At the council meeting on Monday November 19, one of the first acts of the new Dorset Council was to make a decision on the controversial tourism issue. 

Cr Dale Jessup moved the motion to approve the plan offered by state Treasurer Peter Gutwein in July, which carried. 

The plan involves ripping up the unused rail infrastructure running from Scottsdale to Lilydale Falls, and replacing it with a 44 kilometre cycling and walking track. This track will connect to the already existing Scottsdale to Billycock Hill cycling trail, making 70 kilometres in total. 

Meanwhile, a slow-running scenic heritage train will operate between Coldwater Creek, near Launceston, to Turners Marsh, at Lilydale. 

All councillors voted in favour of the motion except newcomers Wendy McLennan and Edwina Powell, who are staunch advocates of a heritage train running all the way from Launceston to Scottsdale.

Cr McLennan said Dorset shouldn’t put all their eggs in the one basket by making all of their tourism attractions bike-related, since the area already had Derby as a big mountain biking drawcard. 

Cr Powell said council should wait for the outcome of the Legislative Council inquiry into the matter before making a decision. 

However, new councillor Jerrod Nichols said the community wanted the matter put to bed, and re-elected councillor Leonie Stein said the council should remember that Dorset wasn’t only about trains versus bikes and should move on to other matters. 

In his letter proposing the compromise plan, Peter Gutwein said the projects are subject to planning and funding approval, but that it was clear “both proposals have the capacity to generate economic and employment benefits.” 

The Monday meeting was the first sitting of the new-look Dorset Council. 

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