Who is the captain of the Olyroos?

City of Mount Gambier secures critical Blue Lake agreement

Three critical future proofing plans, inextricably linked, have been given a shot in the arm with the securing of a key deal between the City of Mount Gambier, SA Water and Department for Environment and Water (DEW).

It is early days but council is committed to developing a Sport, Recreation and Open Space Strategy, Tourism Assets Masterplan and a Crater Lakes Activation Plan and last month’s confirmation of joint custodianship with SA Water of a key land parcel at the Blue Lake has freed up planning for those three key blueprints.

Recreation, tourism and water supply remain the core business of the precinct and having an inked deal means future planning, both short and long term, can now commence in earnest.

“Now that council has secured joint tenure over the Blue Lake land parcel, the next steps will include liaison with SA Water to draft an agreement to guide the use, activities and protocols associated with the Blue Lake,” City of Mount Gambier CEO Sarah Philpott said.

And the good news is, SA Water already appears well and truly on the same page when it comes to optimising future use of the Blue Lake land.

It follows the expiry of a 21-year licence between SA Water and Council for the Crown Land on 31 December 2020.

“SA Water and City of Mount Gambier will work together to enable a contemporary visitor experience that champions and adds value to the local area, capitalising on its natural beauty, cultural heritage and important operational role in water supply,” SA Water Senior Manager Customer Growth Matt Minagall said.

Securing the custodianship deal has ensured council can now roll up its sleeves and get to work on a project earmarked 12 months ago, to pursue a new avenue for the high-profile tourism site and its tourism assets as outlined in its 2020 - 2024 Strategic Plan, with a view to develop and deliver a tourism master plan for the area.

“Council recognises that the Blue Lake is the city’s leading tourist attraction, so we intend to develop a shared vision and model to activate the Blue Lake with cultural and tourism opportunities,” City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said. “In the past we were restricted in what we could do and while we will continue to protect the heritage this gives us the opportunity to see what we can do to capitalise on and create opportunities in the tourism space.”

And the City of Mount Gambier CEO Sara Philpott agrees it is a green light to flesh out the vision council and the community see for the iconic site.

“The co-custodianship means that council can now move forward with the preparation of a draft Community Land Management Plan for the Blue Lake, with reference to the fact that it is part of the State Heritage Crater Lakes precinct managed in accordance with the Crater Lakes Conservation Management Plan,” Ms Philpott said. “We will now progress with plans to activate the Blue Lake land parcel for tourism and recreation purposes. In the interim, ‘pop-up’ mobile tourism services will continue at the lake.”

Council will undertake community engagement as part of the planning process for the activation of the area.

“Council is excited to explore opportunities for the activation of the Blue Lake area and Crater Lakes precinct in consultation with the community as part of developing a Sport, Recreation and Open Space Strategy, Tourism Assets Masterplan and a Crater Lakes Activation Plan,” Mayor Martin said. “All those plans are inter-related pieces of work and rather than having an ad hoc approach to this important site, there will be masterplans that will put us in the best position now and into the future.”

CRITICAL AGREEMENT: City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin OAM with SA Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs MP at the iconic Blue Lake.

A heart for the community

Local government advocate brings expertise to Wattle Range

The road from Arnhem Land to Millicent might not be well travelled but for Emma Clay and her family it was the journey of choice, bringing with her extensive local government experience to take on the extensive portfolio of director development services at Wattle Range Council.

Building & Planning, Environmental Services, Tourism & Events, Library & Cultural Services, Community Development, Regulatory Compliance, Economic Development, Caravan Park and Saleyards all come under Emma’s job description as she brings experience from roles in the local government sector from Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

“I raised my children mainly in the NT but they are now getting to the age where they will be moving out and going to university and could be on the opposite side of Australia to each other,” Emma said. “If they are going off to do their own thing, we thought we should grow some roots ourselves.”

The Wattle Range role presented that opportunity with Emma starting in the role at the beginning of this year.

“This position came up and we had some boxes we wanted to tick in terms of where we would like to live,” she said. “Millicent really did tick all the boxes.”

Emma (pictured above left at the Millicent gallery for the Youth Recognition Awards) and her family have a passion for sustainability and growing their own vegies and going off the grid at some stage are all on the to-do list and when you add to that their love of fishing, camping and four wheel driving, they may well have found the perfect fit.

“I didn’t know where Millicent was but when I goggled it, I thought it looked amazing,” Emma said.

Of course, it was not just the location that had Emma and her family committed to the move, the Wattle range Council role was right in Emma’s wheelhouse.

“I’m very passionate about community development,” she said. “It’s really nice to be able to work in a place and make a meaningful difference in your community. I like to try and make

things better for people.” Tourism and events was one area Emma identified early on that would need some serious focus. “The fact I had never heard of the Limestone Coast shows a lot of work needs to be done in that space,” she said. “We want to make Wattle Range a great place to live and work, as well as visit. We also want to attract business to some to the region.” Given Emma’s most recent experience was dealing with remote indigenous communities, the Wattle Range role is a complete change of pace. “It is amazing up there (NT) and they have such a spiritual connection to the land,” she said. “It was never going to be our forever home though and we are looking forward to everything the Wattle Range community has to Open 24 offer.”