Welcome Reception

Held Monday 17 September 2007 at Spinnaker's Restaurant, Bundaberg

All conference delegates were invited to the attend the Welcome Reception, providing an opportunity for networking over drinks and canapés.  Attendees were treated to a warm welcome from the Traditional Owners and local Mayor.

 
 
SEQ Catchments Conference Dinner

Held Tuesday 18 September 2007 at Rowers on the River, Bundaberg

Conference delegates enjoyed an evening of fine wining and dining at one of Bundaberg's riverside venues. Attendees had fun with new and old friends alike, boogieing the night away.

Field Trip Details
A selection of pre-conference field trips were held on Monday 17 September 2007, aimed to address a number of different interests of conference delegates.

Field Trip 1: Fixing up our foreshores - issues and innovative measures to stabilize and rehabilitate high dunal systems.
Location: Agnes Water & 1770, Miriam Vale

 
Miriam Vale is located between Gladstone and Bundaberg and has an estimated resident population of 5,113. Renowned as a traditional sheep growing area, it now supports timber, beef and to a lesser degree, dairy cattle. Tourism is an expanding industry within the Shire particularly along the coastal strip that runs between Bustard Bay to the north and Baffle Creek to the south. Miriam Vale Shire has seven townships and is experiencing growth in the coastal townships of Turkey Beach, Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy. The coastal area around Rules Beach and along the Baffle Creek is also developing as people discover the benefits of the natural environment.

The area is blessed with outstanding coastal and marine resources providing visual and recreational amenity values. These resources include:

•  highly dynamic high frontal dunes of 1770
•  the spectacular natural beauty and high biodiversity values of Hummock Hill Island
•  paperbark wetlands of Deepwater National Park
•  turtle nesting beaches at Wreck Rock and
•  beautiful Baffle Creek – one of the least impounded river systems in Queensland
•  Turkey and Rules Beach – popular for fishing and 4WD.

This field trip took participants on the journey that the Miriam Vale Shire Council has taken over the last 2 years, and examined some of the on-ground sites where the line has been drawn in the sand and the shifting sands effectively halted. 

Field Trip 2: Recycling and reusing one of Queensland’s most valuable assets - water
Location: Wide Bay Water Corporation, Hervey Bay

Wide Bay Water Corporation is the first local government owned corporation in Queensland, providing water and wastewater services to the City of Hervey Bay. The Corporation is wholly owned by Hervey Bay City Council and governed by a Board of Directors.

Due to the natural features of Hervey Bay and the Wide Bay Region, Wide Bay Water Corporation is presented with the unique challenge and responsibility of preserving the environment for future generations. The environmental considerations coupled with the rapid growth of population, requires Wide Bay Water Corporation to work at the forefront of technology and forward planning.

In the late 1980’s, population and tourism growth in Hervey Bay had created the need for more sewage treatment facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency would not permit the extra treated sewage to be discharged to local creeks that flow into the bay - an ocean outfall was required. However, in a community where tourism relies on preserving the pristine waters of the region, any impact on the bay was considered unacceptable.

The challenge was to find an environmentally responsible solution that was both economically viable and acceptable to the residents of Hervey Bay. The result is a land-based effluent disposal system that has not only protected the waters of the region, but has also delivered dividends for local farmers, the Council and ratepayers.

Wide Bay Water Corporation is committed to recycling more than 90% of Hervey Bay’s wastewater by October 2008 with some 10 million litres per day being used to irrigate hardwood trees, sugar cane, pasture and tea tree plantations, as well as golf courses, sports fields, turf farms and their latest partnership – a wetland and fish processing plant.

The scheme consists of three parts - The Pulgul Irrigation Scheme, the Eli Creek Irrigation Scheme (both joined by a 12.5km pipeline) and a stormwater harvesting project.

The recycling system involves treated wastewater being held in a total of 1, 520 megalitre storage dam for a minimum of 60 days before being piped to farm land. In addition to protecting the delicate marine environments of Hervey Bay and Fraser Island from ocean outfall, the land-based disposal of treated wastewater has resulted in increased production for the farms involved, effectively drought-proofing these properties.

Stormwater is also recycled through the Eli Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant by redirecting flows through the city’s sewer pipes at night when the sewer system normally stops flowing. This system of stormwater harvesting also serves to flush out the pipe network, preventing acidic corrosion problems and reducing maintenance costs, while protecting the local environment.

This industry-focused field trip provided an invaluable insight into wastewater recycling technology and an overview of a highly successful international company. 
 

Field Trip 3: Up close and personal – community participation and valuing the Woongarra coast
Location: Woongarra coastline, 15 Km from Bundaberg

 
When Bundaberg’s only hill, the Hummock, exploded about 1 million years ago, the volcano spewed volcanic basalt into the nearby sea. The basalt is an excellent substrate for coral habitat as well as some excellent tidal pools, making it equally appealing from the surface or beneath the waves. The site is considered to be one of Australia’s top ten shore diving locations and as you step from the shore and into the water, it’s not hard to know why.

But coral isn’t the area’s only inhabitant. The area is believed to house up to 400 species of nudibranchs alone and is also home to several species of sea snakes.

But most people know Woongarra for an altogether different visitor . . . the loggerhead turtle, with Mon Repos the second largest mainland rookery for these endangered mariners in the southern hemisphere.

This was the field trip for those wanting to immerse themselves in coastal ecology.

For divers and snorkellers, this field trip provided the opportunity to dive in at one of the best diving locations in the area – Barolin Rocks. Participants were then taken on a tour of the area highlighting the work that has been undertaken by the local community group Woongarra Coast Monitoring & Education Project over the last decade.