Paper Petition

Your petitioners therefore request the House to ensure that the support given by the people of the Atherton Tableland and Cairns region is taken into serious consideration. 1. The Rail Branch Line, Millaa Millaa to Tolga is currently under government consideration as a major eco tourism and recreational project as part of a Rails to Trails Project, for bicycle, walking and equestrian access. This project has major financial and employment significance to Far North Queensland and the Atherton Tableland. We ask for your support for the project. 2. EPA recommends that Irwin Road (old railway line) be used primarily as a walking track and native corridor. We ask for your support in retaining the road for public use which would create an environmental buffer zone for watercourses such as Millaa Millaa Falls and offer an environmental protection corridor for rare and endangered flora and fauna, such as the Lunrholtz tree kangaroo. 3. The railway reserve is currently being considered for heritage listing due to it's National and State significance, we ask that all bridges and current remaining infrastructure be retained. 4. We urgently ask that all railway reserve crown lands on the Millaa Millaa to Tolga branch railway line (including Irwin Rd) be preserved from private lease, or from being sold, and that all current impediments be addressed.