Menai Site Developement

[CraigB]

Whats been talked about for a while now has gone more openly public. Details are in our local area paper The Leader, Thursday 9th September. Not direct quote, but basic details are:

Plans before State Government for a $700 Million, 865 hectares, 5000-house and commercial developement at 'West Menai' (never knew this place existed). Some incredibly imaginative person has called it 'Menai Ridge Site' (probably due to the advantage of having had a higher education I suppose).

So, if the numbered gates up there weren't a hint, I suppose no more wheeling at Menai.

CRB

[Steve F]

Here's a link to the full article. Seems the land council have requested the study.

http://www.theleader.com.au/news/loc...r/1922090.aspx

Cheers
Steve

[stevet]

Just read the article in the local paper.... No one from the Gandangara Land Council will return any calls to the Menai Committee up to this evening about what's their "plan's" for us.............. But have to admit that it appears that "Things don't look good at Menai"............ Will post up when more info comes about........
Cheers, Stephen T.

[Wooders]

Funny thing I thought that was a land grant under native title - yet they can sell it off and proffiteer from it.
Whole thing stinks.
But it's also exactly what I thought would happen.
Frikken stinks.

[sbadman]

This pisses me off as much as it did when our landlord was going to sell our house to developers for it to be knocked down....but we found out via a coincidental Google search on the internet.....the GFC actually saved us for now!

The article mentions items of Aboriginal significance. Not to them it seems, looks like money is the only really significant thing these days...

[glend]

Since the Gandangara people seem more interested in money than their alledged ties with the land (that's progress for you), perhaps they should turn over all native title lands to the 4WD association as custodians in trust! I can just hear Darryl Kerrigan reaction ringing in my ears.

[David Eyles]

Seems to me they should forfiet title if it is no longer sacred

[CraigB]

Wasicu!

The situation with 'Land Title' is not the people - it's the councils and government. Since the overturn of 'Terras Nullus' (ie 'Nobody-lives-here', read MABO), the people have been told what, when, where and how to do, with the 'land-grants' (thank-you so much). But of course, wasicu will 'administer' for you - usually via fencing, gates, prohibitions, trespass laws and dozens of other caveats - now read here very carefully - National Parks. But "National" is read here as local area council, through State government, like this:

"Hey, hi guys, look, your'e not 'doing-anything-with-it', you may as well sell it. Lets make a deal hey?"

This is NOT the way the people see the land. The land is there for ALL. Use it, dont abuse it. DONT 'DEVELOP' IT.
This constant thematic 'developement is good', is nothing less than a disease, fostered by a deranged mind set. Equally and possibly more destructive, is the DONT DEVELOP IT - DO NOT ENTER mentality.

Once a critical mass of exploitation, developement and beauracracy literally smashes it's way through the resistance, then it's over. This situation is simply an on-going, never ending, 200 year-old dilemma.

Look, before 4WDing and MX-biking, there was horse-riding. And before that, walking and living. This is a con-job, with the ONLY beneficiaries being developers, big business, plus local and state government, quite literally cashing in on one of the greatest abberations fostered on the people - Federal government 'Intervention'.

"I will tell you whats good for you"

Wasteya

[tonysrich]

I've been playing around with the map of the proposed development.
Does anyone realise just how big 865 hectares is?

It's 2137.5 acres!

I've just been eyeballing it but from my rough estimate with a ruler it is at least half and probably closer to two thirds of the whole of the undeveloped Menai bushland area east of White Rock.
But it is just a proposal, even if it goes through unopposed (unlikely) it will be a long time before the bulldozers start clearing land.
With some gentle but persistant lobbying from 4WD NSW and it's members I can't see why the owners should object to the 4WD clubs using the land untill then.

[tonysrich]

You know there is a huge area of bush land just across the road from where we drive at Menai that is crisscrossed with miles of tracks that are perfect for 4WDing . It belongs to the Army and is part of the Holesworthy Army Base but they barely use it.

Now some wimps may point out that it incorporates unmarked artillery firing ranges and that there are unexploded shells lying about. There can’t be that many and avoiding unexploded ordinance would just enhance the 4WD experience.