(Photo: Bunya Mountains Accommodation)
A draft plan for a mountain bike trail in the Bunya Mountains is being prepared for the Western Downs Regional Council.
The Bunya Mountains Community Association Inc (BMCAI) has been told the the trail was part of council’s tourism masterplan.
WDRC had contracted the Otium Planning Group to prepare a draft concept plan so that if Federal or State grant funding became available, council would be ready to apply.
The proposal includes three difficulty level trails (from family riders through to experienced mountain bike riders).
There would also be walking tracks, car parking and a long-drop toilet to be located in the Russell Park Day Use area.
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Cr Gavin Jones, from the South Burnett Regional Council, told the BMCAI that works are planned for the remediation of the sharp bend on the Maidenwell Road at the Glencliffe Road intersection.
That will leave 2.4km of gravel road on either side of that section still to be sealed, and the SBRC was advocating to get that done.
Cr Jones also said Boral had been awarded the contract to reseal Bunya Avenue.
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Telstra has no plans to upgrade its mobile phone infrastructure in the Bunya Mountains.
The BMCAI wrote to Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone seeking to have the Bunya Mountains listed for the Black Spot Program.
A letter from Telstra, passed on by Member for Maranoa David Littleproud, stated there were no current faults or issues flagged with the current Telstra tower.
“The issue we have found is due to dense terrain (so) there may be patchy covering and limitations in some areas … there are no plans to upgrade,” the letter said.
BMCAI now plans to prepare a submission to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
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All walking tracks in the Bunya Mountains National Park are open, with the exception of the Bunya Bunya Track.
This track is closed indefinitely due to Phytophthora dieback within bunya pines.
Four more dead trees were removed in September due to dieback and the risk of them falling across the adjoining parts of the Scenic Circuit.
There will be some partial closures of the Scenic Circuit over the next 12 months to replace bridges and boardwalks that have neared the end of their useable lives.
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The BMCAI is developing a Community Street Library which will be located under the awning near the bistro.
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The next meeting of the Bunya Mountains Natural History Association will be held at ‘Cedarvale’ on Sunday, November 24, from 1:00pm.
Maree Burton will talk about the history of the Burton family on the Bunya Mountains.
The next meeting of the BMCAI will be held on February 8, 2020, at the Rural Fire Brigade Shed on Bunya Mountains Road. It will be the annual general meeting.
