More than 100 tonnes of mud has been removed from Queens Park as part of a mammoth flood recovery effort by Bundaberg Regional Council.
The popular green space, situated at Hope Street along the Burnett River, has reopened to the public after suffering major damage during the March weather event.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said the recovery operation had been one of the largest clean-up efforts undertaken across the region’s parklands in recent years.
“Our crews were faced with a huge clean-up that included the removal of large amounts of thick silt that had washed into Queens Park, damaging trees, barbecues, shelters, pathways and more,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“Up to 10 Council crews worked over six weeks to ensure this park, and many others that suffered the same sort of damage, were restored as quickly and safely as possible for the community to enjoy again.
“We thank these staff for their tremendous efforts and we are happy to announce that the area is back to its beautiful best.”
One organisation that has been eagerly awaiting the Queens Park reopening is the Bundaberg parkrun group.
Members have been using the area since 2017 and Co-Event Director Therese Ryan said participants loved the green space, shady stretches and river views that Queens Park offered.
“The Bundaberg parkrun community is very, very excited to be able to return to our weekly event after nine weeks,” she said.
“The volume of debris, mud and silt following the flooding was extensive and we thank staff for their hard work in getting Queens Park open for business again and for their responsiveness to our requests.
“We are also grateful to the parkrun teams at Elliott Heads Beach and Bargara for hosting our participants during this time.”
Find out more about Bundaberg parkrun here.
Queens Park
Bundaberg’s original Botanic Gardens site, Queens Park boasts 2.5 kilometres of pathways and many beautiful which remain representative of the original rainforest vegetation.
Over 100 rainforest species have been identified in the park.
Entry to the park is via Hope Street adjacent to the Mater Hospital.
To learn more about the history of Queens Park, click here.
