Council Approves Surf Park at Mowbray
Douglas Shire Councillors unanimously voted to support the development application for the proposed NorthBreak surf park and resort at Mowbray in a Council meeting last week, with a statement by Cr Abigail Noli confirming “I support sustainable, sensible development that adheres to the current planning scheme and that ultimately does not disturb the lifestyle that residents of Douglas have chosen and deserve.
NorthBreak, I believe, will be that type of development, a long-term benefit that compliments what Douglas has to offer to both locals and tourists alike.
As councillor, I am content with the questions and responses regarding water, sewage, environmental and visual changes that this development will be affecting.
I would like to thank the developers for the work put into the application and the processes that were followed, it makes it more streamlined and ultimately a greater probability of all round success and benefit to Douglas”.
Water Wise Digital Meters
INSTALLATION of new digital smart water meters at 900 houses in Port Douglas has commenced.
Smart water meters are fitted with radio transmitters that send meter readings to Douglas Shire Council every hour.
The Smart Water Meter Program has been funded from the Queensland Government’s 2021-24 Works for Queensland Program.
The rollout is one of three priority water security infrastructure projects which also includes an additional extraction point in the Mossman River and water storage.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the new meters would help Council identify leaks and help residents save money on wasted water.
“The new meters will link remotely to a network which will send near real time water usage information to our data management system,” he said.
“Property owners will eventually be able to keep track of their water usage via a smart phone app which will encourage more water saving practices within our community.”
Council plans to install smart water meters at remaining properties in Port Douglas, Craiglie, Mossman and north to Daintree Village and surrounds next financial year.
Installation will be completed by Friday 15 April. Installers will be working weekdays and weekends, starting work at 7am and concluding at 6pm.
Meter installation company Data Right will be installing the devices and staff will carry Data Right identification to confirm they are authorised to work on behalf of Council.
Meter installation can take up 20 minutes, depending on the location of the meter. Installers will take care to minimise disruption to the area surrounding the meter and will be taking photos of the meter works during the installation to document:
- the old meter reading (including the serial number) at the time of disconnection; and
- the new serial number and initial reading; and
- the new meter in situ. Your water supply should only be interrupted for between 10 and 20 minutes.
Immediately after installation your water may be discoloured, or air pockets may have formed in the line causing the water to sputter. If this happens, please run each tap on your property for approximately 30 seconds or until the water becomes clear or stops sputtering.
For more information, please visit https://douglas.qld.gov.au/smart-water-meter-program/
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Local COVID Update
IN the last four days there have been 1614* additional COVID-19 cases notified in the Cairns and Hinterland region.
As of today:
Patients in Cairns Hospital: 15
Those in ICU: 0
Patients in our rural hospitals: 2
Patients in our virtual ward: 58
For those who have tested positive and are concerned about their health, the local COVID virtual ward is available 7 days 8.00am – 4.30pm. Telephone 07 4243 4208 to speak directly with a clinician.
UNESCO Reef Mission
A UN mission under way in Queensland to see if the Great Barrier Reef should be put on an “in danger” list.
Details of the mission, which began last week are being kept confidential and the locations for aerial survey have not been formally disclosed. DouglasNews.Network understands briefings started in Brisbane, and visits to Lady Elliot Island on the reef’s southern tip, as well as locations off Cairns and Townsville, are on the agenda.
UNESCO and the Federal government have kept details about the mission under wraps. What we do know is that it is being carried out by a scientist from UNESCO and another from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Representatives were briefed from four reef advisory groups including scientific experts, community and industry stakeholders, tourism operators and Traditional Owners.
SHE SHED Set to Open
The grand opening of Douglas Shires’ very first SheShed will be held tomorrow at 9am at Mossman Community Services.
An incredible timetable of workshops and events is planned, covering “all things SheShed” from power tools to mosaics, upholstery, rag-rug creation and furniture restoration.
Registration is essential, so pop in and grab a form or email your name and contact details to comdev@dscsa.org.au
Join up on Tuesday 5 April at 9am to meet facilitators Deb and Doreen.
