Thirty one people representing visitor information centres throughout Somerset Regional Council (SRC) recently participated in a Famil bus Tour of the northern area of the Somerset Region. After a browse through the Photo Gallery and Historical Museum at the Jimna Visitor Information Centre and morning tea, the party set off on a guided tour of the former timber town, followed by an on site inspection of the Jimna Fire Tower and an invigorating walk through the Peach Trees Camping Grounds. Feed back from the visit has been extremely positive with participants highly supportive of the tourism potential of the region and in particular the magnificent Jimna Fire Tower. The Jimna Fire Tower Action Group (JFTAG) remains optimistic that the ever increasing public call for a tourism attraction/destination feasibility study, to be carried out on the tower, may inspire one of our Government bodies or Tourism agencies into taking the driver’s seat on this issue.

In preparation for promised consultation with current owners, Forestry Plantation Queensland (FPQ), regarding future ownership of the Tower, JFTAG has requested Somerset Regional Council to facilitate a meeting with JFTAG for the purpose of putting relevant information and material before councillors and council officers. JFTAG is of the opinion that the viability of preserving this Heritage Listed Australian Icon not only deserves to be thoroughly investigated, but that it’s evaluation needs to be driven by Local Government.