Stick to rules or pay the penalty

MP urges families to follow restrictions as they prepare for weekend fun outdoors Police in warning over trips to Tinaroo

SUCCUMBING to the temptation to exploit relaxed COVID-19 rules around picnics and travel will result in fines, the reintroduction of stringent lockdown measures and potential deaths.

That is the warning Cairns MP Michael Healy wants residents to take very seriously as families gear up this weekend for their first chance at an afternoon in the park in weeks.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced outings such as family picnics would be allowed from Saturday, just in time for the Labour Day long weekend.

She said Queenslanders could go boating, jet skiing and teach their kids how to drive – as long as they remained within 50km of their home.

That means Cairns residents will not be able to take advantage of the Tinaroo Dam as a leisure area, no matter how enticing it may be to drive that little bit further and break the 50km radius threshold.

A failure to follow the rules could result in on-the-spot fines of $1334.50 a person — and police will be out enforcing the law.

“We need to make sure people understand that social distancing has not changed,” Mr Healy said.

“We know most people have been staying in their homes, doing the right thing.

“This is about saying, you know what, now you can go down to the Esplanade, or for a drive to the beach.

“It’s an opportunity to change the environment around us because we’ve all been doing a good thing for the past three weeks.”

Every suburb in Cairns has somewhere nice to lay out a blanket, dodge the bull ants and tuck into some lunch – and Mr Healy hoped residents would not put their loved ones at risk by filling parks and beaches beyond their safe capacity.

“It’s not hard, but social distancing still applies,” he warned.

“This just means you can go a bit further outside the house.

“How the numbers go over the next two to four weeks will determine what ends up happening over the next two to four months.”

CAIRNS residents looking forward to a dip at Tinaroo this weekend might not be able to, with police warning people against making unnecessary trips up the hill.

In line with the State Government’s easing of guidelines, locals will be able to relax with a waterside picnic or engage in activities such as swimming, boating, skiing and fishing from Saturday, May 2.

Social distancing guidelines and the ban on camping will still apply to visitors, who must live within 50km of the popular Sunwater attraction.

Acting Inspector Tablelands Patrol Group Kyell Palmer said visitors should expect to see police around.

“We will be monitoring people’s movements over the weekend and making sure they comply with the restrictions,” he said.

“Obviously every situation will be dealt with on a case-bycase basis, and people can expect to see police and have a conversation with them, and we recommend people carry proof of identification and their address with them.”

Hill MP Shane Knuth (above), who was critical of the Sunwater decision to close Tinaroo and highlighted the impact of the dam’s closure on locals, was pleased restrictions were starting to ease.

“Tablelanders were denied access to the dam for all activities such as swimming, fishing, sailing, rowing and kayaking,” he said.

“These activities are good for everyone’s mental and physical health.”

Walking tracks and recreational trails at Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine are also open but barbecue areas and shelters, as well as Lake Eacham’s Rainforest Display Centre, will remain out of bounds.