Boat ramp forces Redland Bay widow out of multimillion-dollar mansion

An elderly widow has told how she was forced out of her waterfront mansion and told to pay her own removal costs, legal bills and sales tax, so the government could build a boat ramp.

The Wallaby Rd mansion on the foreshore at Redland Bay was taken by the state government with compensation of $2.4 million paid for the 10 hectares of prime waterfront land. Picture: Contributed

An elderly widow said she was forced to hand over her waterfront mansion on Brisbane’s bayside so the local council and state government could build a public boat ramp to replace one they will close.

Redland Bay’s Carmel Bourke was given four months in January to pack up the mansion that she built with her husband Kevin more than 40 years ago and move out.

The shocked mother of four is now living in an Alexandra Hills property, which is not her own, after she was forced to hand over the house she and her family loved to the state government so it and the local council can build a boat ramp.

Mrs Bourke said she had never agreed to sell her property to the state and was then served a resumption notice in September 2021.

Inside the Redland Bay mansion’s foyer at Wallaby Rd.

She said the $2.4 million “compensation” was nowhere near market value for the 10.825 hectares of prime waterfront land complete with a rare deepwater anchorage.

“I feel like I was bullied into walking away from my own beautiful home and garden where I wanted to live the rest of my life,” she said.

“I now have had to move away from the waterfront which has been part of my life for so long and the council even told me that I had to pay the sales tax on the property that was taken from me and never sold.

“I had to pay my own legal costs and moving costs – even though I never wanted to leave my home.

“This has had a detrimental effect on my health and wellbeing and I will be pursuing this further.”

The Bourke family boat ramp which the state government will pull down to build a new one. Pictures: Judith Kerr

The state government gazetted the property for reclamation in January 2023.

This week, the state government revealed it was in the final stages of negotiations with the council to build the $3.3 million ramp and pontoon to replace a ramp, which will close at the nearby congested Weinam Creek ferry terminal.

State government road maps show land has been set aside behind the Bourke mansion gates for a gazetted road, which has never been built, to the waterfront.

The front gates to the Bourke mansion at Redland Bay. Pictures: Judith Kerr

A Transport Department statement confirmed the works included reclaiming the land with Maritime Safety Queensland and Redland City Council officers working through crucial preliminary project steps to put the finishing touches on a Deed of Agreement.

Site plans and drawings have never been made public but the state government said the works would include a new two-lane boat ramp with central floating walkway, and landside works featuring a new car park with car-trailer parking and single car bays.

A joint state and Redland City Council statement said the Wallaby Rd ramp would provide open-water access to the southern part of the bay.

A Google map showing the gazetted road coming behind the mansion, which is pictured here with a blue roof. The government plans to build the road to the waterfront. It is unknown what the government will now do with the mansion but the plans for the site include a carpark. Picture: Google Maps 2023

The council also said the new ramp would “greatly assist” meeting recreational boating demand after the city’s main southern public boat ramp at Weinam Creek closes to the public.

Work to close the Weinam Creek boat ramp will start on Monday, August 28 with some demolition taking place at the Redland Bay marina in preparation for a new, Weinam Creek three-lane recreational boat ramp and a temporary car park.

The Wallaby Rd facility, which is 10km from the Weinam Creek ferry terminal, was proposed after Redland council revealed its plans to upgrade the terminal and move the existing boat-and-trailer parking away from the marina.

The ferry terminal works will force the relocation of the existing boat trailer parking to nearby Moore’s Rd and will signal the closure of the existing boat ramp.

Cars parked in front gardens at Weinam Creek ferry terminal, where the council will close the public boat ramp in a bid to clampdown on cars at the terminal. Pictures: Judith Kerr

When built, the $3.3 million Wallaby Rd boat ramp and jetty will also be less than 5km from a $1.5 million state government two-lane boat ramp and floating walkway at Riedel Rd, completed in 2021.

It will also be less than 10km from a boat ramp and pontoon at Skinners Park, Carbrook.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the Wallaby Rd facility would be funded from a maritime infrastructure investment program with the “in-water components” tipped to cost $3.3 million.

“The conceptual planning stage will run through the 2023-24 financial year … delivery is scheduled for the 2024-25 financial year,” Mr Bailey said.

The state government said its most recent study into demand for boating facilities found boaties from Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich and Gold Coast would be most likely to also use the new ramp.

Redland City Council mayor Karen Williams said she was pleased the two levels of government were working together on funding and planning the facility.