Couran Cove without fire hydrants ahead of bushfire season amid legal dispute

Once pitched as an isolated paradise, an island community is now without a key service that Aussies take for granted, as a fatal threat intensifies.

Residents at Couran Cove have been left without access to fire hydrants.

An isolated coastal community once envisioned as being an island paradise has been left without access to fire hydrants as the Queensland bushfire season ramps up.

Couran Cove resort at South Stradbroke Island, north of the Gold Coast, was once home to hundreds of residents but has become ensnared in a lengthy legal fight.

The resort, a mixture of holiday homes and private houses, was abandoned by the resort operator in 2023 amid allegations service providers were owed $25m.

The providers claim the five body corporates who manage the site have not paid their dues, and that year cut all utilities, including gas, water and sewage.

Due to the cessation of reticulated water to the resort, the Queensland Fire Department said fire hydrants once used to battle any blazes were not in use.

The issue came in focus for residents of the island following an October house fire, sparking warnings from the local Wasp Creek Rural Fire Brigade.

The brigade is based out of a fire station at Tipplers campgrounds, 10 minutes drive from Couran Cove, but relies on transporting resources from the mainland as needed.

Couran Cove residents have been left without access to fire hydrants. Picture: Supplied

In a message to residents, Wasp Creek RFB fire warden Christine Smith said it was imperative that residents called triple-0 to “active emergency services from the mainland”.

Ms Smith also called on residents to ensure areas around their property were clean ahead of the fire season, as green waste “dumped in the bush increases fuel loading”.

For Couran Cove residents, the task is not so simple.

Severed from ordinary utility services, Couran Cove residents are reliant on diesel generators or solar power to keep their lights on and maintain their properties.

Some residents complained in a local community group that they were unable to access green waste sites by buggy, while others reported issues doing the work.

Despite the lack of basic utilities, real estate agents were continuing to advertise properties at the resort last year, including as an idyllic place for retirement.

According to the ABC, properties were being listed for sale at the resort for as little as $85,000, while elsewhere on the same island they were set at $1.5m.

For others on the resort’s Facebook groups, the isolated location provides space for a writing retreat; for others, it represented a potential holiday letting.

The island community is ensnared in a lengthy legal dispute.

Another group were entrepreneurs, with people attempting to reach out to the myriad body corporates through the Facebook page to make their pitch to revitalise the resort.

For the 40 or so remaining residents of Couran Cove resort, a resolution to the lengthy legal battles is a long way off and the most pressing concern is bushfires.

A QFD spokesperson said the agency had conducted inspections at Couran Cove resort after residents raised concerns about fire safety installations.

The fire department said it had engaged with both management and occupants at Couran Cove resort and was “prioritising community engagement”.

“QFD has conducted fire safety information sessions and supplied battery-operated smoke alarms to current occupants,” the spokesperson said.

“That will ensure they have appropriate early warning systems in place should a fire break out.”

QFD said the Wasp Creek RFB was also undertaking fire mitigation activities on the island to reduce the risk of bushfires breaking out.

Originally published as Couran Cove without fire hydrants ahead of bushfire season amid legal dispute