Parts of WWII forts on Bribie to be 'collapsed'

Parts of the northern and southern WWII forts on Bribie Island will be collapsed following corrosion of the structures, ‘as a result of recent severe weather’.

The Department of Environment and Science (DES) made the announcement today and say it is in ‘the interest of public safety’.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Executive Director Neil Cambourn said the natural decay of the WWII structures had led to a serious safety risk to members of the public, and that work was expected to commence later this week, weather depending, to bring the structures to a safe and stable state, which will then be left in-situ.

“The Department has been working to find a way to keep park visitors and staff safe while preserving as much of these historically-significant, structures as possible, which form part of the State heritage listed Second World War Fortifications on Bribie Island,” Mr Cambourn says.

“The Queensland Heritage Act 1992 allows for action to be taken in emergency situations which endanger peoples’ lives or health, as is the case here.

“These structures were built for a temporary purpose using concrete and steel reinforcing, which is expected to continue crumbling in Bribie Island’s highly erosive coastal environment.”

Mr Cambourn says the department has taken previous steps to protect the public around the searchlight forts including the installation of fences, security panels and signs.

“DES continue to maintain the remaining structures but there is no way to prevent natural coastal processes from taking place,” he says.

|“The Department is committed to ensuring Bribie Island National Park’s dynamic landscape and unique coastal biodiversity is protected and remains in its natural state and there are no plans to interfere with the natural coastal processes that are impacting the searchlight forts.”|

DES is considering long-term options to further manage all fortification structures on Bribie.

These other structures will not be impacted by the upcoming works to secure the searchlight sites.