September 21, 2016
The South Burnett Regional Council is happy to receive $30,000 a year from the Department Of Transport for maintaining the Blackbutt-Linville Rail Trail, and would like it to continue.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Councillors were told the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) was seeking Council’s views on the future operation of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
In particular, DTMR was interested in a long-term local government management strategy for the trail.
The South Burnett Regional Council holds a sub-lease on the Blackbutt-Linville section of the trail – which is owned by DTMR – and this sub-lease extends into Somerset Regional Council’s area.
The SBRC receives $30,000 a year from DTMR for the Rail Trail’s upkeep, and passes this money on to the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Ambassadors who use it to maintain the Blackbutt-Linville section.
Mayor Keith Campbell said he had heard Somerset Regional Council had been considering taking control of the portion of the Blackbutt-Linville trail that was in their region.
If this occurred, it would reduce the amount the South Burnett received for annual maintenance, increase Somerset’s maintenance revenue, and force Brisbane Valley Rail Trails to source the same amount of money from two councils rather than one.
However, the existing arrangement was simple and had worked well for a long time, so he thought there was no point changing it.
Councillors voted to advise DTMR the South Burnett wants to retain its existing sub-lease.
Later in the meeting, Cr Roz Frohloff said she had been invited to join Brisbane Valley Rail Trails, and asked if she should do this as a private citizen or as an official Council representative.
Mayor Campbell suggested she go along to a few meetings on her own behalf to see how the group ran.
If she thought it would be an advantage to be an official SBRC representative, a motion to that effect could be passed at a future meeting.
The leasing arrangement was agreed back in the mists of time by the former Esk Shire Council and the Ambassadors for the BVRT have done a great job.
Moore to just south of Benarkin is now in Somerset and in our view, Somerset Regional Council should reclaim it. That does not preclude the Ambassadors for the BVRT negotiating to maintain that section if they should so wish.
Furthermore, it is our strongly held view that in the fullness of time, responsibility for the maintenance and promotion of the entire BVRT should be delegated to a single entity following the model of the Otago Trail.
The BVRT is an important tourism asset not just for the regions it passes through, but for the whole of SE Queensland.
It needs to be run by people with the relevant expertise to maximise the tourism benefits.
Paul Heymans, President
Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association