Australia: Riverbank Restoration to Bring Benefits for Bundaberg

Riverbank Restoration to Bring Benefits for Bundaberg

The Queensland Government will fast-track additional funding this financial year to transform an area of Bundaberg’s flood damaged riverbank near the CBD into public parkland.

Community Recovery and Resilience Minister David Crisafulli said the $2.4 million upgrade of the sinkhole at the site of the former Midtown Marina was a daily reminder of the 2013 flood to every person who wanted a riverside stroll.

Repairing this walkway is a vital step in Bundaberg’s recovery,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“I know the difference the Strand makes in Townsville, the Riverwalk in Brisbane, the Esplanade in Cairns, and this promenade is just as important.”

The Midtown Marina made statewide news during the 2013 floods when a gaping hole formed on the banks of the Burnett River in late February, threatening shops and other infrastructure.

Pushing for the site’s repair is part of the Newman Government’s election promise to deliver stronger infrastructure.

Mr Crisafulli said the $2.4 million repair work would involve building a 77-metre-long steel sheet-pile retaining wall, with interlocking sections to maximise its strength to withstand future floodwaters, then backfilling the hole to reclaim the riverbank.

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Press Release, March 27, 2014