Ella Bay - Ella Bay Development

Ella Bay Development

The Ella Bay property comprises 470 hectares of freehold land that is isolated within the Ella Bay National Park and Wet Tropics of Queensland and a 160 acre rainforest block named Little Cove. The Ella Bay site was first surveyed in 1882 and large areas of the site were later cleared for banana production and small crop farming. There are numerous newspaper reports from the early 1900s of Ella Bay being one the major banana growing areas in Queensland. The newspaper articles report that the land was leased to Chinese farmers and there were over 100 men working the site, that 500 acres had been cleared for bananas and there was a 340 ft long jetty built in 1902 to load steamers with bananas to Brisbane. There was a note of Ella Bay Road (tender for bridge, Cairns Post 1917). In 1906 this settlement of over 100 Chinese farmers was abandoned after a severe tropical cyclone destroyed their homes and crops. After selling any rescued fruit the Chinese farmers totally abandoned Ella Bay and the area was never resettled.

In recent history, most of the Ella Bay site was shown as cleared in Army Mapping dated 1943 and the small amount of remaining areas were cleared and levelled in the mid 1960s. Since that time the site has been used mainly for pastoral purposes. Introduced tropical pasture grass (Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria humidicola) covers almost all of the cleared area.

The 470 hectare site is mostly cleared. Introduced weed infestation (Pond apple, Hymenachne, Sicklepod etc.) have further degraded much of these pasture areas and the margins of remnant vegetated areas and this situation has been brought about by a failure of successive property owners to control these invasive weed species in a timely and efficient manner. The 160 acre Little Cove property is covered almost entirely with endangered and of concern rainforest vegetation. Under Commonwealth EPBCA legislation Littoral rainforest is listed as Critically Endangered. This land is situated in the southern section of Ella Bay as the northern area was too wet for agriculture. The northern wetland known as Ella Bay Swamp is classified as a wetland of national significance and is primarily located within Ella Bay National Park DSEWPaC's Protected Matters Search Tool

It is proposed to construct the Ella Bay Integrated Resort; an integrated resort and property development focussing on sustainability, and environmental stewardship. The stated ecological goal of the development is to first, live sustainably with the minimum carbon footprint, rain harvesting and recycling of water and minimising pollution, through the general philosophy of ecological living and principles of sustainable development; and second to protect and enhance the fauna and flora of the site and surrounds through responsible use and protection of the natural environment, through conservation and sustainable practices.

Local conservationists strongly oppose this urban development/resort complex for many reasons. The influx of up to 5,000 people into this wilderness area is feared to have the potential to cause great harm to this refuge area. Associated traffic into this area will threaten the safety of endangered southern cassowaries and endangered frog species. Critically endangered coastal rainforest will be destroyed to provide access to the property development and to clear sites for 100 residences at the Little Cove development site. Coastal dolphin species will be adversely impacted by increased boat and jet ski activity from the areas new residents, as will nesting marine turtles. Conservationists also claim it is unwise to place so many people in area that is so susceptible to the impacts of tropical cyclones and has a history of such disasters.