General News
26 July, 2026
Save ‘sheds’ move surges
A COMMUNITY-led campaign continues to grow in Innisfail, as residents rally to save the historic main building at Warrina Lakes recreational parklands from being demolished over the next year or two.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council wants to take down the iconic structures – affectionately known as the ‘cow sheds’ – to build a modern replacement.
According to council engineers, the current building suffers from structural issues and fails to meet modern cyclone codes.
The facility was originally relocated and rebuilt on the site during the 1970s by local builders Maurice Robson and his son, Bob.
Bob Robson and his sister, Allison Parisi, have joined forces with a local resident, Jean McMillan, who takes free seniors’ exercise classes at the building.
Ms McMillan launched a ‘Save Warrina Sheds’ petition, which has already amassed more than 1500 signatures from across the region after a strong response at the recent Innisfail Show, as well as at local shops and clubs.
The community backlash began when the council appeared to give short notice for a public meeting.
“I was ropeable,” Ms McMillan said. “It was a fait accompli as far as I was concerned. They were going to just bulldoze it down and too bad. No councillors were present at that meeting.”
Council has since extended the community consultation process.
Following a frosty initial meeting with Mayor Teresa Millwood, community pressure forced council management to engage directly with residents at the Innisfail Show.
Ms McMillan said the council’s chief executive officer and project officer have since shown a willingness to listen, but the fight is far from over.
“Once you get an engineer who claims that it’s no good and it’s falling apart, and you’re paying them, of course they’re going to tell you what they want to know,” Ms McMillan said.
“They will have to get a grant for it because they haven’t got the money.”
A major point of contention is the design of the proposed replacement. The council’s drawings made public on its website initially featured movable screens or concertina doors, which residents argue will ruin the building’s signature feature: its natural ventilation.
“There’s plenty of enclosed buildings around town. You don’t need another one and they block the breeze. That’s the whole idea of having that open air,” Ms McMillan said.
Residents also challenged the council’s initial claim that the new building had to be elevated due to flood regulations, pointing out that local schools had recently built slab-on-ground structures in the same zone. Council planners have since lowered the proposed height.
While the old sheds lack modern engineering credentials, locals argue their survival through decades of severe weather proves their integrity.
“They might not have been built to code, but they were built to last. That building’s been through three cyclones,” Ms McMillan said.
Negotiations have yielded some compromises, with the council CEO expressing interest in preserving at least some of the aesthetic heritage of Warrina Lakes.
“I said, ‘Well, this facade, for a start, and the bullnose verandas, because that is in keeping with the style and the age. We don’t want bright and shiny. They’re all bright, shiny and boring. This has got character,’” Ms McMillan said.
“He (the CEO) looked at the roof line and said, ‘Yes, I like the roof line as well.’”
Ms McMillan plans to formally submit the petition alongside a letter warning the council against dictating terms to the community.
“People do not like ‘top-down’ changes,” she said. “If you want to change things, you have to work with the people. You’ve got to say, ‘We’re thinking about change. What would you like to see?’”
Read More: Innisfail