When North Burnett ‘road from hell’ - Gayndah Mt Perry Rd - will be fixed

A lifelong North Burnett local is worried works won’t begin in earnest on a severely damaged section of the Gayndah Mount Perry Road until someone dies. Watch the video and judge for yourself:

The “road from hell”, “deathtrap” and just plain “s--t” is some of the damning language used by North Burnett residents to describe a stretch of unsealed road between Mount Perry and Gayndah.

The roughly 30km stretch of dirt track on the Gayndah Mt Perry Road is riddled with potholes, uneven corrugation and washed out crossings following recent rain, and lifelong local Brooke Dingle said the state of the road had been poor for several months.

“I have lived in Mount Perry for 30 years, and this is the worst I have ever seen it,” she said.

So concerned over the state of the road, and the risk it poses to those who have little choice but to travel it to get to Gayndah, a regional town regarded as the hub of the North Burnett, Miss Dingle reached out to local and state government for help.

She claimed no one could confirm who was responsible for the road, and little assurances were offered as to when future improvement would take place.

“I cannot get a straight answer from anyone about who is responsible for the road,” she said.

According to her, while recent grading works had been undertaken, the “Band-Aid” fix had done little to solve the issue.

“They just keep grading it, so now it is down to literally rock and leaving huge craters in the road,” she said.

As someone who is forced to drive the road several times a week, Clint Dingle said he had to memorise all of the most dangerous parts of the road, often swerving into the oncoming land to avoid potholes.

As someone with a severe spinal injury who is almost entirely wheelchair dependent, she said she feared travelling the road over concerns her van would be damaged beyond repair, potentially isolating her and her carer on a rural road without quick access to emergency services.

These concerns were backed by her carer and brother Clint Dingle, who works as a support worker for several clients in the North Burnett.

“It’s just dangerous, you literally cannot drive it and stay on the right side of the road, you have to swerve all over the road to avoid potholes, and at certain points you just about have to stop,” he said.

When transporting clients such as his sister with spinal injuries, the slightest bump in the road can cause pain or even further damage, a key concern to Mr Dingle.

Both siblings believe the road will claim a life if major improvement works aren’t done soon, with visitors to the region painfully unfamiliar with the terrain.

Beyond the risk the road poses to local and visiting drivers, Miss Dingle said she was concerned how such a road impacted the North Burnett economy and said she knew of several people who had chosen not to attend the recent Gayndah Show for fear of damaging their cars, trucks and trailers on the journey.

In certain section, the road is damaged from one side to another, with drop-offs preventing cars from getting off the road at all.

With the Mount Perry Show around the corner, she is worried the reverse will impact the livelihood of her hometown, with the local show offering a vital boost to local tourism and the economy as a whole.

After failing to get a straight answer, Miss Dingle approached The Central and North Burnett Times, hoping media attention would encourage some action to be taken.

This publication visited the road and witnessed several cars struggling to traverse the ungraded stretch, with one caravan driver saying “I wouldn’t have come this way if I knew it was this bad”.

Upon reaching out, the Transport and Main Roads Department confirmed the state government was responsible, but could give little firm assurances as to when improvement works would take place, blaming delays on wet weather.

Potholes are hidden during the day by the shade from trees alongside the road.

“The recent wet weather has resulted in extensive damage, such as pot-holing and scouring across the road network,” a spokeswoman said.

“The DTMR has inspected Gayndah – Mount Perry Road and maintenance works, including pothole repairs and formation grading, are scheduled to start next week, weather and other conditions permitting.”

A spokesman further said a 1.6km section of the road, near Mingo, would be widened and sealed but did not offer a timeline on when the works would take place.

Despite these assurances, Miss Dingle said she was disappointed by the response, which offered no firm start dates for the works, and said she had little faith real improvement would be carried out until a fatal accident occurred.

Originally published as When North Burnett ‘road from hell’ - Gayndah Mt Perry Rd - will be fixed