South Burnett’s Coolabunia Saleyards have been in operation for 44 years, and after four decades of service, have seen some much needed upgrades.
On Thursday, 26 February, South Burnett Regional Council officially opened the upgraded saleyards ahead of the monthly cattle sale.
First opened on 22 October, 1982, the Coolabunia Saleyards facility was established to relocate cattle and pig sales from the old town yards. The facility was placed at Coolabuina to straddle the tick line.
The upgrades to the yards saw previous wooden infrastructure replaced with steel, and Capital Works commissioned to paint the buildings on site, and replace the flooring in the admin building, where asbestos flooring was detected.
This project cost a total of $283,000.
“It was knocking down the old wooden yards,“ Michael Hunter, South Burnett Regional Council’s Coordinator of Commercial Enterprises said. “There were originally ten holding yards, and we rebuilt 16 steel holding yards, with also the catwalks.“
“Council is committing to their assets and keeping them upgraded,“ he said.
The catwalks had become very run down and were becoming a workplace health and safety issue, with their upgrade a priority.
Using steel instead of wood will ensure the longevity of the upgraded holding pens and catwalks.
“The difference is, the agents are saying the cattle are flowing better because we’ve changed the shape of the yards, so they’re really happy with the way the cattle run now,“ South Burnett Regional Council Mayor Kathy Duff said.
The upgrades have also allowed the facility to increase their total capacity, allowing numbers to go from 1000 head to 1300 head.
The new design sees the holding pens function as gate systems, allowing the cattle to no longer be needed to move down the laneway and instead filter through internally.
This design also makes it easier for the saleyards officer to clean the yards out with the bobcat.
“The benefit to the community is we’ve got so many people depending on the saleyards – we’ve got the transport company, the livestock agencies, the cattle producers, we’ve got farmers, we’ve got agribusinesses,“ Mayor Duff said. “So many people rely on these saleyards continuing.“
The Coolabunia Saleyards are a “place for farmers and graziers to network and meet people with likeminded interest. It’s about mental health and economic benefits.“
Margie Lee from Broadmere Nanango was selling some cattle at the sale, and said the upgraded saleyards are “absolutely essential and of great importance for the cattle industry in the South Burnett.“
Kingaroy local, Jim Clegg, retired from the cattle industry but still likes to attend the sales, said the upgrades “were a substantial job.“
He said the Coolabunia Saleyards are rather special, saying “these yards tell a story,“ and he hopes the agents can fill them up.
