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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-02-27 Daily Xml
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Gulfview Heights

Mr BOYER (Wright) (15:18): I rise today to speak about a very important issue in the suburb of Gulfview Heights in the seat of Wright, which is the now bone-dry lake. The lake—and I am being very generous in calling it a lake; it is really just a dust bowl at the moment—is nestled between Bayview Parade, Gulfview Circuit and Parkside Drive in Gulfview Heights.

In fact, it was once actually a focal point for the community. I have seen photos from about 10 to 15 years ago with families picnicking, kids fishing and people using the park and benches to sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. None of those three things can be done anymore because there is no water in the lake. This is something that occurs every year.

This area was part of the Delfin expansion into the north-east. It stretched through Modbury Heights, Gulfview Heights, Wynn Vale, Golden Grove and Greenwith. When local councils took over management from Delfin, after they pulled out, local people were given a commitment by both Salisbury and Tea Tree Gully councils that the maintenance that had occurred while Delfin had been in control of the area would be maintained. That was very good maintenance indeed. It meant manicured lawns and watering of all the community spaces. This, of course, included the lake in Gulfview Heights.

The system that kept the lake surrounds watered year round was turned off during the drought in 2009 and unfortunately, since then, has not been turned back on. Over recent years, the lining of the lake has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer hold water all year round. In winter months there is enough rainfall to keep it full, despite the lining leaking water the whole time, but in summer months it quickly becomes empty.

The lake, as we now know it, is an arid desert; it is scarred and all the wildlife that used to live there have left. In fact, when I was doorknocking around the lake last week, I was told by a resident that he now has a problem with snakes coming across from the lake into his front yard in search of food. I am sure that is not what he thought he would have to put up with when he bought his property in Gulfview Heights 20 years ago.

In some of those photos I referred to earlier, showing families fishing and picnicking, there were ducks. I can tell you that ducks are now about as easy to find as a Service SA centre is soon going to be. A number of local Gulfview Heights residents have raised these concerns with me, explaining that they have been lobbying Salisbury council for many years for a permanent fix to the problem. Today, I am pleased to say that it looks as though there is a glimmer of hope. Last week, our campaign began to bear fruit.

There was a very substantial changeover between past members and new members at the council elections last year and some newly elected members of Salisbury council seem to have had far more success in getting something done about this issue than their predecessors ever did. In fact, on Monday night the council voted to include a discretionary item for consideration in this year's council budget. If this goes ahead, it will mean that the clay base of the lake will be replaced so that it will again hold water all year round and the watering system that surrounds the lake will be reactivated.

That would be a huge win for the community. Since Delfin left, the community feels largely ignored by the councils that took over the management of the area. But, at this point it is just a discretionary item. Yesterday, I sent further correspondence to residents of Gulfview Heights letting them know the good news from this week's council meeting. In that letter I included a petition for them to sign, calling on the council to make sure that this is not a discretionary item, but that it is actually included in the 2019-20 budget for Salisbury council.

As the years pass and people come and go from the suburbs, there is a lot of change and people tend to forget what the area used to be like. What I have noticed about Gulfview Heights is that a lot of people have been there since the suburb was first created, and they remember. They remember what the suburb was like when they first built there. If you hop on YouTube you can see the original Delfin promotional video from 1990. It was that fantastic maintenance and upkeep of the public areas that attracted them to the area in the first place. Gulfview Heights lake was one of the main reasons people bought in that little neck of the woods. It is no wonder that people are up in arms about how the lake has deteriorated over the years.

I would like to mention some positive news that is happening in Gulfview Heights. The Kiekebusch Road Reserve, which is a little bit further down the hill in Gulfview Heights and a very popular play space for families in the area, is now going to have a very substantial upgrade courtesy of Salisbury council. It is going to have a new nature play space, upgraded equipment, outdoor gym equipment and an integrated running and walking track as well. I give a shout out and a thankyou to Salisbury council, but more specifically to two new councillors in the area for that ward, Adam Duncan and Maria Blackmore, for all their hard work.

Just recently, I sent a letter to the Minister for Transport asking for an update on a promised establishment of a public bus route through Wynn Vale Drive and Gulfview Heights. I know everybody in the community who currently does not have access to a bus is waiting with bated breath to hear what the answer will be.

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