Chapter Five |
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Coordination |
The Great Kai'mia Way traverses twelve local government areas, tracts of Crown Land, National Parks, Aboriginal Land Council land, private land, Sydney Water Land and land belonging to other government authorities and agencies. Many sections of the Way already exist, but the standards of access and signage vary considerably. Many sections of the Way are missing and commitment from landholders varies from area to area. These issues are part of the discussions in Chapter 3 and 4. A consistent theme in the feedback the project team received in meetings with stakeholders in the Great Kai'mia Way study was the need for a coordinated approach.
The project team identified four aspects of the Great Kai'mia Way that require coordination:
- Sustainability and safety
- Signage
- Use of materials
- Implementation
This Chapter is concerned with the first three. Chapter 6 will discuss the fourth issue. |
Sustainability and Safety |
One of the goals of the creation of the Great Kai'mia Way is to provide appropriate access to the Woronora and Georges River foreshores. Land managers, the community in general and track users all have a role to play in ensuring that ecological values of the foreshores are not compromised. All parties also have a role to ensure that safety is a key consideration in both working on and using the Way.
As part of the feasibility study carried out for this report, the project team developed a safety code (reproduced in Appendix 5).
Recommendation:
- That the safety code developed by the Great Kai'mia Way project team be adopted as the minimum standard for work carried out on the Great Kai'mia Way
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Risk Management and Liability
The staged development of the Great Kai'mia Way raises potential liability issues, and t he management of risk to the public and landowners from using the Way is an important consideration for Councils and other land managers.
Consultations with Sutherland Shire Council (SSC) , for example, indicated that the following actions might be undertaken as part of a package of measures to minimise risk:
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Council would only be responsible for parts of the Great Kai'mia Way within the Sutherland Shire on land under its care and control, ownership or properties providing easements for the route.
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Provide risk warnings on brochures and signs specifying latent dangers including steep grades, uneven surfaces, lose rocks, falling branches and service vehicles.
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When requesting consent from owners, including Crown Lands and Gandangara LALC, Council is likely to be required to provide owners with indemnity against public liability on the track.
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Council will need to demonstrate a certain level of maintenance on the track. This would include an appropriate inspection regime.
SSC and NSW Rural Fire Services (RFS) have discussed potential impacts of increased use of the firetrail in west Menai as a result of promoting the Burnum Burnum Track. Currently the public use the firetrails for walking and cycling without any controls. It is considered that through the use of Kai'mia Way signage an opportunity will be created to close the trails to the public during extreme bush fire hazard conditions or during hazard reduction activities. "Track Closed" signs will be incorporated into information signs at both ends of the Burnum Burnum Track. Maintaining good lines of communication with National Parks staff should ensure that trail closures across the catchment are coordinated. |
Minimal Impact Recreation -
Treading Lightly Protocols and Codes of Conduct |
| Increasing access to bushland requires a "tread softly" approach.
Recommendation:
- That the codes of conduct detailed in the Great Kai'mia Way report
 be noted on signage and on literature relating to the Way for the three main categories of non-motorised recreational uses: walking, cycling and canoeing.
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• Exec Summary 
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre | Suite 4 (1st Floor), 2-4 Merton Street, Sutherland NSW 2232