Public Works Committee: Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail Restoration

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:33): I move:

That the eighth report of the committee, entitled Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail Restoration Works Project, be noted.

Attracting more than 600,000 visitors each year, the 3.8-kilometre Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail is one of the most popular walking trails of all South Australia's national parks and one that members with Hills electorates are familiar with and value greatly, as do members of our communities. The trail sustained major damage as a result of several storms in 2016. In early 2018, stage 1 restoration works commenced to repair the most severely affected section of the trail. Additional funding to undertake stage 2 works was approved in the 2018-19 state budget. Those restoration works include:

replacing eroded sections of the trail with a more durable, exposed aggregate concrete surface;

installation of a fibre-reinforced plastic boardwalk to traverse sections of trail next to steep embankments that were severely scoured by water run-off in the course of the storms;

civil works to repair landslips and creek bank erosion;

new surface water drains and flagstones to prevent erosion and scouring (some of which I have outlined); and

installing stone terrace steps and flagstone paved seating and rest areas as required along the trail.

The works are designed to improve the sustainability of the trail and to help futureproof it against storm damage. The estimated total cost of the project for stages 1 and 2 is $5.4 million and is expected to be completed by December 2019.

The Public Works Committee has examined written and oral evidence in relation to this project, and the committee has been assured by the Department for Environment and Water officials that acquittals have been received from the Department of Treasury and Finance, Premier and Cabinet and the Crown Solicitor that the works and procedures are lawful.

The committee is satisfied that the proposal has been subject to the appropriate agency consultation and meets the criteria for examination of projects as described in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991. Based on the evidence considered, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (11:36): I would also like to note this report and the hardworking efforts of the Public Works Committee members.

The report examines the history of the efficacy of the application of South Australian taxpayer funds to the Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail. It is a very important trail, and many people use it. It is 3.8 kilometres from Waterfall Gully to the Mount Lofty Summit, and it is one of the most popular walking trails in all of South Australia's parks. It attracts over 600,000 visitors a year and certainly is very popular with people not only from the local community but also from the wider surrounds of Adelaide.

Many people I know in the district of Morphett, while enjoying walking the flat foreshore of Glenelg, do also like the challenges that this trail presents, as it is quite a climb to get to the top of Mount Lofty, and then, once there, being able to look out over the wider Adelaide region. You can also see Glenelg and some of the hotels, such as the Stamford Grand and the like, from that viewpoint.

Certainly, as an attraction it is very important, but it also combines some nearby attractions, such as Waterfall Gully, which are the first falls on the trip as you start from Waterfall Gully. Immediately, you start climbing straight up, towards Cleland Wildlife Park, and eventually to Mount Lofty Summit. The car park in the area of Waterfall Gully is always quite full, and as a works committee we asked questions around this and whether anyone was looking at upgrading it. While these works did not consider it, it was a consideration of the committee around how to manage really the popularity of this trail and how to get people there.

It is also worth noting that the Waterfall Gully kiosk restaurant that sits there was constructed in 1912. It is one of the first examples of refreshment rooms in a national park setting, so it was listed as a state heritage place. Again, the committee considered the state heritage nature of this and also the Cleland Wildlife Park but found that there was a low risk of these works impacting on their heritage status.

With respect to the path itself, as I said, it is very popular. It has been degraded over a number of years just from wear and tear, but certainly in September 2016 South Australia experienced a series of severe storm events that did cause widespread damage to this track due to flooding, landslips and also high winds, with trees falling down. In the context of this project, it led, as I said, to some flash flooding and erosion. The landslips occurred because of the flash flooding and caused extensive and severe damage to the Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail.

This damage compromised the trail's integrity and posed a risk to public safety, especially because it is such a popular trail. Of course, many people do not want to turn back when they are partway through their walk, so they might try to find other ways to get around these landslips, which could result in them being injured. So works were done immediately to try to correct this in terms of some urgent minor works being undertaken to ensure that the trail remained open and was safe for users.

Once these urgent repairs were put in place, attention then turned to the remainder of the trail. As a result, the works were divided into two stages. Combined, stage 1 and stage 2 works are designed to improve the sustainability of the trail and to help futureproof it against storm damage. The estimated cost of the project, combining stages 1 and 2, is $5.4 million, and is expected to be completed by 29 December. The key aims of the project are:

to ensure the safety of the public using the trail by repairing and improving the trail surface and corridor so that it meets and exceeds the Australian standards for a class 3 walking trail;

to improve the sustainability of the trail by using materials and designs that will be less prone to damage by storms and reduce general maintenance costs because of general wear and tear due to having, as I said, over 600,000 visitors per year walking up and down it;

to improve the quality and the visitor experience of the trail because of its high use and its significance as a tourism attraction and recreation asset for both local residents and the wider community;

to encourage continued use of the trail to promote public health and nature-based tourism; and

to support demand for local businesses, including the lessees operating businesses out of both the Waterfall Gully end and the Mount Lofty Summit end of the trail.

The first stage did involve restoration works to various parts of the trail, and they were by no means continuous. So stage 1 and stage 2 are interspersed in terms of topography. Some of the stage 1 works were from the first falls to the second falls, and some of the final works are from the summit down to where the trail itself hits Mount Lofty Road. These works were valued at $2.5 million and were to the most severely damaged sections of the trail.

This brings us to stage 2 of the upgrade, which is what the committee considered. Funding of $2.9 million is required to complete these restoration works for the damaged section, and it was approved in the 2018-19 state budget. Those restoration works will entail replacing the eroded gravel/bitumen trail with a more durable exposed aggregate concrete surface, which will be less prone to damage by future storms. Additionally, a fibre-reinforced plastic boardwalk will be installed to traverse sections of trail next to steep embankments that were severely scoured by the storms. Rather than try to repair some of that landslip, we would rather have these reinforced plastic boardwalks to go over those sections.

There will also be some civil works to try to repair some quite heavy creek bank erosion. There will be the installation of new surface water drains and flagstones so that the existing water drainage channels can be reinforced and prevent erosion. This will help improve the durability and amenity of the track itself, improve the sustainability of the trail and help futureproof it against storm damage.

In terms of infrastructure development within the parks, it also must be undertaken in a way that is environmentally sensitive. That is the case for all parks when we do works, and this was no exception. So we ensured that the contractor would develop and implement environmental management plans, soil erosion and sediment control plans, waste management plans, ground contamination plans and also weed management plans.

This environmental management will help ensure that there is no damage done by this upgrade. In fact, the upgrade itself will be a significant improvement on what was there previously. As I said, previously there was gravel and bitumen, which are very prone to erosion, so I am really looking forward to these works being completed and the trail being utilised fully. Hopefully, the numbers will continue to grow from those 600,000. I commend the committee for the work they have done in examining this really beneficial upgrade to the Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail.

Mr MURRAY (Davenport) (11:45): I rise to very briefly reinforce the points made by the previous two speakers. As a member of the committee, we were provided with considerably detailed evidence of storm damage. We were provided with evidence of the fact that some 600,000 visitors a year traverse the park and of the need to spend $5.4 million. On the basis of the evidence provided to us, and in particular reassurances provided to members of the committee, myself included, the money, rather than being spent on easily damaged pathways and/or materials, will instead be spent on far more durable fibre-reinforced plastic boardwalks, along with concrete, in place of what were essentially compacted dirt surfaces.

The money is going to result in a far more durable and less damage-prone public amenity. On the basis of the evidence provided for that, the committee was of the view that that provides adequate value for money. As previous speakers have alluded to, having satisfied ourselves that the works were lawful, the appropriate acquittals had been derived, appropriate agency consultations had been conducted and the project met the criteria for examination under our purview, as a result, we were of the view that the expenditure of the funds in total for both stages 1 and 2 of some $5.4 million be recommended to the parliament. On that basis, I commend the works to the house.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (11:47): I rise to speak to the report of the Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit Trail Restoration Works Project. I thank members of the Public Works Committee, including of course the new Chair, the member for Kavel. I appreciate the contribution they have made to the parliament. Clearly, they are active and passionate in their work on the Public Works Committee, which personally I think is one of the most important committees that we have in the parliament. They have undertaken their role of scrutinising this project so that it not only be fit for purpose but be of public value and, of course, value for money.

In my contribution, I would like to confirm that the government's promotion of this project, which happens to be in my electorate and supports the restoration works post the 2016 floods, has not been in isolation. Apart from the fact that it is an international visitor destination—in fact, well over a million people use this trail and other trails, including Chambers Gully walk and Cleland Conservation Park—it is important that it provides a safe amenity for the purposes of continued access.

As a result of the floods back in 2006, 10 years before, we had damage to the Waterfall Gully area. Some 11,000 tonnes of rock from the top of the causeway and waterway ended up at the bottom. It massively affected the flooding along Waterfall Gully Road and large sections of the road completely collapsed. There was significant scrutiny on the damage that was caused. Personally, I would not be rushing to live on Waterfall Gully Road anyway, just because of access during a bushfire, but in the time that I have represented the area flooding has been its enemy.

I would like to express to the house why it is so important that we maintain this and why this project is so important. I recall the words of former minister Conlon when the major flooding occurred in 2006 and 2007. In tow with the then premier, Mr Rann, he was inspecting the damage along the road, and his public comment was that the Burnside council had a lot to answer for. It did not take long for it to be pointed out to him that not only was the rock from the causeway state rock but the whole facility was a state asset; it was bordered by a state park and it was a state road. With egg on his face, he then had to crawl back and start negotiating how he was going to support the rebuild of that area.

As a government, we are proud to say that this is an important state asset and we have taken the step of ensuring that it is maintained properly. The extraordinary amount of use of this area has called for two extra things to happen. The first is already happening, and the Minister for Environment is well aware of this. The waterway along Waterfall Gully Road, some of which traverses private, council and public asset via state government land, has been severely overgrown with weeds, particularly bamboo.

I suggested when we got the pandas (I see they are probably on their way back to China at the end of their lease) that we could fence off that area, stick the pandas out there and see if we could deal with the issue, but that does not seem to have been taken up. Nevertheless, the new government are mindful of this and of the damage that it causes by having waterways clogged—in this case, with an invasive pest. It obviously needs to be cleaned out and I have observed some considerable work being undertaken there.

The second thing is that we need to do more to ensure that there are other walking trails available to traverse the Mount Lofty climb. The member for Heysen enjoys the benefit of traffic redirection up the freeway for people to now climb from Crafers. They can park their car in the park-and-ride area, if they want to, or enjoy some refreshment or lunch at the Crafers Hotel.

Mr Teague: The best hotel in Australia.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: The best hotel in Australia, indeed. I was there on Sunday. I do not think I actually let the member for Heysen know that I was going to be up there; I am sorry. In any event, that has enabled people to have parking access and enjoy the summit walk from a different angle. Some work had been done prior to him coming in and I know that he will carefully husband the protection of that access.

There is a third area, which is still to be done, and that is the Chambers Gully walk. It is not as steep and is also enjoyed by a lot of people, but it is also plagued with the problem of inadequate parking, so people park along the road. As previous speakers who have been up there and inspected this area have indicated, they appreciate the significance of the parking problem. It is also a problem for the Utopia cafe that operates there because their patronage is diminished if their patrons are not able to park and it is prioritised for those who are up there doing the walk.

There are lots of challenges there. One of the initiatives is to expand the parking at the entrance of the Chambers Gully Road parking area. There still needs to be a security gate because there is a rifle range up there and to ensure that there is an adequate impediment for people who should not be in the park or may be in danger if they were in and around the rifle range. We need to ensure that we maintain the protection and add to the number of parking bays for short-term parking so people have the alternative to use Waterfall Gully.

I assure the committee that, as the local member, I am continuing to look at other ways in which we can assist your task, and indeed the task of the government, to have some options in that regard. We are still a highly sought-after destination and we are proud of it. We are keen to look after the safety and enjoyment of the people who visit, and I thank the committee for their very comprehensive consideration of this project.

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:55): I thank the Deputy Premier for her valuable contribution and close knowledge of her electorate. I also thank the member for Morphett and the member for Davenport for their contributions in the house today. Their assistance during the course of preparing and delivering this report has been considerable. I also acknowledge the work of the member for Light and the member for West Torrens. We have been ably and greatly assisted by parliamentary officers in the preparation of the report and also in the discharge and conduct of our duties, and we continue to be ably assisted by those officers.

Motion carried.