Noosa MP Sandy Bolton has praised police for their enforcement efforts at Teewah Beach and Cooloola, saying the high number of infringements highlights longstanding community concerns.
Ms Bolton said, “Key Noosa stakeholders, residents and visitors firmly believe the current under-management of visitation to the Teewah, Noosa North Shore beaches has and is damaging the reputation of this unique destination whilst impacting residents, our environment and the visitor experience.”
“The control measures in place are clearly not enough, with responses from government indicating no further protections will be put in place and no changes will be made until the final Cooloola Recreation Area Management Plan (CRAMP) is finalised.
“Ultimately, the stretch of beach where these infringements were issued is a beach, where people are sunbaking, children are playing and crossing to the ocean, and turtle hatchlings are making their way during nesting season. With speeds of 110km recorded it is clear that much more must be done on a regular basis,” Ms Bolton said.
The Noosa MP has said that to date no timeline has been provided on when the CRAMP will be completed or if it will potentially resolve the ongoing issues that have been identified and advocated over the last seven years.
Included in priorities formed by Noosa North Shore Association, Teewah Landowners Association and Noosa Shire Council is for sectional closures during turtle nesting, speed reductions, increased compliance and information sharing between agencies as well as a reduction in the amount of Vehicle Access Permits issued until better management is achieved.
“We have taken this forward to the new government, and after years of protracted processes by previous governments to the requests of our community, understandably their frustration is at an all-time high. With speed limits on New South Wales beaches 50kph and 25kph within 100m of pedestrians and vehicles and similarly, South Australia beaches are 40kph, Queensland must look to these jurisdictions and examples right here in Queensland such as Naree Budjong Djara National Park that show a way forward,” Ms Bolton said.
The state government’s own Destination 2045 plan seeks to ensure controlled access to sensitive environments and supports key principles such as environmental protection, community engagement, and maintaining a balance between tourism and local life.
“These principles are currently not being met sufficiently, and assurances are needed that any plans including in relation to Destination 2045 that the voices of our communities have been heard, and that the actions sought are prioritised as part of meeting those principles,” Ms Bolton said.
According to the Queensland Road Crash Weekly Report, between 1 January to 21 September 2025, there were 219 fatalities as a result of crashes within Queensland, which is 10 fatalities greater than the same period for the previous year and 18 fatalities greater than the previous five-year average for the same period.
Within Noosa as reported by the RACQ, there were 10 fatal crashes and 222 hospitalisation crashes over the latest five-year period (2019-2023). This equates to an estimated social cost of $271.79 million.
Ms Bolton said, “These statistics are deeply saddening and traumatising for communities, with a domino effect of putting even more pressure on our health and support systems. The hardest part is they are preventable, and we must acknowledge our role in these statistics whilst governments and organisations continue to work on what it will take to reduce dangerous and irresponsible behaviours on our roads, in our parks and in our homes.”
Highway Patrol officers will continue to be deployed to the Great Sandy National Park throughout the remainder of the school holidays.
Updates on many local matters Sandy is working on are available at www.SandyBolton.com/Noosa360. To receive information straight to your email inbox, please consider subscribing to her monthly newsletter via www.SandyBolton.com/Newsletters which also ensures that you receive any Noosa electorate polls or surveys.
