Tallebudgera Beach on Queensland’s Gold Coast has been announced as the Overall Winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful, Australian Clean Beaches Awards for 2010/2011.As well as winning the overall Australian title, Tallebudgera picked up awards in the Community Action and Partnerships, Litter Prevention and Young Legends categories.
Australian Clean Beaches National Judge, David Moy, said the community partnerships between Gold Coast City Council and the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management had really driven the community spirit of Tallebudgera.
Highlights of Tallebudgera’s achievements include an active BeachCare community group, an active Surf Life Saving Club and a Seagrass Watch monitoring site located within Tallebudgera Creek which tracks seagrass health and assesses human impacts.
The Tallebudgera Beach School has more than 8000 students visiting the area every year, as well as a Gold Coast Waterwatch facilitated by Natura Education which engages with Tallebudgera schools, educating students and the community about water quality and catchment health issues.
Meanwhile, Tallebudgera Catchment Care Group is partnering with Tallebudgera State School to restore the degraded riparian zone along Tallebudgera Creek.
Naomi Edwards is BeachCare co-ordinator from Griffith University Centre for Coastal Management which coordinates all BeachCare nominations for the Awards. She said she was delighted and overwhelmed by Tallebudgera’s success.
“This is a great achievement for us as this was a very tough competition with the other beaches all very deserving too. I am just very thankful to be in a position to enable others to become involved in coastal community awareness.
“Tallebudgera deserves this recognition for the way it has protected the beach environment with support from the Gold Coast City Council.
“As well as the many community partnerships that are in place, Tallebudgera offers protected recreational waters for sailing, canoeing, swimming and fishing for a safe family environment, while the open beach has the surf and all that a big beach has to offer.”
Professor Rodger Tomlinson from Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, said the Keep Australia Beautiful, Clean Beaches Awards was a great initiative for keeping the whole community involved in the management of the beaches.
“The diverse natural and recreational resources they offer are the key components driving our sustainability management of our beach environment,” he said.