News
6 August, 2023
Bribie’s northern access track re-opens
BRIBIE Island’s Northern Access Track has re-opened following extensive repairs after it was badly damaged by unprecedented weather events in early 2022.
The Northern Access Track and a number of other inland tracks within the Bribie Island National Park and Recreation Area were heavily impacted by the severe weather in 2022 and required significant repair works.
Impacted sections of the 20 kilometres of track between Poverty Creek turn-off and the Fort Bribie Day-Use Area have been raised and rock inverts installed to reduce the chance of closures after future rain events.
The $750,000 project was funded through the ‘Community and Recreational Asset Recovery and Resilience Program’ established under the Australian and Queensland governments’ Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements following the 2021-22 disaster season.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt, said Bribie was a beautiful part of the world, and it was great to be able to welcome locals and visitors alike back to the walking tracks.
“The federal government is pleased to partner with the state government in delivering these important repairs,” he said.
“The significant works that have been undertaken will hopefully mean the tracks are more resistant to damage from future natural disasters.”
Queensland Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Leanne Linard, said the 2022 severe weather events caused significant damage to many national parks, including Bribie Island.
“While we were able to quickly re-open the most popular visitor areas of the Bribie Island National Park and Recreation Area fairly quickly, repairing the damage to the Northern Access Track proved to be particularly challenging,” she said.
“The 2022 rainfall resulted in the water table on Bribie Island becoming elevated, which meant it took a long time for the low-lying areas around the Northern Access Track to dry out to allow machinery access.
“The remoteness of the tracks was also a challenge.
“Re-opening the access track and other damaged inland tracks has been a priority for the Department of Environment and Science and I am pleased that works have now been completed and this important access point to Bribie Island Recreation Area has been restored.”
Member for Pumicestone, Ali King, said she was grateful for the community’s patience while the Northern Access Track was repaired after it was damaged in the February 2022 floods.
“During these works we upgraded the Northern Access Track to better withstand future severe weather events,” she said.
“We can be proud that we’re building back better from the challenges of the 2022 floods, which hit our Pumicestone community so hard.”
