Overview
Following on from a community consultation process in 2018, Council adopted an Interim Wonga Beach Foreshore Management Plan which set out the conditions whereby residents could drive ATVs on the beach for recreational purposes. At the time it was envisaged a more detailed plan would be formulated at a later date. With a successful grant application through the Queensland Government Reef Assist program, Douglas Shire Council has now appointed Alluvium Consulting Australia Pty and Wild Environmental to revise the Interim Plan to produce a more detailed plan.
The Foreshore Management Plan will contain, among other things:
- Description of the vegetation types
- Description of fauna found along the foreshore
- Weed species list
- Audit of beach access points – formal and informal
- Dune protection activities such as revegetation and recommended plant species
- Maps which clearly define access points to the beach and priority area for revegetation.
The Wonga Beach plan will be one of five in the shire, with other foreshore management plans being done for Newell, Cooya, Four Mile and Oak Beach.
Project Updates
April 2022
Five foreshore management plans will help protect the environmental values and improve the liveability of coastlines in Douglas Shire.
Douglas Shire Council has now adopted foreshore management plans for Wonga Beach, Newell Beach, Cooya Beach, Four Mile Beach and Oak Beach.
The Foreshore Management Plan for Wonga Beach can be viewed below
September 2021
The public comment period for the Wonga Beach Foreshore Management Plan has now closed. The final Foreshore Management Plan is being presented to Council at its meeting scheduled for 28 September 2021.
The first community group meeting was held 15 September 2021. The meetings notes will be posted here on 24 September 2021.
May 2021
The Draft Foreshore Management Plan for Wonga Beach has now been released for public comment and a copy may be accessed below.
Comments are due 25 June 2021, and may be emailed to Gaye Scott.
There will be several opportunities where community members can drop in to talk to the Plan authors. Details of all drop in sessions are listed below and people are welcome to attend any session if they cannot attend one at their location. A consultation session is planned for Monday 14 June 5:30 to 7pm at the Resource Centre at Wonga Beach State School.
| Wonga Beach | Monday 14 June 5:30pm to 7pm | Wonga Beach State School – Resource Centre |
| Newell Beach | Tuesday 15 June 9:00am to 11:00am | Mossman Golf Club Meeting Room |
| Cooya Beach | Tuesday 15 June 12:30pm to 3:00pm | Foreshore Area – Playground area opposite 13 Bougainvillea |
| Four Mile Beach | Tuesday 15 June 5:00pm to 6:30pm | Port Douglas Community Hall |
| Oak Beach | Wednesday 16 June 11am – 2pm | Foreshore Area -southern end |
April 2021
A survey was released seeking information about how people used the foreshore, what they valued about it and their memories and knowledge. Over 300 people responded and the findings will be used to draft the foreshore management plan. The Draft Foreshore Management Plan will be released at a later date for comment and if you would like to receive an email when this occurs, please register your interest with Gaye Scott
March 2021
Douglas Shire Council has now appointed Alluvium Consulting Australia Pty Ltd in collaboration with Wild Environmental to develop foreshore management plans for Newell Beach, Cooya Beach, Four Mile Beach, Oak Beach, and to revise the Interim Wonga Beach Foreshore Management Plan to produce a more detailed plan.
Community Consultation
There will be several opportunities for people to get involved in developing the Foreshore Management Plans. The first opportunity was a survey which closed 23 April 2021 and was completed by over 300 people and 11 community groups/organisations.
Later in the process, the draft Foreshore Management Plan will be released for public comment. There will be community drop in sessions in all five locations, and several virtual information sessions to provide an opportunity for people to talk to the consultants face to face and all details will be published on this page.
If you would like to register to receive an email when future opportunities arise, please contact the project’s Community Liaison officer.
Enquiries
For more information or to register to receive updates when future opportunities for input arise, please contact Gaye Scott on 0418 793 009 or gaye.scott@douglas.qld.gov.au
