CREB Track

[schane]

Well it has been made official,the Cairns Regional Electrical Board track (CREB) has been decommissioned :( and is no longer useable.The gate on the Daintree side is locked off and at the other end it has been locked off aswell.
Yet to find out if anyone can still get into Roaring Meg Falls from the coast road, but l will be checking this out at easter.

[baby_troupe]

Anyone been in ouch with 4WDQLD to get them on it to see if it can be reopenned?

[New Moderator]

Does anyone know who closed the track?

[Wizard1963]

??? how can they close a track that we've been using since the 70's??????????? Go Figure

Maybe the board was infultrated (spelling) by greenies ::) ::) it's happening all too frequently lately. Either that or it was declared wilderness area in which case they have no choice but to close the track because of stupid greenie driven government policy. An example; we went on a club trip last Sunday to the old Shale mines at Baerami Creek. Not once was 4WD needed to access the place, and once you get 3 kilometres off the road and onto the track, it has been closed because they designated it "wilderness" don't ask me how that works because it's been used for underground mining, there is bits of old machinery everywhere and was used in the 1940's. Anyway, we walked into the mines to have a look and the road could be used by anybody in a family car, you would be lucky to see tyre tracks!! but because they say it's "wilderness" nobody is allowed to use it except for those walking ::) ........... The CREB (possibly), Baerami Creek, plus a multitude of others... where does it end!
Ok i have had my daily vent about greenies and i feel better :)
carry on chaps ;D

[schane]

Ergon Energy said that they no longer use this track and it was closed off by the locals at each end of the track

[slowlux]

i read/heard somewhere/someone that the locals were sick of giving tows/recoveries to users of the Creb track.

you mean we can't blame the greenies?? darn :-\

[slowlux]

haha, i got no idea mate!!

[micka]

Just spoke with a friend of the family who works in the council in Cooktown. She knows nothing of the CREB being closed other than the usual wet season stuff.

My family is going to Cooktown in May so I will get them to ask the locals about it and see if I can find out for sure. It will be a shame if it is closed...more so if it is closed because of stupid drivers doind stupid things.

[Lug]

Details are still sketchy at this time but with the Telstra line now going through the inland road, Telstra have no need to continue maintenance on the track. Gates will be erected at said places that only close off the Daintree section so Roaring Meg is still accessible from the China camp/coast road route.
At this point in time, these gates are only closed when the track is deemd unsafe i.e. rains and they usually wait almost 2 weeks after the last fall to reopen it so it will be shut quite a bit.
There are some communications towers that need to be serviced however so this may meen the track will still be used and maintained. Who is goin to do the maintenance at this stage is uncertain but the track is not yet permanently closed.
The recent wet weather rains have created a number of slides (like all the roads up here) and is impassable at this stage anyway. I'll try to remeber to post any new info as I get it.
Cheers, Mark.

[Jards]

Any further update on the CREB track? I am hoping to do it on the way to the Cape in Jun/July.

Cheers
Jards

[chooka]

Yeah, me too about the same time. I got an email back from these people about a month ago - will keep in touch with them & let you know if any changes
I refer to your enquiry regarding the CREB track from Daintree to Bloomfield
... sorry about the delay in replying to your email ... the track is closed
and locked at either end (possibly permantly). hope this information is of
help.
Thanks
Jackie

Faith Williams - Supervisor
Atherton Tableland Information Centre
PO Box 1335, Atherton 4883
Cnr Main & Silo Roads, Atherton 4883
Phone: 07 4091 4222 & 4091 7394
Fax: 07 4091 5828
Email: infocen@athertonsc.qld.gov.au
Web: www.athertonsc.qld.gov.au

[nqgu]

Does anyone know who administers the track?

[nqgu]

OK well. Ergon administers the track, my info is that it is closed presently due to weather, but all indications are it will close for good.

I will be speaking further to Ergon tomorrow to see what the future holds- maybe the 4wd clubs can keep it open who knows.

Be in touch.

[BRENT]

I WORK FOR ERGON IN SOUTH EAST QLD. DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY THEY CLOSED THE TRACK BUT I DO KNOW THE POWER LINE THAT RAN THROUGH THERE IS NO LONGER USED AND MAY BE REMOVED ALTOGETHER. A HIGH VOLTAGE 132KV LINE I THINK NOW RUNS AROUND THE DAINTREE TO COOKTOWN WHICH PREVIOUSLY ONLY HAD GENERATOR SUPPLY. THE COST OF MAINTAINING THE TRACK AND VEGETATION AROUND THE LINE HAD BECOME TO MUCH. THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING THIS FOR YEARS. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH IT YET AND ACCORDING TO OUR CLEARING CREW IT WILL BE TO OVER GROWN TO GET THROUGH WITHIN A YEAR. HOPE THIS HELPS

[nqgu]

I WORK FOR ERGON IN SOUTH EAST QLD. DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY THEY CLOSED THE TRACK BUT I DO KNOW THE POWER LINE THAT RAN THROUGH THERE IS NO LONGER USED AND MAY BE REMOVED ALTOGETHER. A HIGH VOLTAGE 132KV LINE I THINK NOW RUNS AROUND THE DAINTREE TO COOKTOWN WHICH PREVIOUSLY ONLY HAD GENERATOR SUPPLY. THE COST OF MAINTAINING THE TRACK AND VEGETATION AROUND THE LINE HAD BECOME TO MUCH. THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING THIS FOR YEARS. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH IT YET AND ACCORDING TO OUR CLEARING CREW IT WILL BE TO OVER GROWN TO GET THROUGH WITHIN A YEAR. HOPE THIS HELPS


I used to live in Mossman, and I guessed that was the scenario. At the very least I am hoping the local 4WD clubs can come to some ageement with ERGON. With regular use in the dry and some clearing as you go the track may stay usable for some time. You are right about it growing over in a year- it is amazing how fast these tracks grow over up there.

[Bundy]

Even if there was a fee put in place to use the track and the funds go towards maintaining it I for 1 would pay to do the track as it is a beautiful spot and Roaring meg falls are just spectacular.

[Phat Mav]

Roaring Meg is a great rest stop for lunch and a beer!!!

[nqgu]

It seems the CREB track will close for ever. This icon of the far-north is presently closed and the official word is that it may be kept that way.

Help keep it open. The Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council maintains a list of tracks known as the ANFWDC Track Register, to keep a track open and to include it on the register it needs to satisfy certain criteria. I dont have the document with me now so I can't quote directly but the gist is. The track must satisfy one of four criteria

The track must be an icon of australian history.
The track terrain must be such that it is limited to 4WD vehicle only.
The track must have scenic values
and the fourth one I can't remember, perhaps someone else can.

Please, if you are in a 4WD club, get your commitee to write to ANFWDC an ask that this track be added to the register. If you are not in a club or you want to personally request the track remain open, then go to this website-

http://www.anfwdc.asn.au/exec.htm email the executive an let them know you want the CREB track included, and why ie it is an Australian icon, 4wd only. scenic value etc.

Lets keep this track open.

[tj]

we just did the track a few weeks ago and the farm owner was given permission to close the track because the track goes through his property

[Phat Mav]

A friend of mine just did the track a few weeks ago. Well, tried to do it....they all got stuck and only the Patrol was able to get back out, then tow all the Toyotas out of the axle deep mud... ;)

Patrick

[tj]

i did the track a few weeks ago with 3 toyota landcruisers 100 seires in axle deep mud and we didnt have to winch or tow once!!

[nqgu]

I just did the CREB track last week and it is definitely open. Check with Wet Tropics Manangement Authority PO Box 2050 Cairns or phone 40520555, fax 40311364 prior to travel. There are what appear to be new gates at each end of the Wet Tropics section of the track, I would expect these to be shut at the first forecast of rain and opened only when the track is dry, this is what happens on the Mia Mia Crediton track at Mackay which has similar gates and is similarly trecherous in the wet. When I spoke to DNR re Mia Mia, there main concerns were expense of track repair and loss of life/accident due to wet. It is best to call WTMA anyway, as driving in axle deep mud in World Heritage is not really welcomed by WTMA or subsequent travellers. PS the track is currently very dry and bulldusty on the Northen sections and smooth as a baby's but on the rest, as it was just "graded" by a bulldozer a few dasy prior to our trip.