Noosa Council has finished its biggest and most challenging construction contract ever, with the completion of the $40 million landslide repair works on Black Mountain Road at Black Mountain.
The landslide triggered during the February 2022 floods was believed to be the largest in Sunshine Coast history and tested the community’s patience.
It spanned 130 metres in length and had a depth the size of a five-storey building.
The Black Mountain Road reconstruction project was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, with a $400,000 contribution from Council.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said the reinstatement of the road would provide much needed relief for locals dealing with the disruption since it was destroyed more than three years ago.
“Reopening this section of Black Mountain Road has been highly anticipated for many residents, visitors and local businesses who have needed to take risky, arduous detours that have made access to this beautiful part of the world difficult,” Minister McBain said.
“Very few places in Australia feel nature’s fury as often as Queensland, even while these repairs were underway the seemingly never-ending rains across the Sunshine Coast triggered another two disaster activations.
“The rebuilding of Black Mountain Road is more than just a highly complex engineering achievement, or all three levels of government working together to build something designed for the future, what it really is a chance to give people back their communities, their businesses and their lifestyles.”
Queensland Minister for Local Government and Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy said projects of this scale were only possible with the combined efforts of all levels of government.
“The Crisafulli Government works in partnership with councils and the Commonwealth to deliver results for Queenslanders and communities like Noosa,” Minister Leahy said.
“Disaster reconstruction can be a long journey, but transformational investments like this improve connectivity and resilience, and are key for local communities.”
Mayor Frank Wilkie said the scale of the damage and the geology of the site required a complex design and enormous volumes of materials to repair.
“The residents cut off by this monumental landslip have been severely inconvenienced for over three years. Extensive investigations were needed to firstly understand the extent of damage and the geotechnical conditions before they could identify engineering solutions,” Cr Wilkie said.
“Just getting to the construction tender stage took over 12 months of preparation before construction began in October 2023.
“This is why the community’s patience and cooperation needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. Council is using lessons learned from the Black Mountain project and feedback from residents in its approach to repairing further storm damage across the shire in 2025.”
Mayor Wilkie said the reconstruction had stabilised the site for the long-term.
“Six-thousand cubic metres of concrete – equivalent to two-and-a-half Olympic-size swimming pools and 800 tonnes of steel were used to rebuild and restore the site,” he said.
“Sixty horizontal drains were put into the subsurface to help desaturate the area and remain in place to provide drainage.
“More than 260 piles – each of them 90 centimetres wide and ranging in depth from 23 metres to 28 metres – were put deep in the ground to create a large structural frame.
“Almost 70 anchor-like structures were then put upslope to further support the concrete structure.
“It’s a construction project unlike any other in our shire and it has been built to last.”
Mayor Wilkie said while the construction project was an engineering feat, the completed project was a vital milestone for the community now that access and services were restored.
“The closure of Black Mountain Road and the construction work severely impacted Black Mountain residents,” he said.
“They could only access homes using a detour via Andersons Road, they tolerated construction noise and traffic, and dealt with the disappointment of delays caused by constant wet weather.’’
Mayor Wilkie said council greatly appreciated the Australian and Queensland Governments for funding this reconstruction project and thanked the contractor Hazell Bros for their skilful, hard work to deliver the project.
