The Department of Environment and Science (DES) is seeking the community’s input on the future tenure and management options of the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground for Aircraft Reserve through an online survey.
The survey states the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground Reserve “is a unique and environmentally sensitive site surrounded by Cooloola section of Great Sandy National Park“.
After its handover last December the landing ground reserve, which was previously managed by the Noosa Council, is now under the trusteeship of DES through the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).
At the time a report prepared by council officers determined “the trusteeship transferring to DES would serve a greater public interest and deliver broader community benefits. The transfer will also likely assist the anticipated reinvigoration of the campaign to re-nominate the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park for World Heritage Listing”.
The state government survey describes the reserve as having a high environmental significance and being habitat to threatened species including the Eastern Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus wallicus), as well as a number of threatened frog and migratory bird species with 44 per cent of the area listed koala habitat.
The Reserve has formerly been used for a variety of authorised aircraft, including hobby activities of hang gliding, para gliding, microlighting, and model aircraft flying.
Noosa Shire Council closed the airstrip in 2014 to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
The reserve has two resident clubs, the Sunshine Coast Sports Aviators and the Noosa Model Flyers and is regularly used as a helicopter training ground by McDermott Aviation.
After 23 years running their organisation by the book and meticulously maintaining their premises, mostly with their own money, the men of Noosa Model Flyers told Noosa Today in January they had been left in limbo by council’s decision to relinquish trusteeship of the Teewah Landing Ground to the State Government.
Leases for both clubs expired in November 2021 but both were in negotiations to renew their licenses.
DES says it has committed to undertake community consultation on the Reserve’s future use and management arrangements and the local community is encouraged to participate in this survey to help inform the future use and tenure preferences for the site.
The survey opened on Monday, 17 April and will close at 5pm on Friday 12 May.
The survey asks:
What future tenure, use and management option do you support?
Option 1 – Transfer the current Landing Reserve wholly to national park tenure
Option 2 – Transfer part of the Landing Reserve lot to national park tenure and retain part of the cleared landing area as Landing Ground Reserve or some other form of appropriate tenure for community use.
To complete the survey log on to the government loop at intheloop.des.qld.gov.au/noosa-north-shore-landing-ground
