June 14, 2015
Two representatives from the Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) will take up an invitation from the South Burnett Regional Council to inspect McCauley Weir.
The weir, located south of the town on Cooyar Creek near the former Seven Mile Diggings, was once the source of Nanango’s water supply.
It was also a popular recreational fishing and boating destination.
However public access was barred more than a decade ago by the former Nanango Shire Council amid public safety concerns.
NaTDA have been asking Council to examine re-opening the weir, along with local fishing clubs, for the last two years.
Both groups believe the weir could become a popular tourist attraction as well as a community recreation resource.
To protect the interests of landholders who have properties adjoining the weir, last October NaTDA suggested that rather than allowing “open slather” access to the site, only limited numbers of people be granted access at any time.
Locals or tourists wanting to visit the weir would need to register at the Nanango Energy Centre to get a set of keys to the locked gate that currently blocks access to the site.
Visitors who registered for access would agree to a set of conditions covering their visit (eg: to remove any rubbish they generated while visiting the site) to ensure the interests of landholders were protected.
At NaTDA’s most recent meeting, President Gloria Kirkness read a letter the group recently received from SBRC CEO Gary Wall in response to this proposal.
Mr Wall said the Council had three concerns about re-opening the weir. They were:
- The current condition of the weir’s access road, and the cost of bringing it up to an acceptable standard
- The cost of installing public recreation facilities at the site, such as picnic tables, barbecues and toilets
- The cost of ensuring the security of the weir’s old, disused pumping station and associated plant
However Mr Wall said the Council would like to extend an invitation to NaTDA to send two representatives to visit the weir accompanied by Council officers so they could view these problems at first hand.
Mrs Kirkness said NaTDA appreciated the offer and would be very happy to take it up.
The site visit is expected to occur within the foreseeable future.
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