Glenthorne National Park

[SouthAussie94]

Happy Valley Reservoir could be opened for fishing in national park proposal


A national park could be created in Adelaide's southern suburbs if the State Opposition wins the next election.

South Australian Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the proposed park would open areas of land fenced off to the public at Happy Valley Reservoir, Glenthorne Farm and Hallett Cove Conservation Park.

He said there could be walking and cycling trails as well as opportunities for fishing, sailing, kayaking and horseriding.

"It's a great opportunity for us to unlock the potential, to preserve and conserve that environment but most importantly to activate it and allow South Australians to access an important part of the state," Mr Marshall said.

The proposed area would cover 1,500 hectares and create a park bigger than the Belair National Park, situated in the Adelaide foothills.

"We see no reason why South Australia's reservoirs shouldn't be available for public recreation," Mr Marshall said.

"Happy Valley Reservoir has huge recreational potential."

O'Halloran Hill Recreation Park, Marino Conservation Park and the Field River Valley would also be included in the park, which would be called Glenthorne National Park.

SA Environment Minister Ian Hunter described the Opposition's plans as an "expensive joke".

He said it was the former Liberal government that sold Glenthorne Farm to the University of Adelaide in 2001.

"I don't know whether Steven Marshall thinks that people have forgotten this history or whether he thinks he needs a great big conservation park to offset his carbon emissions that he is going to have from opening up Port Augusta [power station] again, but really this is a shallow, ill-thought-through con," Mr Hunter said.

SA Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said the Opposition had not revealed how it would fund the plans.

"He needs to make dramatic cuts to maintain budget surpluses for the amount of spending he has already announced, so I think South Australians will want to know exactly what it is he is going to cut before they know what he is going to spend," he said.

The next SA state election is due to be held in 2018.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-16/h ... ng/7936756