A bridge too far?: Community power structures on Victoria's Raymond Island
Kay Gravell
Lecturer, Social Welfare, Monash University, VIC
PP: 002 - 008
Abstract
This paper examines the controversy over the proposal to link Raymond Island, Victoria to the mainland through construction of a bridge, to replace the current ferry service. The proposal is linked to the development of the island for the tourist industry, part of a broader restructuring of rural space and livelihood in Australia. Key players in the controversy over the bridge (which continues to this day) include the Bairnsdale Shire Council, the Victorian State government and its instrumentalities and a variety of local political action groups, formed in response to the development proposal. The paper suggests that the conflict over development gives pointers to the future direction of political activity in rural areas.
Raymond Island, with an area of 840 hectares, is situated in the Gippsland Lakes in East Gippsland, Victoria. It is separated from the mainland town of Paynesville by McMillan Straits, about 200 metres in width at its narrowest point. The Lakes form Australia's largest navigable inland waterway and are 'among Victoria's finest natural assets' (Gippsland Lakes Strategy, 1990). The area is promoted as the Victorian Riviera because of its natural beauty, plentiful waterways and temperate climate, and has long been a popular holiday and tourist centre and a focus for recreational boating and fishing.
Keywords
rural development, tourism, power relations
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