Bourke Shire Council Village & Community tours — Roads and tourism are concerns in the bush

Bourke Shire Council’s new General Manager Mark Riley at the Wanaaring Community Hall with l-r: Betty Taylor, Debbie Myors, Jane Oram, Tom Taylor, Garry Heffernan, Bourke Mayor Barry Hollman and Patrick Taylor. Photo TWH

People in outlying areas of the Bourke Shire have had their say this year about Bourke Council’s budget and activities for the coming year.

And the message at Louth and Wanaaring is all about roads, road closure, levee banks and improvements to village facilities.

In both villages last week, councillors and senior council staff met with residents on their own turf , gave a presentation on current and future works, and fielded comments from locals.

In Louth, long-term local resident Garry Mooring said that local people were very proud of their community.

“All of us, including council, have to work together with council to make thing happen,” Mr Mooring said.

“We also need to capitalise on tourism, so we need a good road maintenance plan – our roads are often too rough during the tourist season and tourists avoid parts of the shire that would otherwise be attractive.

“Council also takes too long in reopening roads after rain,” Mr Mooring said, “sometimes a road will be closed for three to four days when the road is useable after one or two days.”

“We need to get onto opening roads more quickly to cater for our visitors,” he said.

In Wanaaring there were plenty of compliments about progress on the Bourke to Wanaaring road project.

At a lunch before the meeting local residents smiled and told councillors that they could keep on rolling out the bitumen until it reached Wanaaring.

At the Wanaaring meeting, much of the discussion centred on the recently built levee bank on the eastern approach to the town.

Garry Heffernan of Ularara Station told council that tourists might be put off by the appearance of the levee.

Another local resident Debbie Myors of Ourimbah Station, congratulated council on the Wanaaring Road project, but said that the extent of the levee was unnecessary as it would not prevent a flood anyway.

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