In an interview with Cr John Brent recently, the Mayor told the Daily Star that Gallery Walk was unlikely to get the planned car park any time soon.
He also indicated that the by-pass road that many residents and business owners have been hoping for is also unlikely.
There are no pedestrian crossings, so crossing the road can mean taking your life into your own hands
Cr Brent said in a telephone interview, “Tamborine Mountain says it does not want to expand. Why would the State Government and the local council give precious capital works funding to a place that does not want to grow. It just makes no sense and I don’t see it happening.”
It seems that Tamborine Mountain residents simply have to recognize that they are not high on the priority list as far as the Scenic Rim Regional Council is concerned.
“We have many fine tourist attractions in the Scenic Rim area,” said Council CEO Craig Barke, “Tamborine Mountain is just one of them.”
Beaudesert and Boonah both have arts complexes which each get some 15,000 visitors per year. Operating cost are around 1 million dollars but with only 10% of that recovered in sales.
Meanwhile, Tamborine Mountain - the centre of tourism in the Scenic Rim - makes do with a shambolic collection of facilities with no central focus.
"We have many fine tourist attractions in the Scenic Rim area,” said Council CEO Craig Barke, “Tamborine Mountain is just one of them."
“Tamborine Mountain contributes over 24% of the rates paid to the Scenic Rim Council,” said a clearly irritated local Councillor Derek Swanborough, “We get back a little under 5% by way of infrastructure and recurrent spending.
"Tamborine Mountain ratepayers are being used as a revenue source by this council and there is little or no re-investment into facilities that will allow Tamborine Mountain to retain its rural character and yet have decent facilities for the community, tourism and the arts.”
Tamborine Mountain contributes over 24% of the rates and we get back a little under 5%
A recent report estimated that Tamborine Mountain has over 1.3 million visitors per year from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Internationally.
One local business owner said, “Who ever heard of an international visitor wanting to go to Beaudesert or Boonah to look at Australian Arts and Artists. But they do come to Tamborine Mountain in great numbers.”
While the local arts communities in Boonah and Beaudesert are very active, Tamborine Mountain is in a unique geographic position for attracting tourism.
The Mountain is just a short car trip away from the international tourist regions of the Gold Coast and Brisbane. It has a long and proud history of tourism since it was first settled at the turn of the twentieth century when a number of iconic guesthouses including St Bernard’s, Capo di Monte and Bungunyah first opened their doors.
Lord Lamington, the eighth governor of Queensland, was one of the first to stay on Tamborine Mountain at Capo di Monte.
The history and culture of Tamborine Mountain has been carefully preserved. A strong minded group of people interested in conservation and community have always lived on Tamborine Mountain.
The first National Park in Queensland is on Tamborine Mountain and was gazetted only after intense lobbying from Tamborine Mountain residents. There are now six unique sections of the national park within minutes of Gallery Walk; as well as one of the finest Historical Centres in the State on Wongawallan Road.
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| Many tourists circle Gallery Walk several times and just give up and drive away |
The local Progress Association has often been seen as an irritant by bureaucrats, including the current Scenic Rim Council.
The Scenic Rim Council has been advised by its administrative staff to seek court costs against the local Progress Association for daring to oppose one of the Council's many "accident-prone" planning decisions.
Majority of Councillors and Council executive staff seem hell bent on destroying this 95 year old association of Tamborine Mountain ratepayers, which has a proud history of achievement for the local community. The Progress Association funded and constructed the first road up Tamborine Mountain and successfully lobbied for schools on the Mountain.
Tamborine Mountain is not to get tourist parking near Gallery Walk any time soon and it seems, a Gallery Walk by-pass road is just a pipe dream as far as the Mayor is concerned
The Progress Association also spun off special interest groups that formed the Zamia Theatre, the Botanic Gardens and the half century old - and still highly independent - Tamborine Mountain News.
This Progress Association will be bankrupted by the court costs if the Council is allowed to pursue those costs. This is widely seen as a means of crushing opposition to the Council's development decisions.
“The Council milks us for rates and then spends the money elsewhere, leaving the residents to largely fund things like the Botanic Gardens, Landcare and the Rural Fire Brigade,” said Cr Swanborough.
"Council seems to think that because we received a $3.6 million dollar grant for the Sports oval that we don’t deserve much more. They forget that the Tamborine Mountain Sports Association worked hard for this project, demonstrated initiative, put together the application and the necessary studies including planning applications, did the lobbying, secured the Federal funding and then carried out the work on time and within Budget," said Cr Swanborough.
And now we discover that Tamborine Mountain is not to get tourist parking near Gallery Walk any time soon if the Mayor’s outburst to the Daily Star is to be believed. And it seems, a Gallery Walk by-pass road is just a pipe dream as far as the Mayor is concerned.