Location: Ballandean
Bill Goebel's love for one of Queensland's natural treasures has lasted a lifetime. For more than 40 years, Bill has been transforming Girraween National Park so an estimated 100,000 visitors each year can enjoy its unique beauty.
In 1966, Bill was employed by the forestry department to work in the newly gazetted Girraween National Park. For the next five years Bill, together with his brother and the park overseer, constructed the walking tracks, camping areas and toilet and shower facilities. All this was achieved without the benefit of today's construction machinery.
For the next 20 years, Bill continued to manage the sensitive areas of the park and raise awareness of the cultural and natural significance of the area.
When Bill retired, the only thing that changed was he didn't get paid!
Bill continued to explore the park and add to his unofficial research of Giraween's ecology. His work has identified rare and endangered species with a number of his collection of more than 5,000 slides used in state and national archives. Not to be deterred by the onset of the technology era, Bill recently purchased an infrared remote sensor video camera for surveying lyrebird and wombats.
Today, aged 87, Bill still works every day - taking guided walks, doing presentations, planting trees and cleaning and maintaining the buildings. Bill's work has had an enormous influence on the appreciation and knowledge of this special corner of Queensland.
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