Land deal secures contentious Tablelands creek access
A lengthy grapple between Yungaburra landowners and Tablelands Regional Council has at last been partially resolved to allow limited opening of a cherished tourism drawcard.
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A lengthy grapple between Yungaburra landowners and Tablelands Regional Council has at last been partially resolved to allow limited opening of a cherished tourism drawcard.
The Petersons Creek walking track has become a major visitor attraction just outside Yungaburra however two separate access disputes have been ongoing.
In a standoff lasting almost two years landowners requested that Tablelands Regional Council purchase land at 1-3 Penda Street to allow the opening of the track between the suspension bridge and the old railway bridge.
Landowners Malcolm and Georgina Macleod had raised concerns about being liable for any harm if a walker was injured following their purchasing of the 1.81 Ha Penda St property in February 2022.
It’s understood the council acquisition of the 2000sq/m land parcel cost ratepayers in the order of $150,000.
Mr Macleod’s plan to subdivide the Allumbah Pocket block into eight parcels and sell them off in November 2023 was met with strong resistance due to concerns about creek access.
The boundary realignment application was approved by council but now won’t impact public access to the creek and walking track.
On Thursday Yungaburra councillor Maree Baade announced that after many months of investigating options it was agreed that council would buy the land.
“The track is an important tourism attraction for Yungaburra and has vital socio-economic benefits for the village and the wider region,” she said.
“It’s one of the jewels in Yungaburra’s crown and the community is proud of the track’s contribution toward the liveability of the area, the conservation of wildlife, and the health and wellbeing the track provides.
“While the details are being finalised we are going to work with the owners on an interim agreement so we can open the track as soon as possible.”
Yungaburra resident and regular user of the track Ian Gibbs said two different arm wrestles surrounding creek land were “twisted in mire” but the latest development was a positive for the area.
“It will open up part of the track for public use,” he said.
“Once this section opens up it will give people proper access to Frawley’s pool that people used to swim in, there is a lot of village history there.”
While a 100m section of the track can now be reopened near Penda St, a southern section of the track linking up with the platypus viewing platform remains off limits.
In August 2022 landowner Alan Dowling locked out hikers to a 300m section of the walking track for biosecurity reasons and the area has remained inaccessible to walkers ever since.
Ms Baade said negotiations were ongoing with the landowner and it was hoped state government funding would become available to buy more land and fully open the track that’s estimated to inject more than $4m each year into the village of Yungaburra.
Originally published as Land deal secures contentious Tablelands creek access
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