PROTESTERS were at Frankston Reservoir Natural Features Reserve on Sunday to ensure the visit of Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings was not without incident.
Mr Jennings was in Frankston for the first of four 'discovery days' at the former Melbourne Water reservoir between Overport and Frankston-Flinders roads in Frankston South.
Annabel Richards of the Friends of Frankston Reservoir challenged Mr Jennings on several issues.
She said the reserve was a haven for flora and fauna, including the threatened growling grass frog, and should be a conservation area with restricted public access.
Mr Jennings said the 98-hectare reserve, 10 hectares of which is taken up by the reservoir, would add to Victoria's "world-class parks and gardens".
"Visitors will be able to see first-hand this previously hidden bushland in the heart of Frankston," he said.
Three guided walks on Sunday were booked out and further tours will take place on August 29, September 29 and October 31.
Frankston Reservoir was decommissioned in 2006 and a 53-megalitre storage tank and water treatment plant was built on one hectare of the reserve.
Submissions are being called for a new name.
To submit an entry and for information on tours of the reserve go to www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/frankston< p>
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