Chapter One

The Great Kai'Mia Way

From its inception, the Great Kai'mia Way project was a grand vision with the potential for achieving many environmental, heritage and recreational objectives. As the project unfolded, the promise was reflected by the enthusiasm with which many stakeholders participated in information gathering and decision-making. Without doubt, implementation of the Great Kai'mia Way is an initiative that has come of age.

The Great Kai'mia Way has the potential to:

• Encourage active and healthy lifestyles for a wide range of people in the community

• Increase protection of foreshores and bushland in the catchment

• Foster cross community ties between indigenous and non-indigenous groups

• Develop stewardship partnerships between land owners, residents, local Aboriginal Land Councils, agencies and local government

1. Caring for Country

Since European settlement, the mentality of land management in Australia has been one of taming, conquering, mastering and manipulation. This strategy is at odds with the nature of the Australian landscape, which contains mostly old, infertile soils and ecosystems in delicate balance. The land requires a management system that acknowledges the uniqueness of the Australian environment.

Aboriginal people learnt to work with the land, adapting to their home in intricate ways, placing value on relationships between their "Country" and neighbouring "Country". The Aboriginal landscape is a shared landscape. "Country", in Aboriginal English, is a proper noun. People. speak to Country, sing to Country, visit Country, worry about Country, feel sorry for Country, and long for Country. People say that country knows, hears, smells, takes notice, takes care, is sorry or happy. Because of this richness, Country is home and peace; nourishment for body; mind and spirit; and heart's ease..

The Great Kai'mia Way project aims to revive these values of Country as a living entity.

2. Sustainability

The GRFIP aimed to achieve: increased recreational opportunities; better environmental care; and enhanced community welfare. The Great Kai'mia Way helps to achieve these aims by promoting sustainable access to foreshore areas, improving recreational opportunities and community environmental awareness.

The inappropriate intensity of development occurring along the foreshores of Georges River and the often poorly planned nature of development throughout the catchment result in greatly increased stormwater runoff impacts, erosion, turbidity and sedimentation. These impacts, along with the environmental damage caused by unsustainable recreational activities - such as illegal 4WD/trail bike access and inappropriate boat use, challenge the health of the catchment.

Sustainable Project Management is essential to achieving the implementation of a sustainable Great Kai'mia Way. The project manager should coordinate and monitor the Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) that ensure best practice environmental outcomes. The Great Kai'mia Way adopts the environmental benchmarks established during the Sydney 2000 Olympics:

•  Chapter 5 recommendations for construction and materials are mindful of issues such as Life Cycle Analysis ;

•  Throughout the report maintaining and enhancing biodiversity is a key consideration;

•  How to reduce waste is considered in projects;

•  Heritage values are respected;

•  Community educational opportunities maximised;

•  Trail planning and design involves community consultation and real involvement; and

•  Stewardship is encouraged.

One of the principles of sustainability is the precautionary principle. It is recommended that the precautionary principle guide development of the Great Kai'mia Way.

Recommendation:

1. That the precautionary principle guide development of the great Kai'mia Way, and that no development proceeds till appropriate management measures have been agreed to by stakeholders.

3. Community Stewardship

4. Safety

The safety and enjoyment of walkers, cyclists and canoeists of all ages and abilities is a key design concern. Issues affecting safe use of the Way include 4WDs and Trail Bikes, vandalism, topography, erosion, design, bushfires and criminal behaviour. The project addresses these issues - many are discussed in Chapter 5 and in material published in hard copy or on the Great Kai'mia Way website.

Of particular concern is the ongoing problem of illegal access of recreational vehicles (trail bikes, and 4WDs) on public lands. As a step to provide information for strategies for better controlling and managing the problem, SSEC and GREA, TEC and NPA commissioned the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) to provide a briefing paper on the legal status of such vehicles. The draft briefing paper from the EDO is reproduced in Appendix 13

The safety of those working on the maintenance of the Way and its environment is also a concern. This is addressed by encouraging a protocol for good occupational health and safety practices, also discussed later in this report.

There are potential liability issues raised through the development of the Way; and the management of risk to the public and landowners from using the Way is an important consideration for Councils and other land managers.

Understandably, Councils will only be responsible for parts of the Great Kai'mia Way on land under their care and control, ownership, or properties providing easements for the route; and when requesting consent from owners, including Crown Lands and LALCs, Councils are likely to be required to provide owners with indemnity against public liability on the track.

5. Loops, Linkages and Regional Coordination

Loop tracks provide the means for experiencing the Great Kai'mia Way in segments. Local communities relate best to their own local loop tracks and the features (parks/foreshore reserves/sports facilities/shops/schools/etc) which these tracks access and connect. The majority of walkers and cyclists will only use their local tracks, but they will benefit in terms of the improved recreational opportunities resulting from better regional linkages.

Walkers and cyclists often prefer to arrive back where they started - where (reasonably) safe car parking or public transport is available.

The Great Kai'mia Way project aims to overcome some of the current problems of poor route usage and maintenance by providing loops and linkages most appropriate to the local community.

An important factor in the success of the Great Kai'mia Way will be its links to the Great North Walk, the Federation Track, the (very popular) Coast Walk in the Royal National Park, The Great River Walk and the Bay to Bay Cycleway. What is emerging is a network of sustainable transport, with great tourist, public health and environmental benefits.