JUNGLE DRUM: Councillors... step up, PLEASE

I am not too proud to admit that my mental health has been affected by the 2023 flooding. There were times where I felt overwhelmed, became excessively angry or sad, and of course like many I worried about finances.

And the impact on my daughter. But like the late yachtsman Tony Bullimore, I am mostly fixed because things came good. Insurance paid out. Grants came in. The road opened. Things came back close enough to normal.

Every now and then though, I feel the bile rise. There is still much to do, and save for range repairs, the 'much to do' is largely unrelated to the 2023 flooding.

Noah Bridge:

I have written often of this critical link not only for Cape Tribulation, but the Bloomfield Track and points north. Recently we have been given better information on the challenges, and hopefully as this goes to print we will get another update.

But suffice to say the OLD bridge now needs repair so we can get through the wet season when the temporary crossing washes away daily. No matter how the temporary causeway is built, Council feels it would suffer damage during a big overtopping. And possibly bits of it, if dislodged could further damage the old bridge.

So there will be a closure later this year to repair the old bridge. It is likely that most hire cars and some bus companies will not drive through the river and this will have dire financial consequences for many of us.

THEN, we have to suffer further when the new bridge eventually gets built. I am doing my best to get information, and have suggested that the piles for the new bridge could in fact be built while still using the old bridge. And that 24 hr work would minimise disruption when the piers and deck is laid. Will DSC think outside the box?

Some sections are so long and so heavy that I suspect significant closure of Alexandra Range will be needed for the 50 plus ton combinations with rear steer that will be needed to get the bits here. But can this transport occur at night? Wouldn't you design a bridge north of Alex Range with smaller sections? Not in this shire....

Daintree Ferry:

I don't need to remind anyone how critical this link is. Council have let tenders for an eXtra Wide Body (XWB apologies to Airbus and the A350) Ferry and have approved landside works to support it. Great!

However, many of us were looking forward to seeing an item in the DSC's July meeting where the recommended tender was presented and voted on. Instead, the Councillors got a generic 'update' that looked like it would have got a very high 'cut and paste' score if presented as a Mossman High assignment. In terms of updates, I would give it a 'D'.

At least we are getting updates thanks to Roy Z, and that was a good move, better than his question about depreciation. Oh if only depreciation was on perceived value not what was paid!

So while we have about 2 1/2 years to get this new XWB ferry in the water, and the landside works done, if we keep getting generic updates that time will get eaten up fast. Noah Bridge has meandered on for six years with 'percentage completed' going backwards!I am concerned that any fat we have on the ferry timeline is rapidly disappearing.

If DSC gets this wrong, and the old ferry has to go to Cairns for repair and inspection in March 2028, there is no question a class action will launch, and little doubt that DSC will be wound up by the State. Not something a Councillor would want on their resume?