Campaigners enjoyed the sweet taste of victory yesterday as they celebrated the scrapping of a major development project within Killalea State Park.
Predictions of wild weather kept numbers down but did nothing to dampen the spirits of around 50 Save Killalea Alliance members as they marked the end of a three-year fight to prevent a $31 million development from going ahead.
Killalea resort plan scrappedThe park had been at the centre of controversy since the Killalea State Park Trust granted Killalea Coastal Investments (KCI) a 52-year lease in 2007.
KCI proposed to build 202 lodges, most in an area overlooking picturesque spot The Farm, along with conference facilities and 311 car spaces.
The proposal and lease were scrapped earlier this month after fierce community opposition, coupled with the financial woes of KCI parent company Mariner Financial.
As Alliance members donned blue souvenir shirts and prepared to cut a giant "victory cake", secretary Mairi Petersen cautioned against complacency.
"We must continue to be vigilant about Killalea and its future. Who knows when another developer might decide to try and build something on this land," she said.
"Killalea is community land and we must ensure that it remains community land."
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