who features in the collection of stories – Growing up in Country Australia, by Rick Morton, was generous enough to assist us with our inaugural Growing up in Hindmarsh Story Competition.This has led to the creation of our first and very enthusiastic Jeparit Writers Club, with room to develop further and include groups in our other three towns. Dimboola Library continues to attract visitors from far and wide with its beautiful, natural surrounds and architecturally designed building. People are opting to utilise our facilities for office space, meeting rooms, and social spaces to catch up with friends, meet new people, and celebrate festivities such as Christmas and the inaugural Wimmera SteamPunk Festival. We have also been lucky enough, thanks to the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program to have completed our newly opened Rainbow Library, and refurbishments to Nhill Library. Hindmarsh Shire Libraries continues to develop relationships within our communities that allow our libraries to become centralised spaces for education, culture and information. Our small, independent, rural library service offers dynamic community spaces for building on imagination, social inclusion and connection.