Sandy recently announced a positive outcome to her request for no commercially built structures in the Great Sandy National Park with the Queensland Government no longer proceeding with the Cooloola Great Walk Ecotourism Project (CGWEP) and have also reassured that they remain committed to working with Kabi Kabi to realise their aspirations.

What started with an invitation to Sandy, as the local State Member of Parliament (MP), to attend a ‘famil’ on the project through the Great Sandy National Park together with Department of Environment & Tourism staff, Kabi Kabi and other representatives including Noosa Parks Association in 2020, soon became a hotbed of environmental concerns as more information became available.

To recap, the CGWEP was a proposal by the Queensland Government for an ‘eco-tourism’ Great Walk project including five eco-accommodation sites, one within the Noosa Electorate, to be developed and managed in partnership with the Kabi Kabi and a private accommodation operator. The stated intention was to support our local indigenous with jobs into the future.

The proposed camp sites were shown to have impacts, with a focus to see these moved to less impactful sites, which was achieved. However, given continued concerns from our community and wider environmental groups, it was demonstrated through a dedicated MP survey that the majority of residents that responded did not support built structures within the National Park, hence Sandy’s request to both the Queensland Minister for Environment and the Minister for Tourism to instead transition to a project to support Kabi Kabi that did not require commercial accommodation-built structures.

In a recent media statement, Sandy said:

“After much research, meetings with advocates, requests to Ministers and Departments for changes, and ultimately a Noosa MP dedicated survey that saw respondents in the majority opposed to elements of the project, I stood in Parliament and requested that the proposed commercial accommodation structures not go ahead. The response from the Queensland Government has been welcomed, and I thank both Ministers Healy and Linard for listening to our community.”

“Yes, this very long journey is over, demonstrating how credible, respectful and knowledgeable advocacy is powerful and much more effective than ones based on misinformation. I thank everyone who has contributed which from the very start four years ago included Ada from Friends of Kinaba, through to later stages, Keep Cooloola Cool, Protect Our Parks, Noosa Parks Association, Cootharaba Area Association, and ultimately respondents to our Noosa MP survey last year.”

The 102 kms of the Cooloola Great Walk and its campsites from Noosa North Shore to Rainbow Beach will remain an iconic hiking and camping experience for all to enjoy.

Further information

For all previous Noosa 360 updates on this, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=Cooloola+Great+Walk.

Native Titles claims and determinations are made under Federal Government legislation, however, we have previous Noosa 360 updates regarding to keep residents informed at www.sandybolton.com/?s=Native+Title

For any queries relating to Native Title, please contact your local Federal MP.