I've come down to the shack at Victor Harbor to have a bit of break as my job winds down. The winter rains had come whilst I was in Canberr and Sydenyand the winter grasses are beginning to appear. Tis time to plant more trees and bushes in the reserve and creek beds to restore the biodiversity that had been stripped from the land by the farmers.

As I drove through the town last night I could not help but wonder about the heritage/development conflict that is raging along Australia's coastal townships.

Victor Harbor is in danger of becoming a very ordinary commuter town to Adelaide. The large blocks of the old town with their cottage gardens are being broken up; the new development is a mixture of the Sydney-style McMansions, which take up the whole block and sit jammed up against one another, and the new cheaply built concrete slab beachside apartments.

Victor Harbor is seachange town caught up in the heritage/development conflict.This conflictis being played out between those on the heritage side who want to shut the door and live in a fishbowl, and those on the development side who talk about business and economic growth. This black and white perspective pushes quality development into the background.