General News
7 August, 2026
Cloudy future
THE original organisation behind Babinda’s Cootharinga Gardens (formerly Abbeyfield House) is demanding a covenant be honoured and the complex reopened for the town’s seniors.
The Babinda District Aged Care (BDAC) committee is calling on Cairns Regional Council and the Queensland Government to keep the covenant intact and return the 10-bedroom facility to its original purpose: a retirement residence.
Cootharinga Gardens – built through $400,000 in local fundraising and around $900,000 in government contributions – has stood empty while the town’s ageing population goes without.
“The community built this place for our elderly. The covenant was written into the title by the founders – precisely so the site could never be repurposed,” said Babinda District Aged Care committee member Fred Lizzio.
“We do not want the covenant softened, we want it honoured and the 10 empty bedrooms returned to the purpose the town built them for,” he said.
Mr Lizzio said in addition to asking that the covenant be retained and Cootharinga Gardens be returned to its original use, BDAC would also like to see a clear, community-consulted transition pathway.
He said the Queensland Government’s Department of Housing and Cootharinga had been in closed-door correspondence for more than three years.
Mr Lizzio said that Babinda residents deserved transparency and a public timetable, not further years of vacant rooms.
Cootharinga took over the accommodation facility and managed it as a community housing provider until last year.
The organisation merged with CPL – Choice, Life, Passion – in 2020 but continued to operate as Cootharinga, and in 2022, reviewed its offerings, finding community housing no longer aligned with its core mission of providing disability support services.
As a result, it stopped taking on new residents, with the last remaining occupant departing Cootharinga Gardens in 2025, leaving the 10-room property vacant since.
Local resident Judith Barrie said she was baffled that it was no longer being used, even though the communal lounge area still included comfortable seats, including recliners, a TV and even a piano, while a fan was still spinning in the kitchen area.
“We have older people living in the (Babinda) hospital. They should be living here. There is a waiting list for older people at the hospital. People are screaming for places,” she said.
“The grounds are kept neatly and it’s in reasonable condition.
“Some of the staff worked here for 13 years and then were put off.
“My understanding was that it was built by the community for somewhere for older residents to live.”
Another resident, Roseanna Lennon, said leaving the building empty was “not right”.
“It was created by the town, built brick by brick, with money raised through cent sale after cent sale,” he said.
“Families are having to send their older relatives out of town to be cared for by strangers. This should be a place for our precious oldies.”
Ms Lennon said it was ideal for people to live independently with assisted care.
Cootharinga says it is seeking a clear pathway from the Department of Housing and Public Works and Cairns Regional Council to return the property Gardens to use.
“We understand why members of the Babinda community want to see progress, particularly when there is such a significant need for housing and support options across the region,” said Cootharinga chairman Rhys Kennedy.
“Over the past three years, Cootharinga has worked with the department and its predecessors to secure a sustainable future for Cootharinga Gardens,” he said.
“Cootharinga Gardens is managed by Cootharinga as the community housing provider.
“Support services were delivered independently by residents’ chosen support providers, however Cootharinga has sought to transition the management to other interested providers.
“Despite extensive correspondence, formal submissions and direct meetings with department representatives and successive ministers across the past three years, a formal pathway for transition has not yet been confirmed.
“Cootharinga shares the community’s desire to see the property returned to use and once again provide value to the Babinda region.
“During this time Cootharinga has proposed several potential solutions to government, including the nomination of an alternative suitably qualified community housing provider. Cootharinga has also maintained the property in good faith and at considerable financial cost while advocating for an outcome that preserves it as an important social housing option in the Babinda region.
A department spokeswoman refused to comment as the matter was “commercial in confidence”.
A council spokeswoman said council remained open to continue discussions with Cootharinga and relevant government departments regarding the future of the site to determine an appropriate pathway forward.
“Council can also confirm that a covenant exists over the land which restricts the permitted use of the site,” she said.
