Footscray Park – still soggy – but available to the public with care

Published on 29 October 2022

Residents planning to enjoy the Melbourne Cup Carnival from Footscray Park once again, are being asked to stick to higher ground and steer clear of any areas that may be taped off in the wake of the recent flood event.

The Western Lawn, a traditional gathering point for the community, was inundated along with around 245 residential properties when the Maribyrnong River breached its banks on the morning of Friday 14 October.

Council has undertaken an initial clean-up which will allow visitors to enjoy the view from the hill.

But, in the interests of public safety and to mitigate future damage, they are asked to avoid the still soggy lower areas of the Park closer to the River.

Please also be sure, if eating and drinking, to exercise good hand hygiene given advice from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the increased risk of gastroenteritis (stomach bugs) associated with recently flooded parkland.

The playground remains closed and barbeques along the foreshore are not able to be used.

Council will be providing a small number of port-a-loos at Footscray Park and undertaking additional rubbish collections for the duration of the Cup Carnival.

Further assessments will be needed to determine the extent of the flood damage and remediation required prior to the planned multi-million dollar renovation of the Western Lawn, programmed for this December.

Council continues to support flood impacted residents with the clean-up with street sweeping throughout the area. The collection of hard waste from Raleigh Road and Van Ness Avenue, supported by overnight road closures has been completed.

Advice from the EPA

If picnics are going to take place:

• It is advisable to use tables and chairs rather than picnic blankets
• Good hand hygiene is important – this means soap and hot water over hand sanitiser.
• Avoid contact with soil and vegetation that may have been under water.
• Young children, the elderly or immunocompromised people need to take extra care

Maribyrnong News

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