AROUND 250 people packed the Dromana Community Hall on Sunday 29 March as Save Our Seat (SOS) launched the new phase of its campaign against a luge ride planned for Arthurs Seat.
The meeting came just over a month after the state government approved controversial plans by the Arthurs Seat Eagle for a rollercoaster-style luge running under the existing gondola, as well as a 36-metre viewing tower.
SOS said it was thrilled by the turnout, with around 80 per cent of attendees indicating it was the first time they had attended a SOS event.
A spokesperson from the group, Kylie Greer, said while the Minister may have given planning permission, the fight wasn’t over and the campaign was now about convincing The Eagle to drop the luge.
“It’s clear the Mornington Peninsula community doesn’t want this luge to go ahead and they’re prepared to fight tooth and nail to stop it – including standing in front of bulldozers, if it comes to that,” said Greer.
“The Eagle has a clear choice: they can drop the luge and start rebuilding their trust and credibility in the community, or they can push ahead and destroy their own reputation.”
Four candidates in the Nepean by-election attended the meeting and were asked by the audience to step up on stage and state their views. The attendees were community independent Tracee Hutchison, One Nation’s Darren Hercus, Greens candidate Sianan Healy and the Libertarian Party’s Peter Angelico.
Liberal candidate Anthony Marsh was an apology and has not yet responded to a Save Our Seat invitation to be briefed on the issue.
Community independent Tracee Hutchison said she had been part of the SOS campaign for over a decade and that Arthurs Seat, as a State Park, belonged to the people, not commercial development.
She said despite sustained and clear opposition from the community, the Allan government had chosen to ignore concerns including fire and landslide risks and impact on wildlife and vegetation. She said if she was elected as representative for Nepean, she would continue the fight to protect Arthurs Seat until the decision was reversed.
One Nation candidate Darren Hercus told the meeting he didn’t think the luge was necessary and that he was appalled at the Labor government’s lack of consultation and transparency, and by their overreach.
Greens candidate Sianan Healy told the meeting Arthurs Seat was a precious public green space and a crucial wildlife corridor that should be available for all of the public, instead of being handed over to private developers.
She said the public was angry and tired of not being listened to and of seeing big business and government cosying up together to make decisions that lined their pockets at the expense of the environment.
Libertarian Party candidate Peter Angelico said the strong turnout and overwhelming sentiment at the meeting, along with 97% of written submissions to the Minister opposing the roller coaster, raised serious questions not just about the project, but about the process behind it.
He said Libertarians fundamentally oppose governments riding roughshod over local communities, and that projects of this scale must respect the voices, rights and consent of the people they directly impact.
First published in the Mornington News – 7 April 2026
