MAINLAND WALKING GROUPS LOOKING FOR ISLAND ADVENTURES!
The Walking Trails on our islands could be benefit from a tourism boost, sooner than we think.
A mainland walking group based at Wynnum visited Russell Island recently, stating they were keen to bring walking groups to our cluster of islands on a ‘regular basis’.
“Our group is about looking for adventure, and we have only just discovered your group of islands,” they told The Friendly Bay Islander.
The women are Kat Ramsay and Caron Harbot and their group is imaginatively called ‘Friday in Your Back Yard’.
“We decided to come over and check the islands out and we have been surprised at what we have discovered,” they said.
The Friendly Bay Islander explained to the ladies that there were ‘identifiable walking trails’ on all the islands.
We only recently featured the trails in the June edition of the magazine.
The concepts for the walking trails were conceived from local organisations on both islands several years ago.
Whilst most of the trails exist, they have never been properly identified for either island or visitor use.
All the Russell Island trails are in place.
Just signage, location maps and regular maintenance of the tracks is all that is required to get them fully operational.
On Macleay Island, the Heritage Trail is mostly in place.
The only gap is at the end of Western Road where a special boardwalk link is required to reach and Eagle Street to Charles Terrace.
Maps of all the walking trails on both islands, have already been produced, and the Wynnum ladies had them in their hands when we ran into them on their island visit.
We quickly discovered that they are not all that accurate.
Division 5 Councillor Shane Rendalls fully supports the funding of signs to identify the trails.
And he suggests that an application for funding for the signs could be organised via an existing organisation such as Bay Islands Conservation.
“There clearly is potential to develop a viable tourism industry on the islands, with the trails showing the way,” the councillor said.
Kat and Caron say that there are ‘heaps’ of people on the mainland who love or enjoy ‘walking and discovering’.
“We would love to bring groups here on a regular basis.
“And we would love to stop in and have lunch at the various eating establishments on the islands, too,” the ladies added.
We have promised to keep them posted on any further developments.
• Kat and Caron discovering our islands with a not too accurate council map!
Commenti