Cranbourne in star city bid

By Callan Date
CRANBOURNE locals are pulling together to make their little patch on the third rock from the sun the meteorite capital of Australia.
Space burgers, Mars milkshakes and chicken meteorites could all be on the menu with traders also hoping to cash in on the meteorite theme.
Several meteorites landed in the Cranbourne area in 1860 and a current meteorite park, with full-scale replicas of the rocks, is located at the corner of the South Gippsland Highway and Camms Road.
However, Mayfield Ward councillor Steve Beardon believes the park is undervalued as an asset to Cranbourne and is in desperate need of an upgrade.
Cranbourne and District Residents Association president David Banner and Sunrise Charcoal Chicken manager Gwen O’Brien have joined Cr Beardon in the meteorite push.
“The current display needs a tidy up, lighting to highlight them at night and the missing replica replaced,” Cr Beardon said.
Ms O’Brien said her restaurant was willing to listen to ideas about how they could liven up their menu and adopt a space style theme.
“The meteorite park is great for our business. Customers can sit back and relax and enjoy the nice surrounds with their food,” Ms O’Brien said.
Mr Banner has called for the area to be upgraded with State and Federal Government money and believes a planetarium should be established as a major tourist attraction.
“The original meteorites should be returned to Cranbourne. A information centre and planetarium would be great for the area,” Mr Banner said.
The original meteorites are currently located in several different parts of the world and locals believe Cranbourne has the right to house the originals.
“We need a commitment for the original meteorites to be returned to Cranbourne and a commitment from the Federal Government for funds to construct a planetarium,” Cr Beardon said.
He added that talk of relocating the replicas needed to cease in favour of having the originals returned.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera is also supporting the push and believes the State Government can help in gaining funds for an upgrade of the original site or the establishment of a new planetarium.