Coastal Conversations - December 2019

In December 2019, Whitsunday Regional Council held a series of community consultation workshops across the region’s coastal communities, as part of the Coastal Hazards and Responses Project under the Coastal Hazards Adaptation Strategy (CHAS).

One of the key activities under the Project and CHAS is to engage the community, raising the awareness of climate change impacts and describing the range of climate change adaptation options.

The small coastal communities in the Whitsunday region were identified as being the most at risk and so workshops were held in each location to ensure residents had the opportunity to participate. The workshops were held over three days in early December 2019, with two workshops per day. The locations chosen were Wilsons Beach, Conway Beach, Cannonvale Beach, Queens Beach in Bowen, Hydeaway Bay and Dingo Beach.

Council staff received very positive responses to the workshops in all locations, and the sessions generated good engagement and conversation regarding the options for the future.

There were 82 participants who attended the consultation sessions and a total of 54 surveys submitted from across each location. The results show residents are concerned about the impacts of coastal erosion and storm surge, now and in the future.