Fraser Coast Council CEO tells Pacific Haven family to upgrade Richards Rd

The Fraser Coast Council has responded to a Pacific Haven family’s plea for a better road to their property by suggesting they get the work done themselves. PHOTOS, VIDEO:

Fraser Coast Regional Council CEO Ken Diehm has responded to a family’s ordeal to reach their home on foot, due to the poor condition of the road leading to their property.

The family, who live in Pacific Haven, have to slog 1.3km on foot to their house as their “unformed road” is essentially undrivable, particularly after rain.

“While we sympathise with the family, especially in what has been a wet year, (the) council has 1945km of unformed road in its network,” Mr Diehm said.

He said the Fraser Coast’s total road network was 4216km.

“There is a difference between a formed road and an unformed road,” Mr Diehm said.

“Formed roads are built to a council standard and maintained by council.

“Unformed roads are tracks or roads built by property owners to access their property, usually on road reserves.”

Landowners can use road reserves to access their properties, Mr Diehm said.

“Council has explained to the family that while council is not planning to undertake works on the road, the family can make an application to undertake works to develop its access,” he said.

“I’m sure council would look sympathetically on any application.”

Fraser Coast Regional Council CEO Ken Diehm said the council does not intend to undertake works to the unformed section of Richards Rd, but the family can make an application to the council.

Mary Allen has two children and is five months pregnant with her third.

She lives with her children and partner Jake McKenzie on their rural property at Pacific Haven, which is only accessible via Richards Rd.

The family inherited the property from Mr McKenzie’s mother in April, after it was originally purchased by the family 30 years ago.

While part of Richards Rd is graded, the “unformed” stretch is the one that become unusable in the wet for they and their neighbours.

“We pay our rates for nothing... the way the road is right now, an ambulance couldn’t even get up the road,” Ms Allen said.

Mary Allen stands on what she believes is the worst section of the unformed part of Richards Road heading to her house.

On July 15, Ms Allen took The Chronicle through her daily routine.

She drives as far as she can on the unformed road, and then parks her car just before the most treacherous section.

Changing into gumboots, she continues on foot for the rest of the journey.

“The total walk is about 1.3km from where I park my car at the moment to my house,” Ms Allen said.

“Doing that four times a day is exhausting.”

Ms Allen explained the worst part of the road stretches about 80m.

“My SUV can’t get through... I’ve tried a few times and my partner’s had to literally dig me out,” she said.

Where the graded part of Richards Road (left) meets the unformed section heading to Mary Allen’s property (to the right).

Ms Allen often tows her children and shopping bags in a wheelbarrow-like gorilla cart to help with the journey.

For a short time, her neighbour’s even allowed the family to use their property as a thoroughfare.

Mary Allen often uses a wheelbarrow-like gorilla cart to help with the journey. Photo: Mary Allen.

She first contacted Fraser Coast Regional Council about the road earlier in 2022, and recently reached out to councillor James Hansen, who she said was empathetic of her situation.

“In a perfect world, I would like to just drive home on a nice road, but I don’t care about a nice road right now... I just want that section that I physically can’t get through fixed... it’s 80m,” she said.

However, last week she said she received an email from council highlighting its Unformed Roads Policy.

Mary Allen changes into gumboots for the 1.3km trek to her house.

According to the policy, council “does not undertake any maintenance, repairs or improvements” to unformed roads, and is not obligated to “upgrade or construct a road to a particular property for access purposes”.

The unformed part of Richards Road after recent rainfall.

The policy also states “should a landowner require access via an unformed road the construction and maintenance of that access is the responsibility of the landowner”.

Property owners can request for the council to undertake private works to upgrade or maintain a property access track, but the owner is responsible for all costs, as stated in the policy.

While Mary Allen’s car has been bogged on the unformed part of Richards Road, here she shows the deep ditch left over from when another vehicle was bogged not too long ago.

Ms Allen said the population had increased in the last 30 years, as had the usage of the road, and highlighted “policies are there to be changed”.

She recently shared her story and photos of her daily hike on social media.

“Feeling very frustrated this morning…. I’m 5 months pregnant, I have two young children, I have what I assume is the start of a cold…. And I can’t drive into my property at the moment because the council refuses to look after the road...” her post read.

Within hours, the post gained hundreds of comments from the community with conflicting views.

“Darned outrageous. Feel for you,” one post read.

Another comment read: “I reckon people living on bad roads shouldn’t pay the same rates unless we have bitumen roads & proper drains...”

“Is it an unformed road? The Fraser Coast Council is pretty clear with its policy on unformed roads...” was another comment on the post.