Long wait for repairs to St Kilda Mangrove Trail

AN upgrade of a long-closed section of the St Kilda Mangrove Trail remains stalled.

Parts of the St Kilda Mangrove Trail remain closed.

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AN upgrade of a long-closed section of the St Kilda Mangrove Trail remains stalled.

Storm damage repairs – costing ratepayers $50,000 – to a 40m northern section of the trail were completed by Salisbury Council in the first half of the year.

And the council is continuing to lobby the State Government to co-fund the southern side of the trail as part of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary.

A council spokesman said last week the issue was “complicated” and any upgrade would be “quite an expensive project”.

Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge said the council had fully assessed the damage to the southern side of the boardwalk.

“We are currently investigating what opportunities are available to redevelop the trail so the new structure can withstand any future storm events as well as the harsh coastal environment,” she said.

“Any decision would be subject to obtaining all required landholder permissions as well as securing funding.

Parts of the St Kilda Mangrove Trail remain closed.

“(The) council is working with the State Government on a number of projects around the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, which includes assessing the future of the mangrove trail and how it can be integrated into a wider pedestrian network that services various sites in the area.”

State Environment Department manager Lisien Loan said there were no “specific infrastructure iniatitives or projects being considered at this stage” associated with the mangrove trail or the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary but there was a competition running to unearth ideas for the area.

“The City of Salisbury is partnering with the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources in the Future Tourism Challenge which is seeking innovative and authentic nature-based tourism ideas for the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, with winners able to share in a $25,000 funding pool,” she said.

Entries close for the challenge on January 15.