Report National Parks Service 30Th June, 1975
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1976 VICTORIA REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE, 1975 Ordered by the Legislative Assembly to be printed, 9th December, 1976. By A ulhoniy: C. H. RIXON, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELBOURNE. No. 58.-12300/76.-PRJCE 80 cents 3 NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE To: The Honorable William Archibald Borthwick, M.P. Minister for Conservation. Sir, In accordance with Section 24 of the State Development Act 1970 (No. 8081) and Section 6(1) of the ~Unistry for Conservation Act 1972 (No. 8364), I submit for presentation to Parliament, a report on the activities of the National Parks Service during the year ended 30th June 1975. In January of 1975 Dr. L.H. Smith retired as Director and I took over. ORGANISATION The Service was reorqanised into five Branches at Head Office - Administration, Park Management, Resources and Planning, Park Protection and Interpretation. Three Districts were set up - East Gippsland, Nepean and South Western. STAFF As at 30th June 1975, 285 persons were directly employed. Of these 50 were at Head Office, the remainder in Districts or at the parks and those in the parks included 141 employed under the Regional Employment Development Scheme and the Commonwealth Employment Scheme. The following senior officers were appointed in the latter half of the year: B.O. Dexter; (M.Sc.(For.)., Dip.For.(cres.)); I.C. Weir, (M.Sc.(For.), Dip.For.(Cres.)) and M.D. Clark, B.Sc.(For.), Dip.For(Cres.)), as Chief Park Management Officer, Chief Resources and Planning Officer and Senior Interpretations Officer respectively. A total of 13 staff were appointed during the year. LEGISLATION In May, Parliament passed a new National Parks Act which was not just an amendment of the previous Act, but a major change in the responsibilities of the Service. The two most important things being making the_service responsible for parks other than "national" parks where very often intensive recreation is the principal management objective; and, secondly, the disbanding of Committees of Management which had run thirteen of the twenty-::our national parks for many years. The Committees of Management were converted into Advisory Committees to the Director and the Service was given the full responsibility for managing the parks. The National Parks Advisory Committee to the Minister was com·e:-::-ted into a National Parks Advisory Council in the new Act. It is proposed to proclaim the ne'" Act towards the end of 1975. 4 ADHINISTRA.TION BRANCH Operating costs continued to increase and substantial increase in park fees, tolls and charges will be necessary early in the next financial year. Funds ~~re considerably augmented by Regional Employment Development Scheme and the Comrnom.,.ealth EMployment Scheme moneys wl1ich enabled progress to be made in many areas. The administrative loads of these extra works on the small Branch staff was very considerable. The annual lease for the Fern Tree Gully kiosk was renewed and permits were granted to 42 apiarists for 56 beesites. In the Lower Glenelg National Park there are 81 Permissive Occupancies on the banks of the River. During the latter half of the year, negotiations were begun and completed with the owners of Tatra Development Pty. Ltd. who had a 60-year lease to operate a ski and holiday resort in the Mount Buffalo National Park. The Government has bought the resort for a cost of $987,000. The present owners will continue to operate it for the ensuing winter and the Service will take possession at the beginning of October. The resort includes a motel, licensed restaurant, staff and other accommodation, all basic services such as water supply, power, sewage treatment and four ski lifts, including a chairlift, on the Cresta ski runs adjacent to the Inn. The Service proposes on takeover to operate the basic services and ski lifts itself and call for tenders for leases of the remaining facilities. PARK MANAGEMENT BRANCH In the second half of the year the Fire Protection Section was removed from the Park Management Branch and made into a Branch covering Park Protection. The Park Management Branch was strengthened and given direct responsibility for management of the parks and development works connected with them. The Branch operated through three District Superintendents who were each given groups of parks to manage. The ultimate aim is to have all parks included in Districts with as much decentralised administration as possible. District Offices include a District Superintendent, a District Chief Ranger, Clerical Assistant and Typist. Where possible these have been established in buildings with other agencies of the Ministry or other Government Department Branches and the Service has been able to provide office and other facilities for other agencies resulting in a saVin~ of overall cost. 5 RESOURCES AND PLANNING BRANCH Investigations Section Again the great majority of the work of this Section was in connection with the Land Conservation Council. The Section represented the Service on the Study Groups of the Council. Planning Section The plans of management were prepared for the proposed Gellibrand Hill Regional Park near Tullamarine Airport, Melba Gully {a small fern gully on the west of the Otway Ranges, given to the State) which the Service manages on behalf of the Victoria Conservation Trust, and l!Jingan Inlet National Park. Again this year considerable time was also devoted to helping with various land acquisition schemes on the Mornington Peninsula and other parts of the State. The Section represented the Service and made submissions to a number of Town Planning Appeals in regard to land use in areas adjacent to parks. Research Liaison Section The Service continued its policy of "farming out" research work and over 60 applications to undertake research projects in parks were received. 51 were approved. Work on the Cinnamon Fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi) in the Brisbane Ranges Park was continued by the University of Melbourne's School of Botany. A study on sandblows at Oberon Bay in Wilsons Promontory National Park , conducted by Mr. D.A. Cox, Geography Department, University of Melbourne, was completed and some useful results obtained. During the year a start was made on a visitor survey to gain information about parks for use in the preparation of plans of management. PARK PROTECTION BRANCH The Park Protection Branch, formed in the latter part of the year, was given the rc>ponsibility for fire protection, noxious weeds, vermin, plants and animals and park regulation enforcement. Work on noxious weeds was intensified in a number of parks. The principal objective of the Branch has been concerned with fire protection. Following changes in the Forests Act, the Forests Commission is responsible for fire protection and suppression works in parks. Prevention works can only be carried out with the agreement of the Service. 6 During the year the Commission and the Service entered into an agreement to form a Joint Fire Protection Committee. This arrangement replaced the informal committee which operated previously. The Committee began its work in the latter half of the year and was concerned with park fire prevention, fire protection plans and the like. During the year nineteen fires occurred in or near parks. The largest, in the Hattah Lakes National Park, severely burnt about one-quarter of the park. PARK INTERPRETATION BRANO! This Branch was formed towards the end of the year and is as yet very small and only beginning its work. It has taken over the production and distribution of brochures from the Administration Branch and is preparing for increased park interpretation work during the next year. Plans include more interpretive services at Wilsons Promontory National Park during the peak summer season and at other parks in appropriate seasons. THE NATIONAL PARKS Reports on the National Parks follow. 1. Alfred National Park There is as yet no full-time Ranger for this Park, therefore visitor numbers are only approximate; ~ut would appear to be over 25,000. To encourage more visitor use of the pa~k, a circular walking trail from the new picnic area was completed during the year. There were no fires in the park this year. Condition of the Park The park is in excellent condition. 2. Bulga National Park Approximately 26,800 people visited the park during the year and revenue derived from parking fees amounted to $673. Regional Employment Development Scheme finance provided the employment for two men from January 1975, the crew beinq increased to four in May. Work was carried out on up-grading walking tracks in this and the other two neighbouring parks, Tarra Valley and flbrwell. A house at Balook was purchased from the Country Roads Board and rebuilt for a Ranger•s residence. An office and garage/workshop were also built on the site. The Service also had a 20,000-gallon water tank constructed to supplement the inadequate water supply in the park. 7 No fires occurred in the park during the year. New equipment obtained for the park included fire fighting knapsacks, rakhoes and a motorised barrow which greatly facilitated work on park tracks. A number of feral cats were destroyed, blackberry infesta tions were sprayed and Ra~rort thistles were controlled by hand eradication. Condition of the Park The park is in good condition. 3. Captain James Cook National Park Estimated usage of the Thurra River camping Area suggests that about 4,000 people visited the park during the year. More definite figures should be available next year as a full-time Ranger was appointed for this park in June 1975. Asall picnic area was constructed adjacent to the Lighthouse Gate and the track to Clintons Rocks was cleared and groomed. No fires occurred in the park during the period under review.