Gympie’s Mark Harris wants answers over ‘unsafe’ Cootharaba Rd stretch

A Gympie homeowner wants to know who is responsible for fixing a treacherous 30m stretch of shale and rock near a high school which he says is an accident waiting to happen. It comes as multiple authorities point fingers elsewhere.

A Gympie homeowner has been left with more questions than answers in his fight to find who is responsible for the upkeep of a rocky 30m stretch of no-man’s land near a high school which he says is an accident waiting to happen.

Mark Harris has been trying for several months to get a definitive answer on the land, which runs parallel to Cootharaba Rd immediately northeast of Gympie State High School.

The about 30m long land is a shale-ridden, rock-strewn washout which spans about 30m between the houses and the road, which is a major route to Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach and used by students of the school and their parents.

Mr Harris moved into his house near the stretch 18 months ago.

Since then, he has witnessed a number of close calls, including a postman nearly falling from his bike and a young mother almost tipping her pram over due to the rocky conditions.

Gympie homeowner Mark Harris is seeking answers on who exactly is responsible for the upkeep of a 30m stretch of shale and rock outside a series of homes at Cootharaba Rd he says is an accident waiting to happen.

“It’s not great for pedestrians,” Mr Harris said.

“It’s just a hazard for anyone just cruising through, to be honest.”

The stretch was a popular choice for students walking to and from the nearby school too.

It also served as ad hoc parking for waiting parents, and the school’s agriculture equipment regularly drove across it on its way to the school’s nearby farm.

Efforts to determine who could fix it and how, however, have so far gone nowhere.

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Mr Harris said he has been told by TMR and Gympie Regional Council it is not their responsibilities, with TMR further saying the stretch between the kerb and the start of homes is managed by the council.

“Council say it’s not council, TMR say it’s not TMR,” Mr Harris said.

“I’m just trying to find out who is responsible,” Mr Harris said.

In the absence of an answer, the stretch was being left to simply deteriorate.

“This ditch has gotten worse.”

“The bigger the ditch gets the closer they come … and dust keeps getting (kicked) up.”

A Gympie council spokesman said Friday the stretch fell outside its responsibility.

He said the council has spoken with Mr Harris to clarify the council did not do repairs on private property access.

That maintenance, he said, was the responsibility of homeowners.

The stretch was a popular ad hoc parking area for parents at school pick up time, Mr Harris said.

“Additionally, because the property is adjacent to a state-controlled road, any modifications would need approval from the Department of Transport and Main Roads,” he said.

A TRM spokesman said Friday “maintenance of Cootharaba Rd, from the back of the kerb to the property boundary at this location, is the responsibility of local government”.

“TMR is not responsible for the installation, upgrading or maintenance of private property accesses, this is the responsibility of the property owner,” the spokesman said.

Vehicles using the stretch of land were regularly kicking up dust and causing further deterioration.

“While there is ample room for pedestrians on the southern side of Cootharaba Rd, TMR recommends pedestrians utilise the available footpaths.”

Mr Harris said he simply wanted to know where the buck stopped so something could be done.

“I’d love to flatten it at least,” he said.

“So if I had $20,000 and wanted to make a beautiful driveway, what can I do?

“I can put this beautiful driveway in but then have agricultural equipment driving across it all day.

“I just want someone to to do something.”