Media Release - Hinchinbrook Secures Funding for Project to Protect Beachside Communities from Coastal Hazards

Hinchinbrook Shire Council is among ten coastal Councils who will share in the Palaszczuk Government’s QCoast2100 funding program that will help Councils prepare and implement effective coastal hazard adaptation strategies.

The QCoast2100 program, in collaboration with the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), plays an important role in assisting Councils in Queensland by providing support for on-ground works and actions to ensure practical measures are being taken to address the increase in risks associated with climate change and enhance resilience against coastal hazards, such as storm surge and tropical cyclones.

Round 3 of the QCoast2100 funding places specific emphasis on supporting nature-based solutions (strategies that work with nature rather than against it) such as beach nourishment, dune restoration and planting vegetation to help manage coastal inundation, while preserving and enhancing the natural functions and characteristics of Queensland’s coastline.

Lucinda is among many coastal areas of Queensland that is susceptible to beach erosion. As part of the QCoast2100 program, Council has contributed $50,000 and secured $300,000 of funding to repair the existing rock wall at Johnson Park and renourish the beach slope that has eroded along the foreshore (immediately adjacent Johnson Park).

“This funding is extremely timely given Council has just endorsed its Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP). Council and the community have been well informed on the various natural processes at play, we know what we need to do to mitigate against the erosion and the QCoast2100 funding will give us the means to do it. Hopefully this is just one of many coastal erosion projects that will be supported over coming years to protect the public assets at our beachside communities” said Mayor Ramon Jayo.

The landward extension of the Johnson Park rock wall is designed to prevent further undermining of the existing seawall structure and provide a buffer for community infrastructure from the impacts of extreme weather.

A significant portion of the funding is allocated to beach renourishment which involves a process of taking sand that has accumulated at the northern end of the Lucinda foreshore (adjacent to Lions Park) and relocating it to the area from which it eroded, as a result of the terminal scour adjacent to Johnson Park.

This ‘back-passing’ or sand recycling strategy helps replenish the eroded beach, bolstering its natural protective capabilities against erosion. Once the back-passing is complete, the newly deposited sand will need to be stabilised by the formalisation of beach accesses and the ongoing management of traffic to support dune building processes.

These project elements have been identified and supported by the Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS) and the Hinchinbrook Shire Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP).

Council looks forward to implementing these projects which are essential to support the long-term viability, sustainability and protection of the Lucinda foreshore for the benefit of both the environment and the community.

For further information, please contact Council’s Natural Assets Team on 4776 4740.