Fifty-five submissions have been received on Queensland’s proposed Flinders Karawatha Green Corridor, a 60km tract of bushland running from Karawatha in Brisbane's south to Flinders Peak south of Ipswich and on to the Wyaralong Dam.

 

The corridor is the largest remaining unprotected tract of open eucalypt bushland in South East Queensland and is home to a number of endangered flora and fauna species including the powerful owl, brush tailed rock wallaby, koala, wallum froglet and Lloyd’s native olive—one of the rarest plants in Queensland.

 

Natural Resources Minister Rachel Nolan said the submissions covered a range of interests and issues.

 

“Submissions were received from a range of stakeholders, including Logan and Ipswich City Councils, local landholders and environment groups. Some submitters wanted the corridor to go further, stretching all the way to Moreton Bay and the New South Wales border. Others held concerns in the mistaken belief that gazettal of the corridor took away existing development rights,” Ms Nolan said.

 

 “There were also a range of views on recreational uses of the area - with submitters arguing variously for mountain bikers and trail bikers to have both more and less access to the area.

 

“Those issues are expected to be resolved in later stages of the project once preservation has been ensured.”

 

An overview of submissions will be available on the DERM website by January 13.

 

Formal designation of the corridor will occur after submissions have been considered early next year.