Open the Nicholson Street Mall to traffic, as soon as possible.
That was the general consensus from a community meeting held between East Gippsland Shire representatives, Bairnsdale Chamber of Commerce and concerned business people on Monday night. The meeting was called to discuss options for the mall which has become somewhat derelict since the departure of Woolworths during 2021.
A range of options were put forward to rejuvenate the mall, including an upgrade of the post office, art space, a 10-pin bowling alley and arcade games, however opening up to traffic garnered the most attention and was seen as a quick fix to livening up a prominent CBD area in the short term.
The meeting concluded with ideas on a whiteboard for council staff to add to their reports, but the bullish message from those who own a piece of the action in the mall, who see the day-to-day display of drug trading and violent antisocial behaviour, is to firstly open up the mall to slow moving traffic. Business owners in the precinct voiced their safety concerns, saying the area was dirty, unkempt, dangerous and that no-one congregates in the area except for the unruly.
Anthony Scott, of Bairnsdale Tattslotto and Gifts, was supported by lifetime Bairnsdale citizen, Ken Evison, promoting the plan to open the mall as a starting point.

IMAGE: Anthony Scott, of Bairnsdale Tattslotto and Gifts, believes opening up the Nicholson Street Mall to traffic is a positive first step in recreating a vibrant CBD precinct, but he is up in arms about the lack of care taken to keep the mall clean. “The state of the Bairnsdale yellow peril is unsightly and there is more bird poo on the mall pavement than in a cocky’s cage,” he said.