Upcoming works in Forest Gardens Estate
Find out more about the upcoming works being delivered in the Forest Gardens Estate.
We will minimise impacts wherever possible and are committed to keeping residents and the community updated on start and finish dates for all planned works.
Crowley Creek walking path realignment
Update
Works are underway to permanently realign two short sections of this walking path near the joint bay sites.
By realigning these sections near Alpinia Terrace and Amazon Close, we can safely deliver maintenance works at the joint bay sites without impacting walking path users.
Vegetation within these areas is already marked for removal due to posing a risk to our cable. Some additional clearing may be required for these realignment works, and new shade trees will be planted, where possible, near the new sections.
As the realignment brings the walking path closer to the creek bank, new bollards or handrails will be installed to maintain safety.
We are also working with Cairns Regional Council to identify opportunities to upgrade the existing railing on the pedestrian bridge near Alpinia Terrace.
The walking path realignment works will start at the section near Alpinia Terrace and will then move onto the section near Amazon Close.
Schedule of works
Section near Alpinia Terrace
- Works started on Monday 31 March 2025 and will be completed by mid-April 2025, weather dependent.
Section near Amazon Close
- Works are scheduled to commence from Monday 14 April 2025 and will be completed by mid-May 2025, weather dependent.
What the works involve
The works required to realign the two sections of the walking path include:
- concreting the new, realigned sections
- installing temporary fencing around the new sections
- saw cutting and removing sections of the existing walking path
- installing new handrails and bollards as required
- turfing the area when the refurbishment works at the nearby joint bay sites are completed
Realignment plans
Maintenance requirements
Essential cable joint refurbishment works are needed at two joint bay sites located within Powerlink’s easement, adjacent to Alpinia Terrace and Amazon Close in the Forest Gardens Estate.
The refurbishment works on the joint bays will be undertaken during planned network outages and will not result in any impacts to electricity supply.
Site preparation
As the joint bays are located underground, the area above will be established as a construction site. The works will involve:
- targeted vegetation clearing around the joint bay sites
- levelling the area above the joint bays
- excavating the joint bays
- setting up equipment required for the refurbishment works
- installing temporary fencing around the work site.
Vegetation clearing is required to provide safe and clear access to excavate the joint bay sites and deliver the refurbishment works.
To prepare the sites, work crews will need to use small cranes, trucks and excavators.
Once the joint bays are excavated, a marquee-type structure will be erected over the sites to provide weather protection and a controlled environment for the specialist crews to perform their work.
What to expect during the works
The crews delivering these works will be on-site between 6am and 6pm. Works will initially be performed Mondays to Saturdays, but once the joint bays are excavated works will be daily (including Sundays) to expedite their delivery.
Local traffic and pedestrian management plans will be in place, as required, to maintain safety and access for residents and community members.
A security provider will also patrol the joint bay sites outside of the crew’s working hours.
Schedule of works
Joint bay site near Alpinia Terrace
- Vegetation removal works around the site have been completed.
- Site preparation works started on Monday 31 March 2025.
- All works at the joint bay site to be completed by late June 2025.
Joint bay site near Amazon Close
- Vegetation removal works around the site have been completed.
- Site preparation works are scheduled to start from Monday 14 April 2025.
- All works at the joint bay site to be completed by late August 2025.
Vegetation management – 2025
Further tree removal along the easement is required to remove the remaining trees posing a future risk to the underground cables.
This work is scheduled to start from July 2025, and we will keep residents and the community updated on the timing of activities.
Vegetation management maps
What to expect during the works
These works will be undertaken by local contractors (ETS Infrastructure Management) and an arborist and fauna spotter will again be on-site during the vegetation removal process to minimise any disturbance to the local environment.
On-site equipment may include wood-chippers, tipper trucks, chainsaws, pole saws, blowers, an excavator and a specialist harvesting machine.
Work crews will be on-site on Mondays to Fridays, between 7.30am and 5pm.
Local traffic and pedestrian management plans will be in place to maintain safety and access for residents and community members.
Easement restoration
Powerlink is committed to restoring the easement while maintaining required safety clearances for the underground cables and easement.
We have been working with Cairns Regional Council to appropriately plan for easement restoration works, including identifying new amenity opportunities.
Planning process
Along with community feedback, the planning process has considered:
- clearance requirements for the underground cables and easement
- Council’s policies and standards for public open spaces
- compatible species types and availability of locally propagated stock
- users of the Crowleys Creek walking path
- opportunities for new amenities and vegetation to address shade loss
- ongoing vegetation management and maintenance requirements.
Planting works
The easement restoration works are progressing well with the recent planting of compatible vegetation along the easement.
During maintenance of the new plantings, it has been identified that some species are not thriving in their current location.
Some species will be replanted at alternate, suitable locations along the easement and tube stock will be replaced as required.
Some areas need to remain clear to provide access for further tree removal and the cable joint bay refurbishment works. Plantings in these areas will be undertaken at the start of the 2025 wet season.
Cairns Conservation Services has been engaged to deliver the easement restoration planting works in partnership with Powerlink. The works involve planting approximately 24,000 grasses and plants of local provenance seed and cuttings and approximately 50 shade trees.
Amenities
We are continuing to plan for the delivery of new amenities along the easement including liaising with relevant suppliers.
New amenities will be installed this year starting in areas that will not be impacted by further vegetation management activities, or the joint bay refurbishment works.
Prior to the amenities being installed, we will place signage along the easement to show the locations of these amenities.
The type and location of amenities has been determined following feedback from residents, the wider community and in consultation with Cairns Regional Council.
Please refer to the below map showing the indicative locations of the key new and upgraded amenities along the walking path and easement.
Community feedback
Since June 2024, our project team has been engaging with residents and the wider community to share project information and seek feedback to help inform the delivery of works.
We sought feedback on:
- two proposed options for the vegetation removal and easement restoration works and;
- new amenities along the easement
The feedback received confirmed a preference for option one which involved removing most of the vegetation in 2024 and undertaking progressive restoration works.
Overall, the feedback received indicated new amenities along the walking path and easement will be used and supported by residents and the local community.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from the local community about the Bayview Heights to White Rock project. If you have a question that hasn't been answered here, please reach out to the project engagement team.
Vegetation management
Powerlink undertakes regular inspections of our transmission network to monitor its condition and identify issues such as vegetation that can impact the reliability of power supply.
If not managed appropriately, some vegetation can be a hazard to our network and damage critical infrastructure, affect power supply and impact easement clearance zones.
Inspections of the underground cables, easement and neighbouring Bayview Heights Transition Station have identified significant issues with the surrounding vegetation. This includes species with intrusive root systems encroaching on the underground cables.
Selected tree removal and vegetation management is required along the easement to manage risks to the underground cables and ensure the continued secure supply of power to the Cairns region.
A local, qualified arborist and Powerlink electrical engineers have assessed the vegetation within a 10m zone either side of the underground cables. The assessments considered:
- species type
- tree trunk diameter
- if the species have intrusive root systems able to cause damage to critical infrastructure
- tree protection zones
- easement clearance zones.
Due to the extent of vegetation along the easement and its social and environmental value, a site-specific clearing approach has been developed for the project. The approach involves keeping as much existing vegetation as possible, while managing risks to the underground cables.
An arborist and fauna spotter will be on-site prior to and during the tree felling works.
The arborist will ensure compliance with the clearing plans and the fauna spotter will remove and manage any impacted fauna from the site to a safe, nearby habitat outside of the clearing limits.
Powerlink is committed to restoring the easement while maintaining required safety clearances for the underground cables and easement. We are working with Cairns Regional Council to appropriately plan for the restoration of the easement, including installing new amenities.
Restoration works involve replanting along the easement with compatible species that will not impact on the underground cables or the easement in their mature state. Approximately 24,000 grasses and plants will be locally propagated from local provenance seed and cuttings.
The vegetation removal works will involve grinding tree stumps near the concrete footpath to address trip hazards and mulching all removed vegetation.
The majority of tree stumps will be kept along the easement to manage erosion along the creek bank and provide stabilisation for the remaining trees. Wherever possible, the mulch will be used as part of the restoration works.
Tree stumps will be cut as close to the natural ground line as practical and the remaining stump will be treated with herbicide to ensure the remnant root system does not pose a future threat to the integrity of the underground cables.
We recognise removing trees will have visual and amenity impacts for residents of the Forest Gardens Estate, and the wider community.
Landscape drawings and visual materials have been prepared for different viewpoints along the easement to show what the area will look like after the vegetation management and restoration works are completed.
These visuals are available under the ‘Resources’ section on this page.
In June 2024, we sought feedback from residents and the local community on the vegetation removal works via:
- easement vegetation management surveys
- door-knocking residents
- community information drop-in sessions at Mount Sheridan Plaza
- enquiries to the project email and phone.
The key feedback areas included:
- loss of shade
- disappointment about trees being removed
- impacts to the walking path along Crowleys Creek
- importance of a reliable and secure electricity supply in the Cairns region
- concerns with some of the compatible species types proposed for the easement
- preference for option one vegetation management approach
- mixed support for new amenities (e.g. shade structures and seating) due to concerns with undesirable behaviours
- support for water bubblers, with dog bowls
The feedback received confirmed a preference for option one which involved removing most of the vegetation in 2024 and undertaking progressive restoration works.
Amenities
In October 2024, we sought feedback on proposed amenities for the walking path and easement via:
- emails
- resident surveys
- targeted door-knocking of neighbouring residents
- community information drop-in sessions
The key areas of feedback included:
- opposition to the proposed shelters near Alpinia Terrace and Matisia Close due to their proximity to homes
- ongoing concerns that new amenities will contribute to undesirable behaviours in the area
- mixed feedback about the use of existing seats along the walking path
- support for additional shade trees being planted, where possible
- support for bench seats and water bubblers with dog bowls at intervals along the walking path to provide respite for all users.
Following community feedback, we have been working with Cairns Regional Council to finalise the easement restoration play by:
- removing the proposed shelters near Alpinia Terrace and Matisia Close
- confirming the proposed shelter, bench seat and water bubbler with dog bowl near Blueberry Close will proceed
- identifying indicative locations for new shade trees, bench seats and water bubblers with dog bowls
- confirming existing seating to be updated or removed.
We are also investigating options for additional bench seats and shade trees along the easement between:
- Blueberry Close and Scarlet Close
- Foxtail Street and Matisia Close.
The new amenities will be installed progressively from 2025 starting in locations that do not require access for the cable joint bay refurbishment works or further tree removal.
More information will be provided to residents and the local community before these works start.
Refurbishment works
Joint bays are used to join sections of the underground cable together. Essential refurbishment works are needed at two joint bay sites located within Powerlink’s easement, adjacent to Alpinia Terrace and Amazon Close in the Forest Gardens Estate.
The refurbishment works on the joint bays will be undertaken during planned network outages in 2025 and will not result in any impacts to electricity supply.
As the joint bays are located underground, the area above will be established as a construction site. This will involve installing fencing, vegetation clearing, excavation of the joint bays and setting up equipment in preparation for the refurbishment works. Security will be present outside of work hours.
These planned refurbishment works will not impact power supply.
We do not need to access residential private properties to complete the refurbishment or vegetation management works.
Local residents may notice an increase in traffic on the roads leading to access points for the easement and the joint bays situated within the Forest Gardens Estate in Mount Sheridan.
Local traffic and pedestrian management plans will be in place to maintain safety and access for residents and community members during the works.
We will continue to keep local residents updated about the works happening near them and what to expect.
Our project team will continue to provide local residents with regular updates, and you will be notified before any works start in your local area.
We will be door-knocking residents adjoining the easement, doing letterbox drops, putting up signage and providing information on our project website powerlink.com.au/bayviewheightswhiterock.
You can also contact us on 07 4034 7600 or fnqprojects@powerlink.com.au.
General
Powerlink operates and maintains the transmission network that transports electricity over long distances at high voltages, ensuring it gets from power generators to local electricity distributors. Ergon Energy is regional Queensland’s electricity distribution network provider.
Want to know more about the project?
Visit the Bayview Heights to White Rock project webpage to learn more
