Noosa Parklands Residents Association Inc.
Preserving the lifestyle of our unique Noosa community
Heritage Park Noosa Parklands Tewantin
LOCATION
Situated in the Noosa Parklands Estate approximately 4Kms drive from the Tewantin Post Office. The area is surrounded by National Parks and the Noosa Golf Course.
NOTE: There are no recreation activities provided for children over the age of approximately 8 years.
RECREATION AREA;
The Recreation Area is in a parkland system with extensive waterways and a lagoon (or billabong).
The area is comprised as a number of reserves totalling over 20 hectares. [7.3 hectares of the Parkland was designed and landscaped by members and associates of the School of Australian Environmental Studies, Griffith University].
ENTRANCES;
The main entrances are from Griffith Avenue and Carramar Street [The only service vehicle access].
NOTE: The concrete paths to the access bridge over a waterway can be inaccessible in heavy rains and always holds water in light rains.
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There are other concrete and natural pathway entrances from Club Court, Billabong Way, Park View Court, Palmer Crescent, Carramar Street [near Cooroy Noosa Road]. Tinaroo Place, Avron Close, Greenway Court and Caddy Place.
NOTE: The entrance to Heritage Park in the Noosa Council website for recreation areas is a minor entrance off Carramar Street [near Cooroy Noosa Road] and leads to the Southern Area.
FACILITIES
From the Griffith Avenue main entrance there is a designated off leash dog exercise area and it is situated in a Gross Reserve Area of 2.948 hectares.
The area has one uncovered picnic table and one covered picnic shelter [installed 2013] without barbecue facilities.
NOTE: There are 3 water supply taps installed in March 2015 from Griffith Avenue to picnic shelter.
The above area is also the only large area suitable for children to play ball games, but has been severely restricted by overplanting of the perimeter with “Lomandra” and revegetation, which is also reducing water drainage to the area and at times is waterlogged.
This additional planting increases the danger to children when retrieving balls and prevents mowing equipment from cutting undergrowth.
A playground [suitable for small children] is located off Tinaroo Place. There are 2 uncovered picnic tables. There are no other facilities or Parking Area.
NOTE: The playground needs to be assessed as to whether a fence is required for childrens’ safety, as the nearby lagoon is at times disguised by floating weed growth.
Large trees are largely unmonitered and have branches falling regularly. In mid October 2014 a huge branch fell across a nearby concrete pathway at mid morning and fortunately no one was injured.
The Southern Area of Heritage Park is only safely accessed from the Palmer Crescent pathway or Carramar Street [near Noosa Cooroy Road].
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The area has only a half basketball court for practising goal sinking.
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There is a small open grassed area with a water tap and a picnic table at the back. [children once played ball games and played on swings in this area].
NOTE: There is no easy safe access from the middle areas of Heritage Park except by so called “informal walkways” which could be a Public Liability
Risk to the Noosa Council?
In 2013 the Sunshine Coast Regional Council promised a culvert over the separating waterway as a safe access.
 Centre Area 'lomandra' hindering water drainage |  Lomandra stabilising creek banksLomandra has been used to stabilise and strengthen creek banks in the flood mitigation project at Noosa Daintree...instead of landscaping design. |  shelter.jpg |
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 New tap for dog water but no drainA new tap was installed for dogs but no drainage was provided. The tap stays on for 30 seconds before turning off causing puddles. Residents put in pavers and grass to combat mud. |  Sole Recreational Activity for TeenagersActive teenagers only have a small practice court available. |  Unfenced Play Area off Tinaroo PlaceThis fence is close to the billabong and could create a hazard for small children. |
INFORMAL WALKS
The informal walks as diagrammatically illustrated on existing park signs endorsed by Noosa Council are misleading to the Public who are unaware of the risks and hazzards, and are not shown in correct alignments to the waterways.
EASTERN PART OF HERITAGE PARK
The reserves in this area have a Gross Total of 8.8 hectares. [A very small proportion overlaps the Dog Exercise Area].
The area is heavily wooded, subject to infestation of Singapore Daisy and Lantana weeds and appears to be insufficiently drained.
The area can be accessed from the Dog Exercise Area, Billabong Way and Club Court via bridges and concrete pathways that lead to access from Caddy Place and Greenway Court. [Off Golf Course Drive].
NOTE: The access from Club Court does not link to the main concrete pathway through this area.
Waterways prevent access to this area is inaccessible when heavy rain occurs.
CONCRETE PATHS AND BRIDGES
There is a network of concrete or bitumen pathways linking the various entrances to Heritage Park. [Except the Southern Area]
After heavy rain the concrete paths become inaccessible in the following locations.
[a] Main entrance off Griffith Avenue
[b] To the Eastern Area from the Dog Exercise Area
[c] The entrance from Billabong Way
[d] The pathway adjacent to the Southern end of the lagoon drainage waterway
NOTE: Water stays on sections of pathways in the Dog Exercise Area because of lack of drainage in this area. Bridges at times will have excessive debris in the form of leaves or palm fronds until removed.
 Water laying on pathway adjacent to BillabongPath becomes slippery with mud. |  Path in EASTERN AREA adjacent Billabong Way Entrance. |  Path from dog exercise area to EASTERN AREA.jpgThis path is lower than the creek and flows with normal downfalls. |
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 New Creek Bed to Main Entrance BridgeWooroi Creek is blocked at the Griffith Avenue entrance creating a new creek that bypasses the blockage. |  Bridge Adjacent Entrance Parkview Court |  Griffith Avenue entranceThe Griffith Avenue entrance and park flood after heavy weather events. |
LAGOON
The featured lagoon abloom with water lilies and indigenous bird life that existed for over 20 years is now largely overgrown with weeds.
This area requires a major study by environmental scientists as consultants to formulate a plan and design to restore the lagoon to its original condition.
 Weed choking billabong October 2015The billabong has been neglected for 10 years according to locals. |  Billabong in last flood!The creek blockages have increased since this flood. How many properties will be flooded next time? |  salvinia has taken over Oct 21 2015Salvinia now covers the whole lagoon and downstream waterway. |
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 Salvinia weeds on billabong May 2015These weeds are regrowing after being washed downstream during last heavy rain. A yellow scum has also developed on the surface. |  Lagoon-south-side-15-May-2014Lagoon after Salvinia weed outbreak has been washed downstream by heavy rain |  Surface of billabong covered by weedSalvinia weed regularly covers the surface of the billabong |
 Lagoon-east-side-15-May-2014Salvinia weed has temporarily washed downstream by heavy rain but is now regrowing. |  Overgrown Lagoon nthWeeds on the lagoon edges is creeping into the main lagoon and reducing the surface area. This area was a haven for breeding water birds. |
WATERWAYS
Heritage Park has a network of waterways from the National Park abutting Cooroy Noosa Road.
There are 4 waterways and the lagoon converging to the Eastern Area of Heritage Park and then to large exit drainage culverts under Golf Course Drive/Daintree Way.
The waterways have not been maintained and are now partly clogged up with debris and in parts overgrown with weeds.
This results in 2 major consequences to the residential subdivision abutting Heritage Park and the Recreation Area.
[I] In the wet season flooding occurs in excessive downpours because of no exit drainage.
[ii] In the dry season numerous pockets of still water allow the breeding of mosquitos that attack the users of the recreational areas. [It would appear that the potential for Ross River Fever and Bahmah Forest Virus to be caught by the users of the park and close residents is possible].
 Scum Parkview bridgeScum has developed in most waterways because they cannot flow unless they flood. |  Yellow scum on the lagoonThis lagoon develops with Salvinia weed after heavy rain events. |  Blocked creek down stream ParkviewA severe blockage downstream from the bridge at Parkview entrance forces Wooroi Creek to flow into the park. |
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 Blockage below Parkview bridge nthA number of fallen palms has caused fronds to form a dam and block the creek flow. |  Tinaroo bend blockageTinaroo bridge has been unblocked but water entering from the lagoon cannot pass the large blockage before the bridge. |  Blockage at Avron Close entrance |
 Avron Close bridge blocked frondsFronds from the palm groves cause a dam at the Avron Close entrance bridge. |  Deep pools are replacing the creeksStagnant pools are replacing creeks because of water flowing over palm frond blockages during heavy rain events. |  A blockage caused by fallen treesFallen trees causing a blockage downstream from the Griffith Avenue entrance bridge, |
TREES
Throughout Heritage Park and close to pathways and open grassed areas used by recreational users, there are a number of white gum trees [commonly called ‘widow makers’].
On the perimeter of clear areas and waterways there are numerous dead trees [some have fallen]. We believe that dead trees need to be removed both for the safety of recreational users and to reduce fuel in case of bush fires.
Recreational users need to know that to our knowledge a formal safety audit of all trees has not been carried out and to be aware of the risk of injury by falling trees or branches.
FLOOD MITIGATION
In about 1990 Heritage Park was developed as a Recreational Area for the residents of Noosa Parklands Estate and had approved abutting residential development.
The lack of maintenance of clear flowing waterways has caused the Heritage Park Area and some abutting residential properties to be flooded. Park flooding now occurs more regularly.
Following the 2012 February rain event, although houses and residential land abutting Heritage Park flooded the Sunshine Coast Regional Council did NOT include Heritage Park in the flood mitigation work being undertaken. A total funding of about $1.5 million dollars was allocated to other areas for this work.
Professional examination of all waterways and the lagoon might help solve this problem and avoid residential property owners abutting the Heritage Park Area be faced with flood increased premiums by Insurance Companies.
 Griffith Avenue Entrance 2008 |  East side of park 2008 |  Over flow to east side of centre area |
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 Entrance from centre area to Eastern Area |  View south to lagoon overflowBlockages in Wooroi Creek make it flow into the billabong and flood the walking path before moving downstream under the blocked Avron Close entrance bridge. |  Bridge from Caddy Close |
 View from Tinaroo Place bridge |  Bridge from Billabong Way |  Culvert Golf Course DriveWater pouring into the Golf Course Drive culvert. |