A petition opposing a 200-metre section of road being ripped up and replaced with a gravel surface has attracted 446 signatures - despite the road being located in Aberfeldy, a small township with just seven permanent residents.

Aberfeldy and District Association president Joel Smith told Baw Baw Shire's recent meeting the large number of signatures showed "the importance and significance of (High St) staying bitumen to make the travel safe and care for the town."
Mr Smith spoke of their "passion for our little piece of paradise", especially its views and history.
"We have submitted this petition to council to highlight this issue is important to more than just a few residents that own property in town," he said.
Thanking Crs Adam Sheehan and Brendan Kingwill for recently visiting the site, Mr Smith said the town had no footpaths, town hall or even a footy oval and its only council asset was a toilet.
The petition said ripping up the bitumen road in High St would make the road slippery in wet conditions and dusty when dry, raising the potential for traffic accidents and posing danger for pedestrians.
"We implore council to leave the road bitumen for the safety of all," it stated.
Mr Smith's submission was the second to council on the issue.
Alison McMinn previously requested High St re-sealing works be incorporated into the 2025/26 budget.
She said the short but steep 200-metre section of road was sealed about 60 years ago and was strongly against returning it to a gravel surface.
Before being sealed, Ms McMinn said she "lost count" of people needing rescuing after sliding off or losing traction, particularly in wet weather. She said the gravel road had been "impassable and dangerous".
"All the locals at Aberfeldy are distressed at the suggestion to rip up the seal and replace it with a gravel section," she said, alleging engineers had indicated such a move would be "foolhardy".
"The section at issue is less than 200 metres in length, and comparable costings of other jobs of similar length and gradient seem to indicate the cost to reseal may not be large," Ms McMinn said.
Since building of Thomson Dam in the 1980s, she said "traffic through Aberfeldy has significantly increased, not decreased".
"I urge you in the strongest possible terms to please make the wise and, in the long-run, less costly decision to reseal this short section of High St, Aberfeldy, just as the CRB did all those years ago," Ms McMinn concluded.
Cr Kingwill congratulated Kelly and Joel Smith for getting 446 signatures "out of a town of seven people".
"It does indicate how much that road means, not just to the township but also to the community and the tourism sector," Cr Kingwill said.
Cr Sheehan said the petition was a good starting point. "Discussions will continue. We will seek an outcome that's good, not just for Aberfeldy, but for the wider community as well."