Official opening of Mt Garnet SES Shed and Visitor Information Centre

(from left) Cr Shaaron Linwood, Mayor Tom Gilmore, Kuranda SES acting group leader Carol Day, Emergency Queensland Regional Director Wayne Coutts and Heberton SES member Ivan Alison

(from left) Cr Shaaron Linwood, Mayor Tom Gilmore, Kuranda SES acting group leader Carol Day, Emergency Queensland Regional Director Wayne Coutts and Heberton SES member Ivan Alison

Tablelands Mayor Tom Gilmore has officially opened the new SES Shed and Visitor Information Centre at Mt Garnet, one year after Cyclone Yasi struck the region.

The $152,000 Mt Garnet SES Facility, which was funded by Tablelands Regional Council and the SES Subsidy Program ($50,000), is home to 22 active members who meet and train every week on a Monday night and undertake full-day training at least twice a month.

Prior to the new building being constructed, the Monday night training was conducted at other groups' facilities or in local parks because the Mt Garnet SES members considered their former headquarters to be unsafe, unhygienic and beyond repair.

The Mt Garnet SES unit is located in a high risk area prone to flooding and cyclones and whilst flooding and storm damage are the major natural disasters, the unit's function or scope of works also incorporates other potential sources of hazards such as serious road accidents.

The new facility houses equipment for the members as well as being a functional training facility which is of overall benefit to the community as a joint training facility for other services such as ambulance, police and rural fire units.

"The Mt Garnet area has had its fair share of natural disasters over the years so this facility will provide the town and surrounding area with an effective headquarters from which to deliver the services expected when a disaster strikes and assist the community with quicker recovery," Cr Gilmore said.

Council also handed over three new SES vehicles at the event - a Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier, valued at $59,000 for Ravenshoe SES; a Mitsubishi Triton Dual Cab, valued at $36,525, for Herberton SES; and a Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier valued at $59,000 to Kuranda SES.

The new Visitor Information Centre at Mt Garnet opened its doors last year and to date, has already had several hundred visitors, with expectations that this will increase significantly over the next few years.

The $104,458 facility, which was funded by Tablelands Regional Council and the Rural Living Infrastructure Program ($31,337), is run entirely by an enthusiastic group of local volunteers (at no cost to the community) and is open all year round, seven days a week.

"We know that the centre is ideally located to provide a high level of visitor information services to a growing number of holiday-makers exploring inland and Western Australia," Cr Gilmore said.

The ready availability of easily accessible information is aimed at encouraging visitors to stay longer, see more and help to generate additional jobs and income for the region

The centre is also an educational facility, featuring a small museum focusing on recent history not covered by other visitor information centres in the region.