Road washout near causeway in Gayndah
NORTH Burnett residents were shocked following a significant road washout north of Gayndah.
North Burnett Regional Council reported the huge hole, which was reported to be more than 5m deep, had formed on Scanlans Rd.
North Burnett Mayor Don Waugh said the hole was up to 10m in diameter and dropped deeply below the causeway.
"It's incredible - you've got to see it to believe it," Cr Waugh said.
While there had been fears the washout was a sinkhole, Bundaberg Police Inspector Kev Guteridge said the two were "quite different seismic events" and that this incident had been caused by erosion.
Insp Guteridge said the reports had prompted fears among some North Burnett residents that the ground beneath their homes was unstable, but he was keen to put those fears to rest, adding much of the washout damage was happening to grazing land.
Cr Waugh said there was only one home past the hole.
"If they'd come along without being aware, they could have ended up over the side," he said.
North Burnett Regional Council is currently working to securing the area amid concerns the washed out area could grow.
"I can see it getting bigger as the water comes over it - it will keep breaking away," he said.
Cr Waugh said the council was working to stabilise the area and create a temporary detour.
