Lakeside project starts in Catlins 

It is always rewarding to see great community projects get underway.  The Catlins Lake project in South Otago is now in full swing. This lakeside project is to improve amenities at the Catlins Lake, near Owaka. This project has been spearheaded by Catlins Promotion. The promotions group aims to utilise a section of disused highway to make a public amenity walk, picnic table and lookout near the historic wharf piles site.

The project has been supported by a number of groups including the Clutha District Council, South Otago Farm Forestry Association, South Otago Forest and Bird and the Otago Community Trust. The group has recently been busy organising for the site to be cleared of gorse and broom and a pathway and lookout created. 

Fergus Sutherland secretary for Catlins Promotions explains that "the next step in the project involves waiting for weed seeds to grow so that we can remove them and then get on with the planting, we will replant with appropriate native trees and shrubs and create a walking track to a viewpoint where birdlife may be safely observed” he said.  The Catlins Lake is accessible from the Southern Scenic Route a few kilometres south of the town of Owaka and we are confident that this development will enhance its popularity and become a valuable visitor asset to the community.