Gympie council splits with $20m tourist train

Eight months of back-and-forth over the future of the tourist train which the Gympie council spent $20million resurrecting have come to a head – but details are thin on the ground.

The long-awaited decoupling of Gympie Regional Council, under Mayor Glen Hartwig, and the Mary Valley Rattler is finally here following months of negotaitions over the break up.

The long-awaited decoupling of Gympie Regional Council and the Mary Valley Rattler is finally here, with leaders of the two ventures saying it’s a “win win” for all following its controversial resurrection.

The council and the Rattler’s attempted separation ends eight months of negotiations, with the potential split first revealed in an agenda ahead of the council’s October 2022 meeting.

It comes five years after the council controversially spent more than $20 million, including in excess of $10 million from ratepayers, following multiple cost blowouts in getting the train operational.

More than $3 million of this was raised through the creation of an economic development levy imposed on ratepayers in 2016.

The levy has remained in place ever since.

In a media statement announcing the split, Mayor Glen Hartwig, said the final signature on the deal was put to paper last week.

He said the decision, which will free the heritage train from the council’s oversight, was “mutually beneficial”.

Gympie Regional Council controversially spent more than $20 million bringing the Rattler back to life, including committing more than $10 million from ratepayers. Picture: Christine Schindler

“I am excited to announce that today, the Rattler is now free of the confines of council, and free to take charge of their own future,” Mr Hartwig said.

“This is a win for not only the ratepayer, council the organisation, but the Rattler.

“This deal takes the burden off the ratepayer while giving this vital tourism attraction autonomy.

“It’s a win, win.

“As a not-for-profit business, the Rattler can source its own funding which stands to be more lucrative than any continued support council can offer.”

The exact details of the split were not included in the media release.

However options on the table from the outset included cancelling the outstanding debt owed by the Rattler to council from a $1.1 million loan, transferring several assets to the heritage attraction and paying it another $1.6 million in support over the next four years.

Rattler Railway Company chairperson Ian McNicol and former mayor Mick Curran at the Rattler. The Rattler’s restoration was launched under Mr Curran’s tenure, and Mr McNicol said the split now provided “certainty” for the tourist venture’s employees and volunteers.

The Rattler is also relinquishing control of the rail corridor from Amamoor to Imbil, minutes from the council’s March 29 general meeting reveal.

Rattler Railway Company chairman Ian McNicol said the deal “provides certainty not just for our employees and volunteers, but also for the tourism community in wider Gympie”.

“With the Gympie Bypass coming into operation next year we will need to proactively entice travellers to divert from the highway and come into Gympie – and the Mary Valley Rattler will be instrumental in supporting businesses in the city and across the Mary Valley,” Mr McNicol said.

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Rattler GM Linda Barry said the deal arrived at a time the train was on a positive roll.

“We have rebuilt our customer base to over 2500 passengers per month, which is ahead of pre-Covid levels,” Ms Barry said.

“We have introduced new services, reviewed and upgraded existing services, and achieved high levels of customer satisfaction, so we are certainly on the right track for a sustainable future.

“The passion shown for the Rattler by our incredible volunteers, staff and across the Gympie community makes today’s agreement with Gympie Regional Council a truly historic one.”