The highlight of the weekend was taking the train from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and then the G Light Rail almost to the door of our hotel at Main Beach in under two hours.

As well as watching the massive swell of the breakers due to the off-shore Cyclone Uesi, meaning we could only swim in the hotel pool, it meant I could do the Main Beach parkrun on Saturday morning, the site of Australia's first ever parkrun established in 2011, which takes runners and walkers along the shore towards The Spit.

My being away meant I missed the official opening of the new Carl Katter Bridge in Cloncurry on Monday.

The Bridge, which will improve flood immunity and road safety for the crucial freight link between Cloncurry and points north including the airport and Ernest Henry Mine.

The new bridge is two lanes wide and will have a minimum 100-year lifespan.

Safety will be improved thanks to better sight distance and road alignment, increased width and lane capacity and new barriers on the bridge and approaches.

Mayor Greg Campbell said that with some good planning at the start it also allowed Council some extra money to put some work into the approaches and works on the foot bridge.

Senator for Queensland Susan McDonald said the project presents both social and economic benefits for Cloncurry and Mount Isa, as well for miners and graziers, and the industries which service them.

It was appropriate that a large eight-deck cattle truck was the first vehicle across the bridge.

The bridge cost just under $5 million to deliver. The federal government contributed $2,473,162 to the project under Round 3 of the Bridges Renewal Program, Cloncurry Shire Council committed $1,647,162, with an $800,000 contribution from the Queensland state government.

It is the second major bridge opening in North West Queensland in the last three months following the opening of the new Isa St bridge in Mount Isa.