IPWEAQ

For the June 2020 NQ Branch President's Report, Branch committee members were asked to respond to three questions. 

Glenda Kirk, NQ Branch President Director Infrastructure Services, Mareeba Shire Council

What has been the biggest challenge for your council/ organisation?

Only 30 minutes from Cairns, Kuranda, at the far east of Mareeba Shire has been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Known as the village on the rainforest, Kuranda usually plays host to around a million visitors per year, equivalent to around 3000 people per day. The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda Village is just 25km northwest of Cairns in far north Queensland. Surrounded by the world’s oldest living tropical rainforest, the colourful village of Kuranda is the second most popular day trip for visitors to Cairns, after a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism is the sole driver of the village’s economy.

Kuranda is home to an extraordinary number of artists and craft workers and this is reflected in its boutiques, art and craft stores, souvenir shops and market stalls, in addition to dining, rainforest walks, wildlife experiences, tours and attractions. It is presently a ghost town (as is Cairns to some extent!) and the streets are eerily quiet as almost all businesses are closed. In addition to tourists arriving by road, they also reach the village by drifting above the rainforest canopy on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or winding through the Barron Gorge on the world famous Kuranda Scenic Railway.

As a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions, many bus coach companies, along with Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway, suspended services from late March. With no visitors, local businesses have also halted trading, leaving the streets empty. While this is a bleak outlook for tourism, council has used this opportunity to give the streetscape a thorough clean and attend to maintenance on the village’s gardens, which include heritage-listed fig trees. As restrictions ease, businesses are beginning to trade on weekends to take advantage of locals venturing out following the latest government advice which permits travel up to 150km.

It is hoped that Kuranda’s natural beauty and vibrant visitor experience means it will welcome tourists back again, and that its makeover will help it thrive once again.

Under biosecurity directives, roadblocks were deployed in late March to restrict travel to Cape York Peninsula with police stopping all non-essential travel in a bid to protect Indigenous communities which have high numbers of vulnerable residents at risk of contracting COVID-19. Health authorities have identified a significant potential risk to the residents of the many Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait Islander communities in the event that the virus is transmitted into that region which has limited health resources. This has meant that public works professionals in those councils have been effectively ‘locked in’ so that they can continue to safely manage essential services, including water, wastewater, waste and road maintenance for their remote communities. Having capable, dedicated public works professionals in the regional parts of our state has never been of greater importance.

Within our own organisation, these roadblocks created unique challenges (and frustrations!) for Mareeba Shire Council. The check points have been established on the Burke Developmental Road at Chillagoe and on the Mulligan Highway at Mount Carbine, which are both within Mareeba Shire.