Fishing Spot On The Line

Newcastle Herald

Thursday March 24, 2005

By FRANCES THOMPSON Upper Hunter Reporter

A LIMIT on visitors is one possible outcome of Singleton Council's review of the management plan for Lake St Clair park.

Singleton Council is due to prepare a new management plan for the park, which is popular with anglers throughout the Hunter, NSW and Queensland, and visitors' complaints over facilities are at the forefront of the debate on issues.

However, the cost of improving the park would be substantial, perhaps beyond the council's ability, parks manager Alan Fletcher said.

He said that upgrading toilets and showers would require new waste water disposal systems because the lake was in the Glennies Creek dam catchment.

Last financial year 28,000 people visited the park and recent surveys showed that only 15 per cent of them were from the Singleton local government area.

The last management plan was done in 1986, and Mr Fletcher said: "People's expectations are changing and they demand more now".

The park, the largest in the council's area, covers more than 150 hectares.

Mr Fletcher said some of the issues that had emerged at the top of the list for future management considerations were fee increases, implementing a booking system to limit the number of people who could visit at a time, and seeking financial assistance from the State Government for maintenance.

Cr Paul Nicholls said the park was an important part of the shire's tourism profile and the council should consider subsidising costs.

He said the area had to promote more than wineries.

Geoff Allen, who manages West End Sports and Tackle, said few anglers would go past Lake St Clair because of the quality of fishing, especially for Australian Bass.

He said it was a premier springtime fishing attraction.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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