KANGAROO-PROOF fencing will start rising at the future athletes' village site next week in a sign of intensifying preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The development - at what will likely be Bendigo's most significant Games build site - has been revealed as the search for lead building designers enters a new phase.
Development Victoria has now closed applications for that tender and is deliberating over design consultants for apartments and townhouses housing 1600 athletes and team officials on La Trobe University's old Osborne Street site, Flora Hill.
It is unclear exactly when that announcement will take place.
However, games organisers have previously told building and design companies they could start building some host cities' villages later this year.
Development Victoria has today confirmed it will start barring kangaroos from sections of the athletes' village site within the coming week.
It plans to build fences in new stages over the next two months to gradually encourage kangaroos to move away.
A mob of roughly 40 kangaroos regularly circles through the site, which is close to other open space and bushland close to Bendigo's outskirts.
Animal welfare concerns raised
Wildlife rescuers have previously warned athletes' village development could drive the kangaroos into more built up areas, putting them at risk of injury.
"They've become very much well loved by the locals in the area," the Wildlife Rescue and Information Network's Michelle Mead said last month.
"The worry now is that obviously this area is to be developed and it's almost as if the roos have been an afterthought."
Development Victoria said kangaroo welfare would be top of mind, with a qualified ecologist regularly inspecting fence lines.
It said Victoria's Conservation Regulator had signed off on the plan, which would move kangaroos away "well ahead of any works for the Games village commencing".
How will Bendigo be portrayed in games?
Meanwhile, recently released documents have shed light on the gauntlet that creative professionals will run if they want a stake organising the Games' opening and closing ceremonies.
Part of their challenge would be to give thought to ways Bendigo and other host cities will be portrayed.
The documents give no specifications but do suggest some cues, including a focus on "what makes the people of our state tick".
Creatives should also focus on themes that would play to Bendigo's tourism strengths, the documents suggest.
[The Games] will promote everything regional Victoria has to offer to the world - the best food and wine, outstanding arts and culture and breathtaking landscapes," said.
The documents highlight the importance of Traditional Owner groups like central Victoria's Dja Dja Wurrung.
They would need to be consulted even though not all are linked to land like Melbourne or Geelong, where the opening and closing ceremonies are to be held, the documents suggest.
Creatives vying for ceremony contracts should think "differently" about the event given its world first multi-city hosting model, organising committee chief Jeroen Weimar said.
"Our multi-city Commonwealth Games is a trailblazer and that's the spark I want the world to see during our opening and closing numbers," he said.
Other projects currently out for tender include lead roles in major builds like Ballarat's athletics centre as well as Geelong's aquatic and swimming facilities.
Games organisers have also been in discussions about mascots, associated events and a "countdown clock" for Victoria 2026.
Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
