Barry Donchi owns property at the rear of the proposed site of the Bridge Arts Project gallery and it will serve as a starting point for the raised walkway.
Murray River Council Mayor and Bridge Arts Project key player Chris Bilkey said the initial part of the walkway would extend about half a kilometre to the river, zig-zagging through the bush down to the river bank.
“From the back of the gallery it will reach all the way to the river,” Cr Bilkey said.
“Then how we extend it beyond that point, along the river bank and through Max and Nola Vulling’s land, is stil to be determined.”
Max and Nola Vulling acted as tour guides for a group of Bridge Arts Project committee members, and interested groups, on Saturday morning.
The gallery land is owned by the bridge arts committee and the land behind it is Mr Donchi’s land.
While Mr Donchi’s land is a key part of the project, being the connection from the river to the proposed gallery, the Vullings’ property will allow a raised walkway to be established from the gallery — potentially all the way to the Moama slipway.
Mr Donchi is holding the land in trust for the establishment of the art gallery bridge
“The whole plan is concept only at this stage, but the plan is to use Barry’s land for the start of the walkway,” Mr Bilkey said
Interestingly the tour of the Vulling property included a walk along Hunt St and Forbes St, names of the streets that were established for a riverside subdivision that never occurred.
The site, which has 10 allotments, has been owned by the Vulling family for 20 years.
The proposed walkway will be about three metres above the ground.
“We have to have it three metres to have it over a street and over some wetland. It needs to be tall enough for trucks to get under it under it,” Mr Bilkey said.
The Vulling family owned riverboats and purchased the land to ensure they retained river access.
Nola Vulling said the couple had been talking to the bridge arts committee for more than a year.
The bridge arts committee is waiting on a response for the funding of the multi-million art gallery.
The new Meninya St advisory committee will also be announced this week after council discussed applications behind closed doors last week.
