Woolies super hoax

By Casey Neill
A MYSTERY sign on Kallista’s former service station site has locals talking about a new lease on life for the land, which has been vacant for six years.
But the ‘Woolworths coming soon’ banner that appeared on the block’s Church Street side on Tuesday 28 February appears to be a hoax. A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was not sure where the sign had come from or who was responsible. It attracted attention when it was moved to the Monbulk Road side on Thursday.
Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn said there was no planning application for the site lodged with the shire.
“It’s never going to cut it as a supermarket,” she said.
She said the site was also likely to be too small for a modern petrol station and the sign’s sudden appearance and movements suggested it was probably not genuine. “It may well be a practical joke,” she said.
The Ampol petrol station closed in November 2005 after parent company Caltex decided the cost to repair a leaking underground tank outweighed the servo’s value.
Residents at the time raised concerns that the closure would turn Kallista into a ghost town. They said tourists visited other businesses when they stopped at the petrol station.
Cr Dunn said the site’s future remained unclear and had asked Caltex about its intentions.
“They haven’t been forthcoming with information,” she said.
She said de-contamination and site rehabilitation took time, but she’d love to see the site redeveloped.
“It’s zoned business one and would be a great business opportunity for the town,” she said.
In March 2009, the Mail reported that a guerrilla gardener had tried to spruce up the ugly site with tyres filled with plants and vegetables.
They were soon removed and the garden guru’s identity remained a closely-guarded secret. The Mail contacted Caltex, but did not receive a response before deadline.