Yeah, you're on the money CharlieDontSurf- that's the section.
The individual/s responsible have certainly been very active the last couple of months & I just hope they don't up the ante. Some may remember a period in 05/06 where this was being done through that same section & the ST above the Studley Park boathouse, but when it was being cleared as quickly as it was being dragged across trail, the nutter responsible (presumably) then upped their game & started putting strands of fishing line across trails (fast descent on legal ST down from boulie to SPBH, the ST that cuts through crit loop/turnaround above SPBH/Dights Falls & along the ST behind that lone Jesuit Soc house near hospice on SP Rd- often at HT height or 60cm off ground i.e. not to take you head off but definitely to try & send you OTB), dropping bags of smashed glass (ST where new bench overlooks the convent & children's farm) along lengths of the trail, offcuts of timber with nails through them buried (also on ST behind Jes Soc house). Made several reports with supporting images to both Parks & police & they were very proactive about monitoring the area when it was happening, so yeah it's definitely not a situation I'd like to see occuring again- particularly given the rider numbers are now 5-6 fold on what it was back then for the southern YT network.
That was when the first lot of really proactive dialogue started with Parks & Libby Jude (Ranger in Charge at time)in that Yarra Bend area re mtbers as a recognised user group & useful/credible public monitoring & volunteer labour service similar to the Friends of the Yarra group. Powers shifted, agendas changed, resources eroded/redirected & unfortunately it lost momentum as a result of restructuring & new appointments in Parks Vic. And while I respected the position of the new chap, sadly it was like stepping back into the dark ages for mtbers being recognised as a legitimate & conscientious user group in the area.
Really encouraging to see how things seem to be transpiring out at Candlebark. Hopefully it's a good indicator that with Brendan Sullivan's appointment at Parks in turn there's an equally progressive team of Rangers (clearly going by the CB developments) & a cultural shift that recognises mtbers as having a great deal to offer, not only as a responsible user group & labour force but also as part of the social knit that ties these parklands together & makes the parks themselves viable & easily justified as worth retaining/formalising as a key link or piece of open space for the public to enjoy.
