Cumberoona owners seeking Moira Shire approval for Lake Mulwala mooring point

Moira Council this week agreed to a significant step towards allowing the Cumberoona to be permanently moored on the banks of Lake Mulwala close to the Yarrawonga town centre.

The council approved a notice of decision for a permanent home adjacent to Hunt Street to the Knowles brothers who bought the paddlesteamer from Albury Council.

"It will be absolutely terrific for Yarrawonga and Mulwala," Cr Mansfield said.

"The owners have restored it and it looks sensational.

"Albury's loss is Moira Shire's gain.

"We are accommodating the owners as much as we can.

"Albury had the opportunity and failed and Moira Shire is showing them the way.

"Everyone in the two towns is looking forward to seeing the Cumberoona on the lake very soon."

Cr Mansfield said the planning permit would be granted once concerns of one objector to the proposal were satisfied.

The Cumberoona made a highly publicised three-day trip from Albury to Yarrawonga in March and has subsequently undergone major repairs ahead of a return to the water.

It has already been used for a wedding.

The planning application submitted to Moira Council was for the creation of a pleasure boat facility and mooring poles away from the concrete retaining wall on the Lake Mulwala embankment.

The application contains nine conditions including hours of operation being restricted to 8am to midnight, no repairs or sewage dumping must take place at the mooring site to the detriment of foreshore users and sewage must be disposed of at an approved location.

Also, signage needs to be approved by council.

The Cumberoona had previously been a lynch-pin of proposed riverside developments in Albury dating back to the 1980s.

The Knowles brothers plan to bring the Cumberoona back to Albury when river levels permit.

It will be the first paddlesteamer to operate on Lake Mulwala since its creation in 1939 and was sold for $30,000.