Thread: Sealing the Cape York Development Road

Originally Posted by Zeros

The unsealed parts of the planet are far more valuable in many ways beyond growth capitalism IMO. ...and more beautiful. It's why I own a Land Rover.

I must say, it's kinda strange hearing pro-bitumen arguments from the Land Rover community.

Cheers

Well, if i think about it, probably less than 1% of new Land Rover purchasers are offroaders, and they are now so expensive, we can expect that a high proportion are business class, who are typically pro development.

Quote: "It's arrogant to say people should just move elsewhere when it's their private land they have been connected to for many generations."

I think its unreasonable for taxpayers, environmentalists and humanitarians to be forced to buy into anything on the basis of 'helping people' any more than what they have already been helped, and are continuing to be helped, especially when doing so will likely only further entrench their dependency and low self esteem, and be the opposite of genuine help to them.

The idea that aborigines are a problem that white man is responsible for fixing is ridiculous and doesnt help aborigines.

I have lived in small rural communities and in my experience the biggest problem is the culture. Its hard to fix cultures that dont want to be fixed. A solution can be to break it up, by the people being absorbed into the next biggest town or city, or where training and work opportunities are.

People
The road being discussed is not wilderness
It is a highway to a resource zone
This decision has nothing to do with community access although that will be improved. It is simply about increasing mining activity in the western cape over and above Rios massive existing operations. Amrun will almost double Weipas bauxite production with potential to triple it.....

About Amrun - Rio Tinto

This is a
1.9 billion USD project that will contribute 1.3 billion AUD per annum to the Aussie economy

The roads that lead to all the beautiful places will still be dirt
Just the big wide dusty accident riddled Track is getting blacked

Like it or not but it takes an awful lot of half strength soy lattes to generate
$1.3B of ongoing economic activity

In light of above $200m is reasonable investment by gov
And quite likely will improve the environment with less run off , less ongoing gravel pit creation,
Less dust getting in the possums eyes....

S

Yes, it's not about Aborigines, so I don't know why people have gone off on that tangent.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I strongly support moves to seal the development road and improve access.
It could really improve the lives of residents in many ways. For example, food prices are excessive because so much comes in by boat, but if food was moving by road the prices would be a lot lower. Improving road access could also create a lot of jobs from tourism. Mobile phone towers up the road could also make it much safer.
I know people say the character of the Cape might be lost, but really there will still be plenty of other unsealed roads, including the Tele Track, for 4WDrivers to enjoy.
As for the cost, we wasted $100 million on the same-sex marriage survey to tell us what we already knew, so $200m for the development road sounds like money well spent to me.
So, get sealing, I say.
What do you think?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Yes, it's not about Aborigines, so I don't know why people have gone off on that tangent.

Because you lead them up that track.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Yes, it's not about Aborigines, so I don't know why people have gone off on that tangent.

Well that's true Mick...as usual, Aboriginal people are left out in the cold. Sure a sealed road might make life easier in one way, but at what cost? (and I'm not talking about the construction cost). The road certainly isn't about Aboriginal people! Short memories forget that the Land has been stolen from them. How much of that $1.3 billion per annum - ripped from their land - will go to locals ...both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal? Most of that so called benefit to the Aussie economy will go to the wealthy who live elsewhere. There's not even a decent mining tax to ensure the 'wealth' is shared.

Its not a tangent man. It's real and it's wrong.

Road to Lake Eyre has steadily seen more and more bitumenised sections over the years.
I visit the place at irregular intervals, without fail.

Hard to notice it, other than a feeling of something has changed from the last time I was up there.
So much nicer than being forced to drive on a badly chopped out gravel road.

One thing I hadn't noticed on the two occasions I'd been up there last, was the lack of rampant, uncontrolled, mass consumerism happening at places like Marree. Didn't notice any new super-shopping mall when I was up there a couple of years ago. And in the few hours(6 or so) I had at Lk Eyre south I noticed only one small group of travellers pull up at the car park area. Can't remember too many vehicles passing either way either .. so the place hasn't turned to crap due to masses of mindless idiots flooding the area all of a sudden

Note to self: need to get me and my D1 up there soon too.

Same with the Flinders area Blinman to Hawker.
Can't remember the time I did that track before the last, but it was gravel all the way. Not bad, probably graded just before, but couldn't help thinking for a 'transport' section of a tourist destination, made no sense to keep it gravel and the ongoing cost of regular grading it.
Couple of years back it was good to see it sealed all the way.
Didn't make it any less 'adventurous' than when it was gravel.. just made a transport section(that that section of road you NEED to traverse to get to an interesting spot), less of a bother.