Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP) for Four Mile Beach and Newell Beach
Douglas Shire Council is commencing a Shoreline Erosion Management Plan for Four Mile Beach and Newell Beach.
A Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP) is a comprehensive plan designed to manage coastal erosion at a specific location over a 10- to 20-year period. The SEMP will explore coastal processes and develop management options to reduce the risk of coastal erosion.
Have Your Say
Hearing from our community is key in deciding how we manage the foreshore. You can contribute via our upcoming community engagement activities and our online activities. All are welcome to attend and respond – residents and visitors.
Have Your Say?
Hearing from our community is key in deciding how we manage the foreshore. You can contribute via our upcoming community engagement activities and our online activities. All are welcome to attend and respond – residents and visitors.
How Can I Get Involved?
To ensure you are kept up to date with the Resilient Coast program and the development of the Shoreline Erosion Management Plan:
Join Us
Join us at our drop-in sessions at Newell Beach and Four Mile Beach:
Newell Beach Drop-In Session
When: Monday 8 December 2025
Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Where: Mossman Golf Club (Newell Beach)
Port Douglas-Four Mile Beach Pop-In Session
When: Tuesday 9 December 2025
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Where: Four Mile Beach Esplanade (near the ramp entrance to the Stinger Net)
Port Douglas-Four Mile Beach Pop-In Session
When: Tuesday 9 December 2025
Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Where: Port Douglas Community Hall (Mowbray Street, Port Douglas)
Have Your Say
Share what you value about our coast by completing our Shoreline Erosion Management Plan Survey by clicking the button below.
Survey closes: 19 January 2026
Register
Register to receive regular progress updates and notifications of public meetings by click on the ‘Register here to receive project updates’ button below.
Ask
Ask Council or their experts questions about coastal hazards or the SEMP process by emailing enquiries@douglas.qld.gov.au
Additional Information
What Is the Shoreline Erosion Management Plan?
A Shoreline Erosion Management Plan is a comprehensive plan designed to manage and mitigate coastal erosion at a specific location over a 10- to 20-year period.
Douglas Shire Council is commencing a Shoreline Erosion Management Plan for Four Mile Beach and Newell Beach. The Plan will explore coastal processes and develop management options to reduce the risk of coastal erosion.
What’s Already Happened?
Douglas Shire Council completed the Resilient Coast Strategic Plan (Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy) in 2019. It outlines a plan to better understand current and future impacts of coastal hazards and long-term strategies to make our coastlines more resilient.
The Resilient Coast Strategic Plan highlighted that Four Mile Beach and Newell Beach are areas that will be increasingly prone to emerging coastal hazards from the present day to 2100. This Strategic Plan recommended a Shoreline Erosion Management Plan for these beaches to support future open coast erosion mitigation works as a priority strategic action.
Council also completed Foreshore Management Plans for Four Mile Beach in 2021 and Newell Beach in 2022, helping to protect, maintain, and manage access and use of the coastline and foreshore.
Through community engagement undertaken as part of the Resilient Coast Strategic Plan and the Foreshore Management Plans for Four Mile Beach and Newell Beach, we have valuable insights into what our community values most about this coastline. Residents place high importance on the natural beauty, tropical atmosphere, and sense of seclusion created by the established coastal vegetation buffer. Our community particularly appreciates the coconut palms, shaded areas, open parklands, and safe spaces for children, while also recognising the beach’s role as a unique and accessible tourist destination. The foreshore is widely used for exercise, relaxation, and social activities, with many residents viewing it as an extension of their backyard.
What’s Happening Now?
Council has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government and the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) through the QCoast2100 Program to support the development of a Shoreline Erosion Management Plan for Four Mile Beach and Newell Beach over the next year.
In the coming months, we’ll be:
- Working with the community to validate the values, aspirations and concerns already identified for Newell Beach and Four Mile Beach, and to capture anything new
- Assessing the local coastal processes, shoreline changes and erosion risks at Newell Beach and Four Mile Beach
- Identifying management options that align with local priorities and technical findings
- Engaging with our community to seek feedback on the Draft Shoreline Erosion Management and refine the preferred management approach (where appropriate)
