The state government and Sunshine Coast Council have acquired a 150-hectare property, which straddles the Sunshine Motorway, to become a conservation park.
The land, at 37 Monak Road at Peregian Beach, shares boundaries with the Doonan Wetland Nature Refuge and Noosa National Park.
Its inclusion on Queensland’s list of protected areas will build on the Noosa-Maroochy Wallum Area biodiversity corridor, which provides species a safe area to thrive in.
The location is an essential habitat for koalas, ground parrots, glossy black cockatoos, wallum froglets and tusked frogs.
The property is also home to the endangered Mountain Emu she-oak, which is only found within a 55km radius between Beerburrum and Noosa.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service will work with Sunshine Coast Council and the Kabi Kabi People to oversee the management of the estate, including pest control and fire management, to ensure the area maintains its environmental value for generations to come.
Minister for the Environment Leanne Linard said the area was “of high ecological and cultural value”.
“Three of the protected species found on the property – the sand yabby, the ground parrot and the Mount Emu she-oak – are mostly restricted to this part of Sunshine Coast region, highlighting the importance of conserving this area to protect these species,” she said.
Councillor Maria Suarez said the property was vital to the local eco-system.
“This parcel of land at Peregian Beach provides a critical link in the Noosa–Maroochy Wallum Area between Doonan Wetlands Nature Refuge and Sunshine Coast Council-owned environmental reserves to the south and Noosa National Park in the north,” she said.
“The estate features extensive high-quality bushland, a strong diversity of vegetation communities across six mapped regional ecosystems and a strategic position within the landscape, and will offer rare protected habitat for the vulnerable ground parrot in our region.”
She said it was important to “safeguard this natural asset” in the Sunshine Coast Biosphere.
Sunshine Coast Environment Council advocacy and engagement manager Narelle McCarthy welcomed the announcement.
“This is fantastic news for the region,” she said. “The expansion of the nationally important Noosa-Maroochy Wallum Corridor with this important acquisition provides crucial connectivity vital for biodiversity and threatened species.
“It is particularly significant to see the outstanding values and extent of the conservation estate on Kabi Kabi Country further increased through collaborative partnerships and management given the long-running campaigns first waged by the community over 20 years ago to establish the foundations of this incredibly important protected area.”
Queensland Conservation Council Protected Areas campaigner Nicky Moffat also said the land acquisition was significant.
“Today’s announcement is a positive step towards protecting Australia’s most biodiverse state through the expansion of protected areas that our kids and grandkids can enjoy,” she said.
“Connecting the Doonan Wetlands Nature Refuge and Noosa National Park on Kabi Kabi land, with this bushland, will create a wildlife corridor that locals have been fighting for, for a long time.”
Nev Kane Real Estate brokered the deal via listing agent Leon Kane.
The agency provided information about the property and its sale to Sunshine Coast News.
“The search for a buyer was always going to be a different process, due to state government imposed native vegetation protection restrictions, koala habitat protection restrictions and also the Sunshine Motorway cutting through the property, making access to the western half near impossible,” they stated.
“(It) is a mainly bush and forestry block, which has been privately owned for generations, making the owner’s decision to put it on the market such a rare opportunity.
“Throughout its marketing campaign, the property saw a consistently high level of enquiry and expressions of interest from potential buyers and developers within Australia and overseas, with a contract eventually settling with the Department of Environment and Science.
“The generally level rural property features some elevated sections with extensive road frontage along Monak Road, Murdering Creek Road and the Emu Mountain Road Arterial.
“This large site’s proximity to Peregian, Coolum and Noosa made it a remarkable listing and a record sale for Peregian acreage at $5.25 million.”
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