Doggy Beach project a howling success at IPWEA awards

The Noosa Spit Doggy Beach sand nourishment project has been recognised with one of Queensland’s and the Northern Territory’s most prestigious awards for engineering.

It received the Coastal Engineering Award at the 2024 Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Queensland Northern Territory (QNT) Excellence Awards, announced in Brisbane last night.

The IPWEA-QNT awards recognise projects that deliver exceptional outcomes for Queensland and Northern Territory communities.

Noosa Council CEO Larry Sengstock said the award was outstanding recognition for an exceptional project.  

“Receiving this award is a great acknowledgment of Noosa Council’s commitment to protecting our coastlines in a way that utilises innovation and technical excellence, while respecting the environment and community needs,” Mr Sengstock said.

“The Noosa Spit Dog Beach Sand Renourishment Project faced several complex challenges, including redirecting river flows and managing works within a limited seasonal window to protect nesting migratory birds.

“I’m incredibly proud of our Council team and Hall Contractors who worked so hard to deliver this project two months ahead of schedule.”

The innovative project is part of the ‘Noosa Council Shoreline Erosion Management Plan’ that protects the Noosa River Estuary and the Noosa Sound and includes the dredging program for the Dog Beach.

It involved dredging and depositing more than 85,000m3 of sand from designated collection zones to restore the eroded foreshore at Dog Beach and also realign the main river channel.

This challenging realignment was achieved without the use of rocks or geotextile bags, ensuring a better outcome for the surrounding environment.

The project also maintained safe access for marine traffic throughout the work period.

“I’d like to extend my gratitude to everyone involved in this project, especially Council staff Cody Johnston, Michael Balestra and Craig Eldridge who did an outstanding job managing this project.

“I also say a big thank you to our Noosa community for supporting sustainable coastal management efforts that protect these special spaces for generations to come,” Mr Sengstock said.

The project was jointly funded by Noosa Council in partnership with the Australian and Queensland Governments.