July 21, 2014
A long-running dispute between local fishing and kayaking enthusiasts and the South Burnett Regional Council will be re-examined in September this year.
The Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) has thrown its weight behind a campaign by local watersports enthusiasts to have McCauley Weir re-opened to the public.
The weir – the site of Nanango’s first water treatment plant – straddles Cooyar Creek south of the town.
But an unsealed road which provides access to the weir has been locked for almost a decade, blocking public access to the site.
In March 2012 the South Burnett Regional Council voted that McCauley Weir Road would remain closed until further notice because the road was too dangerous and there was no money in Council’s roads budget to carry out repairs.
Last August, after a petition was presented to the council by local watersports groups, Mayor Wayne Kratzmann affirmed nothing had changed since the March 2012 decision.
He said Council had no money in its 2013-14 Budget to do the necessary repairs, and the road was a low priority when set against other shire roadworks.
He said he had driven along McCauley Weir Road himself and could vouch it was dangerous from personal experience.
He was also concerned the old Council water treatment plant located along the road needed to be decommissioned.
Mayor Kratzmann said he could understand some locals wanted the road re-opened, and would ask Council officers to prepare a full update on safety and legal issues surrounding the road and report back.
In May, NaTDA wrote to the South Burnett Regional Council to request the road be re-opened.
The group said they felt the weir area could become a recreational and tourist asset for the town, and thought it was inappropriate to have a public road closed for so long.
At its July meeting last week, NaTDA members were told the Council had responded to their letter to advise the matter would be looked at when Council’s roadworks committee met in September.
NaTDA president Gloria Kirkness said the group would wait for the roadworks committee to re-examine the issue but hoped the matter could be progressed.
- Related article: Road To Stay Closed … For Time Being
