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.