Gary the koala to face down Beenleigh road plans

A cheeky koala has become the face of a campaign to stop a southside council building a road through a leafy reserve, known for its roaming koala population. WATCH GARY IN A VIDEO

A cheeky Gary the koala in a tree at Wuruga Reserve at Bahrs Scrub and above, and residents protest against a road going through the reserve.

A cheeky koala has become the face of a campaign to stop a southside council building a road through a leafy reserve, known for its roaming koala population.

Gary the Bahrs Scrub bear has become a pin-up for a campaign to halt plans for a two-lane road ploughing through Wuruga Reserve at Bahrs Scrub, one of the state’s top 10 fastest growing suburbs.

Logan City Council has drawn up plans to build a road through Wuruga Reserve, which is a about three hectares of bushland that runs between Bahrs Scrub and Beenleigh.

However, only a handful of residents, who would have to relinquish parts of their properties for the road, were notified.

Bewildered residents started an online petition, and another that was tabled in the council, in an effort to stop the road and save Gary the koala and his family, who live in the reserve.

Gary and a friend in trees at Wuruga Reserve.

Their case was taken up by councillor Tony Hall, who has made a stance against the council’s plans to build the road through Wuruga Reserve, near the Beenleigh tip.

Cr Hall has twice stood before full council meetings to declare his concerns about the officers’ road plans.

Last month, he made an impassioned plea to the council on behalf of Logan’s “littlest residents – the koalas”, including Gary, when he tabled the residents’ petition begging the council to ditch the road.

The first-term councillor, said he was both for and against the residents’ petition to axe the road.

Cr Tony Hall, who said he was concerned about the road and the koalas.

“I am not supportive of alternate proposals that some of these residents have put forward – one of which divides the koala reserve completely in half and another which runs a proposed road straight through the Beenleigh tip,” Cr Hall said.

“ … Most of all, I am concerned about Logan’s littlest residents — our native koalas and other precious wildlife unique to Logan.

“These koalas do not have the capacity to tell us that their homes are being taken away but I am here to represent all residents of Division 6 — even them,” he said.

But Cr Hall said the plans were still “in the conceptual stage”, had no funding, and were yet to be subjected to community consultation and environmental studies.

Angry Bahrs Scrub resident Jodie Batten, who initiated the petitions on behalf of neighbours, said the council’s plan was flawed as it did not integrate with roads in the suburb including

the bottleneck intersection of Tallagandra and Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd, currently undergoing a $10.8 million state government upgrade.

The yellow line shows the route of a proposed council road through Wuruga Reserve.

A purple line shows an alternative plan for an overpass across Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd to avoid the Tallagandra Rd intersection with eh council’s plan in yellow.

Plans to upgrade Wuraga Rd, which is close to Wuruga Reserve, home to a family of koalas.

She also said community consultation had been abysmal.

“Residents whose properties will be dissected by the road got letters and all other residents were ignored,” she said.

“The plan will see motorists rat-running through Mt Warren Boulevard and Rochester Dr and that increased traffic will make school pick-up and drop-off challenging for Windaroo State School and daycare centres on Mt Warren Boulevard.

“Rochester Dr will also be used as the main access point to the Pacific Motorway which will mean residents of Windaroo and Mt Warren Park will have all that extra traffic.”

Gary the Koala at Wuruga Reserve where carers monitor his health.

Ms Batten, who heads up a 50-strong community group, said Gary the koala and three others were often seen in the reserve and residents feared they would not survive the destruction of the bush.

There was also concern about run-off from the planned road into Windaroo Creek and the Albert River which would adversely affect other native wildlife including the rare Powerful Owl.

Residents are now awaiting information from the council about the exact route of the road and have vowed to take the issue further.