Cann River Community Building Initiative

About Cann River

Last count saw a population of just 223 people in the hamlet of Cann River, located 450km from Melbourne at the junction of Princes Highway and Monarao Highway in the East Gippsland district.

Suffering from the effects of the downturn in the timber industry, the population has reduced significantly in the last five years. Today only one timber mill remains, with no certainty as to how long it will continue to operate into the future. Services have dwindled in recent times, and the declining agricultural industry has also added to the challenges faced by the community.

The development of the tourism industry poses enormous potential due to several national parks and an abundance of scenic reserves in the area. The nearby Croajingolong National Park on the South East Wilderness Coast is considered one of the most significant conservation reserves in Australia and has been sighted as one of the Victoria’s three ‘Biosphere Reserves’.1

Other attractions include the Alfred National Park, Coopracambra National Park and Lind National, as well as the Bemm River Scenic Reserve.  An important historical site is Point Hicks Marine National Park, claimed to be the first land sighted by Europeans on the east coast of Australia. The indigenous population hold strong ties to the region, which is rich in history and culture.

Community takes charge

plan. n. a detailed proposal for achieving something; an intention or decision about what one is going to do. A map a diagram: a street plan.2

When Tom McShane and his wife fell in love with the natural beauty of the tall tress, vast rainforests and wild coastlines around the Cann River region, they left sunny Queensland behind, and embarked on a new life in eastern Victoria.

Currently employed as the Community Building Facilitator for the East Gippsland Shire Council, Tom has witnessed first-hand, the powerful impact that working together brings to a community.

“Several years ago the situation in Cann River was looking very dire, the decline in the timber industry had a severe impact on the town, resulting in increased unemployment and some families facing financial hardship,”  said Tom

“We needed a plan.”

The first step of Victorian Government funded “Beaches to Bush” Comminity Building Initiative was to conduct community meetings to give locals the opportunity to ‘take control of their destiny’ and develop a plan for the future.  Approximately 40 people attended the first meeting, and subsequently a  series of workshops were held to formulate a five year Community Plan for the Cann River region. Locals undertook the process of analysing opportunities and threats, and devised strategies to build on strengths. Project teams were developed to drive the nominated projects which were identified in the planning process.

“A key objective all along has been that the planning must be ‘community driven’ to be successful. Outcomes can then effectively linked with council and other agencies to improve services and infrastructure,” explained Tom

Key Outcomes Take Shape

From the community workshops, six key objectives were developed by the community, including:

• build skills and knowledge;
• involve diverse groups;
• plan for the future;
• build on local strengths;
• grow local economies and employment; and
• improve community infrastructure.

Maximizing Tourism

The region’s natural beauty and wealth of attractions have seen the development of tourism as an obvious opportunity for creating employment opportunities.

In fact, nearby Croajingolong National Park has been included as one of the seven ‘Hidden Wonders Down Under’, in a recent promotion by Tourism Australia.

Covering a vast 87 500 hectares, Croajingolong National Park extends for 100 km along the South-East Wilderness Coast of Victoria’s East Gippsland.

Remote beaches, tall forests, heathland, rainforest, estuaries, wetlands and granite peaks attract nature lovers and adventure seeker alike, and can be accessed from Cann River.

Located on the junction of two major  highways, the Monaro Highway to Canberra and the Princes Highway to Sydney and Melbourne, Cann River has significant flow through traffic.

“The challenge we face is undertake more upgrades and beautification to increase visitor stay,” said Tom.

“In the planning process we have identified that the main town entrances need improvement, as currently travellers are greeted by tired, worn-out sawmill buildings.”

“Our project groups are looking at investigating options, as the mills are privately owned.”

The investment in tourism provides a much needed economic injection for many communities throughout Australia. Tourism brings income from local, interstate and overseas visitors and the economic benefit can be three-fold resulting in more jobs, increased spending and economic diversification.  Providing an additional dimension to a community’s income source has been cited as ‘an insurance policy against hard times.’3

A direct result of the community planning f the following projects have been implemented to harness tourism:

1. upgrade of the Visitor Information Centre to include attraction of volunteers;
2. funding for a Community Bus to be used by local groups such as  Landcare, and for trips to Orbost for specialist services, plus the possibility of developing eco-tour services in the future;
3. formation of a Business and Tourism Association (BTA) to continually grow and develop opportunities;
4. development of walking trails through ‘Go for Life’ state funding through the Department of Sustainable Ecosystems; and
5. a community website – used the Federal Government’s offer to claim a free domain namewww.cannriver.vic.au. To find out more go to www.ucd.org.au

A boon for the region could come from the intention of a private investor to develop a fully packaged180 kilometer walking trail in Croajingolong National Park. It is believed that the planned six day hiking track may rival the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea, providing further incentive for ‘experience seekers’ to visit the area.

Long time resident, member of the BTA and manager of the Cann River Community Centre, Lee Walker, believes the future is looking bright for the district.

“We have seen a real turn around with the attraction of new business,” said Lee

“Our main street was looking rather disowned with shops closing down, but in the past year a gift shop, a bakery, a pie shop and a café have opened making the main street vibrant again.”

For many it is the spirit of working together and seeing the results, that has spurred locals on  to continue to grow and develop plans for a better future.

“I love the diversity of the population. I admire those who battle to stay on and the tolerance our community has shown. We live here because we want to, this is home,” admitted Lee.

There is still a long way to go for this small community to fully effect change. But the positive results already achieved have been an important catalyst for instilling a sense of hope and renewing pride in the town they call home.

Note

1 In a response to balance man’s relationship with nature, UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has identified 113 biosphere reserves, across 22 countries, as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Asia and the Pacific.  Shifting away from isolating nature, the program focuses on sustainability and education for preservation. (Source: www.unesco.org)

Reference

2  Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th edition, Oxford University Press, New York,  2006

Further Reading

3 Tourism Queensland, Making Community Engagement Work [Online] Available athttp://www.tq.com.au/resource-centre/community-engagement/making-community-engagement-work/making-community-engagement-work_home.cfm [Accessed 2 February 2010]

Location: Cann River Cann River, VIC, 3890 Australia