The price of progress
To change or not to change? Ah, the eternal dilemma we constantly face In life. Should I give up golf after more than three decades with a club in hand and start playing tennis? I would have more chance of hitting an ace on the court than one on a par three. Hmm, probably should. But I know I won’t. Should I give up suburban life, walk away from the news, daily deadlines and live on a mountaintop singing Kum Ba Yah? Tempting for all of about five seconds, so probably not. Change. It can spark the fear of Clive Palmer back in politics in you. But it can be healthy, even when your arm is twisted behind your back and change is forced down your throat. How to change for the better though is the bigger question. Cairns is like any other region (except it’s the best) in that it has a few sacred sub-
jects that whenever they are talked about you can see the Earth shake violently and split apart as if Moses himself had drawn the line in the soil.
Right now our region faces some forks in the road. To build a bridge over the Daintree
River, or not? Douglas Shire Council this week made the ferry free for the next four months for locals to encourage numbers north of the croc river. What a terrific initiative. I love the place and Far Northerners should go every chance they get. The move highlights that for four months of the year numbers drop off.
Should we build a bridge at great expense for eight months of the year?
Thoughts go to those who live there but a big part of the appeal of going to this pristine environment and appeal of the tourism spots there is the ferry.
It’s like stepping into another world. To bitumen the road all the way to
the Tip, or not? The woman standing next to her broken down Toyota Corolla by the side of the viciously corrugated
stretch of the Bamaga Road just south of Bramwell Station would say make it a black top NOW. But this is another debate that pits sensible, although economically challenged, against sentimental. The route and the Tip is a off-roader’s Mecca. For residents it’s a red dust moat.
Priority should be to seal it all the way to Weipa. To close the Esplanade to vehicu
lar traffic, or not? To give you an idea of how divisive our community is on this one you only have to check out the answer in our Cairns Post reader survey. It came down to 52% support, 48% against. This week newcomers and economic heavy-hitters Crystalbrook Collection revealed concepts exclusively to the
Cairns Post of what it might look like. The images were stunning. It’s a great idea but serious thought will have to be given to times, alternative parking, events and outdoor dining options.
We are not Barcelona so the plan for how we use our modest “Las Rambla” will be critical in how this ends.
IT CAN BE HEALTHY, EVEN WHEN YOUR ARM IS TWISTED BEHIND YOUR BACK AND CHANGE IS FORCED DOWN YOUR THROAT. HOW TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER THOUGH IS THE BIGGER QUESTION.