TRIAL RIDERS ACTION CLUB
INCORPORATED
TRAC History
How TRAC was established
The Trail Riders Action Club Inc. (TRAC) was formed in 1980 by Susan Henry as a result of the concerns of horse riders in the Summerleas Road area regarding impending subdivisions that threatened to force riders on to roads rather than bush trails.
Susan's concern regarding the safety of horse riders was well founded as there have been horrendous injuries inflicted by cars hitting horses and riders on Summerleas Road that could well have been avoided if access to fire trails and other tracks were provided.
Susan spent the next 5 years raising the awareness of the Kingborough Council on issues regarding future planning and safe access in the Kingborough area. She advised them that the increasing availability of five acre blocks, that produced abundant grass, would attract horse owners to the area. Those riders would require access to safe recreational riding trails, the teaching facilities at Cheval Equitation and the Hopfields in Kingston, to Mrs. Elliot's at Leslie Vale, as well as to the Huntingfield Pony Club.
After five years it was suggested by council officers that, to be taken seriously, it was necessary to gauge public opinion by holding a public meeting. Over 50 people attended the Council meeting to support the notion of safer riding options. That night a number of volunteers came forward, subsequently met, formed a committee and developed the rules and incorporation of the Trail Riders Action Club.
Another public meeting was held 4 years later to further gauge support, and over 250 people arrived to confirm the needs of riders and endorse the actions of TRAC.
In 1989 TRAC applied for a grant from the Department of Sport and Recreation to employ Planning Consultants to do an Economic Feasibility Study on the amount of money spent in the Municipality by horse riders in relation to horse ownership. It was found that the riders in Kingborough contributed between $750,000 and $1,250,000 annually to the economy and 75% of expenditure was in Kingborough itself.
Crown Land and Public Open Space
After working with Council on identifying all the Crown Land in the municipality and the areas owned directly by Council, the question of Public Open Space (POS) arose in connection with subdivision. Public Open Space comprises 5% of the area of the land being subdivided. Alternatively, the subdivider is required to pay to the council a sum calculated as 5% of the value of the land being subdivided.
Money accrued from the open space from subdivision was only used originally to develop amenities on land owned by Council such as parks and seats along foreshores, etc. A further anomaly of this system is that it is only possible to use any of the open space funds accrued by council in the area from which it had been obtained. TRAC suggested that, as open space could be kept in a subdivision to provide linear space such as trails, the POS 5% funds could possibly be used to purchase land to complete a trail.
The 1990’s
In the 1990’s TRAC, among many other things:
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made efforts to preserve tracks in subdivisions on Hodgman land and the mountain side of the Southern Outlet between Hobart and Kingston.
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tried to preserve a trail along the face of Mt Wellington that was previously used by young riders to get from Kingston to Glenorchy once a month to attend pony club.
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petitioned Council regarding problems on roads leading up into the hills from the Channel Highway in Margate, Snug, Kaoota, Sandfly and further south.
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worked with the Hobart City Council to develop off road, interconnecting tracks to preserve access from Kingston to Ferntree,
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were instrumental in negotiating a permanent site for the Huntingfield Pony Club.
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Joined forces with Kingborough Council to attempt to prevent the loss and destruction of the historic Kaoota to Margate colliery tramway due to subdivision. At that time, even though the issue was taken to court it was overruled, and this part of our beautiful heritage, where coal miners worked and died, was lost to the community. (Note: since then this iconic track has again been opened to the public).