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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-09-09 Daily Xml
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Hope Valley Reservoir

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (15:56): Today, I rise to speak about the opening of the Hope Valley Reservoir for recreational activities. This is an extremely exciting initiative of the Marshall Liberal government, providing the local community with the opportunity to explore a site that has not been accessible to the public for almost 150 years. In fact, the Hope Valley Reservoir is the oldest operational reservoir in Adelaide, constructed in 1873 and, I believe, the second oldest in Adelaide, the oldest being not far down the road at Thorndon Park, which was completed in 1860.

The opening of our reservoirs was a key commitment in the lead-up to the 2018 state election and this is another example of the Marshall Liberal government delivering on its promises. The previous Labor government said it could not be done, but the Marshall Liberal government has shown that it can. I am proud to be part of a positive government that believes in our state and doing things rather than talking down our state. In particular, I would like to commend the Minister for Environment and Water for driving this fantastic initiative.

In the local area, the South Para Reservoir opened late last year and is only 30 minutes from Tea Tree Gully. Visitors to the reservoir can hike, cycle, kayak, fish and much more. A number of months prior to the opening, I was fortunate to visit the South Para Reservoir with the Minister for Environment and Water and the member for King to help stock the reservoir with fish. Around 180,000 fingerlings were released into the reservoir, which included Murray cod, silver perch and golden perch. I understand that the reservoir is now quite a good spot to go fishing.

In addition to the South Para Reservoir, the Warren Reservoir, just down the road, has had restrictions on kayaking relaxed and this follows the highly successful opening of the Myponga Reservoir, which started out with access to the reserve only, with further access being granted over time.

Last weekend, the Minister for Environment and Water released the concept plans for activities at the Hope Valley Reservoir. It is expected that the reservoir will be open by summer. At the announcement, we were joined by local advocate Stephen Ross and his family. He has been a local champion for opening the reservoir to allow people to walk around it. Importantly, the local community played a key role in the designs of the reserve.

Last year, the government engaged with the Hope Valley community about their ideas and then established a community reference group earlier this year, which has done a great deal of work over a number of months to help shape plans for the use of the reserve for recreational activities. I thank all members of the community reference group for their contribution. I certainly think that what they have arrived at is fantastic.

The reservoir reserve will include a network of walking and cycling trails that will link up to existing paths along the O-Bahn busway, providing ready access to many local areas, such as nearby Hope Valley and Modbury. In fact, on the weekend I was doorknocking a particular part of Modbury adjacent to the O-Bahn track and the residents were very excited about how immediately upon opening of the reservoir they will be very close to that reserve, not needing to go on any main roads but simply following the existing path right down to the reservoir.

Other exciting additions will include picnic areas, fitness equipment and later a nature play space. The concept plan will also allow visitors access to the dam wall. From the dam wall, the views are simply stunning. Looking out across the water you can see all the trees on the other side and then the beautiful Adelaide Hills beyond. It is a wonderful place to sit down and simply enjoy the area or go for a walk along that wall.

The reality is that many thousands of people travel past the reservoir every day, either via Lower North East Road, Lyons Road or along the O-Bahn. As such, there is an enormous amount of curiosity about what is on the other side of the fence. In fact, at the weekend, Stephen Ross reflected on taking a walk along Lyons Road with his wife a number of years ago and looking out at the reservoir and discussing how nice it would be to get in there and enjoy that space. Since then, he has certainly been advocating for that.

I am thrilled that we will be providing such a fantastic opportunity for the local community to satisfy that curiosity; moreover, it is also true that so many from the local community are looking for opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, whether it be getting the kids out of the house, exercising, exploring local wetlands or, down the track, planting native vegetation, there is an incredible desire for these sorts of activities and I am very excited that the Marshall Liberal government is providing such opportunities right in the heart of the north-eastern suburbs.

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