State govt and Gympie council point fingers after Sanders Rd debacle

Frustrated Amamoor residents forced to use a pothole-ridden road they say was repaired by the council in May and back to its former terrible state a few days later have lashed out.

A local resident has slammed the council repair job on Sanders Road, Amamoor, after both the State Government and Gympie Council shucked responsibility over repairs.

The state government and Gympie Regional Council have appeared to point the finger at each other over the state of Sanders Road at Amamoor.

The most recent repair on the dirt road had left it in a worst state than it was before, according to one resident who asked to remain anonymous.

The council repaired a storm-damaged section of Sanders Road on May 16, 2025 - 10 weeks after a complaint was made about the state of it - by filling it in with dirt, the resident said.

In his correspondence with the council, the council asserted the damage occurred before November 2024, when a different section of the road was repaired under state funding.

Correspondence to the ratepayer from the Regional Liaison for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (which carries out flood repairs) however said it had contacted the Gympie council about the road and it was “aware of damage to the road happening after November 2024”.

An Amamoor ratepayer says this repair job on Sanders Road did not “last the weekend before the potholes started to return”.

“Completely different explanations for who is responsible for the assessment of damage,” the man said.

He said Sanders Road residents “know” the damage was present before the November 2024 repairs, and he vowed to escalate the issue to the Queensland Ombudsman.

“It is no wonder ratepayers in general believe Gympie council lacks direction and any form of accountability,” he said.

“We now have the additional problem of the repairs being slippery when wet because road base was not used.”

He claimed the repair “didn’t last the weekend before the potholes started to return,” and made a complaint to the council three days after its completion.

“There were no rollers used to stabilise the dirt, and as a consequence, it is now failing.”

On Wednesday, June 6, Gympie council told the resident the road would be fixed again within the next two to three months.

“Following the CRM regarding recent repairs on Sanders Road, an inspection was undertaken on 04 June 2025 to assess the reported concerns,” an email from the council addressed to the resident said.

“It has been identified through this inspection that the repairs undertaken during the weather event in May have failed.

“A 2.5 spec maintenance gravel was used for the repair works in alignment with Gympie Regional Council’s road specifications. It is understandable that potholes after significant weather events causes frustration, however during the recent weather events potholes have become more frequent on the unsealed road network.

“Sanders Road was inspected prior to this CRM being raised and had been scheduled for repair, in alignment with Councils current emergent works schedule following the May weather event.

“While we cannot confirm an exact date for repairs at this stage, the road has been prioritised, and works are expected to be completed within the next 2–3 months. This timing is aligned with adjacent scheduled works to improve operational efficiency and minimise disruption.

“We do ask for everyone’s patience during this time, as our road maintenance teams are trying to service all unsealed roads throughout our extensive road network. The unsealed road network has been significantly affected since November last year, and road inspectors and road teams are tending to all affected areas.

“We appreciate the community’s patience while our road maintenance teams work across the network.”

Originally published as State govt and Gympie council point fingers after Sanders Rd debacle