Island fences 'drown'

HEAVY rainfall on Fraser Island has led to flooded walking tracks, ramp washouts and fences submerged by rising water levels.

Rising water levels at Fraser Island’s Lake McKenzie has led to fences being submerged. They must now be removed. Picture: Contributed

HEAVY rainfall on Fraser Island has led to flooded walking tracks, ramp washouts and fences submerged by rising water levels.

Some retaining fences at the island's popular Lake McKenzie will now have to be removed due to the unexpected rises.

Ross Belcher, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service's Great Sandy regional manager, said the heavy rains of the past two years were unforeseen during the planning and installation of the structures, which were part of a multi-million dollar facelift for Fraser.

"There was a lot of beach there previously and the water used to be 30 metres from where it is now," Mr Belcher said.

"The sections of fence and other structures that are currently below the water level will be removed first and we will be assessing what more is required to provide a balance between visitor access to the beach and protecting the native vegetation.

"This is only about the beach in front of the car parking and picnic areas - where people go to swim in the lake."

Mr Belcher said some of the island's walking tracks remained flooded from the rains that inundated Queensland in early 2011.

Bureau of Meteorology figures show that rainfall for the region is already above average for 2012.

"This year has just topped up on the previous year's wet weather," Mr Belcher said.

"The water is still rising," he said.

"Some people object to the fencing and we are dealing with that. For me it's not a major issue.

"The work will be covered by current wages costs and no further expenditure is anticipated."

Rain was also causing erosion and the washout of some timber ramps that provided vehicular access to certain parts of the island, Mr Belcher said.

"That requires a fair bit of maintenance to fix those."

The next big influx of visitors to the world heritage-listed island will be during the Easter break next weekend.

Originally published as Island fences 'drown'