Greyhound bus tragedy: Dawson MP laments state of ‘despicable’ Bruce Highway

A Gumlu business owner often hears the squeal of tyres and witnesses crashes from his front door, joining calls for urgent Bruce Highway funding to avoid more Queenslanders killed on the horror stretch.

Gumlu Tavern owner Colin Dale has repeatedly raised safety concerns about the Bruce Highway in his area. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Colin Dale often hears the squeal of tyres from near-misses and witnesses the aftermath of crashes from his front door as vehicles struggle to negotiate the tricky turn-off from the Bruce Highway into his township.

Co-owner of the Gumlu Tavern for the past five years, Mr Dale said Sunday’s tragic crash has reignited grief in the community after one of his staff members Christine Hinds, 70, died in a head-on crash on the Bruce Highway between Gumlu and Home Hill exactly two months earlier.

Three people died in the Gumlu tragedy, which is still under investigation by Queensland Police.

Townsville Health and Hospital Service said on Tuesday morning that one person remained in a critical condition and three others were stable.

“It was terrible and devastating to hear that news … people sitting on a bus, expecting to get home and they don’t make it,” Mr Dale said.

“There’s been so many accidents on this road lately. After (Sunday’s crash, Christine’s) partner was pretty upset about it all again, because it has brought back memories.

“There’s been so many accidents, truck accidents and everything else, that just seems to be re-occurring. Some people blame the roads, but I think a lot of it is the undue care of the drivers as well.”

Mr Dale said motorists don’t often take notice the stretch is an 80km/hr zone.

“It’s only single lanes all the way and they’ve only put overtaking lanes in here and there, even our turn off into here, we’ve had so many near misses,” he said.

“There’s a very short off ramp here. By the time you got your indicator on, do you need about three or four cars there and that little off ramp’s full.

The turn-off to the Gumlu Tavern from the Bruce Highway. Photo: Google

After repeatedly raising safety concerns at local council meetings, he was told that it was the responsibility of Transport and Main Roads, and all they could do was pass on the feedback.

“One time they said it’s in their 20 year plan, but they’ve been saying that for 20 years probably,” he said.

“Even with the rail coming through, there’s no boom gates here (and) there’s been a few incidents and deaths with rail crossings around here.

“I don’t know where you go, no one seems to do anything. One of the comments (at the meeting) was ‘is it going to take a fatality to do something done’, and they virtually said, ‘yeah probably’.”

He wanted to see proper highway turn offs created and a reduction of speed limit around the turn offs.

“A lot of southerners come up this way and they all say about how shocking this highway is, being single lane and so outdated and rough, so it all comes down to who’s looking after roads.”

Supplied image from a passenger of a Greyhound bus and caravan crash near Gumlu.

Funding needed now for deadly Bruce, MP says

There will be another fatal road tragedy between Townsville and Mackay unless the Bruce Highway is fixed to the standards enjoyed in southeast Queensland, federal MP Andrew Willcox says.

“The cause of the accident hasn’t been determined but I have been banging on about these roads for quite some time,” the member for Dawson said on Tuesday.

“(The roads) might not be linked to this particular incident but unless we fix our roads, there’s going to be more.”

Mr Willcox said Labor’s decision to slash funding to the Bruce Highway in Dawson was “despicable”.

“We desperately need investment into this road to ensure there are no more victims of the Bruce,” he said.

“The stretch of highway that runs through my electorate, from Mackay all the way up to

Townsville has the worst safety rating out of the entire Bruce.”

Bruce Highway near Gumlu where a Greyhound bus and caravan collided.

Transport and Main Road Minister Bart Mellish MP and TMR have been contacted for comment

Townsville’s three Labor MPs have also been contacted.

Mr Willcox, a former mayor and deputy mayor of Whitsunday Regional Council, said that while Labour was investing millions to secure votes in the southeast corner of Queensland, “ innocent lives are being lost, and frankly, it’s disgusting”.

“This isn’t about politics or political agendas; this is about the safety of my people and the safety of the people travelling through our region.”

Mr Willcox said that although previous Coalition Governments had prioritised funding to upgrade the highway, the “State Labor Government has been sitting on this funding”.

Dawson MP Andrew Wilcox, LNP.

He said he had asked Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government, on multiple occasions to look at funding for the section of the Bruce Highway.

“I have even invited the prime minister and his ministers to come and see it for themselves,” he said.

“Instead, they pulled millions out of our region and injected it into the southeast corner, all while slashing the funding model from an 80:20 split to a 50:50 split.”

Mr Willcox said the government was playing with the lives of people travelling the highway.

“It needs to stop,” he said, “We deserve better.”

Minister King acknowledged the calls for extra funding for the Bruce Highway following the tragedy.

“That is why in the Budget we invested an additional $467 million to the Bruce Highway, including an extra $154 million for the Bruce Highway North corridor that is currently not allocated to a specific project or projects,” she said on Tuesday afternoon.

“We have also made significant increases to funding for local roads and road safety.”

Ms King said the Albanese Government was making significant investments in this critical road, with more than $10 billion committed to create a safer Bruce Highway.

“We will continue to work with the Queensland Government to identify, plan, fund and deliver priority upgrades to the Bruce Highway.”

Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Whitsundays Mayor Ry Collins has also lambasted the stretch of the highway, rating it among the worst in Australia.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto, who has witnessed the dangers of the Bruce Highway first-hand, said the latest fatal incident was another shocking reminder of the state of the road.

“I have personally been contacted by those whose family members were on the bus and although narrowly avoided injury or death, will now have to live with the trauma of what happened that day,” he said.

“There can be many contributing factors to road incidents ranging from fatigue through to speed but the one thing the state and federal governments can do to minimise risk for those using our national highway is to invest in significant upgrades to help reduce or eliminate these tragedies occurring.”

Originally published as Greyhound bus tragedy: Dawson MP laments state of ‘despicable’ Bruce Highway