Bunya Avenue Improvement Project

Over the past 2 decades, the visitor numbers to the Bunya Mountains has been steadily growing.
Whilst there was a very quiet period during the Covid lockdown in 2019, immediately the lockdown was lifted within Queensland, the visitor numbers rapidly increased as Queenslanders took holidays
in their own state. Regardless of which direction you come from to visit the Bunya Mountains, the only way to access the 2 housing estates, Bunya Mountains Titles Estate and Rainforest Estate, the
Accommodation Centre and Poppies Café and the Bunyas Shop, Café and Bistro, is via our narrow “main street” of Bunya Mountains Village, which is Bunya Avenue. It is essentially a shared zone
with cars, trucks, bikes, motor bikes, pedestrians, the Horse and Carriage and wallabies all use Bunya Avenue. The road edges were overgrown and stinging nettle was prevalent, so pedestrians generally
walked down the middle of the road, creating some near misses (although wallabies sometimes lose out -even bicycles have been know to collide with wallabies on Bunya Avenue).
Whilst the unkempt and disrepair state of Bunya Avenue had been raised on many occasions in the past with the South Burnett Regional Council (SBRC), very little had been done to improve the
situation. In mid 2019 the Bunya Mountains Community Association Inc (BMCAI) again raised the issue with the SBRC and sought a Council delegation to visit the site and closely examine the issues.
This began the process of the development of the Concept Plan for the Bunya Avenue Improvement Project. Community members were invited to provide input into the Plan.
By December 2019, the Infrastructure Team, SBRC, developed the Draft Concept Plan, which was provided to local businesses on Bunya Avenue and the BMCAI. The draft Plan was divided into 5
stages so that it could be progressed as funds become available.
In early 2020 SBRC resurfaced Bunya Avenue, did a traffic and speed assessment to explore options to address the traffic management of cars and pedestrians, and commenced designing footpath
options and parking configurations.. By mid 2020, SBRC had approved the Concept Plan and surveyors then commenced work on Bunya Avenue to progress this project. Cr Gavin Jones, SBRC,
advised that the Council has available $100,000 for commencement of the Project in the new financial year, hoping to have the work completed by Christmas 2020.
At the time of preparing this report, February 2021, Stage 1 of the Bunya Avenue Improvement Project was complete. Bunya Avenue has a marked pedestrian walkway for the entire length of
Bunya Avenue to help keep local and visitor pedestrians safe, a new carpark, a hitching rail for the horse and carriage and the 3 new seats installed. The Heritage Garden seats were provided by
BMCAI, with funding from Stanwell/ Tarong and installed by SBRC as part of the footpath development.
Stage 2 and 3 of this Project will include installing a pipe and covering the drain on the footpath outside where the bird feeding area is at the Bunyas and upgrading that section of the original
carpark. Stages 2 and 3 will be put forward as part of SBRC budget bids for the next financial year 2021/22 projects.
The final stage, which is the rectification for improvements in traffic flow at the corner of Bunya Mts Road and Bunya Avenue, is reliant upon Department of Transport and Main Roads, so may take longer.