Tension over site’s closure
POPULAR Cairns campground Greenpatch had its gates unhinged and broken on Australia Day.
Gordonvale resident Tony Gibbs said he saw someone with what appeared to be an angle grinder breaking down the barrier.
“People are angry, there’s so much anger in this town,” he said.
Cairns Regional Council now manages the grounds after it was revamped from an “illegal camping ground” to an established site.
The council shut the gate to the campground in November, with plans to reopen at the end of May.
A council spokesperson said: “The Greenpatch campground, which is on the Mulgrave River flood plain and prone to flash flooding, has been closed since late December and is expected to remain closed for the remainder of the wet season.”
Some Gordonvale locals have been peacefully protesting its closure and flyers have been put up around the area voicing concerns.
“Every morning, the council people take it down,” Mr Gibbs said.
Now, in the place of these broken gates, stand four large boulders positioned by the council to keep people out.
“Council officers installed an interim barrier quickly to prevent vehicle access to the area while the gates are replaced,” the council spokesperson said.
“The fabrication and installation of new gates has been prioritised.”
Mr Gibbs said the Mulgrave River was home to the Yidinji people, who used the place to fish, eat and camp.
The space underneath Carl Wordsworth Bridge was used as a popular camping ground for the Yidinji, who would gather with their children and elders by the river.
“They’ve been shut out,” Mr Gibbs said. “They can’t be dictated (to) by the council, it’s their river, it’s theirs.”
Division 1 Councillor Brett
Moller said “the traditional owners of the land of Gordonvale and its surrounds were heavily involved in the design of the walking trail”.
“People can still walk down to the river to fish,” he said.
“You only have to look out the window to know why camping isn’t permitted for safety reasons.”
Mr Gibbs argues the council obtaining the once-public land and its closure contradicts the message displayed at the site.
The sign erected at the grounds displays the words:
“We must always remember that under the concrete and asphalt this land is, was and always will be traditional Aboriginal land.”