Horseshoe Bend Farm could be reopened to the public – six years after Parks Victoria shut the gates on the historic reserve.
Parks Victoria was hoping to begin community talks this month in the lead-up to reopening the 26-hectare reserve, according to Niddrie MP Ben Carroll.
Mr Carroll said Horseshoe Bend, adjacent to Brimbank Park in Keilor, would most likely be opened up for passive recreation.
In the long term, story boards would be erected highlighting the land’s cultural significance.
“It’s a small step – there’s no date in place yet,” he said.
“I think most of the community would just like to see it safe and open.”
Mr Carroll said Parks Victoria staff had had input about the future use of Horsehoe Bend from local Wurundjeri elders, whose forebears used the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries as an important source of food and materials.
“They’ve worked through some issues with [the ] Wurundjeri and are hoping to commence a community consultation in coming weeks,” he said.
Keilor Residents and Ratepayers Association member Susan Jennison said it would be “terrific” if walkers were given access to the park once again.
“It is wonderful parkland – it would be terrific for people to be able to see the native wildlife there,” Ms Jennison said.
She said she had heard that future plans for the park could include establishing a Wurundjeri information centre.
According to Parks Victoria’s Brimbank Park and Horseshoe Bend future directions plan, published in 2004 as a 10-to-15 year planning and management blueprint, archaeological surveys at Keilor indicate that Aboriginal occupation can be traced back 40,000 years.
The document said visitors to the park had expressed “considerable interest” in the indigenous history of the area and that there was a significant opportunity for interpretation of this history to be extended.
An expression of interest process to operate Horseshoe Bend Farm was held in October, 2012, but Parks Victoria’s lengthy negotiations with a prospective tenant fell over last year.
The farm, which includes a weatherboard 1930s cottage and outbuildings, was previously leased by youth disability group WestNet.
It gave up the lease in 2010.
Parks Victoria then took over management of the site and closed it off to the public.
Parks Victoria was contacted for comment.
