2019-03-12 P&E Agenda - Item 5 - Attachment 2 - Koala Infrastructure & Feasibility Report

It is recommended that, where practical and safe, existing barriers be retrofitted with appropriate koala exit
points such as climbing structures or one-way hatches and refuge poles be installed in median strips.
Acoustic Barriers or Fencing
Existing walls that are not climbable and have no existing climbing poles or trees flush with the fence may
present a barrier to koalas trapped on the road side of the barrier. It is recommended that sections of walls
(including existing exclusion fencing) located on Eenie Creek Road (north side) be investigated further to
ensure that there are no large sections without exit structures. Walls that may be considered for retrofitting
with additional climbing poles or trees planting include:

•    Wall on Eenie Creek Road near roundabout at Monks Bridge (west)
•    Wall on north side of Eenie Creek Road near Walter Hay Roundabout

Rock Revetment/Gabion Walls
Existing gabion walls and revetment walls can present a barrier to koala movement. Two notable sections of
road include:

•    Revetment/gabion wall on Eenie Creek Road under Noosa Springs Drive overpass
•    Rock revetment and concrete lattice on Noosa Drive

It is recommended that climbing structures be retrofitted to these walls where koalas may currently get
trapped.

4.2.3.          Koala and Wildlife Signage
It is recommended that high visibility signage is installed in appropriate locations facing both traffic directions
on priority roads and any appropriate existing koala/wildlife signage is retrofitted with high visibility reflective
frames.

Locations where additional vehicle activated signage could be installed and activated during periods of peak
koala activity include:

•    Weyba Road (between the RACV Noosa Resort roundabout and Weyba Bridge)
•    Eenie Creek Road near Monks Bridge (east side)

4.2.4.          Speed Limits
Three potential areas for speed reductions include:

•    Weyba Road (from the RACV Noosa Resort roundabout) to West side of Weyba Bridge (reduce to
     50km/hr)
•    McKinnon Drive (move 80km/hr sign to extend the 60km/hr speed zone to ensure that deceleration
     from or accelerating to 80km/hr occurs outside the hotspot area)
•    Cooroy Noosa Road (move 80km/hr sign to extend the 60km/hr speed zone to ensure that deceleration
     from or accelerating to 80km/hr occurs outside the hotspot area). A major pedestrian crossing between
     a residential estate and a bus stop may help to justify this action.

4.3.            Detailed Recommendations
Field assessments were broken into 21 regions. The audit and gap analysis identified potential for additional
hard and soft infrastructure within 10 of the regions. Figure 14 shows existing infrastructure and potential
areas for additional infrastructure. The 10 regions include:

Koala Infrastructure Audit & Feasibility Report                                                              Page 27

Noosa Council
17SUN-0087/1700860