Sandhills Wetlands restoration update

Published on 26 July 2024

Arakwal representatives and environmental consultants are joining contractors and Council staff at the Sandhills Wetlands as work gets underway on stage one of the wetlands restoration.

Christopher Soulsby, Manager Major Projects, said people will notice heavy machinery onsite as construction starts on one of the most significant environmental projects undertaken by Council.

“The aim is to restore the environmental integrity of the 1.8-hectare site which was a wetland prior to being sand-mined in the 1960s,” Mr Soulsby said.

“There will be a lot of activity over the coming six months, starting with the removal of vegetation next week, in accordance with extensive environmental assessments that were done as part of the Environmental Impact Statement.

“Heavy machinery will rebuild three wetland cells with the entire area to be revegetated with native plants to return it, as much as possible, to its original state.

“Arakwal representatives will be overseeing excavation and vegetation removal and environmental consultants will inspect all vegetation prior to removal, checking for native birds and animals and marking trees and plants to be retained,” Mr Soulsby said.

“We have Arakwal, Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Lands Council and NSW Crown Lands to thank for their guidance in co-designing the project in line with the community’s vision, expressed through the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan,” Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Lyon, said.

“It’s a site that has enormous cultural and environmental significance and to see the site restored to wetlands with native plants and animals will benefit the entire community.

“A series of paths will be built through the wetlands, connecting to the Byron Bay town centre through Jarjumirr Park and to the Arakwal Cultural Centre site on to the lighthouse,” Mayor Lyon said.

Information about the Sandhills Wetlands project is on Council’s website.

The restoration of the Sandhills Wetlands is the first stage of the Byron Bay Drainage Strategy and will improve the quality of the water that flows out to Clarkes Beach. 

The project is funded by the Australian Government through the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program (NRRRP) and the NSW Government through the Public Spaces Legacy Program.

For media enquiries contact the Media and Communications team on 02 6626 7320.