Dja Dja Wurrung offer cleansing ceremony for Daylesford

Cr Brian Hood said Dja Dja Wurrung leaders had also offered a smoking ceremony at the corner of Albert and Vincent streets as a symbol of cleansing.

"That's something we will consider - but we will consult with the community on what they think is appropriate," he said.

"We've already met with the mayor of Wyndham and her colleagues.

"We want to do the right thing - and there are a lot of factors to be considered, so council is looking at the response to this event from several different angles."

The council-managed public park, which acts as a de facto beer garden, had two sparsely-spaced bollards separating the grassed picnic table area from the bottom of Albert Street at the time of the accident.

"We've made changes to the site itself about the location of tables," Cr Hood said.

"We've already made a decision to review our Outdoor Dining and Trading Policy - and that will affect not just Daylesford, but the whole of the shire.

"But we'll work at a reasonable pace on the bollards and any decisions about fencing.

"We are getting the ball rolling now - we're getting things moving internally.

"A number of reports will also come back to Council meetings.

"In due course we'll also have a look at investigations and recommendations by police and the Coroner."

Cr Hood said that counselling was still available for people affected by the tragedy.

"It's being made available to Hepburn Shire Council employees as well," he said.

Meanwhile the Victorian Liquor Commission said the neighbouring pub had not breached any liquor licence laws by serving food and alcohol in the public park.

The runaway BMW SUV careered through the area, hitting at least 10 people as well as picnic tables and a large light pole.

The 66-year-old driver's lawyer said his client was an insulin-dependent diabetic.

"Given the central location, it has been a popular place for picnics and outdoor dining," Hepburn Chief Executive Bradley Thomas said last week.

"It's been used by patrons of the Royal Daylesford Hotel and community members for years without incident.

"The current furniture was installed during the pandemic in order to offer greater outdoor dining options.

"Council had approved use of the space for outdoor dining."

The Mayor said crumbling roads remained a high priority for Hepburn in the year ahead.

"We're not just talking about council-managed roads, but we also need to work with Regional Roads Victoria to get our arterials in much better condition - especially the Daylesford-Trentham and Ballan-Daylesford roads," Cr Hood said.

"The other big focus for us is long-term financial and strategic planning over the next 10 years so we can prioritise capital works.

"We also need a strategic review of the services we offer. Some we might want to do more of - and some less.

"We have to think about this carefully because Hepburn is a relatively small council (of less than 17,000 people)."

The Mayor's other core project for the year ahead was increased housing - especially for people who wanted to work in the region.

"We have a lot of tourism, which is important to the local economy, but a lot of traders can't get employees because they have the jobs, but just can't get housing for them," Cr Hood said.

He said the eastern part of the shire was growing quickly - as metropolitan workers shifted to areas such as Trentham to escape the housing affordability crisis.