Koala Beach Estate celebrates 25 years

17 December 2019

The estate is widely recognised as a great place to live and an ecological success

Council recently held a community event to celebrate 25 years of Koala Beach Estate in Pottsville with more than 50 residents in attendance.

The detailed development planning and initial koala monitoring for Koala Beach Estate commenced in 1994 and the estate is widely recognised as a great place to live and an ecological success.

Residents who have been on the estate since the beginning, new residents, families and kids attended the event to find out more about:

  • Flora and fauna, habitat restoration and monitoring projects and plans for the koala holding enclosure.
  • Information on compliance of companion animals and control of pest animals in the estate from the newly appointed Coastal Ranger.
  • A review of the income and expenditure for Koala Beach Estate special rate for the past 10 years from Council’s Finance Manager.
Council’s Director Sustainable Communities and Environment, Tracey Stinson said it was great to see a gathering of neighbours come together for a common cause.

“The Koala Beach estate community are passionate about protecting threatened species in the estate and it was wonderful to see residents come out and show their interest in being involved in further protection of the estate going forward. There were many questions, ideas and suggestions discussed about how to improve the program of environmental protection and it’ll be great to re-establish the residents’ committee to oversee this in 2020.

“We all want to ensure the estate remains a sanctuary for wildlife, and managing the prohibition of dogs and cats is one way we are doing this, along with monitoring programs, and pest and habitat management,” she said.

The development includes over 270 hectares of bushland reserved for nature conservation and is home to at least 24 threatened species and ecological communities.

From the outset, Koala Beach was designed to ensure that wildlife and habitats within and around the estate continue to thrive into the future, alongside the residential development.

Council’s Senior Program Leader – Biodiversity, Scott Hetherington said Koala Beach is a highly significant area for the protection of wildlife, both common and threatened species alike.

“With more than 130 bird species recorded, it’s one of the top five hotspots in the Tweed,” Mr Hetherington said.

“The bushland reserves are a unique and valuable asset, providing habitat for many threatened plants, animals and communities. They are also a critical link between the reserves to the south and to the north,” he said.

A report will be provided to Council in February to recommend that expressions of interest for representatives on the Koala Beach Wildlife and Habitat Management Committee are called for.

If you are a resident of Koala Beach estate and want to join the e-newsletter mailing list and find out about opportunities to join the committee please email TSC@tweed.nsw.gov.au and use ‘Koala Beach Committee’ in the subject line or for more information about Koala Beach estate visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/koalabeach.

Kooee Koala greeting some of the kids at the Koala Beach estate 25 year celebration event.

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Photo 1(JPG, 149KB)

Caption: Some Koala Beach residents at the Koala Beach estate 25 year celebration event.

Photo 2(JPG, 166KB)

Caption: Kooee Koala greeting some of the kids at the Koala Beach estate 25 year celebration event.

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