Media Releases

THE STRAND IS NORTH QUEENSLAND’S CLEANEST BEACH

The Townsville beach won this year's regional EPA Clean Beach Challenge title from 20 other strong contenders in the north Queensland region. The popular Keep Australia Beautiful Council program attracted 137 beach entries across six judging regions this year, from the Torres Strait islands to the NSW border.

Keep Australia Beautiful Council (Qld) Inc Chief Executive Officer Barton Green said The Strand was assessed as best exemplifying all the elements of the EPA Clean Beach Challenge and was a deserving regional winner.

"Our judge said The Strand has become a Townsville icon and a focus of civic and community activity, and that it displays the highest standards across all the EPA Clean Beach Challenge judging criteria," Mr Green said.

The Strand announcement was made at a regional EPA Clean Beach Challenge awards function at the Mackay Surf Live Saving Club at Mackay Harbour. As well as the overall title of North Queensland's Cleanest Beach, nine Outstanding Accomplishment Awards were announced:

1. Tourism Queensland Friendly Beach Award - Horseshoe Bay, Bowen
2. Collex Resource Conservation & Waste Management Award - The Strand
3. Beverage Industry Environment Council Litter Prevention Award - Rose Bay, Bowen
4. Outdoor Advertising Association of Australia Young Legends Award - Queens Beach, Bowen
5. Bunnings Warehouse Community-Local Government Partnership Award - Bowen Shire Council for Kings Beach
6. Kingfisher Bay Resort Protection of the Environment Award - Illawong Beach, Mackay
7. Community Action Award - Forrest Beach
8. Beach Spirit Award - Hay Point Beach
9. Outstanding Accomplishment Award - Helen Basse of Wunjunga

Mr Green said The Strand would automatically join the Cleanest Beach winners from the five other judging regions as finalists for the overall State title to be announced at a gala ceremony in Brisbane on 5 December.

Within the next few weeks, the top three Outstanding Accomplishment Award winners in each of the other categories from around the State will be selected and shortlisted for the State titles.

Queensland Environment Minister Dean Wells said it was important for beaches from throughout the region to receive recognition for good environmental management.

“The EPA Clean Beach Challenge is a great way to recognise and reward motivated communities and organisations who take good care of their favourite beaches and surrounding areas,” Mr Wells said.

“The vast range of successful environment, conservation, safety and anti-litter activities underway along our coastline and islands is outstanding and all participants are to be congratulated.”

EPA Clean Beach Challenge 2003 – North Queensland Region

North Queensland’s Cleanest Beach - The Strand

The Cleanest Beach Award takes into account a beach's geographic, environmental and economic circumstances, and assesses how efficiently and effectively the community uses the resources available to it against a range of criteria, including tidiness and litter abatement, visitor friendliness and hospitality, fauna and flora management activities, community interaction, youth activities, resource conservation and waste management, and local government partnerships within a community.

The Strand, now four years old in its present form, has become a Townsville icon and a focus of civic and community activity. The Strand offers excellent visitor hospitality with its day- and evening-use facilities, four beaches (two of them with seasonal stinger net enclosures), two Surf Life Saving Clubs, fresh water swimming pools, water play area, children’s playgrounds, fitness trail, fishing jetty, basketball court, amphitheatre, restaurants, kiosks, gardens, parks, and permanent artwork. All facilities are wheelchair accessible, including the beaches thanks to a 4WD motorised wheelchair. Signage and printed information is clear and pleasant. The Strand is a leader in effective resource conservation and waste and litter management policies and practices, including storm water quality control, on-site separation and multi-clearing of waste, beach sand sifting, water and energy conservation, cleaning without chemicals, and associated education and damage preventative programs. The Strand is a declared Dugong Protection Area and a turtle nesting site. Active community and Townsville City Council partnerships provide fauna monitoring and research; dune and other vegetation is managed under a Vegetation Management Plan; and dune beach sands are replenished regularly to ensure retention of their storm damage protection role. The Strand has become a major, all-age recreational focus for close to three million visitors each year, 69% of whom are local residents. Community events and celebrations include festivals, services, parades, competitions, regattas, concerts, weddings, markets, and arts and crafts exhibitions. The Strand is consistently being ‘fine-tuned’ in response to proactive surveys and feedback, and has acted as a catalyst for redevelopment and upgrading in the surrounding area. The Strand displays the highest standards across all the EPA Clean Beach Challenge judging criteria and well deserves the honour of being North Queensland’s Cleanest Beach for 2003.

Tourism Queensland Friendly Beach Award (North Queensland) - Horseshoe Bay, Bowen

This award recognises the importance of visitor hospitality and safety, and instructive and easily understood local information facilities.

Horseshoe Bay is one of Bowen’s boutique beaches, a small crescent of sand between two boulder-strewn headlands, backed by a narrow foreshore with large mature trees. There is an immediate sense of arrival generated by the pleasant termination of the road, its change of surface from asphalt to concrete pavers, the more showy plantings, and the sight of the bay through a shaded foreground. Then comes a feeling of welcome and relaxation - the more intimate scale, shaded parking, clean surroundings, freely-roaming wildlife, and non-obtrusive facilities including toilets and playground equipment. Signage is clear, and an excellent theme sign proudly displays the name of the beach and its Clean Beach Challenge track record. Access to the beach is defined but direct, a pathway extends through a Land for Wildlife reserve to Rose Bay, and a cycle/pedestrian path connects to Grays Bay in the other direction. There is a Surf Life Saving Club patrol and a general absence of stingers due to the natural formation of the bay and the associated water currents (although stinger drags are still done for safety). The beach allows all-tide swimming and, although small, offers areas at each end where a feeling of solitude may still be experienced. The foreshore is used for community celebrations, concerts, and other special functions when the car park is transformed into a public venue. Horseshoe Bay’s natural and cultural attractions, combined with the strong commitment of the Bowen Shire Council and community to visitor hospitality, ensure a high level of comfort and a memorable visitor experience.

Collex Resource Conservation and Waste Management Award (North Queensland) - The Strand

This award recognises outstanding accomplishment in resource conservation and waste management.

The EPA Clean Beach Challenge judge was quite clear with this award - no other beach in the region comes close to The Strand when it comes to resource conservation and waste management. Which explains why Townsville’s recreational foreshore has taken out this regional award three years running, and the State award in 2002. The Strand not only sets the benchmark in foreshore resource conservation and waste management, but it keeps raising the standard through consistent monitoring of its own performance. The Strand’s waste management policy is the result of effective consultation and agreement between community, Council, businesses and waste management companies. Standard practices include mulching and reuse of site green waste; visible litter bins which are emptied and cleaned at least once each day; the collection of oils and cleaning wastes for recycling; water use minimisation through automatic shut-off taps, recirculation within water features, and fast response maintenance; energy conservation by sensor and timer switches; non-chemical cleaning of all external areas; and weekly sifting of beach sands. And for any public events, individual waste management strategies are implemented. Specific and well-signed recycling bins are being installed, and in-line stormwater quality control undertaken. Public awareness of strategy and conservation issues is maintained through written information, and there are plans to periodically locate a mobile education unit of the Local Authority Waste Management Advisory Committee at The Strand to offer hands-on experience and education in recycling and waste management issues. Townsville, including The Strand, has recently joined up for the national community education program ‘Don’t Waste Australia’. The Strand's sensible policies and overt practices have resulted in a growing awareness of appropriate behaviour and continue to promote best practice techniques in resource conservation and waste management.

Beverage Industry Environment Council Litter Prevention Award (North Queensland) – Rose Bay, Bowen

This award recognises outstanding accomplishment in litter prevention, management and education.

Rose Bay is one of Bowen’s smaller but well-used beaches, providing limited day-use facilities on a narrow, grassed and shady foreshore in front of the unobtrusive, four-storey Rose Bay Resort. The litter management strategy for this beach has evolved primarily through a partnership between Bowen Shire Council and the Bowen State School (now a Reef Guardian School) under its Adopt-a-Beach program. Litter bins are well placed, emptied and cleaned regularly. Personal cigarette butt bins, provided and maintained by the students, are housed in painted containers at each picnic table. Students and local residents regularly litter-pick the beach and foreshore, and litter audits are conducted, submitted to Council, and entered on the school’s website, providing a valuable record of Rose Bay's litter status. In association with Bowen Shire Council, the students have also prepared and circulated a brochure about how to reduce litter on beaches, and have devised and stencilled signs on road gullies to discourage their misuse as litter receptacles. Rose Bay benefits from the care and attention of the Council, Bowen State School and local residents, and is an excellent example of sound and proactive litter management in action.

Outdoor Advertising Association of Australia Young Legends Award (North Queensland) - Queens Beach

This award recognises outstanding accomplishment by youth and by a beach/community which encourages and promotes youth activity.

Clean and tidy Queens Beach and its foreshore are the focus of a range of youth-orientated activities by students, Surf Life Saving Club members and local young residents. The Queens Beach State School conducts a strong program of academic and civic studies under its Adopt-a-Beach commitment, including regular visits for study, beach activities and beach/foreshore care. Older students introduce the younger ones to beach protection matters in practical sessions, and they monitor litter which contributes towards a valuable record of beach and foreshore status. The school's involvement with Queens Beach has been recognised by the Bowen Shire Council through information signage. The students have designed and constructed litter-picking and tree watering equipment, and they and members of the local Scout Group have propagated plants and planted the foredunes in a rehabilitation project. Young members of the Surf Life Saving Club also undertake beach and foreshore maintenance. An initiative of local youth resulted in Bowen Shire Council’s decision to construct a beach volleyball court in Wangaratta Park, which the young citizens now manage and maintain. Queens Beach provides quality proof of the benefits of positive youth enterprise and action.

Bunnings Warehouse Community-Local Government Partnership Award (North Queensland) - Bowen Shire Council for Kings Beach

This award recognises outstanding partnership achievements by a local government and its community.

Bowen’s beaches provide an enviable range of characteristics that ensure a variety of surroundings from intensive use areas with supporting facilities, to isolated beaches and foreshores with no services and little access. The result is a palette of beach characters and experiences which is recognised and embraced by Bowen Shire Council and the local community. The Council’s sound beach and foreshore policies have been developed through consultation with coastal authorities, community groups and businesses. At Kings Beach, which includes designated dog and horse exercise areas, the foreshore immediately in front of the road has been environmentally substandard for many years but is now being rehabilitated by the community with assistance from Bowen Shire Council. The formation of the Kings Beach Action Group in March has already seen positive effects on the appearance and health of the beach and foreshore, especially in relation to weed eradication, the removal of dead wood and litter, and planting. A new timber and concrete ramp provides disabled access from the carpark to the beach, and the area benefits from the continuing involvement of Bowen State School students, especially in relation to the propagation and planting of dune plants and trees, removal of litter (including cigarette butts), and the litter education of locals and visitors. Strong two-way communication and liaison between community and Council ensure a common understanding of policy intent, objectives, and implementation methods. Kings Beach is unified with all other Bowen beaches through themed signage that confirms their Clean Beach Challenge status. The health and retention of the character of Kings Beach and its importance to residents and visitors is due to the proactive influence and guidance of Bowen Shire Council and its valuable partnership with the community.

Kingfisher Bay Resort Protection of the Environment Award (North Queensland) - Illawong Beach, Mackay

This award recognises outstanding accomplishment in the protection of the local natural environment and, specifically, the preservation of fauna and flora.

Illawong Beach is an area of contrasts. The southern section is Illawong Park, a well-established green foreshore with large mature shade trees and day-use facilities. To the north is an 850m long dune system which extends past Quota Park and along Far Beach. Until recently, this dune system was highly degraded by sand blows, pits from sand removal, poor access tracks, weeds, and local and industrial litter. Since May this year, the dune area and the flatter ground in front of the caravan park have been transformed. Working to a predetermined plan, developed in consultation with neighbouring landowners, the Mackay City Council has embarked upon an intensive rehabilitation program. It has contracted for the removal of rubbish, weed eradication, ground reshaping to reform the dunes, protection of worthwhile existing vegetation, protective fencing, planting, mulching, grassing, and hardened accesses through the dunes to the beach. The proprietor of the local caravan park has supplied and laid an irrigation system over part of the area. While more trees are still to be planted, the whole area is now well on the way to a natural and healthy state. The dune system will once again form an essential element in the natural processes of the foreshore, and will have an important role as a strong and healthy link between the existing mature landscapes of Quota and Illawong Parks. Mackay City Council and the community have made a positive contribution to the protection of an important foreshore environment.

Community Action Award (North Queensland) - Forrest Beach

This award recognises outstanding community organisation and pride – expressed through civic, cultural and environmental activities.

Forrest Beach provides locals and visitors with easy access to safe swimming and a range of foreshore facilities set amongst pleasant surroundings. The area's great facilities and presentation are due primarily to the effective working partnerships between Hinchinbrook Shire Council, the Progress Association, Lions Club, Surf Life Saving Club, State School, other local organisations and businesses, and individual members of the community. Their cooperative efforts have provided a wide range of visitor facilities including shelters, picnic tables, barbecues, playgrounds, a beach wheelchair and amenities block. The Progress Association organises community social and celebratory events on the foreshore, clean-ups and general maintenance are undertaken on a regular basis, and the Lions Club maintains the barbecues and controls the stinger enclosure net. The community has installed irrigation to support its latest rehabilitation project, which was completed with assistance from the Council and Coastcare. Recent projects include storage for the beach wheelchair, fencing, an external courtyard at the Surf Life Saving Club, and a half basketball court. The Surf Life Saving Club, now 65 years old, conducts education programs, beach safety, and general beach maintenance. Local State Schools use the beach and foreshore to support academic programs, and students also undertake maintenance tasks. Community members participate in Council-run workshops, and development priorities are decided within community-developed management plans. The strong partnerships between the Forrest Beach community, Shire Council and other organisations have delivered an enviable range and quality of facilities, a strong sense of community, and a healthy beach and foreshore.

Beach Spirit Award (North Queensland) - Hay Point Beach

This award recognises coastal communities which are facing or have faced difficult times, but which show outstanding commitment to solving problems by turning them into opportunities.

Hay Point Beach is a sweep of sand extending almost 2km from the headland of Hay Point, and the coal loading terminal, towards the tug harbour and the small township of Half Tide. A turtle nesting beach, it is backed by an often steep, tree-covered dune and slope system. The beach and foreshore have been highly degraded through human misuse and unchecked weed growth over many years. But a group of Hay Point Services staff has volunteered to rehabilitate the beach and the foreshore, within an existing vegetation master plan. So far they have litter-picked the beach and foredune, begun to clear lantana, prickly pear, guinea grass and other weeds, restricted vehicle access to the beach by erecting barriers, and constructed a laddered beach access. These endeavours, which form part of the Sarina Beaches Habitat Rejuvenation Project, have the support of Hay Point Services and are being assisted by advice and guidance from the neighbouring Louisa Creek Progress Association and other coastal groups. This project was born from a dogged determination to address past environmental neglect, and the rehabilitation group appears undeterred by the extent of work still to be done. Their positive attitude and efforts to date have already had a noticeable effect on the health of the landscape and the quality of the beach and foreshore.

Outstanding Accomplishment Award (North Queensland) - Helen Basse of Wunjunga

This Award recognises individuals or groups who have made an outstanding contribution to Queensland beaches and who espouse the principles of the EPA Clean Beach Challenge.

Helen Basse, until recently, was one of the few full-time residents of Wunjunga, a small, relatively isolated coastal township south of Ayr where only two of the 50 homes now have permanent residents. For several years, the community has had a Progress Association that has been actively involved in providing resident and visitor facilities, retrieving natural and indigenous history, and rehabilitating the foreshore of Beachmount, the local beach. Helen Basse has been the prime force behind this work. Supported by other members of the Progress Association, she has sought, badgered and obtained financial backing and materials and labour from the Burdekin Shire Council, educational institutions, government authorities, a large number of organisations, businesses, and even visitors to the township. Their efforts have resulted in the development of a free camping park, helipad, information signage, the location and fencing of Aboriginal middens, the provision of day-use facilities, and extensive beach and foreshore rehabilitation. Although no longer a permanent resident, Helen continues this intensity of commitment and involvement, ensuring Wunjunga, its beach, and its foreshore are developed in line with the intent and objectives of the EPA Clean Beach Challenge.

Media Releases: 5/11/2003

Home : About KABCQ : Programs : Forms & Documents
Media Releases : Sponsorship

© Keep Australia Beautiful Council (Qld) Inc 2004