Rangers from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) have begun assessment and planning to clean-up Whitsunday Island’s beautiful Whitehaven Beach. 

National Parks Minister Steven Miles said Whitsunday Island took a direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Debbie and was suffering significant vegetation damage and beach erosion. 

“There is a significant amount of debris scattered across Whitehaven Beach and the Whitsunday Islands National Park,” Mr Miles said. 

“Whitehaven Beach is often cited as the best beach in Australia and one of the top 20 beaches in the world from a visitor perspective, so it’s vitally important we get it cleaned up as a priority. 

“The northern end of Whitehaven and also the beautiful Hill Inlet still offer amazing experiences and will be open again in a matter of days. 

“QPWS plans to assist the recovery process by reshaping the beach to protect the exposed vegetation, which will in turn speed up the beach stabilisation process.  

“Once the beach shape has stabilised we expect the white silica sands will naturally redeposit due to the geometry of the beach in relation to local currents. 

“We also expect the island to green up over the next couple of months, as much of the vegetation is very hardy,” he said. 

Minister Miles said experience had shown that nature and natural ecosystems were resilient and could bounce back from these types of major environmental disturbances. 

“QPWS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) will also work with the tourism industry and our tourism partners to find effective ways to assist with the recovery of marine and island ecosystems,” Mr Miles said. 

“For example, GBRMPA announced that Whitsunday tourism operators received a special four-week authorisation to assist reef recovery by reorienting corals flipped over by the cyclone. 

“Touching and moving coral is not normally allowed, but given the circumstances, operators now have the ability to restore coral colonies. 

“As part of the response, QPWS is also currently assessing public mooring facilities at key locations in the Whitsunday area. 

“About 90 public moorings are installed in the Whitsundays to help minimise anchor damage to fragile marine environments. 

“Engineering checks of public moorings are being progressed, but vessel operators should visually inspect the mooring lines before securing their vessel and remain vigilant of their structural integrity. 

“For visitor safety operators are to exercise caution when visiting beach and follow all safety and access signage at visitor sites.  

“Restoring access to visitor sites and supporting the local and tourism operators remains a key priority for QPWS.” 

To report missing or damaged public moorings, contact QPWS by telephone 07 4047 9616 or email qpws@npsr.qld.gov.au. 

For camping area and park alerts, please visit the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing website www.npsr.qld.gov.au.

For more information on GBRMPA’s special authorisation for tourism operators visit http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/media-room/latest-news/environmental-impact/2017/reef-recovery-efforts-after-cyclone-debbie