“We’re going into the last refuges of nature … that have been protected from commercial private development … and we’re going to monetise them as well.”
Ecological experts have raised “significant concerns” about the risk to the “wetland values” of another proposed accommodation site at the Noosa River, near rare patterned ferns, according to the government report. “It’s not about infrastructure and accommodation. It’s about preserving the last refuges of pristine environments that we have left.”As co-founder of Keep Cooloola Cool, Noffke believes there are pressing issues affecting the national park that deserve government investment.
The government said it has consulted with local traditional owners and the Kabi Kabi people on the proposal. “[The proposal] has nothing to do with Aboriginal cultural heritage. It’s aimed at giving wealthy people a night in a comfortable cabin … where they can go for a little walk in the bush.”