Fraser Island cleans up after wild weather
By Elyse Edwards, Friday February 1, 2013 - 14:49 EDT
Ex-tropical cyclone Oswald has caused severe damage to parts of Fraser Island, in south-east Queensland, including inland driving tracks.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service says camping grounds have now reopened, but many inland roads will remain closed until repairs are completed.
Fraser Coast area manager Ross Belcher says safety is a priority.
"Most of the inland tracks have a significant number of trees falling across them and they have to be chainsawed and dragged off the tracks," he said.
"The central station boardwalk had a large tree falls onto it and that has to be repaired.
"We don't want those things happening while we've got people in these areas."
He says rangers are working to reopen camping grounds and roads access as quickly as possible.
"The rangers are working exceptionally hard and long hours," he said.
"We want to get the tourism industry back up and supported on the island and on Cooloola but we also have to consider safety, considering there's erosion problems, there's waterlogging, there's tree falls."
