A - Z guide to responsible park practices continuing

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

J

Jetskis and motorised watercraft

Jetskis, waverunners, waveriders and similar motorised personal watercraft are often referred to as Personal Water Craft (PWC). You should check the relevant marine park zoning plans for more details.

L

Litter reduction

Litter includes cigarette butts and drink bottles dropped on the ground or in the water, fast food wrappers thrown out of the car window or from a vessel, poorly secured material from a trailer or grass clippings swept into the gutter. Litter can also be an abandoned vehicle, vessel or an abandoned part of a vehicle or vessel.

Litter is the most visible sign of pollution. It's unsightly and can be dangerous. Litter has significant environmental, social and economic impacts. Many different items end up as litter and many of them stay in the environment for a very long time. Plastic bags are a significant threat to marine animals, particularly turtles and dugong who can mistake them for food sources such as jelly fish.

Litter pollutes our waterways - the majority of it from land-based activities. Even items dropped kilometres inland can make it to the ocean, carried by the rain and the winds. Every year litter kills thousands of marine animals that swallow or become entangled in litter.

Queensland has new litter legislation. The Environmental Protection Act 1994 has been changed to allow for stronger and more flexible and enforceable anti-litter provisions, particularly in relation to littering from vehicles. This legislation also applies within marine parks.

Under the new litter laws, authorised officers can issue a greater range of penalties for more offences. See table below for littering fines in Queensland.

Type of litter	Examples		Penalty to individuals	If matter proceeds to court
General littering	Throwing a cigarette butt into the gutter or food wrappers, bus tickets or food items on the ground.		$150	$1500
Littering from a vehicle (including boats)	Throwing a soft drink can, takeaway food packaging or plastic bag from a car or boat; or items falling off the back of a ute or a trailer as a result of an uncovered load.		$225	$2250
Dangerous littering	Any litter that can cause harm to humans, wildlife and property. This includes broken glass left in a children's playground or a lit cigarette in dry grass.		$300	$3000
Illegal dumping	20L - 200L	Disposing of waste in an area that is not a dedicated waste facility. For example, large domestic items such as fridges and garden refuse and waste from construction, demolition and excavation activities.	$300		$3000
	>200L		$1237		$12370
Illegal dumping-failure to clean up waste	A person requested to clean up illegally dumped waste does not comply within the timeframe specified. This offence will proceed directly to court.		-	$7500

M

Marine stingers

Box jellyfish have been responsible for more than 60 deaths in Australia. They are present in northern waters from October until May. There have been reports of box jellyfish as far south as Agnes Water, just north of Bundaberg.

There are also smaller marine stingers that can cause irukandji syndrome - a range of unpleasant symptoms, including stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches and back pain. These marine stingers don't leave big welts or cause the excruciatingly painful, immediate sting associated with large box jellyfish. Jellyfish causing irukandji syndrome live mainly in tropical waters in far north Queensland but some have been found as far south as Bundaberg. These jellyfish may be present at any time of year. In 2001-02, 160 people were stung by jellyfish that cause this syndrome.

Prevention is better than cure, so:

observe warning signs
do not enter the water when beaches are closed due to marine stingers
at beaches where there are swimming enclosures, swim only within these nets
wear protective clothing or a stinger suit to reduce the risk of being stung
swim in patrolled areas only.

First aid for marine stings

Don't rub the sting. Don't apply a pressure bandage.

Large box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri

Death can happen very quickly, so act immediately!
Call an ambulance.
Flood the affected area with vinegar. Vinegar neutralises any undischarged stinging cells. If you don't use vinegar, more venom is injected after the initial sting.
Keep the victim calm.
Apply cold packs to the sting for local pain.
Administer CPR if the victim stops breathing.

Irukandji jellyfish Carukia barnesi and other species causing irukandji syndrome

Symptoms emerge about 30 minutes after the sting and include pain, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches and back pain.
Flood the affected area with vinegar.
Keep the victim cool and calm and under close observation for at least 45 minutes.
Seek immediate medical help if symptoms develop or persist.

Bluebottle and other jellyfish stings

Stings from bluebottles and other small jellyfish that occur along the Queensland coast are best treated with ice. Some people react more strongly to these stings, so urgent medical attention is sometimes needed.

For further information:

Visit www.marinestingers.com.au

Motorised water sports

Jetskis, waverunners, waveriders and similar motorised personal watercraft are often referred to as personal water craft (PWC).

Commercial tour operators are required to have a permit from the GBRMPA in order to conduct motorised watersports in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. For more information about motorised watersports go to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority website.

GreatSandy Marine Park

Great Sandy Marine Park Zones provisions table (PDF, 33K)*
Great Sandy Marine Park - Zones (PDF, 3.3M)*

MoretonBay Marine Park

Whitsunday and Mackay Islands

In the Whitsunday planning area, motorised water sports can only be undertaken in setting 1 areas and outside setting areas. Personal watercraft may be used within the boundaries of all setting areas for transport by the most direct reasonable route between two places. For more information click on the links below.

Whitsundays Plan of Management
GBRMPA motorised water sports
Whitsunday and Mackay Islands Visitor Management Strategy November 2007 (PDF, 1.2M)*
Map 2 'Whitsunday' (PDF, 1.2M)*
Map 3 'Mackay' (PDF, 1.8M)*
Map 4 'Enlargements' (PDF, 858K)*

N

Noise restrictions

What is noise?

Noise is unwanted sound - barking dogs, loud music, passing traffic. Studies show that over 40 percent of Australians are disturbed at home or lose sleep because of noise pollution.

Everyone reacts differently to noise. What can be unbearable for one person may pass almost unnoticed by another. How annoyed we become depends on the loudness, time, place and frequency of noise. Distinct features of noise, such as screeches or rumbles, are also important.

Noise is measured on the decibel scale. Noise levels, referred to as decibels on the (A) scale (written as dB(A)) are a good indicator of people's response to noise.

The fact sheets on Queensland's nuisance laws has more detailed information.

Noise in the environment is controlled through the Environmental Protection Act 1994, the Environmental Protection (Noise) Policy 1997 and local government laws.

Tips to reduce your noise impact on wildlife and other park visitors:

Generators and dive compressors are only permitted in some parks. Check if these are allowed before you arrive. Be considerate and only use them between 9am and 6pm or as specified.
Keep group sizes small.
Avoid walking and talking close to other visitors campsites.
When spotlighting encourage your group to reframe from talking. Even the slightest sound can scare away wildlife.
At night, be mindful of other campers and limit your noise after 9pm.

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Last updated 14 June 2011