Flinders Karawatha Corridor vision statement
South East Queensland (SEQ) is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. In order to accommodate this high level of growth, the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 has designated urban growth and a framework to ensure the growth is sustainable. The sustainability framework must ensure the region is managed to ensure clean air, clean water, healthy landscapes, accessible greenspace and biodiversity protection, all of which contribute to the social and economic health and wellbeing of the people in the region and support sustainable growth.
The Flinders Karawatha Corridor (the corridor) is the largest remaining continuous stretch of open eucalypt bushland south of the Brisbane River in South East Queensland. The corridor extends from Karawatha Forest in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, through the Greenbank Military Training Area and south along the line of mountains to Flinders Peak and the Wyaralong Dam near Boonah.
The corridor includes a range of habitats including rocky hills, wetlands and eucalypt forests that are home to threatened species such as the koala, wallum froglet, powerful owl and the brush tailed rock wallaby. It is nature on the doorstep of Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan Cities. Approximately 475 000 additional residents are expected to live around the edges of the corridor by 2031.
The Queensland Government is protecting the Flinders Karawatha Corridor for future generations by ensuring the sustainable management of the multiple landscape values of the corridor to support the growing populations of the SEQ region.
The vision for the corridor is that the diverse landscapes of the Flinders Karawatha Corridor are identified, protected, connected and managed to support the sustainability of its significant environmental, scenic, cultural, recreation, economic and tourism values and the liveability and wellbeing of existing and future regional communities and landowners.
Key issues
The varied landscapes in the corridor have drawn people to the region since the first Aboriginal people arrived in Australia. After two centuries of land-use change, clearing, fires, weeds and feral animals, the corridor’s natural values are under intense pressure.
Major new urban growth areas are being developed in Greater Flagstone, Greenbank and Yarrabilba in Logan City, and at Springfield and Ripley Valley in Ipswich City. Development and population growth in these new inland urban areas will relieve pressures on coastal parts of the region. These new communities are expected to support 475 000 new residents by 2031. The corridor sits between these new urban communities.
These growth areas challenge the balance between sustainable regional growth and maintaining the corridor’s integrity. As the regional population expands, demand for outdoor recreation in this southern part of South East Queensland will also increase. The SEQ Regional Plan recognises the majority of projected population growth is destined for areas to the south of the Brisbane River, while the majority of recreation lands are located north of the Brisbane River. The landscapes of the Flinders Karawatha Corridor can balance this mismatch between regional settlement patterns and greenspace.
Key opportunities
The diversity of landscape settings in the corridor provide for a range of outdoor recreation activities such as bushwalking, orienteering, camping, mountain bike riding, trail biking, horse riding, 4-wheel-driving, swimming and kayaking. Coordinated management would allow for high impact activities such as mountain bike riding, trail biking and 4-wheel-driving to be planned and delivered in the most suitable locations. The Queensland Government is already working with local governments and government-owned corporations to provide new recreation opportunities in the corridor including the Boonah to Ipswich Trail, Wyaralong Regional Trail Bike Facility and the Mount Joyce Escape Recreation Park.
Protecting and managing a multi-use landscape in the corridor will benefit the whole community.
A plan is also needed to help restore and manage the corridor’s wildlife and ecosystems. This plan will be used to guide on-ground actions and funding programs. Landowner and wider community involvement is crucial to development and implementation of the plan and the vision.
The Queensland Government’s five year vision includes three phases -
- Providing planning protection for the corridor to ensure the area is protected for it's environmental, economic, social and cultural values.
- The next step will be to determine a plan for the corridor including a strategy for future investment and management of the corridor. This will be carried out, working in partnership especially with local councils.
- Finally the provision of community greenspace will be a critical part of implementing the Queensland Government’s five year vision. This will include walking tracks, rehabilitation of degraded habitats and maintaining and improving wildlife connectivity through the corridor.
Last updated 29 November 2011