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1 September 2021
Community groups gifted $15,000 SEE PAGE 3 and special liftout with all the coverage inside
Photo credit: Travis Macfarlane
Murky waters linger over well’s future BY ALEX PURCELL SINCE lifting the lid on a century-old well in the heart of Cooroy, the source of the ‘’liquid gold’’ has become crystal clear. The Cooroy Rag with the help of local stalwarts Max Arbuthnot, Alan Kenzler and Rob Jeffs unlocked a decades-old town mystery, confirming that the nondescript concrete tank in Apex Park did not contain sewage, rather clean water which supplied the old Butter Factory well. Max, who runs Cooroy Hire Service opposite the
park, described the water as ‘’liquid gold’’ and the ‘’best tasting water’’ he has ever had. And it would appear his taste test was on the mark. After a test bore site was selected by a government water diviner in 1914, the well was commissioned in 1938 and began pumping out 12,000 gallons of spring water daily to the Butter Factory. A report in the Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser on Friday, February 18, 1938 quoted the Wide Bay Co-op. Dairy Association Chairman C. M. R. Glover hailing the comple-
tion of the well: “The supply, after repeated tests with the pump, gave at least 12,000 gallons per day from the springs, principally situated at the bottom of the well,’’ he told the newspapers. “Added to this, the well fills to within two feet of the surface when not being used, thereby giving five to six thousand gallons in reserve and provides adequate supply for all factory requirements. “The well is fifty feet deep, cased to 36 feet with 5 feet diameter concrete Hume pipes, the balance of walls being considered hard
enough to stand without casing.” But now, the old well’s future remains clouded and establishing just who is responsible is as clear as mud. Noosa Council Communications Manager Ken Furdek said the ‘’manhole’’ was not listed on council’s asset registers. “We have tried to get information about it, but no one within council has any knowledge of what it’s been used for,’’ he said. “Our parks crew have inspected the manhole and it does appear to contain
water, but it’s not something that requires any ongoing maintenance. “We would certainly be interested to know more, but really can’t shed any light on its origins.’’ Queensland Department of Resources spokesperson Michael Saunders said it had no record of the old well. “Nothing comes up in our records or data about any well or bore in Apex Park. We assume it predates our records. But if it is in a council park it is council responsibility.” However, Noosa Council said while it was responsible
for the upkeep of Apex Park and the associated garden bed, the well lid wasn’t part of the regular maintenance program. Meanwhile, since the Rag’s exclusive, the heavy steel lid embossed with ‘’SANSEW’’, which has sealed the well for more than 20 years, has mysteriously been repainted with the initials ‘’NSC’’ “This hasn’t been done by any council staff member, so we’re unsure how that has occurred,” Mr Furdek said. And the question remains, what should be done with the old Butter Factory well?
Cooroy Rag, 1 September 2021 - Page
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