Cairns council: Patrols and fines mooted in a bid to prevent more tragedy at Boulders
Patrolling officers who could fine swimmers who ignore safety signage and fencing at Babinda Boulders is on the cards as council ramps up efforts to prevent more fatalities. SEE THEIR PLANS
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VISITORS to Babinda Boulders who ignore safety signage and fencing could be fined by compliance officers who would patrol the site in a bid to prevent further tragedies at the beautiful, but treacherous spot.
Cairns Regional Council’s division five councillor Brett Moller said council would need to work with the state government, to bring such a plan to fruition because while council managed the site as a nature reserve, its jurisdiction stopped at the water.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, he moved a resolution to undertake yet another safety audit at Babinda Boulders in the wake of the tragic drowning of an Edmonton teen in December.
Council has undertaken dozens of audits with the most recent completed in December last year, which found that all tracks, fencing, structures and facilities were fully compliant.
“It’s time to take a wider approach and I’m proposing we look at a compliance regime with a patrol regulating safety breaches in the no-go zone,” Cr Moller said.
“We’ve got the fencing and signage, I think we need more proactive safety measures including developing an education and communication strategy, spreading the word about the dangers.”
Council took action on a coroners’ recommendations in 2010.
“An earlier coroner’s report warned about not enticing or encouraging bravado among young males,” Cr Moller said.
“The second aspect is that people think it is a beautiful area, they want to enjoy all of the area and they go under the fence, they don’t realise the danger.
“At Devil’s Pool, there’s a fast-flowing current, a narrow gorge with deep cavities and people get trapped in the current, they can’t fight the current, they get washed in a cavity, and drown,” he said.
“After tragedies in the last couple of years I have walked the trails with emergency services and you can see the goat tracks where people go underneath (the fence) and around.”
“The locals walking early in the morning say they’ve seen visitors in the no-go zone, individuals disregarding their own safety.”
Cr Moller said service personnel inspected the track twice weekly – generally on Mondays and Fridays – to ensure all signage and fencing was in good condition.
“There has been considerable work undertaken by Council in the past two,” Cr Moller said.
Extra measures for safety were pinpointed in July 2020 and were done by December 2020.
The measures were specifically for Devil’s Pool and included improvements to the upper Devil’s Pool lookout barrier, with 36 metres of galvanised fence panels fixed to the existing pipe railings.
Physical barriers were installed to further limit access and deter people from gaining access by going off track.
“Signage was updated with stronger messaging around the no go zone/prohibition as well as references to previous deaths,” Cr Moller said.
Multiple safety audits failing to prevent tragedies at treacherous spot
THE death of an Edmonton teen at the notorious Babinda Boulders last month has prompted Cairns Regional Council to undertake a safety audit of the site — although the last audit was only a month ago.
Chloe Bailey fell into the waters of Babinda Creek on December 20 and failed to surface.
An initial search of the area failed to find the 19-year-old, whose body was discovered the next day.
In light of the tragedy, Division 1 Councillor Brett Moller moved a resolution at Wednesday’s council meeting to do a further safety audit, including improving safety messages and education.
“With the tragic event up there, it is incumbent upon us to do a review; there were two tragic events (in 2020),” Cr Moller said.
“Obviously we will have to take into account coroner’s recommendations.
“A wider approach to safety may well strengthen safety outcomes, which may well protect residents and visitors.”
A decade ago, council implemented all recommendations made by a coroner’s report that followed the death of a swimmer at the Boulders in 2008.
James Bennett, 23, drowned at Babinda Boulders that November.
Coroner Kevin Priestly noted in inquest findings delivered in 2010 that the Devil’s Pool had a safety rail with signs warning visitors in words and images to stay inside the safety rail, the existence of extreme danger beyond it, and that many people had died in the narrow section of the creek.
The treacherous Devil’s Pool is a 1.3km return walk along Babinda Creek downstream from the picnic area.
It has two viewing platforms where the creek cascades down waterfalls, granite boulders and washpools as deep as 8m.
Madison Tam, 18, was found on April 10, 2020, after a search of several days.
It was believed she was trying to swim between two rocks at the Devil’s Pool area of the Babinda Boulders when she was dragged into the ‘chute’ area of the pools, and failed to resurface.
In October 2020, Brisbane father Shannon Hoffman, 37, disappeared after going for a swim at Babinda Boulders.
His body was recovered the following day.
Locals at Babinda feel frustrated, saying there is ample signage and fencing and that the moss-covered rocks are ‘like black ice’ and extremely slippery.
More than 19 lives have been lost to the dangerous waters of The Devil’s Pool since the 1950s.
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