Lakes Entrance will have a fresh new look on its western entry to town in early 2020.
The Jemmys Point lookout redevelopment on-site works will start in late January, with East Gippsland Shire Council deciding to not interrupt visitors during the busy Christmas/New Year holiday season.
On-site works at the Hotel Road site (south of the Princes Highway at Kalimna) were initially due to start late this year, however council has delayed the installation of the lookout to significantly reduce costs.
Council’s general manager assets and environment, Fiona Weigall, said works associated with the new lookout at the Hotel Road site will still be occurring off-site but won’t include demolishing the old lookout until after the holiday rush.
“On-site works will start in late January and are expected to take around eight weeks to complete,” Ms Weigall said.
“The reason for the delay is that we weren’t satisfied that some of the quotes we received were appropriately priced. We didn’t want to use more ratepayer funds than necessary to deliver the upgrade. Some of the contractor prices we initially received were almost double our estimates and by seeking new quotes we have reduced the cost by almost $100,000.
“The lookout work is still progressing and is well on its way to being delivered with the redevelopment of the area providing spectacular 270-degree panoramic views of the Gippsland Lakes, the entrance, Bass Strait and 90 Mile Beach.”
Council’s new tourism infrastructure will provide two modernised visitor stopover viewing and interpretive facilities at the location and is expected to transform the precinct into a significant tourist destination.
“The project is positioned across two sites approximately 400 metres apart linked via roads and a walking track and will be completed in two stages,” Ms Weigall said.
“The project will enable the creation of a key piece of tourism infrastructure while providing viewing platforms, which are fully accessible to all members of our community and visitors alike.”
A short window of community consultation was undertaken to select the final concept design for the Hotel Road site where the feedback indicated a preference for the timber option. Other feedback received during the consultation period has also been incorporated into the final design, including improving the accessibility of the structure.
The design work for the second site off Lookout Road will start early in the New Year.
“We will be seeking community input into these designs,” Ms Weigall said.
Detailed designs are available on council’s Your Say website.
The combined project of the two lookouts has a budget of $1.5 million, with equal contributions from the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund and council.
IMAGE: Community consultation was undertaken to select the final concept design for the Jemmys Point lookout. Based on the feedback the timber option (pictured) was selected. (PS)
