By Mitchell Clarke
Cardinia Shire Council has rejected calls from Garfield residents to reopen Mount Cannibal for those living within a five kilometre radius.
The status of the hugely popular attraction, which has been closed for the duration of Stage 4 restrictions, was recently reassessed by council officers, following pleas from locals wanting to walk the track.
According to Cardinia Shire Council’s pandemic response and emergency management manager Kristen Jackson, the risks associated with reopening were far too great.
“We have reached the conclusion that unfortunately we are not able to reopen Mt Cannibal Reserve at this stage,” Ms Jackson said.
“The narrowness of many sections of the track means that walkers can’t comply with the 1.5 metre physical distance requirement.”
Both council and Victoria Police hold serious concerns that large crowds, including people from outside the five kilometre zone, could descend on the park in large crowds if it was to reopen.
Mount Cannibal’s popularity skyrocketed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic after a video of the site was shared to social media site TikTok.
Garfield resident Roman Kulkewycz believes the council should reopen the site to locals, given the town’s low virus risk.
“It’ll only be opened up to people living the five kilometre radius, so it won’t really be that busy where people can’t socially distance,” he said.
“It’s fresh air and it’s outside, I can’t really see why it’s not open.”
Cardinia Shire Council will continue to work with Victoria Police to monitor and assess the site’s closure in line with the State Government’s easing of restrictions.
“We understand that Mount Cannibal is highly valued by the community and we don’t make these decisions lightly,” Ms Jackson said.
“When we previously attempted to implement a one way system, to keep the reserve open, unfortunately people didn’t comply with the direction.”
