Beach sand is being transferred from the mouth of the Ross River to Rowes Bay Beach in Townsville in April 2019, as part of the recovery effort following the January 2019 monsoon.
Townsville City Council and Port of Townsville are working together to restore the Rowes Bay Esplanade, the beach and pedestrian access paths which were affected by the unprecedented monsoon.
Townsville Local Recovery and Resilience Group Chair, Deputy Mayor, Les Walker, said the sand restoration will be the first stage of works to repair the beach.
“Further works are being planned to transfer sand, deposited by the flood in lower sections of Ross River, to Rowes Bay,” Mr Walker said.
Community Health and Environment Committee Chair, Ann-Maree Greaney, said locals love Rowes Bay and it is a very important area within Division 3.
“Completing this beach restoration work by replenishing the sand in the area helps to maintain the entire foreshore environment from Rowes Bay to Pallarenda, which is highly valued by the community,” Ms Greaney said.
The Port will provide approximately 10,000 cubic metres of beach sand, which reduces the cost of the project to Council and allows more sand to be used to replenish Rowes Bay beach.
General Manager Infrastructure, Kim Gebers, said that the beneficial reuse of sand is a great outcome for the city.
“The Port conducts regular maintenance dredging in Ross River and Ross Creeks,” Mr Gebers said.
“The ability to reuse sand to replenish Rowes Bay is a great sustainable solution to supporting the restoration of Townsville’s foreshore ongoing.
“The maintenance of the Ross River mouth ensures that businesses in the Townsville Marine Precinct and other locations on the river can safely navigate the channel and operate their businesses.”
The restoration of other beach locations around Townsville is continuing to occur with works undertaken so far at Horseshoe Bay, Picnic Bay, Balgal Beach and Saunders Beach.
Additional works required to restore Townsville’s coastal areas will continue to be prioritised and scheduled.
