Regional Tracks and Trail Master Planning Attracts Local Knowledge

Published on 10 June 2022

Snowy Valleys Council has been pleased with the calibre of input from the people who have contributed their ideas and local knowledge to help inform the development of a Regional Tracks and Trails Master Plan.

The scope of the project is to create a long-term blueprint for the future and provide a clearly outlined program of prioritised trail and tracks infrastructure development for scoping and further investigation to assist with future funding applications.

The Master Plan will guide decisions about the management of, and investment in, future tracks and trails development across the Snowy Valleys.

To help inform the plan, community members were invited to participate in a range of engagement activities during May including an online survey, two virtual community workshops and two in-person workshops.

This allowed participants to articulate why tracks and trails are important to them and to the broader tourism offering of the Snowy Valleys, discuss what improvements they would like to see on any of the region’s existing tracks and trails, and note any proposals or ideas for new tracks or trail developments.

Participants were also able to get a clearer understanding of the master planning process and the anticipated final outcomes of the completed plan.

Council has received $270,000 in funding through the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (Stream 2) for the master planning process. 

The completed Master Plan will be an aspirational plan of what the region’s tracks and trails network could look like in the long-term if and when funding becomes available. There are no funds currently available or allocated for new builds, maintenance, mapping, or creation of information brochures.

Council is following the Eight Stage Trail Planning Process, which is regarded across Australia as best practice, in relation to developing the Master Plan.

Information gathering is continuing with a recent physical geography review and site visits to Tumut, Adelong, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Khancoban and Talbingo.

During June the Councillors will also participate in their own workshop.

The master planning process aims to be completed by December 2022 and a Draft Snowy Valleys Regional Tracks and Trails Master Plan will then be presented to the Council in early 2023 for endorsement for public exhibition

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