July 11, 2016
The Murgon Business and Development Association (MBDA) is enthusiastic about the South Burnett’s new rail trail, which will be officially opened on the October long weekend.
At the MBDA’s most recent meeting, Cr Kathy Duff told members the Yarraman to Linville Rail Trail is much more widely known as the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
So she thought it made sense to follow this pattern and call the Murgon to Kingaroy stretch the South Burnett Rail Trail.
This would leave the way open for Gympie Regional Council to call the Murgon-Kilkivan leg of the project the Gympie or Kilkivan Rail Trail if they wished.
Members agreed, and the MBDA has now written to the South Burnett Regional Council to express its support for the idea.
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Allan Mitchell is coordinating the Rail Trail’s opening festivities in Murgon.
The meeting heard that about 200 cyclists are expected to take part in the opening day festivities, along with walkers and runners.
There will be an official opening celebration in each town along the trail, beginning at Kingaroy and finishing with a grand finale in Murgon.
Organisers are hoping to get local schools and service clubs involved in the opening day festivities as well.
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Glen Vonhoff and Allan Mitchell from the Murgon Men’s Shed are also involved in the opening day activities.
The meeting was told the Men’s Shed have recently purchased two railway carriages for the Murgon trailhead.
The group hope to take possession of the rail carriages before the opening day, but to help defray costs are waiting for a backload to bring them to town.
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Cr Duff told the meeting enthusiasm for the Rail Trail is starting to become “mind boggling”.
Representatives from Cycling Queensland came to the last meeting of the opening day organising committee, along with a representative from the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, she said.
Others had turned up uninvited because of the groundswell of community interest in the project.
The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail recently put photos of the South Burnett Rail Trail on their Facebook page and received the most hits they have ever had, Cr Duff said.
Cr Duff also told the meeting the South Burnett Regional Council has now secured a 40 year lease over the railway corridor from the State Government.
This will allow the Council to sublease a section the Murgon Men’s Shed has been seeking to secure their tenure, which in turn will help the group obtain grants.
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There has been interest from some locals about scoping a Murgon Interpretive Centre on the rail corridor between the post office and the bank, Cr Duff told the meeting.
The proposed centre would incorporate a history of indigenous and non-indigenous residents, art, fossils and related local history.
It would also include a car park to support the shops and the Murgon Town Hall.
“I have had concerns raised about parking congestion and the idea of having angled parking in front of the video shop down towards the post office has been raised again,” Cr Duff said.
“I am seeking views on these matters.”
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Plans to install a defibrillator in Murgon’s CBD have been slightly delayed because it has yet to arrive, the meeting was told.
Baptist Church minister Greg Carle, whose church is donating the device to the town, said when the defibrillator does arrive he will arrange a demonstration of its use in QEII park.
This will be followed by a training session later in the year, at which time there will also be an official handover.
“It is impossible to make a mistake and the machine has very clear instructions,” Pastor Carle said.
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The Murgon Sports Association has sent letters to businesses with signs at the Murgon Showgrounds requesting the annual advertising payment of $200.
Signs will be taken down if the fee is not paid.
However, new businesses that would like to put a sign up are very welcome to contact the Sports Association about it.
“This is a great way to advertise and also support the Sports Association,” a representative said.
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The focus of this year’s Council budget will be to get some extra work done on Council roads, Cr Duff told the meeting – particularly rural roads.
This means plans to upgrade the footpaths in Murgon’s CBD will need to be put on hold awhile longer.
“I will endeavour to get the Murgon CBD footpath scoped in the next financial year, with a view to putting it up for consideration in the 2017-18 budget,” Cr Duff said.
“The plan would be to repair cracked cement, and remove and redo the top patterned layer.
“We would not remove all of the cement because it would be a massive inconvenience to shop owners, as well as being cost prohibitive.”
Cr Duff also advised that Marshland’s Bridge will be refurbished in the near future.
Half the funding for the project would be coming from the government, and the Council would contribute the remainder.
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The Murgon Business and Development Association represents the businesses and community of Murgon and surrounding districts.
The group holds regular monthly meetings and new members are always welcome.
The MBDA’s next meeting will be a breakfast meeting at Murgon’s Royal Hotel on Thursday (July 14).
Breakfast is $15 and coffee an extra $4.
More details about MBDA membership can be obtained by contacting MBDA secretary Margaret Long at Murgon Real Estate on (07) 4168-2922 or 0413-488-418.
