Meeting papers

echo sounders, and satellite-derived bathymetry. The coastal monitoring program is scheduled to
be undertaken annually, before and after the storm season.

 Current beach and dune condition
In the early seventies, a series of severe storms and cyclones caused severe erosion to many of
Queensland beaches. In Noosa significant dunal erosion occurred and extensive area of coffee
rock were exposed on the beaches. In many places dunal vegetation was lower and less dense.

Since then, Noosa’s Eastern Beaches has benefited from relatively stable weather conditions over
the last 50 years with only minor to moderate erosion events happening periodically, interspersed
by steady accretion as the beaches, dunes and vegetation have recovered. The dunes and
beaches are much wider, coffee rock is only occasionally exposed on the beaches, and dune
vegetation is much denser and covers a much bigger area now than after the 1970’s coastal
erosion event(s).

From a risk management perspective, careful planning requires Council to consider the impacts of
future events like the early seventies event(s) and put measures in place to minimise impacts.
Ensuring a healthy dune system is an important measure toward this as outlined in the CHAP.
Under future climate scenarios we may see the increased frequency and severity of major storm
events that trigger erosion.




Figure 10: Beach erosion after Tropical Cyclone Daisy, 1972




How do vegetated dunes buffer our coasts to climate change impacts?
Climate change may increase both the occurrence and intensity of severe weather events and
cause sea level rise, increasing storm tide inundation, permanent inundation and beach erosion.
An important ecosystem service that naturally vegetated foreshores provide is the buffering of
beaches and dunes to help slow coastal erosion impacts.3

3 Morris et al. (2021). The Australian Nature-Based Methods for Reducing Risk from Coastal Hazards. Earth

Systems and Climate Change Hub Report No. 26. NESP Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub, Australia.

Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan 2023                                           Page 28


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