Croydon Shire Council’s calls for Bureau of Meteorology radar ignored says Mayor

Residents in one part of regional Queensland have been left to rely on “word of mouth” weather forecasting instead of Bureau of Meteorology radars.

The absence of a weather radar in one of the most cyclone prone areas of the state has left communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria relying on the most ancient form of weather forecasting – “word of mouth”.

While it is not widely known, the Bureau of Meteorology does not have a radar in Croydon despite the small Gulf town being at the centre of cyclones during the wet season.

Croydon Mayor Trevor Pickering says there are at least two sites where the radar could be built, one within a few kilometres of the town itself.

But Cr Pickering claims repeated requests to the Federal government for a radar have been ignored.

“We have been given the run-around about this for years,’’ Cr Pickering said.

“People still have to rely on each other to determine where the rainfall is and whether it is headed in their direction.’’

Croydon Shire Mayor Trevor Pickering said the requests had been repeatedly ignored. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Traeger State MP Robbie Katter recently met with Gulf Mayors about the issue which impacts several communities including Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw.

Mr Katter said the state’s north west saw just how devastating lack of weather information could be in 2019 when a radar black spot left graziers unprepared for a deluge which destroyed half a million head of livestock and caused an infrastructure damages bill beyond $5 billion.

“Graziers were unprepared for the onslaught as they were relying on data based on conditions hundreds of kilometres away,’’ Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter said the absence of the radar was a glaring example of how the regions were often left ignored when it came to critical infrastructure.

“There continues to be a great deal of inequity when it comes to the way the need for disaster mitigation and assistance for North Queensland is determined by the bureaucrats down south,’’ he said.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said the Croydon Shire area was serviced by the Mornington Island, Greenvale, and Richmond radar stations.

But it was acknowledged not all parts of the Shire were “covered optimally”.

“The Bureau of Meteorology carefully considers observing infrastructure needs across the country in addition to those that already exist,” the Bureau spokesperson said.

“The Bureau does not currently have the funding to install, operate and maintain a new radar in Croydon Shire.”