Going to the Dogs!
Sue Brooks July 30th, 2011
It is very important to all our beach walkers, to have a quick look at the proposed changes for dog walking areas throughout the Fraser Coast. These areas are being updated and administered as part of the new Local Laws process and feedback is being requested up to Aug 15th. Here is the link to the information on the Council web site. http://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/web/guest/proposed-dog-off-leash-areas
Annoyingly the area at Tooan Tooan Creek East of Main St and opposite Apex Park in Hervey Bay seems to have been missed out on remaining as an off lead area. Firstly my apologies as I didn’t realise this had been changed via staff processes prior to the recent Council Meeting or I would have enquired as to the need for change at that time. I understand many people do use this are as an off lead beach and it is well suited to that purpose. It is away from the more frequented bathing beaches and not the best place to swim seeing as the creek is more a drain than a creek these days! I will be asking that this small area be returned to off leash status. In other areas dogs are totally banned or allowed on leash and then we have some other areas where dogs are on leash during the day and allowed off leash from 4pm to 8am. I understand that it will be difficult to suit everyone but I hope that most of these changes do suit the majority of our beach users.
But it is also important to take the time to ask questions or read through the new drafts of these Local Laws as they are difficult to change once in place. I am still hopeful that the Fraser Coast will mandate cat desexing. Wouldn’t it be exciting to be the first Council in Queensland to do this? I suggest that cats are not allowed to change ownership (sold or given away) unless desexed or booked in to be desexed, with the only exception being breeders. Breeding would then have added value and we would greatly reduce the number of unwanted and gone feral cats and kittens in our region. Now is the time to be heard if you agree with me as there is nothing yet added to the Laws about this and only a very, very strong public voice will see it happen.
On a personal note we visited Mission Beach for a very short break last weekend. It was terrible to see the damage that Cyclone Yasi had wrought with hardly one tall old tree left standing for kilometres and kilometres. Instead of a green shady forest and foreshore that I remember so fondly, there is sunshine and palm trees. Yes palm trees survived the best which is another good reason why they should be included in all foreshore plantings. Graham and I took two lovely morning nature walks through the national Forest Parks and we were ever so lucky to come face to face with a juvenile Cassowary. It wouldn’t budge off the track and we didn’t want to go back the way we came so we bravely crept forward until ‘Cassie’ decided to detour off the track for us. It was an encounter I won’t forget and you can see photos on my facebook page. The other interesting thing is that human feeding of Cassowaries is causing the same problems for their survival and threat to human safety as is human feeding of dingoes on Fraser Island. Also I was pleased to note the big red signs that the Cassowary Council has erected to deter foreshore vandalism. Like our big blue sign at Pialba. We are ever so lucky to have survived the summer so well and the Fraser Coast is faring no worse than Nth Queensland in terms of a sad economy so let us be glad we live here and keep helping to make our region the best region in Queensland.
Yesterday I drove to Walkabout Creek at Mt Nebo to attend the 40th Birthday FIDO conference. The Save Fraser Island Defenders Organisation has been around for 40 years now and John Sinclair is still fighting to proect the island. Kate Jones made a quick apperance as this is her electorate, and she sounds as positive as ever and is also personally concerned about environmental protection as we mine more and grow more houses etc. The conference was worthwhile but the drive there and back tiring and frustrating. As readers may be aware I don’t tend to drive slowly and being made to travel at 90kmh for many kilometres with little chance to overtake can be frustrating when one is stuck behind someone doing 75kmh! Patience is something I am developing much more of as I age but it was sorely tested yesterday….. But now there are big flashing signs telling you YOU ARE TAILGATING – BACK OFF NOW (this just 500m from the first overtaking lane with me and another car waiting to get past the 75kmh traveller), and YOU ARE SPEEDING – SLOW DOWN! (this when I just couldn’t stick to 90 and accidentally crept up a bit….oops). So watch out as there are many electronic eyes on that dangerous stretch of undivided highway…. But earlier we all crawled along for 5kms or so to pass an accident at the Bribie exit. It looked nasty with ambulances etc there and was an excellent reminder of how careful we have to be while driving.
Take care, keep safe and try to find the time to take a look at all things Council and Have Your Say. Cheers, Sue