Mayor’s View – 29th July, 2009
The Kirrima Range Road is a local regional road of historic significance. This valuable access and scenic recreational road joins the Kennedy Valley, south of Tully, at the base of the ranges, to the grazing lands and national park areas of the southern Atherton Tablelands.
From the earliest days of settlement of the township of Cardwell successive local governments part funded the construction and maintenance of this road to the Tablelands.
With the development of the timber industry, forestry became the major user and the state government took over maintenance.
When the forestry industry was effectively closed down by the federal government, maintenance was continued by the state government’s Parks and Wildlife Service. Usage was predominantly then for tourist access to the Tablelands and the wonderful Blencoe Falls on the Herbert River.
However, over time, the condition of the road deteriorated due to natural events, traffic and the decision of the state government to discontinue maintenance.
Cardwell Shire Council closed the road due to its poor condition and the lack of funds to undertake repairs.
The Kirrima Range Road is and remains very important to both the coastal and tableland communities. Other accesses to the Tablelands are via the Mt. Fox Road to the south or the Palmerston Highway north of Innisfail – a long way round as a coastal / highland link for many CCRC residents and tourists. The H Road at the head of Tully Gorge was closed several years ago.
The importance of the Kirrima Range Road is still recognised by the state government and it is eligible for partial funding as a “local road of regional significance” – if it is re-opened. However they will not otherwise contribute to the repairs.
Council has written to the federal government for assistance, on the basis that it was their initial decision to close forestry.
Natural disaster rectification funding, which typically applies to local council assets, including roads, has been refused, despite extensive damage by flooding earlier this year. The reason given is that the road is not open and in use.
Following this rejection of natural disaster funding, council conducted some minor rectification works, not with a view to re-opening the road, but to ensure that further damage did not render the surface unrepairable.