Cliff path is an asset not a liability

After the dramatic landslips closed the Beleura cliff path, Mornington, in late 2022, we met with Mornington Peninsula Shire expecting to hear about a search for the causes of the slips, unravelling the drains problem, and plans to get the job started. But the shire said the cost was too high; the state government had to fork out.

Before anything could actually be done, a geotechnical review of the path was needed to bring the state government on board. This was to be the start line.

Our long-held view was that drain failures were the main cause of all previous landslips, and 2022 was no exception. The main game was to fix the drains. You can’t change the geo-tech structure of the cliff, but you can change the drains. We lost that argument.

But here’s another problem. The Stantec Geotech Report still isn’t ready for release. This is 12 months after the landslips. We hope to get it a couple of days of days before the public meeting we have organised for Monday 11 December, 5 pm at the Mornington Yacht Club.

The reason for the meeting is to let people know how serious the delays are in tackling the real issues of the path. And secondly, to help the shire understand the strong feelings people have about the future of this path.

The shire sees the Beleura cliff path as a liability. We see it as an asset.

We are only at the start line.

Peter Nicholson, Save Our Cliff Path, Mornington