By Jenel Hunt
Work still has not begun on a project to cement a number of Condamine River Road crossings.
Federal funding has been secured for the project, but the bed-level concreting of four crossings has been the subject of some controversy in the region in recent months, including requests by a traditional owner spokesperson for the crossings to be left in their natural state.
The Southern Downs Regional Council told Warwick Today on Monday (8 May) that works were now planned to start late this month.
The council reiterated it had continued to seek final approvals for all four crossings and had ‘progressed cultural heritage discussions as required’.
The first crossings to receive roadworks will be Long Crossing and Blackfellows Crossing, followed by Mill Crossing and then Second Crossing. There may be some preparatory work undertaken at each location before the main works begin.
At a recent ordinary council meeting, Southern Downs councillors had a chance to voice their own thoughts on the petition of almost 800 signatures previously received by the council against the proposed cementing of natural river crossings on the Condamine River.
There was no controversy at all in chambers, with comments from councillors Marco Gliori, Deputy Mayor Ross Bartley, Stephen Tancred and Cynthia McDonald, along with director of infrastructure services Gary Murphy and CEO Dave Burges.
In the gallery were leading petitioners Peter and Barbara George – a far cry from the numbers that packed the chambers when Mrs George and Githabul spokesperson Melissa Chalmers addressed the council on the issue in March.
Mr Burges assured councillors the council would ‘develop a strategy moving forward’ and update the community regularly during the construction phase.
“There will be monitoring and looking for avenues to start further crossings. This is Stage 1 – the first four crossings. So nothing is planned specifically but there will be consultation and engagement moving on.”
Director Murphy said talking to the community was one of the outstanding actions from the recommendations of the council decision in December 2021.
“The other thing we have yet to do is complete the road safety audit and talk to the community about outcomes of that. We’ll also have a look at how effective the process of installing the crossings has been (once it’s done).
Cr Gliori wanted to know about monitoring the success of the crossings during flood events and “how they’re going to hold up during exceptional times of environmental stress“.
Mr Murphy said the installation of cameras would help give online information.
Cr Bartley recalled some of the earlier history of the council’s involvement in the road.
“I remember my first meeting in 2000 in council when we discussed the gorge and the boom gate. We were told legally then we couldn’t do it (the boom gate) – it was a pubic road. Cr Andrews was keen on stopping people going up there because he was the RACQ man who had to go and pull them out. There was nowhere near the amount of traffic that goes through now.
“But things have changed forever. In our community where we have had these rather quiet select areas where not very many people went, that’s all changed.
“Whether we concrete them or leave them the way they are, the traffic is going to continue to flow up that gorge because everyone wants to see a little bit of natural environment. It won’t be as natural because they’ll be on concrete, but that’s life.
“We all know there’s a fair bit of mixed feeling out there regarding these crossings, but if we think it’s going to be the end of maintenance when you put in a concrete crossing, it’s not going to be. If you’ve lived in the area for a long time you’ll know about the movement of rocks onto a creek level crossing; they’ll still need maintaining after a significant event.”
Cr Bartley said he was sure that if Federal Government funding had not been forthcoming “we would not be doing this“.
“The federal funding has flowed, and that’s giving us the wherewithal to probably take some of the maintenance costs out of it for the ratepayers. There’s a lot of mixed feelings – as per the petition – I understand them all, but at the end of the day we have to look for the best way forward to best manage the ratepayers’ funds.”
Cr Stephen Tancred said it was “very good to get a petition“.
“We’ve considered it and we’re responding now. The petition gave us one point of view. And as councillors and as a council we’ve received a lot of feedback and information,” he said.
“Personally, the feedback I’ve received since our original decision in November ’22 has confirmed the decision. I can share a bit of that. I was at Killarney with other councillors on Australia Day, I was out there on Anzac Day and I attended an opening at the aged care facility. We all had a community meeting out there for the best part of half a day last month.
“The feedback I’ve received is 95 per cent in favour of these crossings. I was given an alternative point of view yesterday (25 April). We had discussion with that gentleman, who has lived there his whole life. By the end of the discussion, he was for the crossings. He had received a bit of misinformation that we were building bridges and that people wouldn’t be able to drive through water and enjoy that serenity. He also thought we were spending a lot of money but we pointed out we were paying probably five per cent of the costs out of ratepayers’ funds; the rest is grant funding. And he’s now a supporter.
“The other feedback I’ve received is from KAPA (Killarney Area Promotions Association). Their members are in favour of this course of action.
“Councillor Marco, the Mayor and I sat on the working group with the Killarney community, and everyone who was on the road had the opportunity to attend that. It was probably 18 months to two years ago. And there was a diversity of opinions on that but we did seek some guidance and overall it was supported and it was interesting to note it was the community members who chose those four crossings.
“Out of all 14 crossings they prioritised the ones that they thought needed to be made safer. I’m cognisant of the history. This issue, as the Deputy Mayor has said, has been around since he was first on council. The previous council did commission quite a few reports which the current councillors have read and had access to.
“But as the mayor said, we (the current elected councillors) came in and we were going to make some decisions and we have. And I think we’ve sought the community input and we’ve come up with the right answer. I think we’ve been vindicated.”
Cr Tancred said he thanked the traditional owners for their input. He said there was a pause on the project and the council had good dialogue going with the traditional owners.
“That’ll set us up well for the future because this certainly won’t be the first project that they’ll have some interaction on and it won’t be the last,” Cr Tancred said.
“So we’ve had a pause and I think that if we progress now steadily – and I understand work will start soon – and welcome the locals giving us community feedback about what’s going on and how to improve what we do.”
Cr McDonald clarified that the council had to work for the greater community good and the tourists.
“That’s one of my largest concerns, along with the environment concerns which have been voiced by the petitions,” she said.
“I come from an area in NSW not far from Barrington Tops and Gloucester Tops. Concrete crossings have been utilised in many of those crossings for many, many years – decades – in fact, since I was a child. They have been used very successfully, in conjunction with the wildlife, the fish, the platypus, and they were constructed noting the issues that were there.
“I think as a council we need to look at the greater good for the community and the tourists who are coming to this area.
“There have been 4WDs swept down the river. It is a concern for us as a council. We do need to make sure the general public and the community is safe. We need to consider these safety concerns as a council and I’m comfortable that the staff have done due diligence – and a lot of work – to make sure we come up with the best outcome possible.”
Councillors voted in favour of the recommendation to note the issues raised in the petition and to proceed with the works in accordance with its previous resolution on the construction of four concrete floodways from the meeting of 23 November 2022.
After the vote, Mrs George and her husband left the chambers.
Mayor Councillor Pennisi looked up and said, “Thank you.”
But the last word belonged to her.
“Thank you Mr Mayor, we’ll see you later,” she said as she went through the doorway.
