T.S. Onslow shoreline management
Re-establishing a natural shoreline ecosystem to reduce erosion and build resilience at Golden Beach.
T.S. Onslow shoreline management.A long-term staged shoreline management plan to restore ecological integrity to the state-owned foreshore reserve at Golden Beach on the Sunshine Coast.
In July 2013, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, known now as the Department of Environment and Science (DES), issued a notice to the T.S. Onslow Australian Navy Cadets, whose headquarters is located in front of the foreshore on the Esplanade at Golden Beach.
The notice requested T.S. Onslow to remove illegally laid cement blocks that had been placed on the foreshore over twenty years ago.
The options and cost for immediate removal of the blocks were found to be beyond the financial capability of T.S. Onslow and would increase the risk of shoreline erosion.
In June 2014, stage one of the project was launched in partnership with T.S. Onslow Australian Navy Cadets, Take Action for Pumicestone Passage (TAPP), Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, Sunshine Coast Council, Caloundra Power Boat Club and Night Eyes Water and Landcare.
The ongoing works aim to maximise the ability to re-establish a natural shoreline ecosystem, while also strengthening relationships between Traditional Owners, local organisations, and the community.
What we did
Stage one of the project took place between June 2014 and June 2015 and began with research into local red mangrove sites, followed by the installation of coir logs and the removal of the cement blocks.
Once the stabilisation works were completed, the mangroves propagated by Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation were planted into the tidal zone.
In 2018, TAPP received funding from the DES Sustainability Grant and the Caloundra Power Boat Club, and in 2019 from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program through Healthy Land & Water.
The funding secured stage two of the project, which was split into two phases. The first phase was undertaken in March 2019 and involved installing more coir logs to protect the native casuarina trees from falling. In the second phase in May 2019, further coir logs were installed along the shoreline to support mangrove rehabilitation and protect the plants from wave impact.
Measuring success
The collaborative project at Golden Beach has strengthened relationships between Traditional Owners, local organisations, and the community and has built resilience in the shoreline. It also helped raise awareness of novel, cost-effective options that provide multiple benefits.
Though relatively small in area, this trailblazing collaborative project has broad implications and demonstrates that complex restoration projects in the challenging coastal zone can work.
Why this project is important
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In the 1980s, T.S. Onslow Naval Cadets reformed the foreshore area of their lease. When natural processes started to erode back to the original shoreline, concrete blocks were placed along the edge in an attempt to contain this. The blocks subsided and were overtopped by tides. Eventually, more concrete was laid over the top of the blocks to help combat the resulting erosion. In 2013, the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science issued a notice to remove the cement blocks, which were exacerbating the erosion and had become a risk to human safety. |
Project snapshot
| Project name: | T.S. Onslow shoreline management |
| Project contact: | Suzi Moore, Healthy Land & Water |
| Catchment: | Pumicestone |
| Timing: | 2014 - 2019 (Completed) |
| Budget: | |
| Partnerships: |
This project is supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from the Australian Government. This project is supported by Take Action for Pumicestone Passage (TAPP), the Queensland Government, MangroveWatch, Sunshine Coast Council, Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, Caloundra Power Boat Club and Night Eyes Water & Landcare. |
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What's next
The project is now in its maintenance, monitoring, and reporting stage.
Project collaborators
This project is supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from the Australian Government.
This project is supported by Take Action for Pumicestone Passage (TAPP), the Queensland Government, MangroveWatch, Sunshine Coast Council, Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, Caloundra Power Boat Club and Night Eyes Water & Landcare.
