Currajong Park to receive boulders as Townsville City Council budget invests $5.3m in security and surveillance

A park damaged regularly by hoons will be protected as Townsville City Council expands its boulder program. See what they’re spending on safety.

Currajong Park is set to receive boulders with council funding.

Currajong Park will soon be protected by boulders as Townsville City Council invests more than $5.3m in security and surveillance measures.

The community has been calling for works on the park to be completed after hoons repeatedly damaged the ground and existing security measures.

After being torn up by vandals in cars two weeks ago, Currajong Park was hit again on overnight to Tuesday morning.

The council introduced the boulder scheme to protect parks and sporting fields after youths in stolen cars repeatedly ripped through facilities and doing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Councillor Andrew Robinson

Division eight councillor, Andrew Robinson, said during Wednesday’s council meeting that he was happy to announce Currajong Park was getting boulders.

“Unfortunately until the passing of this budget, I have not been able to release any details nor been able to promise action would be taken,” Cr Robinson said.

The councillor who looks after Currajong previously told the Bulletin that he was concerned with the ongoing hooning and vandalism.

“It is reprehensible that the actions of a few individuals are putting lives at risk for fleeting gratification,” he said.

A Hyundai i30 was torched in Currajong Park. Picture: Supplied.

Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the boulder protection program has proved to be a great project.

“We’ve seen recently in the media that (Currajong Park) seems to be a haven for hooning, car thefts and tearing up what is a wonderful park for Currajong residents,” Cr Greaney said.

“So that boulder protection program has proved a great initiative for I think parks across Townsville.”

There has been some criticism in the past about the boulder protection program, but Cr Greaney believes the boulder protection is a great initiative.

Currajong Park was ripped up again last week, with renewed calls for the park to be protected sooner rather than later.

“We’ve seen some footage of a car trying to drive actually over a boulder and getting stuck in the Upper Ross,” she said.

“We can’t stop it, but this boulder protection program is a great preventive measure to stop hooning in the parks.”

One of the main concerns from residents living around Currajong Park was safety, with many worrying that it was only a matter of time before someone was badly injured or killed.

Cr Greaney said the boulder program is part of the councils’ community safety initiatives going forward.

“I think for community safety, if it’s an open space and we’ve seen recently what people can do when we don’t offer that sort of protection and they drive cars in that sort of space.”

Originally published as Currajong Park to receive boulders as Townsville City Council budget invests $5.3m in security and surveillance