MOOLOOLABA FORESHORE REVITALISATION PROJECT
In 2020, the Sunshine Coast Council (SCC) commenced major re-development of the Mooloolaba foreshore.
The Mooloolaba Esplanade Holiday Park was permanently closed to allow for Stage 1, Northern Parkland to take place. This incorporated a raised boardwalk to link Alexandra Headland to Mooloolaba with new community facilities including picnic areas, undercover barbeque areas, a state-of-the-art playground with sails and hard-covered areas and landscaping.
This stage was completed in June 2022 and was opened to the public. By September 2023, the SCC could see that the turf areas were in major disrepair, and they contacted Daleys Turf located in Bells Creek seeking a solution.
After several onsite meetings, it was decided to replace the old turf with an improved variety that would suit all the needs the council required for such an area. TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda was the chosen turf variety based on its wear tolerance and that it would handle the punishment of sporting events such as the Mooloolaba Triathlon, the Sunshine Coast Marathon and other fun runs whereby the grassed area can be covered for up to 10 days at a time with temporary infrastructure that is used for these events.
The first challenge was working out how to conduct the work safely and efficiently without completely closing the area off to the public. Access for pedestrians on the Mooloolaba foreshore is via a footpath shared by over 1,000 people daily.
With the assistance of SCC management and their employees, Daleys Turf devised a plan.
The project was to begin once the Queensland school holidays were over, but it needed to be completed 6 weeks before a large event that was booked in November to give the turf time for establishment. It would then be ready to re-open to the public. This only gave the team a 4-day window to complete the job.
Metal safety fencing was erected, then the existing turf and soil were removed, the drainage system was installed, irrigation was upgraded with more stations and sprinklers added to increase coverage, and then the new sand-based soil was added.
All materials had to be delivered to an off-site location and then re-loaded onto smaller vehicles that could access the shared walkway. Each vehicle was escorted into and out of the site with spotters in front and at the back.
Fifty-five cubic metres had to be removed and the total area of turf to be replaced was 890m2. There were 65 cubic metres of SFB8000 (a special sports blend to handle foot traffic) to be added. This was blended in with the existing profile using a Harley Rake, and then the prep area for the turf was laser-levelled to maximise the drainage.
SCC supplied Daleys Turf with staff to help control the pedestrian traffic, which allowed the team to work freely inside the safety fence with a steady flow of materials coming in and out.
The project was completed within the 4 days allocated, followed by a 6 week maintenance period. The TifTuf performed exceptionally well establishing in its new environment so well that the turfed areas were opened to the public a week ahead of schedule.
This was one of the largest and most complex public projects Daleys Turf had ever taken on. It was a massive collaboration with SCC and their contractors, as well as Daleys Turf contractors. Daleys Turf Owner Terry Daley was extremely proud of his team and of course, the outcome of the project.
