2021-01-18 GC - Item 3 - Attachment 1 - Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan for Community Consultation

Noosa Heads
Setting
The Noosa Heads locality, illustrated in Figure 11, encompasses the southern side of the mouth of
the Noosa River (‘the spit’) and Noosa Main Beach in the north, the northern shore of Lake Weyba
to the south, Noosa Junction, and is framed by Culgoa Point and Weyba Creek to the west.

The Noosa Heads locality provides a diverse coastal urban area with a strong focus on tourism,
business uses, apartment living and low density housing. The locality has a low rise, coastal
character framed by a vegetated backdrop to the built environment. Development has a strong
relationship to the coast, watercourses and the iconic Noosa National Park with distinctive views
and high accessibility to these natural assets.

The topography of the locality is varied and includes Noosa Hill and nearby elevated areas, as well
as low-lying areas adjacent to Noosa River and Laguna Bay. Much of the natural landform and
landscape is retained including the vegetated backdrop of Noosa Hill and areas of natural
foreshore.

The low elevation and proximity to the coastline and riverfront exposes some parts of the locality to
coastal hazards. Noosa Main Beach consistently experiences erosion on an annual basis, with
Noosa Heads Lions Park occasionally experiencing inundation due to storm tides. Under future
climate conditions, both of these hazards are expected to worsen, with permanent tidal inundation
due to rising sea levels also expected to occur in Lions Park and along recreational parklands
along the rear-side of Claude Batten Drive.


Risks – Erosion
Noosa Main Beach is susceptible to erosion on a regular basis due to the shape of the beach
(including its north-easterly orientation) and the slow rate of sand movement onto the beach via
natural processes due to the headland. Whilst sand can naturally replenish the beach, this process
is complemented through the use of the sand recycling system commissioned in 2012.

Recession of the shoreline is limited by the presence of the buried bouldered seawall (more
commonly referred to as the ‘rockwall’) installed in the 1960s. The low and narrow profile of the
beach and lack of vegetated dunes mean the developed foreshore adjacent to the beach is at risk
of erosion today. Given the age of the seawall, there is a material level of uncertainty regarding its
ability to withstand wave attack or prevent an increase in the frequency and intensity of wave-
overtopping as the sea level rises. The sand recycling system is the most significant infrastructure
asset located within the erosion prone area, as well as carparking and shower assets along Claude
Batten Drive.

Appendix 3 shows the change in risk profile across various parts of Noosa Heads as the area
exposed to the effects of coastal erosion and periodic tidal inundation respectively, increases. The
potential consequences of an event in this location are particularly high relative to others give the
major socio-economic value of this location to Noosa, and therefore high risk ratings are not
unexpected.

Tables 9 and 10 provide a summary of the changing risk profile for six broad asset types within the
locality that are projected to be exposed to the effects of coastal erosion and periodic tidal
inundation between present day and 2100.




Noosa Council – Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan 2020 - 2030 (community consultation version)   Page 47