General News
5 July, 2026
‘Cow sheds’ short tenure
A KEY advocate for preserving and restoring the original ‘cow sheds’ building at Warrina Lakes in Innisfail says she has been reassured by Cassowary Coast Mayor Teresa Millwood the structure will not be pulled down for at least two years.
Allison Parisi has a strong family connection to the building – her father Maurice Robson and brother Bob Robson dismantled the cow sheds at their old location on a sawmill property and re-erected the structure at its current spot at the parklands in the early 1970s.
Mrs Parisi says at a meeting at Warrina Lakes, Cr Millwood reassured her that despite a council ‘masterplan’ proposal, which includes a replacement main building, that the old building “would not likely be torn down for two years.”
The Observer asked Cr Millwood directly if she had assured anyone in the community that the building would not be demolished in the short term.
In a response she said: “Councillors, the CEO and I have been listening to community feedback and speaking directly with residents about the future of the Warrina Lakes building,” she said.
“To support informed feedback, we’ve extended the consultation until 11 July and updated the ‘Your Say’ page with additional project information.
“Councillors and the project team will also be available at the Innisfail Show on 9 and 10 July to answer questions and discuss the project with the community.”
Mrs Parisi says, while she’s happy that the cow sheds building won’t be demolished in the near future, she’s also resigned to the fact that council does have a longer-term ideal to replace it with a new, more modern structure.
“I never wanted it to come down.” she told The Observer.
“I mean, people love it the way it is. I’m sure there would be some people that want to see it come down, I’m positive about that, but lots of people just like it the way it is.”
She does concede that there are some aspects of the old building that have deteriorated, mainly the lower sections of the structure’s timber poles – but is adamant that repairs and restoration should be properly considered as an option.
“It must be able to be fixed up cheaper than building a new one,” she says.
Mrs Parisi has also started a petition which has been placed at several Innisfail locations and will be available to sign at the Innisfail Show.
She says it’s important that the community have their say about wanting to keep the building, because council is only concerned about gathering public feedback on the proposed new building.
“All council is asking is, ‘What do you want in the new building?’, not ‘what do you want done for the old building?’”
In the meantime, Warrina Lakes has been allocated $1.3 million in the 2026-27 budget papers, but there are no details about exactly how that figure will be spent – or where the major chunk of it will come from.
Of that, $1m is listed as “external” which could mean council is expecting a grant.
Read More: Innisfail