Local outrage over stop of sand dredging at Dog Beach, Noosa Heads

The decision to stop work on a more than $1m sand dredging project at a popular Noosa beach has been slammed by residents as a “massive failure”.

Work has stopped on the sand dredging and nourishment works at Dog Beach, Noosa Heads. Picture: Noosa Council

Noosa residents have hit out at work stopping on a more than $1m sand dredging project at a popular beach, labelling it a “massive failure”.

Noosa Council ordered its contractor to stop work on the sand dredging and nourishment work at Doggie Beach, Noosa Heads, before it was completed because it was unlikely it would be finished before the end of September deadline, and due to environmental challenges.

The $1.23m project is being completed over several years and involves pumping sand from the main channel onto the beach in a bid to prevent further erosion.

A council spokesperson said the contract for this year’s work was worth about $800,000 but the contractor was only paid for the work completed, with the remainder kept in the budget.

State government approval was granted for the works to take place between April and September, 2023, however it did not begin until months later.

Doggie Beach, Noosa Heads

A specialist dredging contractor was appointed to the project in June, with work commencing in July.

The decision sparked a strong reaction from residents with criticism levelled at the funds allocated towards the project, as well as the size of the dredging vessel.

Resident Matt Major said the outcome left residents with many unanswered questions.

“There’s been zero answers from council,” Mr Major said.

“Council has their head in the sand, they don’t want to listen, they know they failed.

Noosa local Matt Major has slammed council over the sand dredging and nourishment works at Doggie Beach, Noosa Heads.

“This project has been a complete disappointment, massive failure, and a let down to the public.”

Mr Major raised concerns over flow on effects throughout the river up to the Noosa Everglades, where he spends a lot of time fishing.

“My main concern is you can see the effects of what they do down the river mouth and how it affects the whole river,” Mr Major said.

He said the council should hold a public meeting about the matter.

“Council needs to inform the public what exactly went wrong, and future plans to ensure, us the public and river users that the best possible solutions are being pursued,” he said.

Council’s acting director of infrastructure services Bryan O’Connor said the contractor faced difficult conditions.

“The contractor tried a number of different dredging methods but the dynamic nature of the river, its strong currents, and closeness to the river mouth, made it challenging,” Mr O’Connor said.

“We had a limited window because the environmental permit governing the dredging works had strict conditions and the work had to be conducted during April to September to minimise environmental impacts on migratory shorebirds.

“Much of the work was based on expert modelling so there are some learnings and improvements we can make before engaging a new contractor.”

Doggie Beach and the adjacent waterway has since been reopened to the public.

Council has promised to conduct a further review of the modelling provided for the sand nourishment work.

Officers will consider a range of options before issuing a new tender for the project next year.