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The Latest Footsteps Newsletter from South Australian Recreation Trails Incorporated (SARTI) and the Lavender Federation Trail
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Left: Ian Hunter, SA Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation opened the Kinchina Conservation Park at Monarto, 6th Nov 2016

Footsteps Newsletter


Volume 16, Issue 1 - March, 2017
Dear Footsteps Followers,
We have a new Footsteps Newsletter for you. Footsteps is the Newsletter of the South Australian Recreation Trails Incorporated (SARTI) and the Lavender Federation Trail.
 
In this issue:
  • Opening of the 2017 Walking Season
  • Successful Webb Gap to Manoora Opening
  • Trail plans for 2017
  • Large crowd attends Conservation Park opening
  • Prestigious award to SARTI Board member
  • Bits and Pieces.

Opening of the 2017 Bushwalking Season:-

Sunday 23rd April 2017 - Belair National Park.


An expo to celebrate the start of the South Australian bushwalking season will be held at the Belair National Park on Sunday 23rd April 2017.

With the arrival of cooler autumn weather, hiking is an ideal outdoor activity. South Australia’s bushwalking clubs and Walking SA are coming together to celebrate the occasion with a unique day in Belair National Park.
  • Expo of walking clubs, walking tour companies and outdoor retailers, free entry
  • 10 Come-and-try bushwalks ranging from 30 mins to 3 hours. Register on the day, free
  • Free park entry on the day
  • Drop in at our South Australian Recreation Trails Inc (SARTI) stand display.
    Talk to George Adams and the team and check out the photo display recently updated to show some of the highlights of newer sections of trail now open.

Find out more at walkingsa.org.au/expo

Successful Webb Gap to Manoora Opening:-

What was originally planned as a low profile opening of the Webb Gap to Manoora section of trail on Sunday 23rd October 2017 resulted in over 80 walkers and local residents attending.
L-R: Ned Golding (Deputy Mayor, Clare & Gilbert Valley Council), John Neil (Goyder Council SARTI rep.), Ann Lavender (SARTI Patron & Board Member, Chris Bushell (SARTI Chairman), Jeremy Kells (Clare & Gilbert Valley Council SARTI rep.), Barry Stacey (SARTI board member with new town signs he designed).

Organized walks from Waterloo to Manoora required several bus and private vehicle shuttles to Waterloo where the local community had prepared morning tea with a scrumptious range of country cooked cakes and biscuits. Too hard to resist by most with the result that the walk probably was a little slower than usual for most who found it hard to resist a few extra bites.
L-R: Morning tea for bus one at Waterloo's Tom Kruse Park, Walking between Waterloo and Manoora

At the end of the walk, the Manoora Community took the opportunity to raise funds for local projects by providing lunch and drinks.

SARTI Chairman Chris Bushell acknowledged the excellent cooperation of the local Clare & Gilbert Valley Council and local communities at Waterloo and Manoora.

L: Manoora Football Clubrooms at the official opening,
R: Guest Speaker Ned Golding (Deputy Mayor, Clare & Gilbert Valley Council)


Deputy Mayor Ned Golding officially opened the trail extension and said he was heartened to see so many people attending the opening and taking the opportunity to walk part of the new section.
”I am looking forward to walking the trail with my wife in the future” Mr. Golding said.
“These trails make it possible for people to meander through these sites that we would otherwise never find. There are so many hidden treasures that South Australia has as well as in this region possess at our doorstep.”

Trail plans for 2017:-

Trail Planning Manager Ian Poole is well underway establishing the route for the next sections of the Lavender Federation Trail from Manoora to Clare.

Current plans are to head to Mintaro from Manoora, then on to Watervale. The Mintaro to Watervale section has involved some negotiations with local land owners to access private property. At Watervale the trail will cross the Riesling Trail providing a link for Riesling and Rattler Trail walkers to the Heysen Trail.
Current plans are that the LFT will then head north to the west of the Riesling Trail to Spring Gully Conservation Park and into Clare.

Considerable work still needs to be undertaken including negotiations with land owners and State & Local Government authorities before the final route is finalized and the trail marked. 

If all goes well, SARTI intends opening the Manoora to Clare section and the release of map 6 before the end of this year.

We do respectfully ask that you do not attempt to guess where the trail will go by walking in these areas. This could jeopardize our plans for the ideal route of the trail for all others. Unfortunately, even though we made the same request while building the Sanderston Trail, the local landowner owner reported many unauthorized walkers on his land trying to guess where the trail went.

Watervale will be significant in establishing that the trail will meet the Riesling Trail providing a link for Riesling and Rattler Trail walkers to the Heysen Trail. Want to check out the latest happenings on 'The Riesling Trail'?
http://rieslingtrail.com.au

Large crowd attends conservation park opening:-

On Sunday 6th November last year, Ian Hunter, Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation opened the Kinchina Conservation Park at Monarto located along the western boundary of Murray Bridge.

The declaration of this park ensures that the Lavender Federation Trail (LFT) that passes through the park at Rocky Gully is assured. 


The extensive trail network that connect with the LFT together with additional trails under consideration by the Murray Bridge Council, some that connect to those in the park, will add additional walking options.


You can download a map of the trails in the park from our web site under the “maps” tab.
http://lavenderfederationtrail.org.au/web/maps/

The conservation park maps will be added to a new LFT map 1 planned for release later this year.
Top Left: Visitors kept the Lavender Federation Trail and Walking SA displays busy.
Top Right: Rona Parker-Benton, Regional Director Natural Resources SA with Hon Ian Hunter enjoys Kinchina buns with fresh cream (specially made for the event). All food & drinks was supplied free.
Bottom Left: Graham Hallandal took one group on a guided tour
Bottom Right: Lots of displays for young and old including this NRM Education group set up for the children.

Prestigious award for SARTI Board member:-

Congratulations to Graham Hallandal who on Australia Day was recognised by the Murray Bridge community as its “Citizen of the Year” for 2017.  

Graham’s work for the Lavender Federation Trail certainly contributed to this recognition. Graham has been involved from Terry Lavender’s initial concept of the Trail and its inaugural walk nearly 20 years ago up to the present day.

Work on the Trail, its publicity and promotion and the publication of “Footsteps’ over the entire project have been energetically performed by Graham.

Murray Bridge also recognised Graham’s commitment to Monarto Zoo as a guide, his leadership in the retail sector of the City and long term commitment to Rotary particularly with the youth exchange programs.

The SARTI Board and all friends and supporters of the Lavender Federation Trail congratulate Graham as a worthy recipient of his community’s recognition.
Chris Bushell (SARTI President)


Photo shows Murray Bridge Council CEO Michael Sedgman (left) and Murray Bridge Council Mayor Brenton Lewis (right) celebrating with  Graham Hallandal on his award by the Murray Bridge Community of “Citizen of the Year” for 2017.

Bits & Pieces:-

  • Volunteers Who Maintain the Trail
    Many thanks to the groups and individuals who volunteer to maintain a section of the Lavender Federation Trail and the connecting spur and loop trails. There are now 352 km of trail to maintain which will increase by a further 56 km approximately this year. 

    If you are interested in becoming involved, talk to George Adams
    at the opening of the walking season at Belair or email him from
    the website form - choose 'Trail Maintenance - George Adams' from the drop down menu.

     
  • SARTI expertise helping other trails in various ways
    SARTI expertise in the process of trail building from initial route planning, design of signage, local community involvement through to building and maintaining has been recognised as a valuable asset by many organizations. 
    Currently, SARTI board members are involved in the Murray Coorong Trail (Cadell to Salt Creek), Monarto Trails Working Group (building multi use trails at Monarto), Murray Bridge Council Trails group as well as advice & information requests from several Local Government staff and community groups.
    SARTI also undertakes PowerPoint presentations to many clubs and organizations and displays at community events.
     
  • Trail Loop around the Willunga Basin.
    In the article above you will have read about some of the trails SARTI are helping with, this trail is another one we have been helping with advice on.

    Chris Davies, Chairperson, of the Willunga Basin Trail Inc. writes
    "Willunga Basin Trail has made it into the Draft Trails and Cycling Strategic Management Plan of the City of Onkaparinga.

    "Community engagement is sought by the council to gauge public reaction to the proposed trails and cycling strategy.

    "The inclusion of our trail in the strategy will enable us to gain consent and support from landowners and managers, funding etc. We need public support at this stage.

    "Our trail increases available walking trails in the council area quite considerably.

    "I have included a link to the City of Onkaparinga TCSMP Community engagement. Question 6 pertains to our trail.The Strategy is worth reading and comments on the whole document would help produce a robust strategy.

    "Please distribute this information as widely as you can to encourage comment to show the council that there is much enthusiasm for the Willunga Basin Trail.

    "The Link is:
    http://www.onkaparingacity.com/onka/council/community_engagement/community_engagement_status_board/trails_and_cycling_strategic_management_plan.jsp "
     
  • Have you looked at our Lavender Trail Facebook page? We welcome your comments and experiences. You can also ask any questions, report trail damage or make suggestions via the “contact” tab on the web site.
     
  • Our Website best place to ask questions:
    We receive many questions and enquiries through the LFT web site and attempt to answer them as soon as possible. In recent times the majority have been about maps for the Eudunda to Webb Gap section of trail and Jailbreak Trail or information about future sections of trail.

    We encourage people to subscribe to the free “Footsteps” newsletters
    http://lavenderfederationtrail.org.au
    (It is very easy to sign up - go to the main website and there is an online form on the left hand side for you to fill in.). Most enquiries received have been detailed in Footsteps including map downloads for new sections that are available direct from the web site.
     
  • What about our Twitter feed?
    In our last footsteps we mentioned that you can follow us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lavendertrail/  
    If you find Twitter is more to your liking, then please feel free to follow us on out Twitter Feed which will alert you to out posts on the website and other news which may be more relevant in social media.
    Check out our Twitter feed here https://twitter.com/lavendertrail1   (note the number 1 on the end)

Newsletters
 

Are you receiving this newsletter indirectly via a club or friend? Why not receive a copy direct and get all the latest news direct to your computer or mobile device?

The Lavender Federation Trail website home page www.lavenderfederationtrail.org.au  gives easy access to subscribe or unsubscribe. Don’t forget to tell us if you change your email address via the link at the bottom of this email, 'update subscription preferences' at the bottom of this newsletter
“Footsteps” Newsletter is free. Reproduction of all or part of this newsletter by any organization may be permitted providing permission is first obtained from SARTI.

Previous Newsletter?

Looking for the Previous Newsletter? You can get it on the website.

If you have any trouble with this link
You can download the latest Footsteps Newsletter from the website at this link.
http://lavenderfederationtrail.org.au/web/newsletters/footsteps
and follow the links. You can also download previous newsletters here too.

 

Be Social - Tell Others about our Trail

We hope you like the latest information.

 Please 'Like us' or 'Share' a page on Facebook at
 https://www.facebook.com/lavendertrail



 Follow us on Twitter at @lavendertrail1  (note the number one (1) on the end).
 https://twitter.com/lavendertrail1


Having trouble reading our PDFs, check out this help from Web South our hosting service.

Sincerely,

Graham Hallandal
Editor (Footsteps),
Lavender Federation Walking Trail.
South Australian Recreation Trails Inc.,
Post Office Box 1052,
Murray Bridge, 5253, Australia.
http://lavenderfederationtrail.org.au

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fully Escorted

TRANS MONGOLIAN RAIL ADVENTURE

26 Days, 9,062Kms, Return Airfares, 2 Berth Rail, All Transfers, Accommodation, Some Meals, Comprehensive Sightseeing, Visas
Departs 29th July 2017.
Download PDF info sheet

Footside Farm

Overnight accommodation, Farm visits by appointment.

Refurbished ‘Barn’ for sleeping space. Toilet/shower close by.  Ample room for tenting.Catering options from self catering to fully catered country style with the option of featuring native foods.

Carto Graphics

Unley based Carto Graphics has supplied SARTI with all the Lavender Federation Trail maps and given us great support including coming to all our Trail Openings with a display. 
Copyright © 2017 Lavender Federation Walking Trail, All rights reserved.


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