News

Beautiful wetland boardwalk extended

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 05:42:00

Some of the Mildura region’s most beautiful wetlands will be even more accessible thanks to the extension of the boardwalk near Ducksfoot Lagoon at King’s Billabong Park.

The boardwalk help provide safe access to more of the wetland, while reducing environmental damage to the site.
The project was supported by the Mallee CMA and jointly funded through the Victorian Government and the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
“Ducksfoot Lagoon is one of our community’s natural icons and this area used by many people who love to come and walk and cycle here,” Mallee CMA Chair Sharyon Peart said.
“The boardwalk will maintain safe access to the area, even during environmental watering events, meaning this area will always be able to be enjoyed.”
The Friends of King’s Billabong’s Tressna Martin said the group had intially received a grant through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme to extend the boardwalk at Ducksfoot Lagoon.
“That money would have allowed us to build a 33 metre boardwalk at Ducksfoot Lagoon,” Ms Martin said.
“But it was fantastic that Mallee CMA came on board and helped us with Victorian Government funding that could extend the boardwalk to 81 metres.
“It’s now installed and visitors, walkers and bike riders are already enjoying it.
“But it will also mean visiting Ducksfoot Lagoon will be a better experience for parents of young children or people in gophers and electric wheelchairs.”
Ms Peart said the boardwalk had been built using an innovative design that limited impacts on the environmentally and culturally significant area.
“As part of this project we engaged an engineer to redesign the original plans for the boardwalk to reduce ground disturbance and provide better protection for the environmental and cultural sensitivities of the site,” Ms Peart said.
“Rather than digging footings into the ground, the boardwalk now has footings that sit on the ground, with pins driven in to hold it in place in the event of a flood.
“We think it may be the first of its kind in the region to be designed this way and will be the benchmark for similar projects in future.”
The boardwalk took six weeks to construct in the Integrated Recycling factory in Mildura and was installed by Mildura Building Group at Ducksfoot Lagoon in four days.