Doonan Creek Environment Reserve landscape plan

Council has worked with the community to develop a landscape plan for Doonan Creek Environment Reserve. The Reserve is 334 hectares of diverse coastal habitat. It was was acquired through Council’s Environment Levy to protect the important Maroochy – Noosa Wallum Corridor.

The Doonan Creek Environment Reserve Landscape Plan is the next step in developing future opportunities for the community to access this beautiful area of bushland. The plan is guided by the Doonan Creek Environment Reserve Management Plan.

The landscape plan ensures access through the reserve is planned in a way that will not compromise the site’s significant ecological and cultural values.

View the Doonan Creek Environment Reserve Landscape Plan (PDF, 9.5MB).

Project scope

The landscape plan provides a foundation that will guide public access and how this is managed in the future.

The following values and vision were developed with the community, to be included in the landscape plan:

A place of tranquillity
A place of observation and education
A place that provides a deepened connection with nature
An ecologically restored, resilient and connected landscape
The preservation of diverse ecology
A place of passive recreation.

The vision for the plan is 'to restore an ecologically diverse environment to protect biodiversity and facilitate tranquil recreation and user appreciation of this ecologically and culturally important environment.'

Overview

Doonan Creek Environment Reserve is an important coastal habitat that includes bushland heath, Melaleuca forest, Scribbly gum forest, endangered lowland rainforest, Eucalypt woodlands and freshwater wetlands. The area is home to many conservation significant plants and animals, including the endangered Mount Emu She-oak ( Allocasuarina emuina) and Sunshine Coast Myrtle ( Lenwebbia sp) as well as Koalas, and several international and Australian migratory birds. With over 125 recorded bird species, the site has been described as an ideal attraction for bird watchers.

Located on the coastal plain between Peregian Springs and the foothills of Verrierdale, the Reserve shares boundaries with both rural and urban communities.

Public access to date has been limited to community engagement workshops, public open days such as the Doonan Open Data Expo and National Tree Day, and school and other tree planting events.

The Kabi Kabi First Nation’s People have also identified the reserve as culturally significant, located adjacent to ceremonial pathways and songlines. Partnerships with the Kabi Kabi First Nations People is an important element of Reserve planning.

Project update

Council has engaged the community to help shape Doonan Creek Environment Reserve’s future.

The project team has reviewed community feedback from workshops, pop-up stalls, and online submissions.

The consultation involved:

local residents
targeted community groups locally and region wide
environmental groups
Kabi Kabi First Nations.

Council considered all the feedback when developing the final landscape plan which is a balance of different community expectations and ensures future protection of ecological and cultural values.

Outcomes for the landscape plan will be delivered in stages over a number of years, subject to detailed design and available funding.

Project timeline

August 2013 - land acquisition
2014 to 2017 - environmental assessments
2015 - public involvement plan - community workshops x 2
2017 - reserve management plan - online submissions x 24
February 2018 - reserve landscape plan - community workshops x 2
March 2019 - reserve landscape plan final - pop-up stall x 2
2 and 3 August 2020 - community event - Doonan Open Data Expo and National Tree Day
August to October 2020 - landscaping stage 1 car park

Project scope: Stage 1 Car Park

Stage 1 of the landscape plan is the construction of a gravel car park next to the existing cleared entrance, off Doonan Bridge Road.

The car park has been designed for a total capacity of 75 vehicles, however bollards will restrict day visitor parking to 12 vehicles. This allows for current and future capacity including buses and overflow parking on event days, (National Tree Day, Doonan Open Data Expo, etc). The existing main entrance will be for service vehicles only and the main public entrance has been relocated to the north opposite Dahlia road. This new entrance, in response to community feedback, offers greater safety and added privacy for local residents.

Providing a car park at the reserve is the first step in giving public access into the reserve.

civil works construction completed - 9 June 2020
landscaping design completion to contract awarded - 31 July to 30 September 2020

View the car park design (PDF, 3.4MB).

Where to from here?

The reserve is not currently open to the general public. It is still under lease, due to expire in July 2021. But there are annual open days to provide public access to programmed events under council supervision.

Keep an eye on this page for updates on the progress of the landscape plan, programmed events and open days for the reserve.

More information

Doonan Creek Environment Reserve Management Plan (PDF, 13.4MB)
Sunshine Coast Council - Environment Levy
Doonan Creek Environment Reserve Landscape Plan (PDF, 9.5MB)

Contacts

For further information, contact council via email to [email protected].

Previous events/open days

The Doonan Open Data Expo (DODE) and National Tree Day is a combined annual community event for the reserve. In August 2020, 214 people attended this event and enjoyed a range of activities during a Covid-safe day out with friends and family, which included: planting 2,000 trees, learning about local indigenous cultural connections from the Kabi Kabi people and interacting with the displays. These ranged from a kangaroo-safe virtual fence to sound recordings of local people's stories, and the reserve wildlife.