Mission Beach Master Plan

28/8/2018

The CCRC is inviting you to have input into the Mission Beach Master Plan the outcome of which will set the tone and direction of Mission Beach into the future. It will determine the character and identity of our town and how it is perceived by locals and visitors.

This survey is open and just as relevant for visitors as locals.

It is not about just making it look pretty.
It is imperative that protection of the natural environment is the priority consideration.
We have the opportunity to reinforce the community message that has been consistent and documented over decades of community consultation and involvement. Mission Beach - naturally!

You can complete a short survey online on the CCRC website, or

Email the project team at: enquiries@cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au; Re: Mission Beach Strategic Masterplan
More information on the CCRC website here.

See below our comments based on the 'Mission Beach - naturally!' branding
Read MBC Submission here

Our Points of difference - look to our past to secure our future

Travellers use World Heritage listing as a guide to places worth visiting. Mission Beach is nestled between two World Heritage Areas and has the proud reputation of being the birthplace of the Great Barrier reef Marine Park. The efforts of a few dedicated individuals during the 60's and early 70's culminated in the protection of many of the National Parks we enjoy today and for both the Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforests becoming world heritage listed. This history is relatively unknown even to the local community, many of whom have only settled in Mission Beach in recent years. The community continues their legacy with a strong interest in protecting the special natural environment at Mission Beach.
The World heritage values are not confined within the world heritage boundaries, the beauty of the rich rainforest growing down to the sea is why it is called 'Mission Beach 'magic'.

Following are some comments you might consider incorporating into your own.

Celebrate our local indigenous culture.

Reinforce Mission Beach's position as a premiier ecologically sustainable tourism destination where two world heritage areas meet and where you have the best chance to see a cassowary.

Help foster community pride and reinforce sense of place, highlighting our points of difference by telling the stories of our world heritage areas and our conservation and tourism pioneers. i e E J Banfield, John Busst and Ninney Rise.

Highlight our unique volcanic headland including the cassowary corridor right at the visitor centre connecting two rare rainforest types from the Wet Tropics to the Great Barrier Reef. (Matters of National Environmental Significance.)

Rehabilitate the waterway at the visitor centre and highlight its importance as a cassowary corridor etc as above.

Tell the story about the importance of the cassowary to our community, indigenous culture, environment and economy,.

Reinforce the message that Mission Beach is the 'Cassowary Capital' and a 'Slow Down Town'.

Sense of Place - Community Identity

Locals and visitors enjoy the low key relaxed village atmosphere of villages set in rainforest separated by farmland. The easy access via a short sandy pathway to the beach from the village adds to the ambiance.

'Low key development' 'uncomercialised' and 'wildness' are some of the key words in the feedback received from visitors to Mission Beach, particularly international visitors. The 'unmanicured' nature of the Ulysses walk segues gently from the natural areas to parkland to the built environments. The granite pathways accentuate the natural character and allow for natural processes to occur. A major contributing factor of the village atmosphere is the low rise buildings.

Although the scope of the project is between Seaview Street and Boyett Road, particular importance needs to be given to key locations in the whole of the visual catchment of the Master Planned area, from the first glimpse of the sea at the approach to town on Seaview St to the hillside backdrop and access to the beach. A wholistic approach to the plan is integral to maintaining the low key character of Mission Beach.

The Main Road cuts through the middle of the village inhibiting the developing of a village centre Vehicles, particularly buses dominate the village and detract from the village green.

Considering the length of beach at Mission Beach, the exceptionally high natural environment and the presence of native wildlife, there is an urgent need for clearly marked and designated 'no dog' zones. Even if dogs are on leashes they can disturb nesting shorebirds or turtle nests. Compliance is difficult and costly to enforce.

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New structures, buildings and infrastructure in the foreshore do not dominate the natural environment, are low in scale and are architecturally innovative and representative of the coastal village character.

Create shade with native trees (selective cyclone resilient species) as opposed to shade cloth.

Encourage shop owners to establish native plant gardens with advice from CCRC, C4 or Terrain

Maintain natural look with granite pathways, avoid over formalising with standard engineering solutions or 'concretisation' wherever possible.

Built environment designed to avoid hard edges or jarring bright colours allowing dappled shade to accentuate the natural ambience of the views of the ocean through rainforest visitas.

Maintain the Rainforest to Reef experience with small sandy pathways through the rainforest using beach ladders (if necessary) in preference to steps onto the beach.
Avoid concrete landscaping especially where proximity to trees inhibits natural processes.

Particular focus on rehabilitation and interpretation of foreshore areas where access is provided from the village.

The hillside backdrop- to be taken into account in the broader visual context and master planned accordingly.

Building heights not to exceed two storeys as per the Planning Scheme.

Carefully selected cyclone resilient native trees to be planted in new nature strips along Porter Promenade as part of the plan. (Palm Cove could be used as an example of redesigning parking in the village)

Bundle electricity wires to allow trees to be grown both sides of Porter Promenade to form a canopy at the approaches to the village.

Council take control of management of the road from Seaview St to the Jetty to allow for calming to enhance village centre and provide safe pedestrian access.
Remove parking area and extend the village green toward the beach.

Relocate toilet block to another central location away from the Village Green

Provide off street parking to minimise vehicles in the village centre particularly large buses.

Native Vegetation screening for service or utility zones.

If public art is incorporated into the Plan it should merge with and compliment, not dominate the natural environment, and reflect the natural and cultural values.

Seating placed under shade and built using natural or natural look recycled or sustainable materials. Opportunity for outdoor furniture to be designed and made by local artists and craftspeople.

Establish no dog zones at identified wildlife corridors, clearly sign areas where dogs can be on leash and establish an off leash area (not necessarily on the beach) .

It is of vital importance to select a consultant who understands native vegetation and development within a World Heritage setting on a cyclone exposed coast.

One Chance to get it right - learn from past mistakes.

Choosing the right consultant is of utmost importance. In this instance the criteria for selection should not be weighted on being local. An example of an outcome which failed to reflect community views or sensitivity to the natural environment is the Bingil Bay Picnic area which went through lengthy pubic consultation.

The overwhelming community consensus was to retain the natural feel, for the design to be kept low key and to include small practical points such as the angle of the seating.

The first design was rejected outright by the community and the second agreed to more out of frustration at the length of time it took than reflecting community views.

The result was a signature architecture style resulting in a hard edged, benched design with the beach Callophyllum trees isolated by concrete inhibiting natural process. (Another example of this is the Cardwell foreshore) The large round seeds of the Callophyllum and the seeds of the Almond trees also now cause a safety hazard and staining on the large expanse of concrete requiring the need for higher maintenance.

The seats are placed parallel instead of right angled to the beach so visitors have a view of the toilet block. The Bingil Bay Community from Cutten Street now look at a solid brick wall before entering Alexander Drive when they once could enjoy the vista of beautiful Bingil Bay beach through the Callophyllum trees.

It is of vital importance to select a consultant who understands native vegetation and development within a World Heritage setting on a cyclone exposed coast.

See below the process of the unsatisfactory outcome where community input was not reflected in the design and subsequent concerns actively ignored.