An opening ceremony for a 110-metre section of the Cooktown Rail Trail boardwalk meant to be held on 30 May was cancelled after the area was closed by Cook Shire Council amid public safety concerns. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
An opening ceremony for the first stage of the Cooktown Rail Trail project has been postponed after Cook Shire Council closed off the site due to public safety concerns.
The opening had been scheduled for 30 May, however, on Thursday afternoon, the council announced it had “temporarily closed access to the new boardwalk along the rail trail in the interest of public safety, as the structure has not yet received final building certification”.
It is understood a group of people, including representatives of the project group and community members, still accessed the area to inspect the boardwalk, despite the council closure.
This project is a community-led initiative on council-managed land, with funding and delivery made possible by Gungarde Community Centre Aboriginal Corporation after South Cape York Catchments made a development application in 2024 for the 110-metre boardwalk at the racecourse end of the trail.
In a social media post on Friday morning, chief executive officer Brian Joiner explained why the action had been taken, and that the council had not been consulted about the planned unveiling.
“The opening date was announced without prior consultation with council, and before a formal inspection had been requested,” the post reads.
“Once we became aware of the proposed opening through social media, council acted quickly to support the process by arranging for an independent building inspector to assess the structure.
“Unfortunately, a number of non-compliances were identified that need to be resolved before the boardwalk can be safely opened; council is now working with the project’s delivery partner … to rectify these issues and ensure the boardwalk meets all required standards.
“Council remains committed to supporting the completion of this community-driven project and ensuring it is delivered safely and in line with all required building and environmental approvals, just as we would for any other development on public land.”
It is unclear when the postponed opening ceremony will now be held.
Members of the group behind the project did not respond to requests for comment from Cape York Weekly.
