Palmerville to Maytown road

My email....

Dear Sir,

I wish to clarify the issue surrounding the landowners closure of the Palmerville to Maytown road. My understanding is that this road is a gazetted road. Can you inform me if this is so, and if the road is a public road according to the Land Act or if it is a State controlled road or gazetted by Local Govt?

My information tells me it is a local government gazetted road, and that the road itself is in fact not on the gazetted reserve in places and that is the reason the land owner is able under the law to close the road. If this is so, then it would seem likely that is is OK for the public to travel on the reserve, something I and others would very much like to do.

The Mareeba Shire is very attractive to 4wders, and the route to Maytown is one that many would take if they could. Not being able to use this road means that towns such as Chillagoe, Almaden etc lose vital tourism business as people choose other routes to take. The development of the Wheelbarrow Way and the Savannah Way would be enhanced by access to Maytown via the track from Palmerville. Just as simple tracks are very popular in many desert regions of Australia, a simple track made by vehicles (not a formed road) would be very popular, and attract many visitors.

Can you please confirm the road is gazetted and is available for use by the public? If there is a gazetted reserve that the road does not follow, it is my intention to travel on that reserve. Can you supply details of the gazetted reserve?

I am going to pass this on to a mate who is going to run a 4wd club trip that way later in the year. Thanks for the info.

ps nice pic shot in the simpson? I remember that corner after crossing a salt pan and caight us by surprise.

Hi David O, I was at Maytown a couple of years ago gaining access over the old coach road from Laura & leaving via the access road to the Mulligan Highway. There was some info in the restored old miners shack regarding the access road in from Palmerville Homestead that said the roads/tracks outside the Goldfield reserve (apart from the access road from Maytown to the Mulligan Highway) were not gazzetted roads & that is why the property owners have stopped access via those roads. The owner of Maitland Downs tried to have the access road through his property closed but because it was gazetted it has to remain open to the public, where as the other roads on Palmerville Station being not gazetted have been shut off to the public.
I believe the Queensland Historical Society are trying to have those roads gazetted but haven't had any luck so far. Cheers.