Local Environment
Set on the Tropic of Capricorn in Central Queensland, the Capricorn Coast stretches 95 kilometres from Stanage Bay to the mouth of the Fitzroy River. It is speckled with small townships, beautiful beaches, fantastic fishing and quiet recreational spots. Just 30 minutes by boat from the mainland lie the amazing Keppel Islands and numerous other idyllic islands in the iconic, World Heritage Great Barrier Reef. All this forms a vibrant backdrop to a culturally, geologically and biologically diverse area; one that is home to an array of people who are drawn to the Coast's laid-back and sunny lifestyle.
Coast and beaches
Being a coastal Landcare Group, we are primarily concerned about terrestrial ecosystems in urban and semi-rural settings: creeks and estuaries, mangroves, beaches, rocky shores, dunes, freshwater wetlands, coastal heath and shrublands (present on hill slopes and bluffs), and woodlands.
We recognise that land systems need a broader connectivity and that all things exist in an inter-related web. We actively promote healthy catchment connectivity and work with our many partner groups to ensure this occurs along our coast and beaches.
Environmental assets: the resident Fig Tree Creek flying fox colony, turtle nesting beaches; 17km Farnborough Beach, Capricorn Coast National Park (Bluff Point Walking Circuit and Double Head), Causeway Lake, coast beaches, Fig Tree and Ross Creek mangroves, Keppel Bay and islands.
Urban waterways
Many waterways form the Capricorn Coastal catchment which adjoins the larger Fitzroy River Basin. These include Ross, Fig Tree, Limestone, Stony, Coorooman Creek, Nankin Creek, and Water Park Creek. This network of waterways lie in close proximity to Keppel Bay and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and lagoon.
The shire has two declared sub-artesian basins: Highlands (near Marlborough) and Farnborough.
Land uses along the coast include beef cattle, forestry, horticulture and fishing. Tourism is also a primary focus, and defence plays a significant economic role in the region with the location of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area north of Yeppoon. Small rural and semi-rural landholders graze cattle and pasture, and horticulturalists grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. As with most primary production land uses, water quality and the impact of nutrients, herbicides, and sediment is watched closely.
Yeppoon's drinking water supply comes from Waterpark Creek in the headwaters of Byfield National Park. This area hosts ancient towering rainforest with unique fauna and flora. Landcare works to remove invasive weeds, flood debris and litter, and improve the water quality of our urban waterways and the flows entering the nearby Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Environmental assets: Byfield National Park (incl Stony and Waterpark Creeks), Landcare Rehabilitation Site on Fig Tree Creek ('Alby Wooler Reserve' in Park Street, Yeppoon), the Envirotrail and adjacent RailTrail.