General News
31 December, 2025
Coast all set for wet season
EXTENSIVE and vital works have been completed on the Cassowary Coast in preparation for the wet season.
Regional council chief executive officer Andrew Graffen said council was also very close to completing extensive road and landslip works funded through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements in response to TC Jasper.
He said this included repairing about 3000 damage sites, 6000sqm of sealed roads and completing 450km of formation grading.
“I’m confident in saying that we’re in the best possible shape ahead of whatever may come our way in the next few months,” Mr Graffen said.
Mayor Teresa Millwood said council’s commitment was absolute in working to ensure the Cassowary Coast was Australia’s most liveable tropical community.
“I want to assure the community that we’ve thrown absolutely everything apart from the kitchen sink to ensure our region is in the best possible shape.
“I understand some people’s resilience has been tested over the years, including earlier this year with the flooding event that affected the Cardwell and South Mission Beach communities and in the wake of TC Jasper in 2023.
“We are a hardy and practical community, and in the face of increasingly unpredictable and severe weather events, preparation is our best protection.
Over the past two months alone, council has:
Held two free dumping weekends for residents to clear their homes and yards
Ran four disaster preparation information sessions in Cardwell, Tully, Innisfail and Mission Beach, with strong turnout from new residents
Is installing 34 flash-flood sensors in Mission Beach, Ellerbeck, Cardwell, Silkwood, Mourilyan and Innisfail, which will feed live data into the Cassowary Coast Disaster Dashboard for early warnings
Cleared around 9.24km of drains, culverts and floodways to improve stormwater flow
Delivered replenishment works to restore and protect foreshore areas following TC Jasper and the February severe weather event. Works have been completed in Cardwell and are underway in South Mission Beach. Works will next commence at Wongaling Beach, Mission Beach, Bingil Bay, Cowley Beach, Kurrimine Beach, and finally Etty Bay
Recently restored the council-managed section of the Dunk Island walking track – improving safety, accessibility and visitor experience ahead of the wet season. This included restoring three bridges and fully rebuilding one bridge.
Cleaned up inorganic material from 40km of Liverpool Creek and undertook a large-scale beach clean-up from Port Hinchinbrook to the Tully River mouth associated with the previous year event
Maintained 80km of unsealed roads to improve road smoothness and safety, and repaired potholes and road edges using almost 25 tonnes of patching mix.
Cr Millwood urged residents to get information from trusted sources – like the Cassowary Coast disaster dashboard at www.bit.ly/4j4ZlKW
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