Road to progress

Mareeba Shire Mayor Tom Gilmore (right) is calling on the State and Federal Governments to make a commitment to invest and develop Northern Australia by filling in the missing links of the inland highway. Calls to “weather proof” and secure access to and from the region follow recent heavy rainfall that left the Bruce Hwy inundated by water causing the north’s only road access to be cut for several days.

MAREEBA Shire Mayor Tom Gilmore is calling on the State and Federal Governments to make a commitment to invest and develop Northern Australia by filling in the missing links of the inland highway.

Calls to “weather proof” and secure access to and from the region follow recent heavy rainfall that left the Bruce Hwy inundated by water causing the north’s only road access to be cut for several days.

Cr Gilmore said an upgraded inland route would generate immediate productivity efficiencies for agriculture, beef, mining and tourism industries and their suppliers.

“When you get a catastrophic flooding event, as we had in Ingham, all of this stops,” he said.

Cr Gilmore said an inland route that connected through to the Hann Hwy servicing eastern seaboard markets and ports would be more cost-effective infrastructure.

“The inland freight route is free from extreme tropical weather risks including flooding, cyclones and climate change,” he said.

“State and federal governments have spent billions upgrading the Bruce Hwy, which is not where people necessarily want to go.

“It takes us to the southeast corner of Queensland then to Sydney and Melbourne – the long way around.

“We have a road that is monumentally incapable. It blocks the free flow of traffic and commerce … to the southern states and it takes them 1000km out of their way.”

He said in its current condition, the Bruce Hwy isolated the Far North from the rest of the state, holding back the region’s capacity to contribute to the economy.

“It’s time we resolved that by ensuring the inland route beginning from Weipa, coming down through Mareeba, Ootann, the Hann and further south – that has to be a high priority for State and Federal governments,” he said.

Picture: ANDREA FALVO FORWARD THINKING: Mareeba Mayor Tom Gilmore says the recent floods shows the vulnerability of the highway system and is calling on State and Federal governments to fund a new inland route to connect the Far North with southern states.