Farmers back hostel

By Tania Martin
HILLS fruit growers have hit back at claims that a proposed backpackers’ hostel in Monbulk will endanger local children.
The Mail last week reported in its front page story Hostel Drug Fear that local residents were concerned for their children’s safety if an 80-bed hostel was approved.
They believe that their children would no longer feel safe because of a high turnover of strangers in the area.
Parent Sally Cox also told the Mail that she feared that a backpacker hostel would bring her daughters into close contact with drugs.
But grower Pam Vroland of Silvan Estate Raspberries believes these claims by local residents are unfounded.
The proposed development is for an 80-bed cabin style backpacker hostel with a manager’s residence and recreational areas, at 465-469 Monbulk Road.
Ms Vroland said she found it offensive that Monbulk residents had assumed that all backpackers were drug addicts.
She said the majority of backpackers were extremely well behaved and lovely people.
Despite residents’ concerns over backpackers’ behaviour, the Shire of Yarra Ranges agri-business and tourism officer Ian Ada said there was a major need for more hostel type accommodation.
Mr Ada said a recent study undertaken by the shire in conjunction with the Centre for Agriculture and Business (CAB) had found that more than 5000 pickers a day were working in the shire for six months of the year.
He said at least 1000 of these are backpackers who need somewhere to stay in the shire.
Mr Ada believes that each backpacker would spend a minimum of $40 a day in the shire on food and other essentials during the six month picking season.
This would equate to $40,000 a day or more than $7.3 million a year being spent in the local economy.
Mr Ada said having a backpacker hostel would entice working tourists and international students to stay longer and spend more money in the local area.
He said tourism would also benefit from the backpackers stay in the shire.
CAB chairman Clive Larkman said it was disappointing that backpackers had been labelled as troublemakers.
“Most backpackers are honest people who are young and pick up work while travelling across the world – they are not hoons,” he said.
Murray Chapman of Blue Hills Orchards also said that there was a major misconception that all backpackers are party animals.
“We have found that they are generally really nice people and they might have a drink after work but there certainly aren’t any drugs,” he said.
“And if there was a hint of that sort of behaviour we wouldn’t employ them in the first place – we have no tolerance for that sort of behaviour and most farms around here are the same.”
Despite the recent controversy over the proposed development, it has yet to go before the council and a date is still to be set.