Picnic ground Nov 2017 (author) ISSUES FOR INVESTIGATION AND ACTION The eastern section of present day Police Paddocks Reserve, in the woody hilly area, including the Narre Narre Warren Picnic Ground, has become seriously neglected, with many visitor facilities and amenities having been closed.   Of particular concern are:   PICNIC GROUND (opened in 1974) Toilet Block Closed in 2012, and now a repository for rubbish thrown over and through its padlocked wrought iron gates No drinking water Litter Bins None provided Playground Dismantled and removed in 2012 The Information/Map/History Board Dismantled and removed in 2012 Shelter Pavilion Erected in 2012 as a BBQ area, but from 2012 the BBQ facilities were removed Woodland Walk Circuit trail from the Picnic Ground - built in 1974,  the boardwalk section was dismantled and removed in 2015   Private vehicle access to Picnic Ground from Brady Rd Closed by a barrier gate at Greenbank Avenue in 2012   Car Parking There is very limited car parking at the gated entrance to the Picnic Ground on Brady Rd. Vehicles are forced to park on the narrow pot-holed gravel shoulders, which are about 20 cm lower than the bitumen surface, and turning requires a dangerous U-turn manoeuvre. Cars with low ground clearance cannot negotiate these gutters. The locality is littered with dumped household, industrial and commercial rubbish, including the burnt-out remains of a car, furniture, builders’ rubbish, beer and wine bottles, boxes, mattresses, clothing, toys, broken bikes, and timber. This litter has now encroached on to adjacent bushland, which was the original Tree Conservation and Community Garden area, set up in 1964 for the Jamboree.   The Picnic Ground and bushland area adjacent to the gated entrance has become a haven for unseemiy behaviour, including gay cruising, criminal activity, assaults, stalking and illegal drug distribution.   NORTHERN GATED ENTRANCES FROM CHURCHILL PARK DRIVE   Shared Trail Network These were built as internal roadways for the 1964 Jamboree, and the original bitumen surfaces have now largely disappeared, leaving rough patches of blue-metal aggregate and rough surfaces. Large sections are now cracked, overgrown with weeds, gorse, long grass, blackberries, and tree growth – there is no drainage.  Parts of disused cracked asbestos and cement water mains constructed for the Jamboree along Brady Rd, Blair Avenue, and Greenbank Avenue are now exposed above-ground due to land erosion and slippage, constituting a serious safety hazard. These pipes were also used for fire control purposes, and the old fire-hydrants and excavations, in one metre-deep pits are hazardous – with the protective covers having been removed by vandals. The pedestrian/bike access gates on Baden Powell Drive and Frankston Drive at the time of writing were inaccessible to Park, fire control, the Kooronga Girl Scouts Camp, Ausnet, and mobile telephone maintenance management vehicles. Massive piles of disgusting dumped rubbish were blocking the entrances.   Vandalization Information Boards and Directional Signs have been destroyed defaced or removed by vandals at: Southern entrance to the Narrandjeri-Wurundjeri Sacred Aboriginal Reserve (off Brady Rd) Main entrance to the public recreation reserve (off Brady Rd) Walking track to the Commemorative Cairn near Frankston Drive Other Sections of chain-link fencing have been destroyed along the boundary of the Kooronga Girl Scouts Camping area (Baden Powell Drive) Most of the green grassy sloping embankment on the south side of Brady Rd, adjacent to the Softball Centre protective fence. has been destroyed by hoons in 4WD SLVS churning up the area after dark. At time of writing, this had become a mess of thick mud and vehicle tracks.   POSSIBLE REMEDIES Install CCTV security at corner of Brady Rd and Greenbank Avenue, and on Churchill Park Drive Replace and/or repair missing signs and info boards Repair Brady Rd surface - build car spaces at Greenbank Avenue or remove barrier and repair carpark in Picnic Ground Install notices on Brady Rd at Dandenong Creek Trail, and on Churchill Park Drive, warning people not to dump rubbish in the area, or risk prosecution Relocate the "No Dumping of Rubbish notice from Baden Powell Drive to Churchill Park Drive. Install fencing on the south side of Brady Rd, between the Bridge and the entrance to the Softball Centre Repair cyclone fencing surrounding Kooronga Girl Scouts Facility Provide funding for rehabilitation of the toilet block, BBQ shelter, playground - provide drinking water and litter bins Reopen picnic ground for private vehicles - repair car park - relocate barrier gate to eastern end of picnic ground Extend public WiFi facility across the Reserve and adjacent Churchill National Park Replace protective covers on fire hydrants Remove asbestos pipes Install lighting in picnic ground Improve police presence along Brady and install notice advising that "area is patrolled" Re-establish "Friends of Police Paddocks" community group