Kuranda facelift in plan

KURANDA is set for a revamp, with Mareeba Shire Council submitting the Kuranda Infrastructure Agreement (KIA) to the state government for approval.

It is funded with a $500,000 contribution from the state government-owned Kuranda Scenic Rail.

The Kuranda Township Infrastructure Master Plan presented at a council meeting on May 18 identified key projects to 2031. These include a $300,000 upgrade to Anzac Park for 2022-23 and $500,000 has been allocated to upgrade Centenary Park.

An upgrade of planter boxes and garden bed planting worth $150,000 will be completed within the next 18 months.

The Coondoo St refurbishment was a $1.5m project that has been slashed to $750,000.

It will involve a basic renewal of road seal, footpaths and lighting and will be complete by 2023. Mareeba Shire Mayor Angela Toppin said infrastructure in Kuranda was of critical importance to the success of the village as a tourist destination and had supported an industry which was booming pre-Covid.

She explained that the KIA had served as the means for major infrastructure upgrades which would have been outside the financial capacity of ratepayers but which were necessary to provide a quality tourism experience, funding more than $16.6m in projects since 1995.

The Kuranda Infrastructure Program annual report for 2020-21 showed $2.6m was spent on the Barron Falls walking track, $550,000 on rehabilitation of the Jungle Walk and Jumrum Creek walking tracks and $250,000 on Wayfinder signage.

At its peak the KIA operated with a $1m budget, but Skyrail has opted not to renew its $500,000 commitment. Skyrail was heavily impacted by the Covid downturn, drastically reducing its hours of operation.

“Unfortunately, the Kuranda Infrastructure Agreement was revised in 2021 with the financial contribution from Skyrail no longer to be received,” Ms Toppin said.

“This has resulted in a significant reduction in the Kuranda Infrastructure Agreement funding, which necessitated a review of future infrastructure project planning.” Skyrail general manager Richard BermanHardman declined to comment.

The report said council was spending $90,000 annually on the Kuranda community precinct, stating “there is some divisiveness within the Kuranda community around the perception that Kuranda is all about tourism and the focus is on tourists and visitors and not the local community and that all funding is directed towards tourism”.