Burleigh’s tram and koala solution which can stop more animal strikes on the highway

Council is to examine a radical move to protect Burleigh Headland’s koala population when the light rail is extended through the area.

A wildlife crossing under construction at Illaweena St in Logan earlier this year. Photo: Transurban Group

A POTENTIALLY six-figure wildlife overpass will be investigated as a way to guard against light rail impacts on Burleigh Headland koalas as concerns surface about the colony’s future.

The Bulletin can reveal a koala overpass will be one of the suggested strategies for protecting wildlife once planning continues for Stage 3b of light rail south of Burleigh to Coolangatta.

Zac Revere, running for council elections on the Gold Coast, works at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Burleigh-based councillor Pauline Young, also running in the new Division 12, confirmed the overpass was part of discussions about wildlife protection and said she would support an investigation which considered its impact on protecting koalas.

“I’m sure that sort of thing will be taken into consideration. It’s something that has been put out there,” Councillor Young told the Bulletin.

“Most definitely going forward (it’s something we should look at). At the moment we are considering Stage 3a. I’ve seen them (the koalas on Burleigh Headland). It’s something that has to be investigated.”

An artist’s impression of how the Illaweena St, Logan wildlife crossing will look when completed. Photo: Transurban Group

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Zac Revere, a 23-year-old Griffith University law student standing in Division 12 in the council elections, sparked a major debate earlier this week after announcing light rail heading south to Coolangatta will help rather than hurt koalas.

Mr Revere predicted light rail would be one of the major issues leading into next year’s March 20 campaign and support for it was certain to reduce vehicles on road and potential fatal koala strikes.

“The light rail will reduce the number of cars on the road. It’s proposed to go down the centre of the road. It’s not going into any koala habitat. The numbers of koalas hit when they go out, it’s not from the highway, it’s in the valley.”

Councillor Pauline Young — agrees that a wildlife overpass should be considered. Picture Mike Batterham.

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Griffith University Professor Darryl Jones, a world leader in strategies to protect wildlife, was asked back in 2003 to help design a wildlife overpass when the upgrade of a south-east Queensland arterial road cut through bushland at Karawatha Forest in Brisbane.

In a research article he talks about 45 animals using the crossing installation at night at Compton Road. The project cost $700,000 and was only 1.5 per cent of the road’s budget.

A similar overpass was this year built at Illaweena St in Logan.

GECKO founder Lois Levy in a post to the Bulletin’s earlier story this week called on Mr Revere to back more funding of the council’s koala levy and the open space preservation levy.

An injured koala at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital. Picture: Jerad Williams.

Ms Levy described Mr Revere’s view that the light rail would help save the local population as “a stretch too far”.

“Most of the deaths southern koalas occur in the Connection Road area due to both loss of habitat and vehicle strikes, not Burleigh Heads where light rail might go,” Ms Levy said.

“Should Stage 3b of light rail ever go ahead he could lobby for a wildlife overpass from Burleigh Heads National Park to the reserves in the west.”