Plans for competition waterski course at Barron River sand mine
A vision for a crocodile-free water sport precinct on the Barron River is riding a groundswell of support that could see the site of a sand mine transformed into a series of waterskiing and rowing ponds.
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A vision for a crocodile-free water sport precinct on the Barron River is riding a groundswell of support that could see a sand mine transformed into a series of waterskiing and rowing ponds.
Cairns Tournament Water Skiing Club is leading a proposed development slated for a disused area of the Pioneer North Queensland sand mine at Caravonica.
Early concept plans outline a series of five lakes including an internationally sanctioned water ski pond, a barefoot ski facility, a rowing lake and a general purpose area for swimming, kayaking, outrigging and dragon boating.
Project leader Michael Sciacca said the proposed facility could be a game changer for Cairns water sport clubs, some of which had been pushed to the brink of collapse due to increasing saltwater croc numbers.
“It’s something that Cairns desperately needs,” he said.
“We are in pre-planning talks with council in terms of the impact statement and then we can look at funding and how to get that achieved.”
The former development officer of Waterski Queensland has the backing of Cairns and Lake Tinaroo waterski clubs that have never been able to achieve international competition status due to constantly fluctuating water levels at Tablelands lake.
Well-known competitive barefoot waterskier Daryl Johnson and Cairns Rowing Club president Peter Thoren are among early supporters of the development.
The group has met with Cairns Regional Council planning officials and quarry owners to brainstorm how the project could be realised at sections of the Kamerunga Rd sand mine no longer in use.
“We intend to fit up to 10 clubs on the site and it just makes sense and if we put them all together, it all becomes an achievable and viable project,” Mr Sciacca said.
“The Barron delta is a large parcel of land that you can’t do anything with, and we could become the Florida of Australia and people can come up from down south to train.
“It gives kids an opportunity to compete on the world stage and rowing could become part of the school curriculum and we could have inter-school rowing carnivals.”
The issue of the river’s reptilian inhabitants needed to be overcome before the water park project could ever have a hope of being realised, but Mr Sciacca had a simple solution.
“We are going to fence them out. They manage to fence them in at the croc farms, then we can fence them out,” he said.
The river will not require to be diverted to fill lakes and once excavated to the correct specifications it’s understood water will naturally fill the ponds.
“There’s a natural soak and a high water level, though I believe (PNQ) do have a pumping licence but we don’t know if that will be required,” he said.
Barron River MP Craig Crawford, who supports the development, said when the mine reached the end of its life there was a general requirement that the site be remediated and revegetated.
“I can’t see it being used for anything else and there’s a big hole in the ground that’s full of water,” he said.
“It would need support from the state to repurpose the mine and obviously a bit of infrastructure.”
Mr Crawford said similar man-made waterski parks had been set up to comply with international and Australian water skiing standards at Barcaldine and Albury Wodonga, however those areas enjoyed predator free waters.
“I don’t think you could say hand-on-heart that anywhere in the Barron delta would be completely croc proof,” he said.
“You would definitely need a system of barriers, you want it practical but also effective and when you knew that big water was coming down the Barron you would have to open it up.
“These things can be done, it’s about getting a good engineering solution.
“It would be a project that we would need to be led by council, it’s very early days but if we get the right people around the table I think it’s a good opportunity and a goer.”
The rowing course at 2300m is the largest of the lakes proposed and a barefoot completion lake will be 800m long.
A cycle track is also proposed for the site.
The project is now in the feasibility stage before funding will be sought across multiple state government portfolios.
Cairns Regional Council is aware of the Kamerunga Road proposal however formal development applications have not yet been lodged.
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Originally published as Plans for competition waterski course at Barron River sand mine
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