The trains are coming!

Spring has sprung which mean we are only a couple of months away from our own train station!

It seems so long ago that there was a naming discussion with submissions for naming the station, University, Haymarket, various others, or Parkville.

Despite heavy lobbying from the others, the Parkville Association pushed Parkville as logically the station is in Parkville and the other options did not indicate the location.

Parkville Station will open around November 1 enabling the hospital and bio-medical precinct and students to catch a train from all parts of Melbourne to their work or study premises.

Every morning and evening trams are packed with transfers from Melbourne Central, now for the same fare a simple change there will be a quick transfer to Parkville. For those in outer suburbs, again, simple transfers.

There will be passenger counters to look at the numbers using the station, my guess is they will be huge! For locals two stops and the Shrine and the Royal Botanic Gardens are 20 minutes away. Having sat on the Community Reference Group committee for nearly eight years it is very exciting.

The issue regarding tram safety has not disappeared but I gather the new operators are looking seriously at further options, the sooner the better.

In August the City of Melbourne held a wonderful seminar at The University of Melbourne covering the nature research undertaken in Royal Park.

From wildflower gathering, White’s skink and goats grazing, Superb City Wrens and grasshoppers, the seminar highlighted the beauty and nature of Royal Park. There was also a great presentation by Jim Morton on the Royal Park Creek restoration. It was most exciting as few know of the work that has occurred to date and how wonderful the creek will be once the work is complete.

The council is in discussions regarding acquiring land from CSL adjacent to the creek to enable a walking trail.

I left the seminar with a spring in my step as the seminar highlighted the wonders that we have in Royal Park.

That brings me to the question, why the time and effort trying to build more sports fields, exercise areas, cafes, concrete pathways, disc golf and mini golf courses when we have one of Australia’s important parks for passive recreation?

Royal Park is simply incredible; it does not need attractions to entice visitors just better publicity about what is currently there, and visitation will follow.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! •