12.10.2024 CP00862 - Coondoo St Garden Beds (23)

With Mareeba Shire Council receiving another $200,000 in grant money, after the $150,000 they said they had back in May 2022 (KTIMP) 'disappeared', we are documenting the current poor state of these garden beds so we can see EXACTLY what they do with this money.
These garden beds are some of the first the 100,000's of visitors to Kuranda see upon their arrival in Kuranda and look at them.
All of the fig trees along Coondoo Street are heritage listed and they are all struggling in the relatively tiny 'boxes' that have been put around them. Many of these fig trees also have giant 'weed' umbrella trees and others growing up out of them which need to be removed - along with the singapore daisy. Will these be removed by Council? How much extra stress are these causing the figs? How much nutrients are they consuming?
Each morning a Council employee needs to be responsible for going around and tidying up our garden beds - removing the 'dead wood' and the rubbish that seems to lie around for weeks before being cleared up and taken away.
By the way... the green coloured metal boxes throughout the garden beds in Kuranda used to house 'uplights' that would shine up into the heritage listed fig trees of a night.
They haven't worked for YEARS! Will they be removed when Council finally decides to start this project? We ask that because the previous $150,000 they said they had for this project disappeared never to be seen or heard of again...
As you can see, the bed itself is like all the others - exposed broken sprinkler systems, rock walls that are splitting apart, full of fish ferns, weeds or nothing, with rather old, large trees/plants in the majority of them and unmulched for years in many cases.
A Deed of Agreement with Queensland Government is being developed apparently. Works to commence once the agreement is signed.