Fisherman angered by rubbish river respect

A FLY fisherman in Melbourne’s outer east is fed up with household items dumped at his favourite spot on the Yarra River and wants something done about it.

River Rubbish Dumping

A WOORI Yallock fly fisherman is fed up with people treating his favourite spot on the Yarra River as a dumping ground and is calling on Yarra Ranges Council to close an access road to the site.

Kris Leckie said he had regularly fished a stretch of the Yarra River between the Millgrove Bridge and Warburton (Ronald Grove Reserve) since he was a young boy but in the past few years the 35-year-old had seen a massive increase in dumped rubbish.

“I am increasingly angered at the total lack of respect shown to this area when people feel the need to use it as their private dumping ground,” Mr Leckie said.

“Every time I visit this section of river, I am confronted with old lounge suites, chairs and an assortment of old furniture.

“On numerous occasions I have pulled mattresses, old bikes, bags of cement, hundreds of beer cans, stubbies and general household waste from the river.”

Mr Leckie said he had seen people destroy vegetation while creating makeshift camps with fire pits and old furniture. The camps were regularly left behind along with beer bottles and food wrappers — all damaging the ecosystem.

Melbourne Water waterways manager north east region Greg Bain said it was disappointing to see any rubbish dumped in and around the Yarra River.

He said crews routinely collected litter, rubbish and debris from the Yarra River and its tributaries.

A regular sight for Kris Leckie.

Furniture dumped by the Yarra River at Millgrove.

“Not only is littering environmental vandalism, but it needlessly diverts our resources away from our works to improve the condition of Melbourne’s rivers and creeks,” Mr Bain said.

“A lot of work is done by us and others to look after the Yarra River so it’s very disappointing to see this community asset used as a rubbish dump.”

Mr Leckie said Yarra Ranges Council should consider restricting access to the problem section of the river by blocking off an access road that leads to a clearing next to the waterway.

“It’s quite clear to me that people have no respect for this part of the river, which is a damn shame, because it truly is a beautiful part of the Yarra, and has the potential to be a fantastic fishery if managed properly,” he said.

Yarra Ranges Council director of environment and engineering Mark Varmalis said any requests to restrict access to public reserves needed to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“Council will look further into the situation at Ronald Grove Reserve,” Mr Varmalis said.

“However, we understand the reserve provides the community with access to a popular section of the Yarra River in Millgrove.”