Hooray!!!
The Queensland State Government in its absolute wisdom has officially quashed the proposed Cruise Ship Terminal/Casino/Resort Development on Wave Break Island which is smack bang in the middle of the pristine Gold Coast Broadwater. It was reported that the Consortium Developers Representatives
met with the Queensland State Government Ministers in Brisbane this morning where they were informed on an official basis the Queensland Government does not support any development on Wave Break Island and will not grant any permissions for any Development on the Island now or into the future.
This means that the Kiteboarding and Winsdsurfing Community of the Gold Coast and fellow participant visitors will be able to now continue to enjoy their recreational pursuits of a World Class unique location for their activities to the North and South of Wave Break Island without it being destroyed forever. Which would have been the case if the Development were to go ahead. This is where the Environment and Ecosystem of the Gold Coast has won out against exploitative, greedy, opportunistic, Foreign Developers trying to land grab a unique parcel of Australian Public Owned open and FREE TO USE! Recreational Spaces for their total commercial plunder. Instead of purchasing other available or vacant zoned developable land on the mainland.
Me and I am sure a multitude of fellow Kiters and Windsurfers along with many, many, Gold Coastians, Queenslanders, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and Australians would like to send a BIG THANKYOU! Queensland State Government ![]()
NO! I was going to get a lot of work with that construction, looks like I will be unemployed for another couple years..
Look on the bright side flyingcab, you will be able to get plenty of Kiting in now and in to the future at Kfc's and Shearwater instead of it being completely F_ _ _ ed forever. There are plenty of other places they can develop instead of OUR FREE TO USE, PUBLIC OWNED and OPEN SPACES!
How can you develop anything with when noisy minorities scream in a weak governments ear. Of course the average ( majority) person dare not have a differing opinion! (you might cop a red thumb).
Regardless of the politics, this is a good thing for the coast. There is no way you can expect that a development that size would not have an affect on the environment and way of life surrounding it. Keep it green, find somewhere else for a casino.
^^^
Locals prob said similar things back in the mid 80s when they built the current seaway.
Wonder if kirra is back on the drawing board now?
The bully said other companies are still looking at the proposal and its business as usual. So if the bully says that then it MUST be true!
I think someone needs to tell the Bulletin that its out of touch with the locals (unless you have a property to sell).
with the cruise boat terminal shelved and the boast speeds about to be finalised you'll have nothing to do !!!
with the cruise boat terminal shelved and the boast speeds about to be finalised you'll have nothing to do !!!
This is true Main Ol' buddy. Now i will be able to get back to some serious Kiting at my Locals without them being under threat of being totaly destroyed by Environmental Vandle Conspiritors and Forces who do not give a stuff about land and aquatic habitats or my and other peoples freedoms and enjoyment of the watersport of Kings but only give a stuff about their own back pockets and dreams of riches or their abilities to hoon when ever and where ever they darn well please ![]()
Because we don't like development or anyone touching our pristine spit we should all pull together to remove the sand pumping jetty and sea wall rocks to return the area to its natural state.
Then when flooding conditions are present and the seaway is silted up ( cause we don't like dredging our natural environment),that will be enough to flood all of the canal developments. That should take care of Mermaid, Broad beach and Surfers.
We'll all be back to the 60's in no time. That will teach those nasty bastards to invest in our back yard!
Yeah, good one Greeny, nice blast from the past!
I'm afraid bobajob and ones like him are totally missing the point. This is FREE TO USE PUBLIC OWNED RECREATIONAL OPEN SPACE! Whether or not it was man made to protect Southport and Labrador shorelines from wave impact and storm erosions and the Seaways main constructed purpose was to mitigate flood, not to assist with future development of the Waterways as some may think. Once the area would have been given away for a song to Foreign Developers who wanted to turn it into a mini Hong Kong/Macau here in Australia along with a Cruise Ship Terminal/Casino/Resort Development/High End Residential Facilities for Foreign Investment Ownership. You would not have to be a Rocket Scientist to work out there would have been MAJOR IMPACTS to all surrounding areas and particularly if one is a Wind Sport Enthusiast the development would block traditional available winds by massive wind shadowing effects, restrict and have "no go areas, per customs and security reasons" and a Bridge to the Western Side of the Island to the Mainland which would stop any ability from ecstatic, glorious, downwinders (if any have ever been fortunate enough to experience this). This would have ruined a very scares resource, flatwater area for not only South East Queensland but Northern NSW users as well for a vast majority of current, past and future recreational users of this area as well as having complete severe impacts on Aquatic and Avian species that habitat the area. I and I am sure many others are NOT ANTI DEVELOPMENT! But there are areas allocated and zoned for development so as to lessen developments impacts to the Environment and people peace and enjoyment of areas.
I get the impression bobajob and others commenting like him (which fair enough and they are entitled to their opinion as much as I am) are not wind sport enthusiasts of the said area but may have a glimmer of hope of a financial interest (possibly what would have been projected many years down the track, like, usually 5 or 10 years before these types of developments commence, that's if they don't go belly up in the mean time and then the land is Sold off under receivership and then some half baked exercise/enclave is built instead for the wealthy exclusive few) on a development of such in the future or they may have a direct vested interest but if anyone cares enough to read and research scientific studies and facts that have been done on the impacts of the Cruise Shipping Industries and Cruise Ship Terminals and what goes on with the Cruise Ship industry in relation to Haven Countries where they FLAG their Ships so that when ACCIDENTS occur by them, Authorities of particular countries find it very difficult to prosecute the companies themselves. Like what has happened in the US on numerous occasions in the past.
The Gold Coast Seaway would have had to be completely rebuilt, deepened and widened and dredged on a continual basis kilometres further out to sea to accommodate Cruise Ship to even enter the Seaway. It would not take half a brain to work out that the great Surfing Location of T.O.S would be altered forever which I am sure the Surfriders Foundation and associated Boogy and Boardriders had hardly began to protest at this stage as they where and waiting on more facts surrounding the development.
The current Dive Industry that utilise the said area and Seaway Walls would have been put on complete hold for possibly a couple of decades while construction was to be carried out and a possible return of some what marine life if any, that is if the turbidity from Cruise Ships would not continually blanket everything with silt as they do and possible leaching of ballast and sewerage. Not to forget local fishermen and fisherwomen would suffer similar problems due to the same effects. Shipping accidents, leaching of ballast, oil spills and sewerage by Shipping companies is something they no doubt try to avoid but based on the past evidence there are no guarantees these things won't happen and when it does occur severe impacts are usually associated.
Brisbane has more the ability for large ships to enter/exit and there are future plans for better port facilities. IMO the Gold Coast does not warrant a Cruise Ship Terminal and if Cruise Ship Passenger's want a day trip down the Gold Coast as they already experience they're bus services that cater for this and those passengers then inject there money directly into the Local Economy rather than a Foreign Owned Integrated Development that would see people jump straight off a Cruise Ship and straight into a Foreign owned Casino and associated facilities, maned possibly by many Foreign workers, whereby minimal dollars would be spent to the Local Economy.
Apart from a Cruise Ship Terminal if it's a Casino and Integrated Resort/Shopping Development they are after then there are Zoned Developable or possible amalgamate, knock down and redevelop sites all over the Gold Coast that could cater for these types of development. One that immediately comes to mind, that is up for grabs, is the Old Gold Coast Hospital Site at Southport that has one of the highest elevations on the Gold Coast Strip and has almost 360 degree views. I repeat, like I say, I am not Anti Development but there are appropriate places for it and non-appropriate places and our beautiful Gold Coast Broadwater is not one of those places for Companies and vested interests to EXPLIOT