Members newsletter May–June 2025
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Members newsletter May–June 2025 |
In this edition |
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Message from the President
Project updates Double Island Point Project
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Community engagement Friday Environment Forum Noosa National Park Visitor Information Centre
Activity group updates |
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Arguably the biggest issue facing Noosa Shire is the continued growth of tourism and its inevitable impact on resident amenity. The report to Noosa Council on their funding agreement with Tourism Noosa was dropped from the April round of meetings and instead went to a Special Meeting on May 8th. A majority of councillors voted to reduce the funding from $2.52 million to $2 million. What isn’t generally understood, and wasn’t included in a certain councillor’s email newsletter, is that Noosa Council is taking over the “sponsorship of tourism events and associated funding” from Tourism Noosa. So, the actual reduction is considerably less than the half-million being touted, given our council must now fund events.
Just to be clear, the funding for Tourism Noosa comes out of general revenue. Council had increased rates on commercial properties to cover the tourism funding agreement, but those commercial rate funds as well as residential rate funds all go into general revenue. Sums of money in general revenue cannot be siloed for specific purposes. NPA has never suggested that tourism funding has resulted in increased residential rates (though it has increased commercial property rates). The bigger issue, however, is whether Noosa Council should be continuing to fund tourism promotion per se. Tourism Noosa receives funding from other sources, including membership fees. NPA suggests that ratepayers should not be funding tourism promotion. The funding agreement this time is for just one year. In the meantime, council promises to finally complete the much-anticipated and long-delayed Destination Management Plan (DMP) by the end of this year. In 2023, when feedback was requested about what the DMP should include, council received 656 responses, the bulk of which reportedly called for “transformational change”. It will be interesting to see what council come up with in the final document and whether they can muster the courage to be “transformational”. Following the Special Meeting, council are also now committed to working with Tourism Noosa (not the community) on a so-called “Roadmap” that will detail future expectations of the tourism body.
Having sat through the Special Meeting, I can report that, in their statements to the meeting, not one of our councillors disagreed with the commonplace view that Noosa is already suffering from overtourism. However, in the final washup, only Councillors Tom Wegener and Nicola Wilson voted against continued funding of Tourism Noosa by council.
One of the more significant aspects of the overtourism problem is the number of drive-in day visitors. According to TN’s last Annual Report, day-trippers amounted to 47% of all Noosa visitors (almost 1 million in total), and yet this cohort provided just 10% of the total visitor spend. Neither Tourism Noosa nor our council have offered a real solution to this problem. Their combined response is to continue marketing Noosa to “high yield” interstate and international tourists on the assumption that this will somehow help to reduce day-trippers – which it arguably won’t in terms of overall numbers. As SEQ continues to accommodate massive numbers of new residents, and the Sunshine Coast grows like topsy to our south, the pressure on Noosa from day-trippers is clearly not going to go away. The problem requires determined and “transformational” thinking.
On another matter, as project officer for the Noosa River, Michael Gloster continues to raise issues that would otherwise slip through unnoticed by both residents and council. Of particular import is the proposed change to anchoring restrictions which will potentially see a free-for-all occurring everywhere north of Lake Cooroibah. The potential for a mushrooming of STA houseboats is just one concern. The local council has little to no jurisdiction over the river (apart from managing jetty leases on behalf of the state) and has often been caught flat-footed when the state makes changes to river controls. Council failed to deliver its own Noosa River Plan due to vested interests and public scare campaigns, so NPA’s continued focus on the river provides truly essential oversight. The campaign to ensure adequate restrictions on anchoring will ramp up over coming months.
There are a range of articles on the Noosa River issues plus overtourism and the funding of Tourism Noosa on the Noosa Matters site: https://noosamatters.com.au/
NPA is making a submission to the Federal Minister for the Environment opposing the proposed expansion of the Kin Kin quarry by Cordwell Resources that would see the destruction of 8 hectares of koala habitat.
Following the recent announcement of an $88 million expansion of drum line and shark netting across Queensland, including in Noosa Shire, we are also writing to the State Minister for Primary Industries urging him to consider current scientific advice as well as the expert advice already provided to the government by its own working group.
Best wishes Tony Wellington |
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Double Island Point Project |
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Allocations have now been completed for the 2025-26 DIP caretaking/work weeks. We are working through notifying successful applicants, so please be patient for another week. Once again we had more applications than weeks!, so if you miss out this year make sure you re-apply next year to get priority placement.
It is always pleasing to see members leave Double Island Point with new bush regeneration and weed disposal skills! As well our responsibilities are to;
From the end of June the large bins in the Cooloola beach camping areas and at Freshwater will be removed and new waste transfer stations for the Cooloola Recreation Area have been established at the Noosa North Shore 2nd cutting and at Freshwater Road, off Rainbow Beach Road.
The “pack it in, pack it out” or “carry it in, carry it out” mantra has become a cornerstone of responsible outdoor recreation across Australia. This simple principle encourages visitors to take all their rubbish and belongings with them, helping to maintain the natural beauty of our landscapes.
State environment departments such as Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Parks Victoria and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, actively promote these practices as part of broader efforts to reduce human impact on nature. Aligned with the Leave No Trace principles, they aim to protect and preserve Australia’s parks and forests by encouraging minimal-impact behaviours.
On the spot fines will apply to any person found depositing litter in the recreation area. Click on this link New waste transfer stations – Cooloola Recreation Area for all the information.
Darlene Gower, Double Island Point Project Officer |
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Friday Environment Forum |
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The Friday Environment Forum team has welcomed several new members to assist in delivering a quality program of speakers to our ever-growing audiences.
In May, attendees learnt about sea foam which has been in the news recently both locally and along Australia’s southern shores. Associate Professor Ipek Kurtbroke explained the poisonous composition of brown sea foam on beaches after strong winds. She urged beachgoers to keep themselves and their pets out of it.
Nikki Biskis ably stepped in to deliver an interesting talk titled Saving Queensland’s Sawfish when Dr Bonnie Holmes could not attend to discuss bull sharks in local waters. Bonnie will now speak in September.
Upcoming Forums: June 13: Geneveive Deaconos of Australian Wildlife Conservancy discusses Birds and Diversity at Bowra and the important work of AWC in providing a safe habitat for threatened species. At this forum, also meet local teen Jarrah Small who is passionate about removing plastics from the environment. Her ten-minute talk and display align with the World Environment WEDfest theme of Ending Plastic Pollution. June 27: Intersection of Art, the Environment and Sustainability with Marian Tubbs and Toni Wills from Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance. July 11: A holiday session for the whole family called Koala Detective Workshop with Kat and Malani Harris of Koala Family Adventures. Watch a Detection Dog for Conservation in action.
Friday Environment Forum is held on 2nd and 4th Friday of the month from 10am till 12pm at NPA’s Environment Centre. Entry is $5 paid by ‘Tap and Go.’ You can learn more about the next forum at www.noosaparks.org.au and sign up for our newsletter. |
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Birds at Bowra |
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Noosa National Park – Visitor Information Centre |
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The Noosa National Park Visitor Information Centre continues to do well, with revenue slightly surpassing the same period last year, despite increased rainfall and quieter days in the park. This resilience highlights the dedication of the volunteer team and the community’s support for the Land Fund.
Significant upgrades have been completed along the Coastal Walk, including the stretch to Hell’s Gates. These improvements encompass track resurfacing, new rock retaining walls, enhanced accessibility, upgraded beach access points at Tea Tree Bay and Alexandria Bay, and updated interpretive signage.
The day-use area has also seen enhancements, with refreshed signage and car park markings, ensuring a better experience for visitors.
If you’re interested in volunteering, the centre welcomes new members. Reach out via email at nnp@noosaparks.org.au to get involved.
Dave Vickery Project Officer |
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All proceeds from the Noosa National Park Visitor Information Centre support the Land Fund, aiding future land acquisitions for koala supported habitat, national parks and conservation parks. |
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Bird Observers’ Group |
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There have been several changes to the original Bird Observers Program. The amended program is on the NPA website.
The speaker for June will be Genevieve Deaconos, State Development Manager at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, specifically speaking about Bowra Station. The outing to Yabba Creek at Imbil will be in July. The May outing was to the Cilento Park in Nambour, fresh after the rain, but that was a sunny day and 27 bird species were recorded. Wallace Park birding is still fairly quiet – especially where the Flying Fox colony has set up camp. A pair of Tawny Frogmouth can be seen in the Leisure Centre Carpark – if you know where to look!
One lucky birder recently was in the right place at the right time to see an extremely rare vagrant to Australia – a single White Wagtail. He was the only person to see it at Alexandria Bay and has a photo to prove it. Unlike the Blue Rock Thrush, all those years ago, it did not stay around long enough to attract Twitchers from near and far.
As winter approaches, the nomadic Scarlet Honey may be seen foraging for nectar in Melaleuca blossom. The Double-banded Plovers will soon be sporting breeding colours before their long journey back to New Zealand to nest. They have been seen on sandbanks in Maroochy River so may also be visiting Noosa. Valda McLean braelochen@bigpond.com
Valda McLean Convenor, Noosa Parks Association Bird Observers’ Group |
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Botany Group |
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Long time member Bob Tooth joined us from Brisbane for April’s meeting. His presentation on Plants of the Little and Great Sandy Deserts gave us a glimpse into the botany and geomorphology of areas few of us will have the opportunity to experience. Bob’s knowledge of much of Australia’s more remote inland areas is extensive, having visited and explored them over many years. Serendipitously, his talk coincided with floodwaters from Cyclone Alfred making their way inland, and he shared his knowledge of the Lake Eyre Basin and Cooper Creek flooding.
At our May meeting, Patrick Leonard, assisted by Judith Hewett, led a workshop presentation on Identifying Fungi and Plants in the 21st Century. We were split up into groups and, with samples provided, given a key and guidance on using Google Lens and I-naturalist as aids to identification. It was a FunKey and noisy experience, and may have left Patrick feeling like a frustrated Year 6 teacher. His take away message which was confirmed by the results of our identifications was that it is not an easy task, much of what is available through Google Lens and AI related searches is not Australia specific and there is a large percentage of fungi in Australia still to be classified. Thanks to Patrick and Judith for a very informative session.
The second scheduled walk for 2025 was at the Linda Garrett Circuit at Mapleton National Park. Unfortunately, the walk had to be cancelled because the ongoing wet weather resulted in the closure of the park.
A month later the rain was still with us, but the morning of April 27th was sunny and perfect for our walk along the Blackbutt Trail (left) in the Eumundi Conservation Park. Our number included three welcome visitors, and many new identifications were added to the existing species list. The trail begins in wet sclerophyll forest in which we saw large clumps of flowering Lomandra laxa (below) and rises to drier eucalypt forest with an understorey of plants such as Allocasuarina torulosa and Daviesia genisitifolia, the latter uncommon on the Sunshine Coast.
Morning tea was a celebration of Sonia MacDonald’s birthday, with Joan Heavey baking a delicious sponge cake with passionfruit cream for all to enjoy. This was an opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge Sonia’s contributions to the running of the Botany Group, her report writing for the NPA newsletters and her extensive knowledge of local flora, in particular wet area plants and grasses. We thank you Sonia for your generosity in sharing your knowledge in walks and talks over many years.
Yaroomba Bushland Park, a coastal rainforest and sclerophyll forest reserve, was the setting for our May field trip. A return loop from Neurum Road began on a boardwalk above a very moist forest floor and led past a small sedge filled lake. It was pleasing to see a large Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Vine (Pararistolochia praevenosa) reaching to the canopy on multiple stems. A botanical species list has been compiled from the many identifications made during the walk. Allan Carr joined us from Bribie Island and brought along copies of his newly published field guide to Native Plants of Bribie Island and Sunshine Coast. Congratulations Allan on a well- designed and useful book.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, the Botany Group has identified a need to purchase a laptop computer for our exclusive use for presentations and storing species lists. A plant sale was organised and held, and thanks to the contributions of members who supplied plants and those who supported the sale and made donations over the past months, enough funds have been raised to purchase a laptop. It is hoped that it will be up and running for the next meeting’s presentation. Thank you all for your enthusiastic support in achieving this great result.
Linda Price NPA Botany Group |
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Blackbutt Track Credit: Robert Price |
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Happy Birthday Sonia! |
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Curated and edited by: Darlene Gower Honorary Secretary Copyright © 2025 Noosa Parks Association, All rights reserved. |