Road’s a ‘putrid’ dumping ground

Dead sharks were dumped at Pooley Road in Nar Nar Goon North.

By Alana Mitchelson

Dead sharks covered in flies were among numerous “putrid” items dumped along a Nar Nar Goon North road and left to rot for more than three weeks in the heat.
Maryknoll resident Clive Horton who reported the dumped items to the council in late December said there were “four lots” of rubbish along Pooley Road.
He said pallets and old pieces of wood with nails protruding from them were strewn across the road at the corner of Mortimer Road and Pooley Road.
A rusted trailer “full of junk” had also been dumped about two kilometres up the road, along with old paint tins.
Near the Sand Pit Ridge Track intersection there were about 50 tins of chemicals and turpentine, while 100 metres further up the road were old pieces of metal.
Maryknoll’s Alex Enticknap rides his horse along the road three to four times a week for endurance training and said these were not isolated incidents.
“The smell was really woeful and just sticks to your clothes.
“The sharks were there for at least three-and-a-half to four weeks before the council cleared the area,” he said.
“I reckon once every two months there is a whole trailer load of things dumped on that road.
“But who on earth dumps dead sharks and clams? So disappointing.
“Respect what’s around you. There are all sorts of native animals around that area because of the state park.”
Former Maryknoll resident Sue Jones told the Gazette she had been “disgusted” to have once been confronted with a dead German shepherd dog which had been placed against a rock and shot with a shotgun on Pooley Road.
Cardinia Shire Council operations manager Charles Taveira said the council received a report about the dumped items on Tuesday 3 January.
“A member of the council’s compliance team attended the site and found two mounds of mixed rubbish containing paint cans, old clothes, general household items and some builders’ rubbish, deceased small shark and bait,” Mr Taveira said.
“Council’s operations staff were notified of the incident and the rubbish was collected on Thursday 19 January.
“Unfortunately, council is unable to identify the offender as there were no witnesses to the dumping, nor any identification found within the rubbish.”