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Mamu is the biggest project in the Wet Tropics since the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and will become one of the tourism icons in Australia.

Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway

Location 30km west of Innisfail, in Wooroonooran National Park

Welcome The Ma:Mu Aboriginal Traditional Owners of this area look forward to welcoming you to this special place in Waribara clan rainforest country when the walkway is completed.

What's special

Visitors will experience the exhilaration of being high in the rainforest canopy, and enjoy spectacular views of the North Johnstone River gorge when this walkway is completed end August 2008.

Getting there and getting around

The walkway is now under construction and is scheduled for completion in August 2008. It is in Wooroonooran National Park, in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The construction site is beside the Palmerston Highway, about 30km west of Innisfail. It is about 90 minutes drive from Cairns and 30 minutes from Innisfail. For safety and environmental protection reasons the construction site is closed to the public.

Wheelchair accessibility

The ground-level walk and the elevated walkway (but not the upper deck of the observation tower) will be accessible for wheelchairs with assistance, strollers, and people with impaired vision or mobility.

Walkway features

The Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway will offer a unique experience. Visitors will get close to rainforest plants and animals, from the forest floor to the forest canopy. They will also enjoy sweeping vistas of World Heritage-listed landscapes. Information signs
will help visitors to understand the rich cultural history of the area and the complex web of rainforest life.

The site is on the escarpment of the North Johnstone River gorge, offering spectacular views over a sharp bend in the river and beyond to
rainforest-clad mountains. The entire area has cultural significance for the Ma:Mu Aboriginal people.

The walkway will include:

• a 1km forest walk at ground level, leading to the elevated walkway
• a 324m elevated walkway, high in the canopy of this lush tropical rainforest
• a 40m-long cantilever and a 37m-high observation tower with
  two viewing decks, providing spectacular views over the North Johnstone
  River gorge and surrounding Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
• seats, information signs and artworks in shelters along the forest walk and on the elevated walkway
• an entry building, office building, toilets, bus shelter and a combined bus and carpark.

Forest walk

From the entry building, which is a short walk from the carpark, visitors will stroll along the ground-level forest walk to the elevated walkway. This will give a first close-up look at this rich tropical rainforest, part of one of the largest remaining continuous stands of complex vine forest on basalt soils. The walking track will be an easy walk, suitable for wheelchairs and visitors with vision-impairment.

Cantilever

Visitors will arrive at a shelter with seats and information signs. From the shelter a 40m-long cantilevered structure will rise gently as the ground drops away steeply, providing visitors with their first experience of the rainforest canopy. At the end, a viewing platform will offer a magnificent view of the valley below, featuring a sharp bend in the North Johnstone River. Visitors will then
return to the shelter and continue along the forest walk to the start of the elevated walkway.

Elevated walkway

The elevated walkway meanders through the rainforest canopy. Along the way visitors will be able to view rainforest plants and animals at close quarters and gain tantalising glimpses of the river valley far below. Two small shelters will provide rest areas and three linking sections will offer the choice to leave the elevated walkway and return to the ground-level forest walk, where two shelters
will provide seats and information signs.

Observation tower

At the end of the elevated walkway a short section of the forest walk will bring visitors to the final information and rest shelter. From here a short elevated walkway will lead to the lower viewing deck of the 37m-high observation tower. The top of the tower will be reached by an external stairway (not accessible for wheelchairs) and will provide visitors with spectacular, uninterrupted vistas of the North Johnstone River gorge and surrounding landscapes.
Information signs will help visitors to learn more about this landscape.

Building the walkway

Consultation and co-operation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is
developing the walkway in close consultation with the Ma:Mu Aboriginal people, Traditional Owners of the area. An Indigenous Land Use
Agreement, signed by the Traditional Owners and the Queensland Government, underpins the project. Hutchinson Builders Pty Ltd was
successful in tendering for the construction of the walkway. Their on-site team includes Ma:Mu people working as cultural heritage
monitors.

Regional and state tourism organisations and the Johnstone Shire Council have also been closely involved with the development of the
walkway proposal. The Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway is expected to become a significant drawcard for visitors to north Queensland, and
should provide a significant boost to local and regional tourism.

The EPA is consulting with the Innisfail Disability Focus Group, Disabilities Services Queensland and Guide Dogs Queensland to ensure
that the walkway caters well for people who have impaired mobility or vision. The Johnstone Ecological Society is providing input about the protection and presentation of the natural values of the rainforest.

Elevated walkway design

The main challenge when designing the elevated walkway was to find ways to build the elevated walkway safely and efficiently on a steep slope, in thick rainforest and in a high rainfall area.

The elevated walkway is being built in sections. Each section will be supported by a steel tower up to 15m high, 2m x 2m square and with a 4m diameter circular top. The circular tower tops will serve as resting points and passing locations for larger groups of visitors, preventing congestion on the walkway and enhancing visitors’ experiences.

The prefabricated walkway sections between the towers will be 10m long and 1.5m wide. The relatively short walkway sections will allow
the builders to move them into place through the existing trees with minimal clearing.

The cantilever will be a straight section of walkway, 40m long and 2m wide, which will extend 8m beyond the last supporting tower. Clear
viewing panels at the end will provide an excellent view.

The observation tower is 5m x 5m square and about 37m high with two viewing levels and a roof shelter.

The elevated walkway, cantilever and observation tower have been designed to withstand cyclonic wind.

Environmental sustainability

Every effort is being made to construct the walkway in an environmentally sustainable way; that is, minimising adverse environmental impacts during construction and for the life of the structure.

Cyclone Larry tore through this area in March 2006, opening the canopy in several places. The route of the walkway has been planned to
use these natural clearings to reduce the need for further clearing. A detailed botanical assessment was carried out before the walkway route was finalised, to reduce even further the risk of damaging significant plants.

An old forestry track is being used for access to the construction site. When the elevated walkway and tower have been completed, the
access track will become a ground-level forest walk.

Cyclone debris and vegetation that had to be cleared was retained and mulched for rehabilitating around the construction site. Plants
grown at the EPA nursery at Lake Eacham from seed and seedlings sourced around the walkway site will be used for revegetation.

Environmentally sustainable, durable materials were selected for the project. Planks made of 100 percent recycled plastic are being used for the elevated walkway decking and for the wall cladding of new buildings. Recycled plastic will also be used for seats. Using recycled
plastic products reduces the amount of plastic waste sent to landfill.
The recycled plastic planks are very resistant to rotting and corrosion, and can be expected to outlast timber by many years. Using
recycled plastic also reduces maintenance. Unlike timber, plastic does not become quickly coated in slippery fungal growth, so there is no need to clean it with chemicals and high pressure hoses.

Unpainted galvanised steel was chosen as the most durable material for the supports and beams of the walkway, cantilever and observation
tower. Using materials that do not need to be painted reduces maintenance and minimises the risk of paint flaking and leeching into
the rainforest. To reduce the risk of corrosion, the steel sections are open rather than closed.

The EPA and Hutchinson Builders have carefully selected construction materials and equipment that will reduce impacts during construction. These include:

• prefabricated sections for the elevated walkway, cantilever and observation tower
• a lightweight, extendable tower crane with a small footprint
• a fully enclosed generator that is almost silent and is sealed to prevent fuel spills
• equipment that is as small as possible for the job.

Strict hygiene procedures including a washdown bay were implemented to reduce the risk of introducing weeds or diseases to the site through soil attached to construction machinery, vehicles or people’s boots. The cranes and site vehicles will be kept on site at all times during construction, to reduce further the risk of contamination. New portable toilets were bought for the construction site to prevent soil contamination from previous use at other sites.

A site induction video is shown to all new staff to familiarise them with the importance of the site and the environmental protection
measures required. There is regular monitoring of compliance with the Environmental Management Plan for the project.