Divisions
The subject of divisions has been long requested by voters here and ignored.
Once again, it has been shuffled to the back burner.
Had the process been attended to in a more timely fashion, it could long ago have been implemented,
Now the bureaucratic explanation of how complicated it all is has been trotted out yet again, just as it has by a succession of administrators.
Reminiscent of Sir Humphrey in “Yes, Prime Minister”, and just as plausible.
-Dick Howard, Swan Creek
ROAD TO NOWHERE?
The Cambanora Gorge was originally named Cambanora Gap (mountain pass) in the 1850’s by the early settlers (see picture below). Cambanora is an aboriginal word meaning “peaceful camping ground” or “nest”. Prior to European settlement, it has been suggested that aboriginal clans, including the Githabul people, who lived on the five tributaries feeding into the Condamine River, would travel up river and meet here. But please don’t quote me, I have found it difficult to find out information on the Aboriginal history of the area, if any local Aboriginal people can shed anymore light on this history, it would be appreciated.
Prior to European settlement the Gorge was heavily timbered with huge trees including Pine, Silky Oak, Red Cedar etc. The age and diversity of species must have been amazing to see, the Gorge would have been a veritable Garden of Eden of plants and animals. From the 1850’s to the 1950’s the Gorge was heavily logged, a logging track was established (now Condamine River Road), timber mills were set up, and the bullock teams would cart timber out of the Gorge. The timber industry, along with agriculture, fuelled an economic boom for the area. Once the Gorge and The Head were cleared, the land was used for cattle grazing. Over the past 70 years, the land and slopes have re-vegetated, with Eucalypts replacing most of the original tree species. The Gorge is now mostly a mono-culture of Eucalypt forest. Residents, in conjunction with Killarney Bushcare, have been working to reintroduce original species into the Gorge over the past 20 years.
It is unknown who the beneficiary of the original land grant/purchase of the Cambanora Gorge was, but it is known that it was originally all one parcel of land, which was then subdivided into multiple lots and sold off to various individuals from the 1970’s onwards. I would think that the original logging track would have been turned into a designated road at this time also, to service the newly created lots, becoming Condamine River Road.
Locals have been coming to the Gorge for recreation for generations. From the 1970’s onwards the land remained unfenced and owners were mostly absent. Just like the First Nations people were drawn to this beautiful abundant place, so too are white fellas, albeit for entirely different reasons. “Lawless” is how one long term resident described the Gorge to me when I first raised my concerns five years ago. By 2019 the Condamine River Road through Cambanora Gorge was “the busiest dirt road in the Queensland”. We know this because traffic counters were put on the road and we have the data.
Over 500 vehicles per day were recorded over the Easter long weekend of 2018 and 2018. Averaging 500 4WDs per day over four days smashing through 14 river crossings at the Headwaters of the Murray Darling system. Human excrement and toilet paper spread from one end of the Gorge to the other. Plastic and glass bottles thrown from moving vehicles into the scrub where no-one can see it. Used nappies, plastic and broken bottles left at picnic spots. People driving their 4WD up the middle of the river from crossing to crossing instead of using the road. Soft river banks where platypus burrow driven over and crushed. Driving through mud over and over (mudding) destroying riverbank vegetation that actually holds the banks together, resulting in erosion and depletion of the very places where people can picnic. Speeding hoons running walkers, cyclists and children off the road and out of the crossings, with a number of near misses. Walkers and cyclists can’t use the road and children can’t play in the crossings safely except on one measly day per year, Waddle Peddle Saddle day, they get one day a year to experience the Gorge in the best way possible – on horseback, hiking and mountain biking……one day a year is not good enough. The rest of the time the 4WDS, that get bigger and angrier each day, dominate the place like they own it. Lets not mention the trespassing, abuse, threats and attitude of entitlement displayed by visitors to the gorge against residents, who often have to rescue these very same people, who have driven into the flooded river with their children in the car, and can’t call for help because there is no phone reception.
Yes, lawless, is a very good word to describe what has been going on here. Imagine 500 angry (mostly) men in huge angry 4WD’s, jostling for space and right of way on a single lane dirt road, driving through fences, driving into and up the river, mudding, hooning, leaving their excrement, nappies and rubbish up and down the Gorge, and then leaving. This is a picture of what life was life in the Gorge, on your average weekend, when Condamine River Road was “the busiest dirt road in Queensland”. Far from the “Cambanora” or peaceful camping ground that the Gorge was originally known as.
People with vested interests will say all sorts of things to make sure their interests are met. The Gorge has given and given and given to this community since European settlement, and yet some people still think they can continue to exploit the Gorge for their own interests, regardless of what that does to the place itself. Tourism comes with a cost and a benefit. The cost of this tourism is firstly to the Gorge itself, the river and ecosystem pay a heavy price, then it costs residents who pick up the garbage, restore, regenerate and save tourists lives at our own time and expense, then the ratepayers of Southern Downs themselves pay the cost by constantly paying for roadworks to fix the road after it is trashed by thousands of 4WDs. The benefit of this tourism goes to a handful of people who own businesses in the area, and to the tourists themselves, both businesses and tourists get the benefit but pay nothing towards the cost, and furthermore, don’t seem to care one bit about the cost or the impact they are having.
This amount of high impact tourism is unsustainable, with or without concrete crossings. The impact of tens of thousands of 4WD tourists on a dirt road, with a river running through it, should be obvious to everyone, but sometimes it is easier just to ignore it and pretend the money you are making isn’t at the cost of an entire ecosystem. I guarantee that if this was happening on your road, if you have seen what we have seen, you would say something. If you found trespassers on your property and you asked them to leave and they said to you “get out of here, what the f### are you doing here anyway, this is national park” while you were standing on your own property, you would have something to say about it.
Reports done in 2012 including Environmental, Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage confirm that the Cambanora Gorge and the Upper Condamine are the “Jewel in the Crown” of the overall Murray Darling System. It is home to over 14 threatened and endangers species and growing. If anyone thinks that this road should become the “busiest dirt road in Qld” again, then I am sorry, but you need your head read. And if you want to hate, intimidate or threaten me for calling for a sustainable solution that finally respects and honours this amazing place and ensures that it is here for your children, well you go right ahead. You (“stakeholders” whoever you are) keep pushing your interest and I will keep defending the interests of this place. This is not a “road to nowhere” – Cambanora Gorge is a place with so much indigenous and European history, is the start of the longest river system in Australia, it is an area of outstanding natural beauty, it is a rare refuge for plants and animals in a world where habitats are disappearing at a terrifying rate (see State of the Environment report), when are we going to start understanding what it is and when are we going to start respecting it for what it is?
I live in hope that even the most hardened red neck hoon sees the beauty here and gets some benefit from nature, even when they are speeding through the crossings at 80km/hr. I would say to those people, slow down, stop and soak up nature, take a look around instead of speeding through, take a deep breath, it will do you good even if you don’t realise it. Leave no trace.
-Justine Hankin, Cambanora Gorge
Fair-dinkum, real and true lack of representation
It was very disheartening and depressing to read your article last week “Divisions are off the table” which shows this council is going to dither until 2028 to restore true democracy for the people of our region.
When an issue arises, you shouldn’t have to go to all nine councillors for support, only to be told by the CEO that they are not allowed to be involved in operational matters.
That is not a “perceived” lack of representation. That is actual fair-dinkum, real and true lack of representation.
And it is not just people in smaller communities who are affected.
It is all of us.
As Warwick resident Ryan James pointed out in his letter last week “Problems at council bigger than complaints” he is “continuously appalled by the lack of response/communication from council and in turn the lack of action taken by Councillors”.
That’s because the nine of them are not directly accountable to any of us, no matter whether we live in town or in rural areas.
We should not have to wait until 2028 to fix this.
-Amelia Willmer, Emu Vale
