Palm crashes down
TENANTS in Airlie Beach had a close call with a coconut palm after the tree fell last week, narrowly missing a parked vehicle.
Mark and Michelle Newton rent the property and alerted the Whitsunday Times to the incident.
Mr Newton said it looked as though the weight of the coconuts had become too much for the dry ground and shallow root system, causing the tree to fall.
"We're just glad it didn't fall on anyone and missed the PK's Driving School truck, which was parked close to it," Mr Newton said.
Under the council's coconut management strategy, the fallen coconut tree is the responsibility of the property owner.
"Landowners are responsible for maintaining coconut palms located on private property," Mayor Jennifer Whitney confirmed.
This included removing the coconuts to ensure they did not fall and damage property or injure a person.
