Fishing News index > January 2007

Restoring Public Access to the Upper Clutha River

Public access to the upper clutha river has been an issue for several years now. The network of old traditional river access ways provided good angler access to the river until the early 1990s. It was based to a large extent on access arrangements with local landholders, most of whom grazed sheep or cattle.

But with changing landuses to vineyards and cherry orchards, and with a boom in subdivision to provide lifestyle blocks, all that started to change. Access points progressively closed up and large reaches of the ever popular upper clutha were difficult to get to.

Fish and Game, in conjunction with the Cluth fisheries Trust, has been addressing the issue using existing access opportunities provided by unformed road reserves; requirements for vehicle access easements as a result of subdivision ; and the pastoral lease tenure review process to build a new network of tracks.

So far new 9 new tracks have been established and are able to be used to drive down to the Upper Clutha River or Lake Dunstan foreshore. Two tracks have come out of the tenure review process, two through subdivision and the remainder are based on road reserves. They are being progressively marked by Clutha Fisheries Trust using blue caps on fence posts with an anglers access symbol on them.

More tracks are planned along with a pamphlet to guide recreational users to their locations. In all a very successful project which is restoring public access to an important recreational river for anglers and hunters.