General News
11 November, 2025
Clash over ‘rogue’ causeway
A CONCRETE causeway under construction across a popular public swimming hole in Julatten is under investigation by Mareeba Shire Council.
A local resident who contacted The Express newspaper last week said he had been swimming at the Churchill Creek swimming hole for over 30 years and noticed the works over a week ago.
“Because the location is along a council gazetted road, I contacted MSC last Friday to enquire about the construction,” he said.
They had confirmed it was not associated with council.
“This appears to be an unauthorised, renegade, major alteration to a popular public swimming hole. It looks like major in-creek works are ready to begin any day, so there is a sense of urgency within the community.
The area was a popular local swimming hole on public land, he continued.
“On a hot day, you can find dozens of cars parked all around, full of people enjoying the lush rainforest stream.”
He and other locals were concerned about the lack of workplace signage, the lack of information about design, planning or approved engineering, and environmental and safety considerations.
“This includes safety considerations both during construction, and in terms of long-term structural integrity - the creek floods several times a year,” he said.
The local also noted a bridge just downstream on Mt Lewis Road washed away during Cyclone Jasper.
“The replacement bridge was carefully engineered, whereas this causeway seems to be a slapdash backyard blitz that may not hold up during the floods,” he said.
When contacted by The Express newspaper last Thursday, a council spokesperson said the matter was “currently under investigation” and council was unable to comment further.
According to many remarks on social media last week, it was understood that Cr Nipper Brown was planning to visit the area on Friday, 7 November. However, no further details were confirmed.
In the meantime, speculation on who was doing the work, and the effects it would have on the waterway, was running hot.
One commentator warned that the workers carrying out the concreting and other preparations were aggressive and had told people to leave.
“Say goodbye to the last natural rainforest creek pool in Julatten (Churchill). We’ve lived here 40 years, and I have never been told to leave and ‘what am I doing there’. Work has begun on bridge. I encourage all locals to go down on mass (sic) and take lots of photos - Not pleasant workers down there - beware!”
Another comment questioned the liability of whoever was undertaking the works, if it turned into a “s... show”.
And another pointed to the works interfering with the creek’s water flows, which could cause long-term changes to the area, as well as to wildlife ecosystems.
A rocky causeway had “been there for decades”, according to the local resident, and it provided access to private property owners.
“While I imagine those on the other side of the creek are inconvenienced by floods multiple times a year, the condition of the road was obvious when they all chose to purchase their property,” he said.
The creek has reportedly been at the centre of previous public clashes, with a roadblock established, and a gate and fencing erected some years back. Both had been removed.
This time, from the photos provided to The Express, the work includes hardened concrete ballards and concrete approaches, and was being built on what, according to imagery from Queensland Globe, is along a public creek intersecting with a council-gazetted road.
On Monday, in response to the social media outcry, a post explained what was being carried out, and that the “blocks of cement replace the rocks that had to be poured on the crossway every year. Unlike the rocks, these blocks will hold better and will make the crossing easier without the need to pollute the waters, and they will NOT change the course of the creek.”
