A community at work

Here’s your chance to test a variety of electric bikes from Eco Bikes and join a community BBQ after.

10.30 – 12 noon: test rides
Noon onwards: community BBQ
Site 8, Waterworks Reserve
(Bring a bike helmet if you can)

Learn fluent spinach with step-by-step guided lessons.

This year the Botanical Gardens are once again running its garden skills programs – down to earth, cost effective gardening for the home, community or farm. Hands on learning with professional experts.

$15 per person, per learning session. Bookings are essential, so please confirm your place. Ph 6236 3050

Calendar to mid April

January 27
Maintaining plants in pots (special repeat session)
Do you want to keep plants alive in tubs? What are the secrets behind container success? Our expert will demonstrate the Continue reading →

The Tasmania Fire Service has produced a one-page bushfire preparation checklist. It’s good idea for all Waterworks residents to print it out and stick a copy on their fridges until March.

Also note: Stephen Bresnehan is Hobart Council’s Bushland Fire Officer. Stephen can provide (free) fire risk management advice to Hobart residents (ph 6238 2886). He can also help if you have concerns, such as neighbouring land which may be getting overgrown, given our wonderful recent growing weather! Stephen’s advice is always practical and helpful.

For more on bushfire protection see our earlier post.

Hello friends and neighbours,

Waterworks Valley Landcare Group has engaged a traffic engineer to look at designs for the proposed intersection at 25A Waterworks Rd.

See here, here and here three options which may help to reduce the size of the intersection, and potentially vehicle speeds through the intersection. These designs may also cater for pedestrian amenity.

Could you please reply to me indicating which option you like best?

In your email, could you please also indicate any other small-scale concerns/possible solutions around traffic at 25A that are on your minds?

Finally, please forward this to your partner if they have a separate email address. Sincere apologies if I have left anyone off, and for the tight time frame – it is what we have to work with.

Regards, Jonah Gouldthorpe

Someone who works for Hobart City Council is a rock artist.

Check out the spiffy new stone seat down at the quarry bike pump track.

Here’s an event that may inspire you.Visiting British activist, Adrian Porter, is to give a talk about how his home town of Totnes became the world’s first Transition Town.

7pm, Wed 8th February
Twin Ovals Function Centre,
Lightwood Dr (off Kingston View Dr),
Kingston

You’ll hear about the background of the Transition movement and also about the new Transition Streets Project.

Continue reading →

It’s that time of year again! Despite another cool and damp start to summer, this is bushfire season. Please be prepared.

This link takes you to new bushfire protection plans prepared by the Tas Fire Service. To date there are plans for Ridgeway and Tolmans Hill in this vicinity.

Continue reading →

Local Waterworks resident and long-term forest campaigner Geoff Law returned recently from an overseas working journey, visiting forests in other parts of the world.

For an interesting insight his essay The Tale of Two Forests makes a good read. Geoff is an able raconteur and writer.

(The essay is courtesy of the blog site of Miranda Gibson who climbed a rope to a platform on the top of the tree in the heart of the Southern Forests on December 14 and has vowed to stay until the forest is protected. Community members are urged to support her brave efforts.)

Local Harvest is a new national initiative aiming to help people find local sources of food and grow their own. This is a new project from the Ethical Consumer Group and they need help from local people to make it a success. Interested? Read more…

Here’s a new ‘how to’ book that shows how
to strengthen communities and help build a formidable transition movement.

Click HERE to read more information.

Available immediately for 9 month lease.

It’s at 102 Waterworks Road, Dynnyrne – inner city living in peaceful and quiet bush surrounds.

The open kitchen-dining-living area receives all day sun and has beautiful valley views.

Looking for tenant who will keep grass and weeds trimmed in exchange for lowered rent of $200/week. 3/4 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. Furnished.

Email Felicity to arrange an inspection.

I lived in Waterworks road from 1971 to 1988 and after that retained an interest in the valley through my father and the family home.

As I was a keen horse rider I regularly rode through the Waterworks valley into the area of Tolmans Hill and up to Ridgeway. I knew the people, the tracks and the beauty of unspoilt bush.

Continue reading →

New parking sign in Collins Street, Hobart.

World oil depletion is on the verge of radically changing our travel modes and habits. We need to get used to it.

It’s occurred to some of us that most households own a vehicle that suits their biggest need, whereas most travel by car is one-person-per-vehicle. Nearly all of our actual needs are for a very small, efficient vehicle.

With this in mind, a proposal is afoot for several households to collectively own a practical street car (named Desire!) that can be available for shared use, thus enabling those households to do without a car altogether – using an electric bike, for instance, or a tiny efficient vehicle – but still have access to a practical vehicle for bushwalking, building materials etc when needed.

If interested in the idea, just send us an email or comment below. (See here too.)