By Margaret Maccoll
Noosa Council is in talks to buy Johns Landing to secure the environmentally significant 49-hectare property that has been home to the Johns Family since 1896.
Council says the Noosa River foreshore site contains endangered vegetation, is a potential koala habitat part of a wildlife corridor running beside river between lakes Cootharaba and Cooroibah.
Pat Johns said she and husband Ben would like to stay, but it wasn’t possible. “It’s a shame to move. It’s a beautiful place, but we’d like to settle down and put our feet up,” she said.
Mayor Tony Wellington said council was looking to rehabilitate degraded sections of the land and make sure that the riparian areas on the river bank were protected from future development.
“This parcel adds to the connective wildlife corridor joining hinterland forests with the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park,” he said.
As part of its negotiations to purchase the land, council is working with government agencies and service organisations to find permanent accommodation for long-term residents of the campground.
Council’s Community Services director Alan ‘Fox’ Rogers said while the camping ground currently provided cheap accommodation for low- income battlers, the living conditions are far from suitable for permanent residents.
“There is no electricity or running water at the campsites, and people are living a long way from shops, schools and other services,” he said.
“To help people find more suitable accommodation, we’ve assembled a team of local services made up of representatives from a wide range of community and government agencies. These include the Department of Housing, Department of Communities, the Salvation Army Accommodation and Housing Services, United Synergies, Centrelink, Anglican Church of Noosa and Coast2Bay Housing Group.
Pat said most people had found places to go, but not everyone was happy to move. “They probably wouldn’t find anywhere like this,” she said.
She said she and Ben hoped to buy a villa in Noosa.
Council said negotiations had not yet been finalised.
