Off-road racing will return to the Sea Lake area this year, but not as the Mallee Rally, as organisers put forward a temporary race on private property as they wait for a response over the rally's future.
For decades, the Mallee Rally took place on the eastern edge of Lake Tyrrell over the June long weekend, attracting racers and spectators from across Australia to the town of 600.
In 2019, the state government decided not to issue a permit for the event over concerns the route the vehicles take could be damaging Indigenous cultural heritage at the lake, known as Direl to traditional owners.
It has not been run since.
Sea Lake Off-Road Racing Club president Darren Mott told ABC Wimmera Radio a smaller event would take place on a private farm at Nandaly, on the western edge of the lake but not the lake itself.
"I'm hoping for 500 to 1,000 people," Mr Mott said.
"The money [from the event] goes to the pub, the hall, the tennis club, so it goes to the local community. Our club is a non-profit club. We only take enough money to run the next event."
Mr Mott said the club aimed for this year's long weekend event to be an interim, not a permanent, replacement for the Mallee Rally.
"We have a small sub-committee working along quietly to see if we can get [the Mallee Rally] back at some stage," he said.
"At 40 years of the event, it was the longest-running event in Australia, so it has a lot of history. We are not wanting to destroy any cultural heritage or anything.
"We would love to work with the Indigenous community to come to some arrangement, but at present that seems like a hard thing to happen."
A years-long issue
Last year, a draft conservation management plan for Lake Tyrrell commissioned by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) found flaked stone material on the racetrack, suggesting culturally significant artefacts were present.
The lake has significant environmental values and Aboriginal cultural heritage dating back more than 33,000 years.
The draft plan recommended discontinuing the race permanently.
In parliament last month, Mildura MP Jade Benham urged the government to release the final plan.
Meanwhile, traditional owners from the Wemba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation made an application in August to the federal Department of Environment, urging it to intervene and culturally protect Lake Tyrell.
A spokesperson said that of the two applications traditional owners made, one was nearing a final decision, while the second would require an independent report to consult with relevant parties.
Barengi Gadjin Land Council, a Registered Aboriginal Party for a portion of the lake, has been contacted for comment.
