Tallowood Ventures Ltd (TVL) is trying to seek support to build a Rail Trail along the Glenreagh-Dorrigo Railway from Ulong to Glenreagh named ‘Tallowood Mountain Rail Trail’ and creating a way for transients to enter and move about our community. This Rail Trail which has been in the pipeline for at least 3 years (without community consultation until now and their intentions hidden under a veil of secrecy between themselves, Glenreagh Mountain Railway, select local businesses, local Councils, Councillors and Members of Parliaments).  With that comes the likely potential for:

1.    Reduced quality of life due to increased day population, crime, theft, vandalism, noise, litter, loss of privacy, and uncertainty

2.    Reduced property values

3.    Increased use of our precious resource – water- that not only sustains us in dry times, our animals, livestock, and wildlife, but is part of the Clarence Valley Catchment which supplies Coffs Harbour and Grafton cities. This means more water restrictions on cities, towns and villages on town water and an eventual increase in water rates.

4.    People parking and unloading outside of private homes.

5.    Trespassers cutting through private property to access the trail and leaving the trail to “explore” and get a selfie shot.

6.    New large car parks and toilet amenities on the ends of the rail trail entrances and any other benefit site TVL deem necessary.

7.    Countless non-resident users from dusk to dawn 365 days per year, FOREVER!

8.    Trespassers using the rail trail after dark.

9.    Stranger danger up close and personal to our families, our schools, and communities.

10. Massive increase to traffic on the Eastern Dorrigo Way and Orara Way which the City of Coffs and Clarence Valley Councils refuse and are unable to upgrade and leave repairs for up to 3 years outstanding – and counting!

11. Infections—public danger—cases of non-confirmed Lyme Disease and additional allergies and reactions will be reported from contact with ticks near the trail.

12. Upkeep forever. The City of Coffs and Clarence Valley Councils will eventually be responsible for maintaining this. That means money must come from somewhere. Grant money ends at some point. Most ratepayers will not appreciate the hidden rate bomb that awaits them, especially when we are already paying increased rates and the City of Coffs Council is already selling off ‘non-core’ assets for a ‘green’ elephant the community did not want and a rubbish tip they cannot manage.

13. An increase in rental prices because Landlords need to pay for once again, increased Council rates, putting more pressure on renters and the housing market.

14. An increase in available online holiday booking accommodation venues for tourists, placing further pressure and lack of housing for the rental market.

15. A decrease in Visitors who regularly visit the Orara Valley due to its peace and tranquillity – there is a risk these visitors will seek out other areas to visit regularly because there is a Rail Trail (Northern Rivers Rail Trail in the Tweed Council estimates 82,000 visitors per annum), as the Orara Valley will lose its reputation of being small quaint villages with country atmosphere and hospitality.

16. Liability; the TVL and anyone who creates this project can be both criminally and privately liable for any injuries or incident that occur on the trail, this could also mean eventual costs to local government and eventual rate increases, when all the grant money runs out and Councils are expected to take up the bill.

17. Increased property insurance premiums to safeguard property owners’ liability if trespassers cross private property and are injured due to their own stupidity and evidence of Rail Trails in other areas unable to stop transients from trespassing and expecting transients to follow a ‘Code of Conduct’.

18. TVL expects adjacent landholders to pay 50% of fencing and hedging costs to keep transients within the Rail Trail and livestock outside of it. This is two fences and associated materials for residents who border both sides of the line, apart from maintaining their other existing fences.

19. Risk of biosecurity breaches to our local farmers and disruption and inconvenience to their lifestyles and livelihoods in an already internationally, competitive market and risks of introduced disease and viruses which may carry over to other animals and species.

20. TVL openly supports the Great Koala National Park which means they are prepared to condone the handover the Twelve Sixty Nature Reserve and Bagawa State Forests to a known organisation which already does not maintain their roads, weeds or feral animal populations and are notorious for closing entrances and locking the gate.

21. Development of kiosks, such as coffee shops and refreshment bays, including leasing of the Lowanna Railway Station for the purpose of a Café, which will place increased pressure, less business success and increased uncertainty on local businesses and locals who work in them.

22. Desecration of railway, local timber and mining heritage, and indigenous artefacts and relics due to vandalism and TVL’s lack of consultation with local community members, local indigenous people, and historians. Lack of maintenance of artefacts and relics due to the exorbitant costs to maintain a rail trail.

23. This is a new form of colonialism. The new owners of the rail corridor believe they have the right to do whatever they want with their narrow piece of land, regardless of what the bordering landholders, residents and communities want.  There are already custodians of the land on and surrounding the rail corridor. TVL believes this is all for the ‘progress’ and future ‘economy’ of our small communities and our unique culture.  They have also gone so far to include ‘education’ in their amateur propaganda. Sound familiar?

24. TVL will not consult with individuals unless they are part of an ‘organisation’ which they deem as ‘important’ to them. The rights of an individual and their personal property must be considered fundamental in a free country, to people living on the railway corridor and residents in the outlying communities to this rail trail. This is the corporatisation of democracy on a micro scale. This must be stopped.

If any of these potential and unfortunately, likely scenarios frighten any of you, please let your voices be heard to the City of Coffs Council and Clarence Valley Council, Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson, Member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh.  Let them know that you do not support the creation of this trail and you want the track to remain as it is currently and/or developed into a tourist railway which it was always intended when the State Rail sold it to the Glenreagh Mountain Railway for $1 in 1999.