Small Towns Consultation Gordon Community Conversation 26 February 2015 Meeting Notes Total Community Attendees - 44 The following is the information we received at the Community Conversation. Community Comments Facilities and Infrastructure: Happy with the status quo. Paradise at present. Facilities currently used in local area: Paddock Creek Reserve. Walking track. Footy oval. Netball court. Tennis court. Public hall (good facility). Gordon Hotel (meetings). Gordon store. Gordon post office. Gordon primary schools. Public toilets. Bus service to Ballan from Gordon - currently very limited service (one each way per day) Bus service to Ballarat from Mt Egerton; currently very limited service (three each way per week). Facilities currently used in other areas: Kinders in Wallace and Ballan. Secondary schools in Ballan and Ballarat. Medical facilities in Ballan and Ballarat. Shopping in Ballan and Ballarat. Vision for 2041: Minimal growth. Happy to travel for services/facilities not available in Gordon. Retain separate town/village identities for Gordon and Mt Egerton. Improved public transport: Re-open railway station and provide train services to Melbourne/Ballarat. More frequent and reliable bus services to Ballan and Ballarat. Bus service to Melbourne Airport. Improved road maintenance. Roundabout and traffic calming in the centre of town. Improved walking and cycling path networks. Signage of popular cycling routes to improve road safety. Facilities for cyclists passing through town.
Streetscape improvements, such as tree planting (native species). Improvements at Paddock Creek Reserve, such as: Improved parking facilities; Pedestrian crossing including signage; Traffic calming. More tree planting along Paddock Creek. Extension of Paddock Creek trail through to footy ground. Reticulated gas and/or bioenergy; Facelift and landscaping to front of the public hall. Lights in public toilets. Basketball court. Soccer field. Indoor sports centre. Secondary school. Retail Urgent things from Ballan, Bacchus Marsh. Very expensive in rural area. Handy local corner store. Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Melton. We do not need bigger retail. Happy the way it is. Not a service catchment. Gordon Railway Station. New Residents want bigger blocks, bigger is not on sewer. What sort? Everything. Like what we ve got. Longer hours. Quirky. Art & Craft local producers to display tourist things. Lavender farm good attraction. Develop Gold Mine history at Mt Egerton. Pub Redevelopment. Opportunities Recreation. Markets. Hat Shop. A weekend town. Satellite of Bacchus Marsh & Ballan. Moved Melbourne to Bacchus Marsh. Traffic Calming. Extend cafes to outside. 100km speed should be reduced. Bike paths Ballan Gordon. Horse trail Ballan Gordon. Lots of artisans.
What should be available? Weekend tourism. Artists from home. Main Street should enable tourism retail. Supermarket. Option for shop front on Main Street. Local produce. Point of difference retail. Motor Mechanic. New retail should be sympathetic. Business zone what s the timeline. Gordon Main Street Russell Street pub. Bookend the Main Street so visitors will park and walk the street. Public land for picnic table and coffee, no public BBQ currently. Map at General Store needs to be updated. Service Catchment? No. If you are in Gordon you have transport so you shop elsewhere. Need a retirement village. Smaller accommodation for ageing or unwell. Older and Illness out of Ballan. Ambulance based Ballan. CFA does locally. Retail Tourism. Gallery gone. Gift shop going. Should Gordon Grow? No About the right size Signage tourism signage Speed signs 60kmph zone on the Old Western Highway - a lot of drivers are getting caught speeding Pub to Lyndhurst Street No Supermarket. General Store is good Outreach for scripts to General Store or Post Office Postal delivery to homes and not PO Box Community Information board does not get used. Retail should stay as is and transport need to be improved Tourism Bikes, motorbikes, vintage cars Needs better signage re events Tourist trail Ballan Gordon Creswick Gold mine heritage tourism opportunity Mt Egerton - clean up the park Entry point Blackberries. Needs to be cleaned up. Public toilets
Need to retain heritage character Happy with retail on offer Bacchus Marsh, Ballan Would like to see some more opportunities for local artisans to sell wares Keen for tourism industry to be better supported with signage, appropriate retail opportunities Issues related to traffic speed improve signage and speed reduction was raised Longer hours for the current retail Gold mine at Mt Egerton Discussion around mobility in terms of public transport, ambulance older residents. Street trees Façade improvements Character Peace, quiet Country outlook Not many sealed roads Past lack of sewer provided a spacious setting in the town. Trees Houses have character (no rendered boxes) Keep heritage Need lots larger than 800sqm? Wildlife corridor more native trees Council planting Landcare project (Justin) Encourage small birds Windfarm would not like it to happen (land capability) Ballarat to Melbourne Gordon Railway Station functioned until 1981. Reinstating Station refurbishment Not sewered & Catholic School is not Settlement or Village Mt Egerton Be consistent in how it is described Millbrook should be mentioned in the documents Mt Egerton has a definitive identity Live in Main Street Water Pipe (39 Main Street) - Lopsided drains - Need good drains - Flood recovery funding and works have not made things any better Want reticulated natural gas in the town 800sqm lots are too small, 1200sqm would be a better minimum lot size Heritage and Green = fantastic character Noxious Willow in Waterways choking public space replace with natives Do more with Mt Egerton Mine museum. Promote gold mining heritage. Mt Egerton aspect of bush close to town Improvement to regularity of buses Ballarat or Melbourne Gordon Shop and Post Office Keep character of the commercial area at the intersection of Main Street and Russell Street Gordon work in Ballarat, young family extra-curricular trips to Ballarat Do not want Rural Living Zone (RLZ) to be encroached by more development Increasing rates are a problem hard for property owners to sustain Support Paddock Creek replanting
Bicycle link between towns Gordon to Mt Egerton Like Mt Egerton develop country town pedestrian/cycle loop. Loop Ballan Gordon Mt Egerton. Existing cycle route is hot, snakey and muddy Gordon at point can go either way could become a horrible suburb Love character Style of houses solar orientation, trees Character - rambling windy roads - little old cottages - Lack of industry - can attract increased tourism - quiet - see the hills - different vistas - fresh air - undulating landscape/topography - English Village feel - blackberries Need to bring back pest, plant, control and hire trailer through the Shire. Highest point on the road between here and Adelaide Slow lifestyle fast trains Bike track from Ballan Gordon Fresh Clean air Night Sky/stars Quiet, leafy Potential for more street tree planting gaps & senescent trees Trees as traffic calming Market for artists Like windy street Character of the Main Street, hills, gullies, homes nestled in the landscape, can see hills from most parts of town. Freeway entrance from East is lovely. Ugly entrance to freeway Historic village Likes that the town is not big Range of block size Bit of growth but not much more Blackwoods form of trees really distinctive - Bird life - Love Paddock Creek project Definitely native trees, but manage fire risk Nature Space & Vista Connection of Paddock Creek to oval corridors - Connectivity and Walkability No petrol station freeway not convenient
More dogs than people in Gordon need: Passive recreation areas Trail with gravel pavement Off road Connect to Mt Egerton Have to walk on roads no footpaths How do you decide on what trees will be planted? Protect tree root zone in development Smarten up the hall