With long distances between settlements and an extensive network of gravel roads soon takes its toll on motor vehicles. Over the years, many abandoned and derelict vehicles have been left wherever further repairs became a pointless exercise. As a result, many communities are littered with car bodies that quickly become a haven for vermin, health hazard with snakes hiding under them and an eyesore.
The expense of gathering vehicles and trucking them to wrecking yards was beyond the means of most communities.
Recently the Department of Community Development, Sports and Cultural Affairs has come up with a solution that will see the removal of up to 3,000 unwanted vehicles. A Queensland contractor equipped with a mobile crushing plant is visiting communities and working with local people to identify unwanted wrecks. These are then crushed on site, stacked on trailers and shipped to Adelaide or Brisbane for processing.
The key was to gather a list of exactly where the car bodies are located to warrant a visit by the mobile service. It is a free service, and the response from communities has been excellent with the removal of the old wrecks helping to increase pride in local areas.
