Posted on August 17, 2026
Six coastal locations impacted by the 2025 North and Far North Tropical Low event are set to benefit from more than $4 million in rehabilitation works following Townsville City Council’s successful funding application through the Coastline Rehabilitation Grant Program delivered by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.
Rowes Bay to Pallarenda, Toolakea, Bushland Beach, Nelly Bay, Horseshoe Bay and Cungulla will receive rehabilitation works aimed at restoring coastal systems impacted by erosion during last year’s record-breaking rainfall event.
The grant is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements
Mayor and Townsville Local Disaster Management Group Chair Councillor Nick Dametto said the funding would support environmental recovery while improving the resilience of some of Townsville’s most impacted coastal areas.
“The 2025 tropical low dumped an average of 1.2 metres of rainfall across our city in just 16 days, breaking our previous annual rainfall total by mid-February,” Cr Dametto said.
“This was an unprecedented weather event and we are still recovering from the environmental impacts it caused across our local government area.
“This funding will allow Council to undertake sand nourishment, dune reconstruction and revegetation activities to help rebuild natural erosion buffers and improve coastal resilience.
“These coastal environments play an important role in protecting public infrastructure, supporting biodiversity and providing recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.”
Cr Dametto said the final mix of rehabilitation and resilience measures would be informed by detailed design, site conditions and regulatory approvals, ensuring each location received the most appropriate response.
“Importantly, this funding allows Council to act now while continuing to plan for the future,” he said.
“One of the major benefits of receiving this grant is that it creates an opportunity to undertake immediate recovery works while progressing investigations into long-term solutions for weather-driven erosion along these coastal stretches.
“Funding like this grant is vital for Townsville. Northern Australia cops more than its fair share of natural disasters, so having strong fiscal support through the Australian and Queensland Government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements is essential to make sure we’re able to not just recover from extreme weather, but to build back better so we can be better prepared for the next weather event.
“It’s critical this support continues to flow for Townsville and our neighbours to ensure the burden of recovery costs don’t fall squarely on our ratepayers.”
Council is currently in the planning stages of preparing a Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP) for Toolakea and finalising an update to the Rowes Bay to Pallarenda SEMP.
Through ongoing shoreline erosion management planning, coastal investigations and future resilience projects, Council is building the knowledge and evidence base needed to support practical long-term erosion management solutions for Townsville’s coastal communities.
Works funded by the Coastline Rehabilitation Grant Program will start with Toolakea later this year.
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