Nolan Meats say Gympie flood losses could be $15m

Multi-million dollar Gympie export enterprise Nolan Meats face their toughest challenge yet after Bruce Hwy Bypass works allegedly blocked their flood evacuation route during the region’s catastrophic flooding.

Scott Kovacevic

2 min read

March 8, 2022 - 4:25PM

‘Livid’: Nolan Meats suffers $15m loss after evacuation route cut

Gympie

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The owners of Nolan Meats have been left “livid” and saddled with up to $15 million in flood damages and losses after their evacuation path was allegedly cut off by works on the $1 billion Bruce Highway Bypass around Gympie.

The Bypass once completed will pass within about 100m of the meatworks. Massive works are underway as the Bypass progresses toward a 2024 opening.

Director Terry Nolan said changes to an access road adjacent to the East Deep Creek factory left the meatworks nowhere to go when floodwaters inundated the area during the recent catastrophic flood, forming a “moat” around the site.

He said the company’s losses included the loss of hundreds of prime cut carcasses, the destruction of records and damage to computers and other technology.

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the department was aware of Nolan Meats historical use of this access road, which leads to private property.

“We will liaise directly with Nolan Meats to discuss any concerns about business operations and access during flood,” he said.

The bypass’s construction contractor Bielby BMD Joint Venture “enacted its flood emergency evacuation plan, which included a flood access route for Nolan Meats”.

“During the flooding, the BBJV assisted Nolan Meats by escorting their workers, vehicles and equipment through the bypass work site to access higher ground at Mothar Mountain,” he said.

The new bypass was designed “to ensure that there is no worsening of impacts from floodwaters”, he said.

Nolan Meats under water during the Gympie region’s catastrophic February 2022 floods.

Mr Nolan said he planned to raise the issues directly with TMR’s management.

“We want to talk to the Director General (of Transport and Main Roads),” Mr Nolan said.

“That moat has cost us $10m.

“We had to condemn over 300 carcasses, high quality grain fed beef.”

He said the full extent of the losses was not yet knows “but we do know that it would have been less had we maintained our flood access road that DTMR destroyed in the new highway construction”.

Transport and Main Roads has been contacted for comment.

Nolans had an agreement to use the road directly opposite its factory as an evacuation point.

Once the Bypass roadworks started, though, the road was rendered unusable.

Where once it had a smooth gradient which vehicles could drive over, now it was covered in sharp peaks and ditches unable to be traversed.

Nolan Meats director Terry Nolan shows where the February 2022 floodwaters peaked at the meatworks,

“We’ve got an excellent flood evacuation plan,” Mr Nolan said.

“We’ve used it on many occasions, you would have never heard Nolans complain about floodwater. We just don’t do it.

“But we couldn’t get stuff out.”

“To say we’re livid about removing our 100-year-old access is an understatement.”

Mr Nolan said the damage could have been much worse if not for the “remarkable” efforts of staff who had the factory up and running only five days after floodwaters began to recede.

Those included third year apprentice Max Hall, who spent those days rewiring the boiler and bringing it back online.