Watch: K’gari tracks smashed by Alfred, access ramp destroyed

Construction crews have been stunned by the level of damage to K’gari by Tropical Cyclone Alfred with locals cut off from council and emergency services.

Construction crews have been stunned by the level of damage to K’gari by Tropical Cyclone Alfred with locals cut off from council and emergency services.

Crews have been at the scene of the Happy Valley access ramp since Friday, March 14, after heavy rain gutted the sand from underneath the wooden track, making it impossible to drive or walk up.

Glenn Hunn of Contrex Group, a member of the crew currently working on the ramp, said he had never seen anything like the damage caused by the rushing water.

“I was amazed at the damage. What a mess,” he said.

“It’s a bigger job than anyone thought. The photos we got really didn’t do it justice.”

Work being carried out on the Happy Valley access ramp. Photo: Happy House

Excavators and diggers had to lift out the existing planks to push sand back underneath them, while the planks will have to be hosed back down once the sand base is stable again.

Hervey Bay MP David Lee visited Happy Valley, inspecting the destruction caused by last week’s heavy rains, vowing to advocate for a new integrated emergency services centre.

David Lee and Scott Bell discuss how to get Happy Valley and K'gari up and running after last week's rain event.

Scott Bell, Secretary of the Happy Valley Community Association and officer of the community’s Rural Fire Brigade, said he hoped the access ramp would be ready to use again by next week.

“It’s absolutely critical to our little community as it’s the main access,” Mr Bell said.

The Yidney Rocks bypass is the only current track that has access to the village, but it is a one lane road which is currently seeing traffic from locals, tourists, and other service vehicles, including the only ambulance on the island.

The rain event left drains clogged with sand.

“Waste vehicles can’t get in to service our waste transfer stations,” he said.

“It’s been great to have the council over here and acting so promptly to get this ramp fixed.”

The Ngkala Rocks to Sandy Cape track is closed. Photo: Happy House

Mr Lee spoke on the concerns about how the only paramedics headquarters runs on a temporary generator while also confirming he will advocate for a new emergency services precinct to be built in the village.

Contractors are moving quickly to fix the path.

“They’ve only got one small generator that’s fairly unreliable, and fairly costly to maintain,” he said.

“I will be making representations on behalf of Queensland Ambulance to ensure that they have a sustainable power supply.

“It’s very important for Happy Valley that it is fit-for-purpose and has appropriate systems and processes for static water storage.”

The paramedic headquarters only had a proper helipad installed in March, 2024.

K’gari suffered devastating fires in 2021, and the current fire brigade tanks do not hold enough water to put out a large house fire, Mr Bell says.

He is a strong believer that Happy Valley’s fire brigade and other services need to be upgraded.

“It makes a lot of sense to have all emergency services located in one precinct,” he said.

“We are centrally located and we have the only ambulance centre.”

Mr Lee said he was looking forward to watching the restoration of the ramp and helping to secure a future for the village.

“This is part of my beautiful Hervey Bay electorate, so I’m very keen to collaborate with the association and the council to ensure we have processes in place for efficient emergency services management of the island,” he said.

Originally published as Watch: K’gari tracks smashed by Alfred, access ramp destroyed