“The long march through the institutions …” – Rudi Dutschke
Brisbane City Council has stuffed up again. I don’t mean BCC workers, nor the people in the BCC call centre, I mean the politicians on council, the LNP mayor and his lib/lab cronies in the business of taking Meanjin, a city of creeks and flooding rain to a far off Olympic dream. You see, I have this romantic notion that you don’t waste what you’ve got.
This time it’s the redevelopment of the Kingfisher Creek near the Gabba where council is going to permit government to tear down the local school and build a giant stadium for the Olympics. The specific area I’m talking about is Moorhen Flats which runs along Kingfisher Creek. Council has asked the Wolter surveyors group to map an area slated for redevelopment. The survey includes trees bikeways, pedestrian pathways but they’ve left out the most important part: where all of these converge together near the bridge over Kingfisher Creek at the Deshon and Turbo Drive.
The Wolter surveyor showed me his map. Council planners had marked the area that they wanted surveyed. This means mapping where the existing paths are, where every single tree more than a few centimetres wide is, and all of the topographical features of the area. “The area to be surveyed” he said, “are within the red lines; but look where they intend to place the converging paths … they are outside the surveyed area!” On the edge of the surveyed area, or just beyond it is an embankment. “What are they going to do?” I asked. “Will they excavate the embankment to allow the double lane bikeway to go through?” The surveyor shrugged his shoulders in disbelief that council planners had not told him about this. He said he had no idea what they were planning. I replied that I had read all the material and they have laid it all out already before they even have adequate information about the topography or what affect it’s gonna have.
We’re talking about a flood plain, nobody here ever really wanted this scrub much, back in the day. All industry wanted was a drain hole for their toxic wastes. Homeless people use it, yeah … and every Sunday petrol heads line Turbo Drive, Coorparoo to cheer their classic cars as they race off down the Deshon to the amusement of the heavy police presence. I kid you not.
This is pretty critical stuff, I’m talking about Moorehen Flats not those relics of a carbon age and their turbocharged jalopies.
In another couple of months during the rainy season this could all be underwater. It reminds me of the time where Redlands Council gave approval for people to build underwater on Russell Island. There’s a lot at stake here, heaps of businesses along that creek and if they get it wrong, they could be all be inundated by next Christmas. Don’t believe me. Look at the the plan. Contractors are just going to lay a whole lot of concrete that’s going to increase water run-off when it teems down raining.
Just look what Brisbane City Council did to Kedron Brook on the northside – not that I go over there much – That was a shemozzle for years. They’re gonna do the same on myside, the southside, darkside.
The only politician who has spoken out against the redevelopment of Kingfisher Creek is Jonathan Sriranganathan. He used to be the councillor for the Gabba and was the only one who stood up to the bastards. He’s now running for mayor. Sure as hell, all his young army will be out there door knocking come Christmas time, trying to have residents see reason and reject their elitist Olympic dream model of Brissie. I can hear the kookaburras laughing along the creek at man’s inhumanity to man and egging on this young firebrand who, at least, is highly visible, never takes a step backwards, not like this bunch of crooks that are running City Hall. Watch out, would not want to be on the wrong side of history, would you?
Have a word with the two young surveyors down there at the creek and tell them what you think. They are down at Lerna Street right now, pity the council can’t learn!
I ride through Moorhen Flats along Kingfisher Creek every day of the week. I go this way because of the forest, its quiet beauty and because there are some favourite birds that I see there every day. There is a particular magpie lark who always gives me a welcome song as I enter the flats. It knows me so well it barely gets out of my way. My partner goes to a bone clinic on the other side of the creek. We are local, living on the edge of Coorparoo. I never have any problem passing pedestrians; as a rule people are very courteous. People tend to go through there in small groups: mums pushing prams, dad’s taking kids through on bikes, partners just walking together with their dogs.
But I couldn’t stand the bustle of even a quiet city street
I’ll stay in the scrub here where my heart really beats
For some dogs grow too old for change. – Kev Carmody
The forest provides refuge for humans and other creatures from the nearby semi-industrial area along the Deshon. Fifty (50) years ago I used to drive a taxi picked up from nearby Lotus Street headquarters of Yellow Cabs. After a 13 hour-shift, exhausted, it would’ve been nice to have been able to walk through the park and forest after work.
I never ride along the Deshon, its too dangerous. Shopkeepers along the Deshon say that there are a lot of near miss crashes there. I have heard them myself. Plus it gets messy for a bike rider when you arrive at Logan Road because there are three lanes and a four-way intersection only a few hundred metres up the road going into Balaclava Street.
That is not to say that Moorhen flats does not have a reputation. As with most parks in secluded areas homeless people have been driven there by the cruel state of Australian public housing. I suspect too there are many varied liaisons in that forest. Whenever it is dark, I merely turn on the lights on the bike. In the past 10 years I can’t remember a time when I have had a near miss. Mind you, I do think that the existing path could be renovated. I recommend ‘deco’ rather than concrete because concrete moves and causes unwelcome cracks when tree roots grow.
Kids sometimes fish at the other end, near the bridge at Lerna Street which has recently been upgraded (a good thing). The local wildlife group has been planting lots of trees along the pathway which is a bit tired and a bit lumpy. I see no reason to create another pathway thereby cutting a swathe through the forest. This is a flood plain after all. Much of the good work of the local bushcare group would probably be lost in the mayhem of constructing the wider bikeway envisaged in the plan below. There are just some places which are better off left alone.
An especial thanks to Jonathan Sriranganathan for bringing this to our attention through his regular Facebook updates. Jonno is running for mayor next year and he has the endorsement of Workers BushTelegraph, for what it is worth (he may not want it, I don’t think he needs it from this little website). Part of the reason are excellent videos he sends out to residents about projects that affect us all.
Ian Curr
8 September 2023 (updated 4 Oct).