COASTAL ENGINEERING HIGHLY COMMENDED
MAROOCHY GROYNE PROJECT
Nick Cooney, Manager, Transport and Infrastructure Policy, Sunshine Coast Council with IPWEAQ Event Coordinator, Savannah Roberts.
Facing significant community and political interest in groyne replacement options, the project involved extensive community consultation including establishment of a community reference group (the Maroochy River Estuary Consultation Group) which continued to work with Council after the initial consultation period on design options and testing, and wider community engagement.
Sunshine Coast Council Sunshine Coast Council’s $2 million Maroochy Groyne Renewal Project (Stage 1) renewed two groyne structures and the seawall surrounding the Cotton Tree Holiday Park at Maroochydore. Driven by failing assets the project was the result of extensive planning by Sunshine Coast Council, including a 10-year Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP) developed in 2014. The project was required to protect the iconic park and other valuable assets in the surrounding Cotton Tree precinct (including recreation areas, businesses, accommodation and residential properties) from erosion, and was an Australian first for using 9 tonne geotextile bags. Over 2,000 sand-filled geotextile containers were used.
16 IPWEAQ EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021
The project was delivered by a cross organisational team, with continuity of involvement for each project phase drawing on project management and coastal engineering expertise throughout. It employed a design which was informed by comprehensive research and physical modelling of different design structures and onsite testing, undertaken with industry specialists at the Water Research Laboratory at the University of New South Wales. This research, combined with coastal engineering principles and a sound understanding of the Maroochy River’s natural migration processes, delivered a successful project and infrastructure that will serve the community for decades to come.
