Ready to ride! Chad Corcoran, Harry Closter, Edward Kelly, Dusty Closter, Olivia Kelly and Chase Corcoran are excited for a pump track to be built in Wahgunyah.
Wahgunyah’s youngest residents will soon have the opportunity to test out their training wheels, nail a 360 or just simply cruise around in a safe environment with a $150,000 pump track to be installed at the Wahgunyah railway land.
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In a huge funding boost for Indigo Shire’s sport and recreation facilities, council is set to receive more than $850,000 through the state government’s Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.
As well as the installation of a pump track in Wahgunyah, Chiltern’s tennis courts will be redeveloped, a pump track will be installed at the Tangambalanga Active Park, lighting will be upgraded at Beechworth’s Baarmutha Park and Yackandandah’s Butson Park will receive funding for the planning and design of its facility redevelopment.
The pump track will provide recreational opportunities for a wide range of ages and abilities, and is suitable for a range of wheeled sports (BMX, scooter, mountain bike, skateboard and roller skates) away from traffic.
It will also form part of the proposed Wahgunyah Railway Land Masterplan which will be key community space for the town.
When the Free Press asked some local Wahgunyah children if they were excited for a new pump track, they replied with a resounding “yes!” requesting to be the first to test it out once completed.
Indigo Shire Mayor Bernard Gaffney says the funding is great news for these communities, with these projects being high on their priority list.
“We know our small, rural communities rely heavily on sporting and recreational amenities to encourage a sense of community, provide options for keeping them healthy, social and active and to attract newcomers to the area,” Mayor Gaffney said.
“To see these fantastic community facilities set to be upgraded and constructed is a brilliant outcome that we’re very grateful for.”
Mayor Gaffney said it was particularly exciting to see the funding distributed across the shire, meaning most communities will benefit.
“We always hope for funding success, but we acknowledge that this isn’t always the case, so to have such a large cross-section of our shire set to benefit from this funding is a real win.”
Five out of the six Indigo Shire applications in this funding round were successful, with council staff currently working with Sport and Recreation Victoria and the unsuccessful applicant to increase its opportunities for success in future funding rounds.
A full funding breakdown for each project is as follows:
Wahgunyah Pump Track – $150,000
Chiltern Tennis Courts Redevelopment – $300,000
Tangambalanga Active Park Pump Track – $150,000
Baarmutha Park Floodlighting Project - $220,313
Butson Park Sports Facility Redevelopment Planning and Design - $30,000
A concept design for the Wahgunyah pump track.
Photo by
Melissah Watson
