‘World-class’ Mount Louisa walking trail to open in July: Townsville City Council
Walkers will soon be able to enjoy some new scenery when the 1.8km alternative to Castle Hill opens. Here’s when you can expect the tracks to be open >>
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Walkers will soon be able to enjoy some new scenery when the 1.8km alternative to Castle Hill opens.
Construction of the first walking track on Mount Louisa has begun and should be complete by the end of July, weather permitting.
Division 5 Councillor Russ Cook said Townsville City Council recently awarded the contract to construct the 1.8km track to JMAC Constructions, a subsidiary of the BMD Group.
“When complete, the walking track will extend from the end of Bayswater Rd up towards the summit of Mount Louisa and will have two viewing platforms,” he said.
“This will give residents a more convenient option for getting their daily exercise in and shift some of the traffic away from Castle Hill, while also providing fantastic views of the city.”
The council is also repairing some of the existing eroded tracks.
The project was first announced as part of the Townsville 2020 Masterplan. The council first announced its plan for new walking tracks, viewing platforms and barbecue areas to boost public access to the natural attraction in April 2018.
It went to community consultation in March 2019 and received almost 300 individual pieces of feedback, prompting a series of changes to the original plan.
Mountain bike trails were removed from stage one, while the number of bird watching hide locations were reduced to one to “avoid potential overlooking and privacy concerns”. A proposed luge was also removed.
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Division 7 councillor Kurt Rehbein said the track was the first work to be undertaken as part of the Mount Louisa Open Space Masterplan.
“Council did significant community consultation on this project and that feedback has been pivotal in the final design,” Cr Rehbein said.
“What JMAC is building now is something that will provide a world-class experience to our local community.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the track complement and enhance the suburbs surrounding Mount Louisa.”
There is a new carpark on Weston St which walkers can use.
Originally published as ‘World-class’ Mount Louisa walking trail to open in July: Townsville City Council