Maldon Car-Free Carnivale
| Time | 12pm to 3pm |
| When | 22 Sep 2019 |
| Where | Maldon Main Street |
Ditch your car for the day! Maldon goes car free for climate action
Walk, cycle, catch the bus or take the heritage steam train to Maldon on Sunday 22 September to be part of Car-free Carnivale – Maldon’s new street festival to inspire climate action and achieve a safer, healthier and cleaner environment for local communities.
Held to coincide with World Car Free Day, the Carnivale will take over Maldon’s main street from 12pm to 3pm, transforming the heritage shopping and café strip into a car-free thoroughfare of ideas for sustainable living. Innovative exhibitors, children’s activities and live performances will be on offer, as will plenty of local food, with Maldon’s cafes and hotels all open on the day.
Car-free Carnivale is an initiative of Maldon Climate Action Network (CAN), a local group formed this year, working to reduce Maldon’s carbon footprint through community-led action. “We want to inspire the people of Maldon – as well as neighbouring communities – to work together to reduce our carbon emissions so we can create a safer, healthier and cleaner environment for everyone,” says Ali Brookes, member of Maldon CAN.
“It can be as simple as catching the bus for some trips rather than using your car, to using some of the great local services on offer, like the Castlemaine Repair Café to fix your household goods rather than sending them to landfill. It’s about zero carbon, zero waste and infinite hope.”
Maldon CAN is encouraging locals to walk or cycle to the Carnivale, and for those from further afield to catch Castlemaine Bus Lines’ Castlemaine–Maldon bus (Route 4) or use the scenic rail trail, a 17.7km walking and cycling trail linking Castlemaine and Maldon. The Victorian Goldfield’s historic steam train will also be running on the day, providing a return trip for travellers from Castlemaine.
“We’re keen to promote sustainable transport options, especially given transport is Australia’s second largest source of greenhouse gas pollution after electricity,” says Maldon CAN’s Ali Brookes.
Maldon has limited public transport options, giving locals little choice but to predominantly rely on cars for personal transport. Maldon CAN believes governments can and must do more to fund regional public transport services as well as infrastructure to support Australia’s transition to electric cars powered by renewable energy.
There is a train to Castlemaine and from there a bike path through bush which follows the steam train line.
https://www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/Castlemaine_Maldon_Trail
http://www.vgr.com.au/homepage.php
The steam train is offering discounted tickets for on-line bookings and a special carriage that can take bikes for those who may only want to ride one way.
In the meantime, locals are leading with initiatives to reduce transport emissions, including Maldon Neighbourhood Centre’s Community Bus, which will launch its new timetable at the Carnivale.
