Sunshine Coast Council is proposing to establish an ecological park in the hinterland on 65 hectares of land adjoining Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve.

The project provides an opportunity to expand our accessible green spaces by creating a unique destination for the whole community, inspired by the beautiful natural environment of the Sunshine Coast.

An ecological park is a type of park that will support nature-based recreation, education, and research, whilst protecting, celebrating, and restoring the sites inherent environmental, natural, and cultural heritage values.

The ecological park is a long term project aiming to restore natural ecosystems over many years and decades, allowing the community to be part of the restorative process.

The vision for the ecological park is:

To create a place of cherished nature and ecological wonder for generations to discover and enjoy.

The Sunshine Coast Ecological Park project undertook three stages of community engagement throughout the master planning phase. Thank you to everyone in the community who contributed feedback, which has helped shape the Draft Master Plan. The engagement findings can be found here.

The master plan was endorsed by council at the Ordinary Meeting on 27 July 2023, allowing the project to progress to implementation. For more information visit council's website.

‘Back to Nature’ the Sunshine Coast Ecological Park Draft Master Plan, establishes a framework for a new destination park which expands the green space of the region. The Ecological Park presents an opportunity to create a new style of park that considers people and wildlife equally - a genuine balance of recreation and ecological restoration.

Historically the site was part of a lush subtropical rainforest ecosystem, featuring waterways and rolling hills, on the land of the Jinibara People. In recent history the site has been altered for farming use through clearing of remnant vegetation and alterations to the waterways.

The Ecological Park will be a story of repair, recreation and education, that delivers significant environmental and social benefits. Over years and decades, the project will transform the existing landscape into a cherished park space, that will grow and develop with the Sunshine Coast community and allow people to have a connection with nature and be inspired by a Traditional Owner philosophy of ‘Healing of Country’.

The Draft Master Plan provides a road map to guide the park's establishment and evolution for coming generations. The plan reflects a range of ideas and strategies that have been informed by stakeholder engagement, community feedback and technical investigations. The plan offers the community a showcase of our first artist impressions of this incredible project.

Council envisions a place where nature is cherished, where the community learns from each other and grows stronger together, and where everyone can find joy in our natural environment. As you explore this document we urge you to consider how you would spend your time in this park.