Cairns Regional Council to review natural areas to improve safety

Following several recent tragic incidents, Cairns Regional Council is undertaking an audit and review of natural areas and waterways in its area to identity potential ways to improve safety.

The audit and review will be included as a component of the Aquatic Strategy that will be presented to Council at a workshop in mid-2024.

The tragic incidents resulting in death occurred recently at local waterways, including at Isabella Falls in December 2023 and on 7th April 2024, and at Crystal Cascades on 10th March 2024.

Council’s audit, which will include Crustal Cascades and Isabella Falls, will reference learnings from a comprehensive review of safety at The Boulders, Babinda, in 2022, which was adopted by Council in January 2023.

In the interim, Council will actively monitor these sites and undertaking necessary actions where possible to improve public safety.

The audit and review will involve:

• Site identification and inspections

• Identification and assessment of current risks at each site and severity

• Investigation of potential mitigation and/or control measures for each risk at each site

• Outline of the residual risks if control measures were implemented

• Details of costs associated with proposed control and mitigation measures

• Detailing an inspection regime for each site

• Identify necessary considerations and requirements for seasonal closures if applicable, and

• Establishing an assessment framework for sites across Council where safety may be an issue.

Image: Cairns Crystal Cascades Credit: Tourism Tropical North Queensland