Surf Coast Times
Tuesday 15 March 2011
VOL 9. No 11
www.surfcoasttimes.com.au
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The town with no pub… Aireys Inlet residents are counting down the days until their iconic hotel closes its doors for the final time. The pub, which first opened in 1891, will call last drinks this Sunday – at the conclusion of the Aireys Inlet Open Mic Festival. Licensee Mark Jaska (left), who has run the pub for the last decade, has been forced out by its Melbourne owners. Jaska said he had no idea what the future held for the establishment.
BELLS BATTLE Photos: PETER MARSHALL
Webster speaks out on shire’s plans for looking after Bells Beach
BY NATHAN HALE THE BALANCE between looking after the delicate environment of Bells Beach and maintaining it as a tourist destination continues to prove a testing juggling act for the Surf Coast Shire. As the shire continues to undertake a programme of infrastructure upgrades, environmental groups and concerned long-time surfers are working to ensure the iconic beach is kept as ‘untouched’ as possible. Shire mayor, Dean Wesbter, last week moved to quell any concerns Bells would be turned into a glorified tourist trap. “Our vision for Bells is not to turn it into an
Surf Forecast
uncontrolled tourist mecca as some have suggested, and we are definitely not encouraging more congestion at Bells,” he said. “It’s quite the opposite as we intend to reduce the number of large coaches and other buses coming there at any one time through a quota system. “Large tourist buses will be restricted to no more than five at one time compared to the dozens that arrive in the morning now. “We will also work to implement a charge via a licence fee on commercial operators (buses) using the reserve which will be directed back into managing and maintaining the reserve. This scheme will require ministerial approval and must be done
in conjunction with DSE.” The shire has come under attack for its management of the reserve, and Webster acknowledged that previous practices could have been handled better. “We acknowledge that some aspects of the reserve could have been better managed in the past, but council is working with all levels of government to obtain funds to fix the priority issues such as drainage and replacement of the old septic system with connection to the sewer main,” he said. “Also, there is no intent to construct major tourism developments at Bells Beach as we intend Surf World to be the interpretive centre, but we plan
to identify one or two photo points with low level interpretive signage to help tell the natural, cultural and surfing story of the reserve. “These elements must be sympathetic to the environment like the stone plaques already there and timber bollards used along our coastline. “We also believe the corporate council signage at the entrance to Bells needs to be replaced with something that reflects the natural environment better. “We are dealing with the issues at Bells and will continue to lobby all levels of government to help us manage the tourism pressures that are impacting on this iconic place.”
WED 2ft+ building SW 18° THU 3-5 average SW 18° FRI 2-3ft easing S/SW 19° SAT 3ft+ building NE 19°
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