Whitsunday Local Marine Advisory Committee (Whitsunday LMAC)
Airlie Beach, overlooking the Whitsunday Passage, is considered to be the hub of the Whitsundays group. First discovered by Captain Cook in 1770, they include 74 tropical islands, which are home to 10 island resorts. The Whitsundays, known as one of the world’s great aquatic playgrounds, is a focal point of major tourism activities.
The Local Marine Advisory Committee (LMAC) region is visited all year round by international and domestic travellers, with peak numbers in the winter months. Attractions on land include the Conway National Park, which contains some of the world's oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests.
The Whitsunday Shire supports the towns of Proserpine, Airlie Beach and surrounding communities. Total population is approximately 20 990. Sugar cane production and agriculture are the mainstay industries around Proserpine.
Whilst tourism is a mainstay of the Whitsundays, the LMAC region, which incorporates Bowen in the north to Midge Point in the south, includes diverse agricultural, fishing and aquaculture activities which all have an ability to impact on the Marine Park and World Heritage Area.
Whitsunday LMAC region
While the Whitsunday LMAC normally meets at Airlie Beach, it is concerned with the coastal and inland area extending from Cape Upstart in the north (Bowen Shire) to Midge Point in the south (Mackay Shire) and includes the coastal towns of Bowen, Airlie Beach and numerous beachside settlements.
Who is represented on the Whitsunday LMAC?
Members of the Whitsunday LMAC represent a diversity of interest groups including: regional tourism operators, catchment management groups, commercial and recreational fishing interests, conservation groups, community groups and local council. Government officers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Marine Safety Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority are also represented on the committee.
What are some of the current issues the LMAC is concerned with?
- Maintenance of Public Moorings in the area
- Protection of marine animals such as dugong and turtles
- Issues relating to Special Management Areas
- Water quality, coastal planning and catchment issues
- Issues relating to sustainable tourism operations in the region
- Initiating public forums to explain issues such as climate change, storm tides and coral bleaching
- Increasing community awareness of relevant marine and coastal issues.
Further information about LMACs
For further information on Local Marine Advisory Committees, please contact:
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Central Regional Office
PO Box 94
MACKAY QLD 4740
Tel: (07) 4951 3454
Fax: (07) 4951 3487
Email: central.region@gbrmpa.gov.au
Public Comments
If there is a local issue that concerns you, please contact the Chair or Secretary of the committee.
Chair: Tony Fontes Email: tfontes@divingcareers.com
Secretary: Ian Gordon Email: iandaz@westnet.com.au
Postal Address: Attn: Whitsunday Local Marine Advisory Committee
PO Box 543
Cannonvale QLD 4802