General News
23 October, 2026
Up s**t creek
TIDAL movements have reversed recent council works to redirect Barr Creek’s mouth, prompting criticism from a Machans Beach resident who says the intervention was unnecessary and a waste of ratepayers’ money.
Cairns Regional Council opened a southern channel to divert tidal flow away from a severely-eroded section of the shoreline after vegetation loss from Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the Tropical Cyclone Narelle storm surge.
However, the creek mouth has since reverted to its northern course.
Machans Beach resident Barry Fitzsimmons said crews spent two days using trucks and earthmoving equipment to build a sand causeway linking Machans Beach and Holloways Beach.
“They just scooped it up off the beach and made a causeway,” he said.
Mr Fitzsimmons questioned why the council intervened in a declared fish habitat when the creek mouth was already open.
“I think they should leave it alone. When it’s open, leave it alone. It does what it wants, and when it’s shut, open it up.” He argued that the creek naturally changes course and shouldn’t be redirected just because its mouth has shifted toward Holloway’s Beach.
“That’s what all of this is about. Like a creek stays on one side of the mouth for its whole life. No, it doesn’t.”
Mr Fitzsimmons also questioned the cost of the operation, estimating that about a dozen workers were involved over a two-week period.
A council spokeswoman said the works responded to community concerns about further erosion and were carried out under existing permits for flood mitigation, stinger net maintenance and erosion management.
“The creek mouth has since naturally returned to the northern side, with smaller tides last week generating insufficient flow to keep the southern channel open,” the spokeswoman said.
Council did not provide a cost figure in its initial response.
Mr Fitzsimmons maintained that the intervention had failed and called on council to reconsider its approach to managing the creek.
The council spokeswoman said larger tides could naturally reopen the southern channel and acknowledged differing community views on managing Barr Creek.
“Council continues to monitor the site and may undertake further works if they are considered necessary and likely to achieve a positive outcome.”
In a further development, Mr Fitzsimmons said council crews had returned to Barr Creek to reconstruct an access ramp and excavate additional sand from the creek mouth. He questioned whether the latest intervention would withstand tidal movements, warning that signs of another failure were already emerging.
“The seeds of another failure are already evident in the breaching ring around the dig site,” he said.
“They dug straight down.”
Mr Fitzsimmons also raised concerns about the mounting cost of repeated works, although the total expenditure remains unconfirmed.
Council confirmed additional excavation work at the mouth of Barr Creek on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October to protect foreshore vegetation along the waterway’s northern bank.
A council spokeswoman said the latest works had significantly deepened and widened the southern channel, redirecting tidal flow away from the northern side to help reduce erosion.
The council confirmed it undertook both rounds of works using a small excavator and compact track loader, with the total cost reaching $7200.
Further works are planned to push sand against the northern bank to provide additional protection for trees exposed at the water’s edge.
