THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 27 #20 Tuesday, October 23, 2012 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Inside this week
P20
MELBOURNE
P O R TA B L E B U D G I E D E F E C AT I O N U T I L I T Y
CAB AUDIT
India’s deadly Drop in on Mandy suffers Mungo Solar surf festival panels rock nuclear from insomnia cuts loose – p22 business – p16 – p25 – p10 – p48
CUP LUNCH Byron Shire Council Notices Page 46
Koalas ‘challenged’ Big women fly high in Rugby heaven by new projects Luis Feliu
Major developments proposed for the Belongil and West Byron areas including a festival site, beachside resort with 160 cabins and a giant suburb for up to 2,000 homes, face a major hurdle in the protection of Byron Shire’s coastal koalas. And residents of Sunrise Beach at Belongil, backed by environmentalists, fear the cumulative environmental and social impact of these controversial developments, as well as a pub and drive-through bottle shop approved last year, will radically change their neighbourhood. The enhanced protected status of the koala and an expert’s call for the urgent need to create linkages for the marsupials’ movement around Byron Shire has lifted the importance of planning to protect the iconic animal. Byron Shire Council is currently working on a koala plan of management, set to be adopted early next year, based on an a habitat study conducted this year by eminent koala ecologist Dr Stephen Phillips.
‘Urgent need’ In his study, Dr Phillips recommends an urgent need for identifying and establishing linkage areas, which facilitate the movement of koalas between currently isolated population cells, to be ‘afforded an accordingly high level of importance and protection’. While not in an identified koala habitat area, the controversial developments proposed for the 88-hectare, old Club Med/Becton site at Belongil (currently used by the Writers’ Festival) lie between known koala populations at Tyagarah to the north and at West Byron, and therefore a potential
linkage or corridor. Byron Council is currently assessing a development application by the developers of the North Byron Beach Resort to amend a 25-year-old approval for 161 two- and three-bedroom cabins at the site. That plan is on exhibition till October 29. It is also assessing a plan by the same development company, owned by Queensland coal-mining magnate Brian Flannery, to run eight festivals a year there. And the state government’s Planning Assessment Commission is assessing the major West Byron subdivision proposal.
Time for KMA The Byron koala habitat study also recommends designating a koala management area (KMA) for the coastal area between Brunswick Heads and West Byron, which would include the North Byron resort site. The study says there are two major koala population centres at MyocumTyagarah and West Byron with a total of around 240 koalas. Dr Phillips also says that effective protection measures should be put in place to address any further potential fragmentation of koala habitat in Byron shire. Meanwhile, residents have formed a Save our Sunrise (SOS) committee and recently met with council to try and ensure both their amenity and local koala protection are not impacted on by the developments. SOS spokesperson Christine Wilmot said locals had concerns about the potential serious impacts of the festival plan on their suburb and adjacent estuary containing threatened birds. Ms Wilmot said the site was a wildlife corridor or key linkage area for
This year’s Byron Bay Rugby Sevens yet again kept alive the tradition of providing national class talent and entertainment for punters and players at the Rec Grounds in Byron Bay. The A Grade women’s final was a spectacular, nail-biting highlight as top teams Arongatahi (pink and white) from New Zealand and Queensland’s Redland Bay went into extra time to fight for a ‘golden point’. The trophy finally went to Redland with the 26–21 win. See more in Sport on page 47. Photo Eve Jeffery
Minister launches Byron tourist attractions
Two new tourist attractions developed with state government funding were launched on Sunday by minister for the north coast Don Page. A 2.5km mountain bike trail opened at Byron Bay Farmstay between Byron Bay and Bangalow, while Byron Eco Cruises and Kayaks launched their operations on the Brunswick River. The money was made available as part of the government’s $5 million Regional Tourism Product Development Funding Program. ‘These tours and attractions are a great boost to the experiences on offer for visitors to the northern rivers,’ said Mr Page. continued on page 2 ‘The NSW government is delighted
to see funding cooperatively invested with tourism operators to help realise some very innovative projects. ‘The trail is the first and only mountain bike trail on private land in the northern rivers that will be open to the public,’ said Byron Bay Farmstay co-manager Ivan Holland.
‘Great credibility’ ‘It was designed and constructed with input from International Mountain Biking Australia, which gives it great credibility among mountain biking enthusiasts around the world.’ The trail complements the current farm accommodation operation on
the property and has already been enthusiastically received by the newly formed local mountain bike club Northern Rivers Dirty Wheels. Visitors and locals alike can now experience the natural beauty of Brunswick Heads through Byron Eco Cruises and Kayaks. The tours, which have been operating on a trial basis since mid year, are now operating daily. ‘Our tours are advanced ecotourism certified and we believe the only form of sustainable tourism is ecotourism,’ said Byron Bay Eco Cruises and Kayaks proprietor Simon Freeden.
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