General News
6 September, 2026
Optus new tower power
CASSOWARY Coast Regional Council has approved a new 40-metre telecommunications tower in Germantown, targeting long-standing mobile blackspots across the local area.
Planning officers recommended a development permit for the material change of use application be granted, submitted by SAQ Consulting on behalf of neutral host provider Waveconn Operations Pty Ltd.
The mobile base station will be constructed on a 25.3-hectare rural property at 137 Germantown Road.
The project aims to resolve severe coverage gaps for Optus customers, with council assessment notes revealing that the nearest existing Optus facilities are located more than 10 kilometres away at Cowley Beach and Silkwood Branch.
Planners also examined existing local infrastructure, including an NBN/Telstra monopole located 2.4 kilometres south-west on the opposite side of Mena Creek township.
However, co-location on that existing structure was deemed “unfeasible” because of structural limits and height constraints – as it already carries two carriers at 40 metres and 33 metres.
Sited roughly 100 metres north of Germantown Road behind an existing dwelling and farm outbuildings, the compound will occupy a modest 100-square-metre footprint to avoid disrupting livestock grazing and productive agricultural land.
The proposed facility features a 40-metre monopole topped with a triangular headframe housing three Optus panel antennas, a 1200mm parabolic dish mounted at 30 metres, an Optus equipment cabinet, and perimeter security fencing.
Access will utilise the property’s existing entry on Germantown Road.
While built for Optus, the facility is designed to allow other telecommunications carriers to co-locate in the future, with compound space allocated for an additional equipment cabinet.
In the assessment report, planners emphasised that the 40-metre height is the minimum required to deliver reliable Optus mobile and data coverage to Germantown and Mena Creek.
Council officers highlighted that robust digital connectivity underpins economic growth, remote learning, e-health, and business diversification for primary producers.
Reliable mobile infrastructure also plays a crucial role during severe weather and emergency events in Far North Queensland.
Although the subject property carries planning scheme overlays for scenic amenity, environmental significance, landslide hazard and waterway corridors, officers confirmed the compound does not interact with these features.
The site lies outside the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, the Mission Beach locality and mapped Southern Cassowary habitat.
The impact-assessable development application underwent formal public notification, attracting zero submissions or objections. No state agency referrals were required.
Planners concluded the facility aligns with council’s planning scheme and the Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2026.
Council voted at its August meeting to approve the permit subject to conditions outlined in the officer’s recommendation, well ahead of the statutory decision deadline on 22 September.
Read More: Cassowary Coast