The Department of Environment and Science said it was able to reopen 39 flood-affected national parks in time for the Easter long weekend.
Rangers, First Nations Corporations, volunteers and community organisations were involved in repairing damaged tracks and cleaning up debris following the floods.
Minister for the Environment, Meaghan Scanlon said Easter had always been the most popular time of year for camping and the Department did not want families to miss out.
“Nor did we want local communities and businesses to miss out on the economic injection the long weekend usually provides,” Ms Scanlon said.
The Minister said a study by the University of Queensland had found the State’s national parks generated $2.64 billion in spending and helped support more than 17,000 jobs.
“That’s why there was a mammoth effort not just by rangers, but also by First Nations Corporations, volunteers and community organisations to get facilities, tracks, mountain bike trails and water crossings back online, as well as clean tonnes of misplaced debris,” she said.
“Not only have crews had to undertake massive repairs in often hard-to-get-to areas, they’ve also had to carefully inspect every section of track to make sure it’s safe for visitors.”
The Minister said six parks remained closed due to extensive damage
“I encourage anyone heading out to check the status of the areas they are visiting on the national parks website,” Ms Scanlon said.
