2016-06-07 - P&E Agenda - Item 3, Attachment 1 - Noosa Parklands Draft Management Plan

along Wooroi Creek. The project aims to improve the water quality of the creek and re-
establish native plants for the wildlife listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act
1992 (NC Act) including koalas, the Richmond birdwing butterfly and the glossy black
cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami). The group also participates in working bees once a
month and have facilitated tree planting activities within the park by Girl Guides and local
schools.


4.2         Natural hazards
The Noosa Local Disaster Management Plan 2015-16 (Noosa Council 2015b) identifies fire
and flood as being the highest risks for the Noosa Shire.

The majority of the park is mapped as medium bushfire hazard on the Natural Hazard
Bushfire OM 9.4 (Noosa 2013), with one small section of high bushfire hazard in the north
east section of the park. Noosa Council manages the park’s fire hazards according to the
guidelines and actions within the Noosa Bushland Reserve Fire Management Plan 2015
(Noosa Council 2015c). As per this fire management plan there is a focus on developing the
fire trail network (Figure 4). The width of the fire trail; depends on topography and
requirements for a safe separation between fire crews and vegetation. Council has a
maintenance regime for maintaining these fire trails as per the Noosa Bushland Reserve Fire
Management Plan 2015 (Noosa Council 2015c; Appendix 8). This plan proposes further
developing the bushland reserve fire trail network and widening in select areas (Figure 4). A
1 m clearance beside boardwalks is also recommended as a measure to protect timber from
a potential bushfire. Council has engaged experts to assess bushfire fuel hazard for the
park. Once completed, Council will be able to determine the planned burn frequency for the
park.

There are no landslide or flood hazard areas mapped within the park on OM 9.3 (Noosa
2013), but there has been localised flooding recorded within the park, in proximity to property
boundaries and minor road flooding (pers. comm. with resident) (see also Section 3.2).
Wooroi Creek, which meanders through the park, naturally floods during severe rain events
(e.g. 2008, 2013 and 2015), similar to other creeks and rivers in the Noosa Shire and SEQ.
The level of flooding is directly related to the amount and intensity of rainfall in the
catchment, not the amount of vegetation or debris in a naturally meandering creek. A flood
investigation completed by a specialist hydraulic consultancy (Hydrology & Water
Management Consulting 2015) determined that removing natural debris 1 from the entire
Noosa Parklands floodplain and creek would provide minor or relatively short term reduction
in major event flood peaks, unless where debris is located near a hydraulic structure (e.g.
culverts) that is at risk of becoming blocked. Generally, clearing of all natural debris from
Noosa Shire natural creek systems is not considered best practice for flood mitigation
(Hydrology & Water Management Consulting 2015). It is a recommendation of this Plan that
there is no removal of natural debris from Wooroi Creek and Council resources are best
served on more effective maintenance, such as routine stormwater and culvert works.


1 ‘Debris’ includes naturally occurring loose ‘woody’ material found on the floodplain and within creek banks, such as palm

fronds, sticks, branches and fallen logs.



Final draft Noosa Parklands Park Management Plan                                                                    page | 22